Brewers at Dodgers
The Milwaukee Brewers continue to exact a bit of revenge from the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try for a three-game sweep Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Milwaukee, which lost the 2018 National League Championship Series to Los Angeles in seven games, prevailed 4-1 on Saturday to hand the pitching-challenged Dodgers their sixth straight loss.
Los Angeles starters allowed 21 runs over 21 innings in the first five contests of the slide before reliever Caleb Ferguson yielded one in 2 2/3 frames while serving as the opener on Saturday. Help is on the way, though, as Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to make his 2019 debut Monday while rotation mainstays Rich Hill (knee) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin) are working toward a return. Los Angeles' Cody Bellinger (.422) continues to hit despite his team's woes, belting his NL-leading ninth home run Saturday on his bobblehead night as part of his ninth multi-hit performance of the season. Milwaukee's Jhoulys Chacin takes the ball Sunday after allowing three earned runs or fewer in 17 straight starts (postseason included) and opposes Ross Stripling, who is eating innings until the injured return.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Jhoulys Chacin (2-1, 4.24 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Ross Stripling (0-1, 3.78)
Chacin allowed three runs, three hits (two homers) and three walks in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. The 31-year-old Venezuelan, who recorded a career-high 15 wins last season, yielded five runs over 10 2/3 frames in winning his first two starts of the season. Chacin lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Dodgers, permitting a two-run homer by Bellinger, after beating them with 5 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 3.
Stripling allowed four runs, five hits and three walks while striking out seven in five innings of 4-0 loss at St. Louis on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Texan yielded three runs over 11 2/3 frames in his first two starts - a pair of no-decisions as the Dodgers defeated San Francisco 5-3 on April 3 and lost to Arizona 5-4 on March 29. Stripling has registered eight strikeouts over five scoreless innings in three games (one start) against Milwaukee, whose roster is a collective 4-for-20 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers RF and reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich (.345) went 0-for-5 on Saturday, marking only the third game this season in which he didn't record a hit.
2. Dodgers CF A.J. Pollock (.242) is 8-for-45 in 12 games this month after going 7-for-17 in four contests in March.
3. Milwaukee 3B Travis Shaw returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the previous game with a hand injury and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs after going 1-for-21 in his previous six contests.