Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros Pick & Prediction JULY 28th 2024
Preview and Prediction
With a combined effort from five relievers, the Houston Astros were able to secure a 7-6 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. This win not only gave them the series victory, but also set them up for a potential three-game sweep against the division leaders.
It is highly likely that the Houston bullpen will play a crucial role in the final game of the series on Sunday. So far, six relievers have only allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out 12 batters in 7 1/3 innings. With right-handers Tayler Scott and Bryan Abreu already making appearances in both victories, Astros manager Joe Espada has the flexibility to use other relievers if needed on Sunday.
Espada praised the performance of the bullpen, stating, "Our bullpen has been exceptional. We wouldn't be in this position without them."
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Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-8, 5.65 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Sunday. He has not been able to secure a win in his last four starts, with a 0-2 record and a 5.57 ERA. In his most recent appearance against the Oakland Athletics on Monday, he allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters in a 4-0 loss.
Arrighetti has only managed to secure one win in his last nine starts, which was against the Colorado Rockies on June 26. In that game, he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and recording a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 7-1 victory.
This will be Arrighetti's first time facing the Dodgers in his career.
On the other side, rookie right-hander River Ryan (0-0, 0.00) will make his second career start for the Dodgers in an attempt to avoid the sweep. In his major league debut against the San Francisco Giants on Monday, he allowed one unearned run on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters in 5 1/3 innings. However, he did not factor into the decision in the 3-2 victory.
Before his promotion, Ryan had a 2.22 ERA and did not record a decision in eight starts across three levels in the minors.
The Dodgers had to place All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman on the family emergency list on Saturday after he left to tend to a family matter before the series opener.
Despite strong performances from Shohei Ohtani (2-for-3, two walks, two runs, two RBIs, and his 32nd home run) and Cavan Biggio (2-for-3 with an RBI double and a homer), the Dodgers were unable to hold onto their 5-0 lead in the later innings on Saturday. With Freeman and injured players Mookie Betts and Max Muncy out of the lineup, the Dodgers lacked the same offensive power that had given them a nine-game lead in the NL West as recently as June 20.
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After their loss on Saturday, the Dodgers' lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West has shrunk to 5 1/2 games.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the challenges of playing without key players, saying, "It's not the lineup that we projected when we started the season. But that's the beauty of baseball. It's more fun when you have players like Betts, Freeman, Ohtani, Smith, Muncy, and others. But it's also exciting to see other players get opportunities and it's up to them to make the most of it."
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros Recap JUL 28TH 2024
James Outman, Gavin Lux and Teoscar Hernandez homered in support of rookie River Ryan, who excelled in his second career start as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged the finale of this three-game interleague series with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
The Dodgers snapped a four-game road losing streak by blending a second consecutive strong start from Ryan (1-0) with an impressive power display initiated in the middle innings. On the heels of allowing four hits and one unearned run over 5? innings in his major league debut on July 22 against the San Francisco Giants, Ryan did not surrender a hit over his first four innings.
Ryan held a 1-0 lead when he allowed a leadoff double to Jon Singleton in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of a one-out home run from Outman in the top of that frame. Astros rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-9) also carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning but Outman ended that bid with his third home run, an opposite-field shot that carried 343 feet to left field.
An inning later, Lux joined the slugfest, following a leadoff single from Hernandez with his sixth homer of the season. His 379-foot blast to right extended the Dodgers' lead to 3-0. While Arrighetti held the line there, the damage was done. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings and remained winless over his last five starts.
Ryan sidestepped the Singleton double with a pair of strikeouts to end the fifth. When Jose Altuve reached with a leadoff double in the sixth, Ryan induced consecutive flyball outs to center to end his day. Ryan was charged with one run on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts.
That lone run came on the next pitch, the first thrown by Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia to Astros designated hitter Yainer Diaz, who drilled a fastball 414 feet to left-center field that sliced the deficit to 3-2. Vesia recovered and retired the next four batters he faced before right-handers Joe Kelly and Brent Honeywell emerged from the Dodgers bullpen to keep the Astros in check.
Hernandez (2-for-5, two runs) provided insurance with his 22nd home run leading off the eighth, yanking a first-pitch slider from Astros left-hander Bryan King into the left-field seats to up the lead to 4-2. Lux scored twice, drove in a pair of runs and walked three times.