Dodgers Look To Avenge Jon Garland In Pittsburgh

Today's game between the Dodgers and Pirates features two teams both in the midst of scheduled 10-game road trips. The Dodgers move on to Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Francisco after this one-game makeup, while the Pirates come home to play a quick home game in between road series in Houston and Chicago.

But the real victim of the May 12 rainout? Jon Garland.

Garland, who is 0-for-11 while batting this season and 0-for-23 as a Dodger including his 2009 stint in Los Angeles, actually hit a single in the second inning in Pittsburgh on May 12. That base hit scored Dioner Navarro and gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, but the game and its records were washed away shortly thereafter.

The last completed game the Dodgers had in Pittsburgh was on May 11, a game in which Vicente Padilla got the save. Since then, the Dodgers have had five different pitchers collect saves.

As for today, the Dodgers have purchased the contract of Dana Eveland, who will join the starting rotation beginning with a game against the last major league team for which he played. Eveland's time in Pittsburgh last season was brief: three games, one start, an 8.38 ERA, more than two baserunners per inning, and one damning review from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

General manager Neal Huntington had expressed hope at the time of the trade that Eveland would represent an upgrade to the rotation, but he ended up being a downgrade to the bullpen, as he was not nearly as effective as recently released Jack Taschner, another left-hander.

Taschner, you may recall, was signed by the Dodgers after getting released by the Pirates. Taschner faced six batters as a Dodger, and recorded one out. Let's hope Eveland has a better fate in store for his Dodger career.

The Dodgers are 27-13 all-time at PNC Park.

Lineups

Dee Gordon has been activated from the disabled list, and is in today's starting lineup at shortstop. Russ Mitchell was recalled from Albuquerque, bringing the Dodgers' active roster to 28.

Game Time: 1:05 p.m.

TV: KCAL

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