Series preview: Dodgers return home after brutal roadtrip

The Dodgers and Mariners are both sitting at 18-17 on the season, however the hype surrounding each team is entirely different.

LA was expected to be one of the best teams ever and winning 100 games seemed like an almost lock. Now, not so much. Meanwhile, Seattle was projected to win only 72 games and finish in 4th place of the AL West. Currently, they’re above .500 and only a couple games out of first place.

This will be the second and final time these two teams face each other this year, as both teams split a two-game series in Seattle last month.

Tuesday: Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.13 ERA) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (1-2, 4.30 ERA)

Quietly, Walker Buehler has been very solid for the Dodgers this season. In six starts, he only has one decision, despite his low ERA. He’s been consistent for LA, as he’s gone at least six innings in all of his outings. Despite striking out only four in his first three starts, Buehler is averaging 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s been a punch-out machine over his last three outings, racking up 27 strikeouts in 19 ¹⁄₃ innings. In addition to his high strikeout numbers recently, Buehler has been the best starter in all of baseball in limiting walks. Through the first month, he’s only issued two free passes, and his BB/9 rate of 0.5 is the best in all of baseball. Additionally, his SO/BB rate of 19.5 is also the best.

After a rough start to his season, Yusei Kikuchi has been very good for the Mariners over his last two starts. He’s thrown seven innings in back-to-back starts, and has actually been pretty good at eating innings all season. In his last two starts, Kikuchi has a 1.93 ERA and is holding opponents to a .130 average. He’s averaging a strikeout per inning and has only walked three during this stretch.

Wednesday: Julio Urias (4-1, 3.59 ERA) vs. Justin Dunn (1-0, 3.51 ERA)

Julio Urias is coming off his worst start of the season. This past weekend against the Angels, he allowed a season-high five runs in only five innings of action. After averaging nine strikeouts over his previous three starts, he only struck out four. Hopefully he can recapture what he was doing during those previous three outings, as he had a 1.89 ERA and was holding opponents to a .143 average.

Justin Dunn is having a very nice start to the season for Seattle. He has a career-high WHIP, FIP and SO/9 rate. His last outing against Baltimore was one of his best outings of the season, as he allowed only one run on three hits and struck out six, a season-high for him. Through the young season, Dunn has been unable to go six full innings, as he’s usually pulled before due to his high pitch count. He’s averaging six walks per nine innings, so this is something the Dodgers can truly take advantage of because they are one of the best teams in baseball when it comes to drawing walks.

Other noteworthy stats

• Dodgers have lost 15 of their last 20 games
• Since April 17, Dodgers are tied for worst batting average in National League (.217)
• Mariners are hitting .210 as a team, tied for the worst in all of baseball
• Seattle has a strikeout percentage of 26.5%, the third worst in the American League
• Seattle still has one of top bullpens in all of baseball, as they are near the top in almost every category