Series preview: Dodgers look to extend winning streak, welcome Marlins to town

The Dodgers finally look like the team we saw back in early April. After a forgetful three week stretch, LA has now won two in a row and fans are dancing in the streets. Riding the winning streak, the Miami Marlins (16-20) come into town. Former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and a lot of former Dodgers players return to Dodger Stadium. This should be a fun one!

Friday: Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 2.62 ERA) vs. Sandy Alcantara (1-2, 2.72 ERA)

Well, the Marlins face the trio of death this weekend in regards to the Dodgers’ starting rotation. Good luck! If you were to take out two of Kershaw’s starts this season, he’s been fantastic. After his shortest outing of his career (1 IP) in Chicago, Kershaw bounced back nicely last week at Anaheim. He threw five scoreless innings and allowed only two hits. He also struck out five. At Dodger Stadium in 2021, Kershaw owns a 1.35 ERA and a WHIP of 0.80. He also has 21 strikeouts compared to only two walks.

Over the last four seasons, Sandy Alcantara has quietly been one of the more consistent starters in baseball. Over his last 53 starts, he owns a 3.53 ERA with 268 strikeouts. This season for Miami he’s been very good, especially as of late. He’s thrown at least six innings in seven of his eight starts this season, and has thrown seven innings in two of his last three. During his last four starts, his ERA is only 2.16, and three of the starts were quality starts.

Saturday: Trevor Bauer (3-2, 2.50 ERA) vs. TBA

Trevor Bauer gets his crack at the Marlins as he’ll take the mound on Saturday. Leading the National League in strikeouts, Bauer has struck out at least nine in five of his starts. Aside from the third inning that got away from him, he was great in his last start against the Angels. He allowed only two runs in six innings and struck out nine. After eating a lot of innings through his first six starts, Bauer has only thrown 10 ¹⁄₃ combined innings over his last two starts. This will be only his third start at Dodger Stadium this season, while he’s already made six starts on the road. In his two outings at home he owns a 1.38 ERA, 0.61 WHIP and is averaging 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

As of right now, the Marlins haven’t named a starting pitcher yet.

Sunday: Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.45 ERA) vs. Pablo Lopez (0-3, 3.07 ERA)

Walker Buehler will make his eighth start of the season, and he only has a 1-0 record to show for it remarkably. At the moment, Buehler has an insane SO/BB rate (15.67), as he’s only issued three walks in 44 ¹⁄₃ innings. Over his last four starts, he has 35 strikeouts in 26 ¹⁄₃ innings. In addition, he’s been great at eating innings for the bullpen. In two of his last starts he’s thrown at least seven innings, including his last outing.

The Marlins have a number of solid starters, and Pablo Lopez is one of them. Although he has yet to pick up a win, he’s been great for Miami, with an ERA of just above three. Prior to his last start, it was only 2.04, but he allowed six runs in only four innings of action. He’s made eight starts this season, with six of them being really good. In six of his starts, he’s allowed two runs or less. In his other two starts he’s allowed a combined 12 runs in 8 ¹⁄₃ innings.