Archie v Hyun-Jin Ryu, Lineup & Notes - Reynolds Back

Game: The series opens at 10:10 EDT at Dodger Stadium and will be aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Melky Cabrera LF, Gregory Polanco RF, Josh Bell 1B, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Bryan Reynolds CF, Cole Tucker SS, Chris Archer P. Welcome back, Bryan.

Bryan Reynolds returns after a brief hiatus (photo MLB Pipe Line/Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Chris Archer (1-1/2.74) spins against LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-1/3.10). Arch is back in his regular groove. He had seven days off between starts in his last outing thx to his suspension, and felt that left him a little out of sorts in his 3-2 loss to the Giants. He's only seen LA once in his career, back in 2016, and was a 3-2 loser. Ryu is coming off an extra rest day; this is his second start since coming off the IL Saturday but he's been strong with nearly 11K/nine IP.  The southpaw has faced the Bucs four times in his career, the last time in 2017. He's 4-0/2.49 against Pittsburgh, so he's been a load for the Pirates to handle.

Notes:

• The Bucs have lost five in a row, six straight at Dodger Stadium and are 2-11 against LA in 2017-18. Archie will be trying to end a another record-tying streak by Big Blue; they've homered in 32 consecutive home games, knotted with the 1999 Colorado Rockies for the longest home long-ball stretch in MLB history. The Pirates pitching will also be tested again, working back-to-back sets against the two highest scoring clubs in the NL, first the D-Backs and now the Dodgers,
• LA is starting three lefties; Pittsburgh is batting .219 v LHP. 
• In case you've lost count, the Pirates still have 10 guys out - On the 60-day IL: Edgar Santana (elbow), Chad Kuhl  (elbow), & Erik Gonzalez (collarbone). On the 10-day IL: Nick Burdi (biceps), Starling Marte (abdominal), Corey Dickerson: (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: (finger), Jose Osuna (neck), Kevin Newman (finger), & Jake Stallings (neck). The good news is that Marte, Newman, Chisenhall and maybe Dickerson could all be back by this time next week.
• Going into today, 19-year-old 1B Mason Martin has homered in five straight games for Low-A Greensboro. He was a 17th round HS pick in 2017, signing for $350K.