Pirates aim to shift momentum vs. Dodgers
No one outside of the Rust Belt area is quite prepared endorse Clint Hurdle’s club as a legitimate playoff contender all over again. Last night’s turn of events certainly couldn’t have hurt, though.
Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-6 victory over the Dodgers. Chapter No. 2 in the series gets written tonight, with a 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch at PNC Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv currently lean toward the visitors, while the Pirates enter as +120 underdogs. The over/under run total is eight.
If the Buccos are to climb that much closer to the .500 mark, they’ll need another sterling effort from Jeff Locke. The lefty failed to disappoint on Monday, outfoxing San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner. Locke holds a 1-3 record with a 4.07 ERA in five career appearances against Los Angeles.
As for Dave Roberts, he promises to keep a watchful eye on Kenta Maeda (6-4, 2.64). The righty tossed a season-high 107 pitches in his most recent outing, limiting the Diamondbacks to one run on six hits. Maeda’s also 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA since May 28.
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The Dodgers entered this series on a pretty nice roll, so it’s easy to envision a bounce-back effort here. Then again, Pittsburgh recognizes the importance of protecting the home field before next week’s expedition out West. Bank on Hurdle’s troops to capture a squeaker.
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