Dodgers-Pirates preview
PITTSBURGH -- Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates will attempt to keep their current roll against the Los Angeles Dodgers going when they meet again at PNC Park on Sunday. McCutchen snapped out of his recent slump, at least for one night, in Pittsburgh's 6-1 win on Saturday. The 2013 National League MVP homered twice and earned four RBI to help the Pirates overcome otherwise strong pitching from right-hander Kenta Maeda. "He's going to get to somebody sooner or later, it doesn't matter who," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "They can be good. They could have been around. They can be young, fresh. He's going to get to somebody." Pittsburgh (36-39) has taken each of the first two games of its series against Los Angeles (41-35) but will find itself facing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the finale. With some confidence and a new walk-up song by Adele in his arsenal, McCutchen feels prepared to break out soon. "I'm just going to keep working and going at it," McCutchen said. "I'll be back to where I know I can be in no time." McCutchen, whose 12 home runs have him one ahead of third baseman Jung Ho Kang for the team lead, might have a harder time Sunday, when he and the Pirates face one of the National League's premier aces. The Pirates' starter has not been determined, but it is certain whoever they put on the mound will face a tough test in Kershaw. The three-time Cy Young winner has elevated his game even further in 2016, which is a frightening proposition for a Pittsburgh team trying to find its footing amidst recent struggles. Kershaw is 11-1 with a 1.57 ERA and three complete games this season. In his last start, he allowed one run with eight strikeouts against the Washington Nationals on Monday. The Dodgers were on a roll entering this series, winning six straight and nine of 10 before heading to Pittsburgh. Despite that success, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts hasn't been pleased with his team's collective effort and thinks it might rely on Kershaw's brilliance too often. "I don't know where we would be without Clayton, that's for sure," Roberts said after Los Angeles' 8-6 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday. "We've really reached into our depth. You can't use that as excuse, though. If you asked the hitters, they'd say they should have scored more runs tonight. If you asked the guys in the bullpen, they'd say they should have not given up any runs. Everyone is accountable. It's not just the starting pitchers. It's all of us." Pittsburgh could counter Kershaw with Triple-A pitcher Chad Kuhl, who would make his major-league debut, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Kuhl has performed well with the Indianapolis Indians this season, winning six of eight decisions with a 2.58 ERA, but has shown some weakness lately. Before allowing just two runs across 5 2/3 innings in his last start Monday, Kuhl had surrendered four runs in each of his previous three starts and had failed to go more than four innings in two of those three. |