Los Angeles @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 24, 2016 ) LA Dodgers 6, Pittsburgh 8

The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled mightily of late, but they have routinely righted the ship when the Los Angeles Dodgers pay a visit to PNC Park. The sputtering Pirates vie for their 10th victory in 12 home encounters versus the Dodgers on Saturday when the clubs play the second contest of their four-game series.

Matt Joyce fell a triple shy of the cycle and drove in two runs in Friday's 8-6 victory for Pittsburgh, which posted just its third victory in 16 outings and handed Clint Hurdle his 1,000th managerial win. Los Angeles may have seen its six-game winning streak come to a halt, but rookie Corey Seager has showed no signs of slowing down. The 22-year-old collected four hits in the series opener and is 16-for-34 with six runs scored during his eight-game hitting streak. The mercurial Yasiel Puig, who is 5-for-11 with three runs scored in his last three contests, went deep on Friday to give his team 14 consecutive games with at least one homer - tying Washington for the longest such streak this season.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (6-4, 2.64 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Jeff Locke (6-5, 5.44)

Maeda turned in his fifth straight strong outing on Sunday but settled for a no-decision despite yielding one run and striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings against Milwaukee. The 28-year-old native of Japan has permitted five earned runs on 25 hits during his last five starts (29 2/3 innings), posting a 3-1 mark in the process. Maeda has also made himself comfortable on the road with a 4-0 mark and 2.14 ERA while allowing the opposition to bat just .185 versus him.

Locke rebounded with a vengeance after yielding 18 runs on 20 hits in his previous two horrific outings (8 2/3 innings) by scattering five hits over 6 2/3 scoreless frames in a 1-0 win over San Francisco on Monday. The 28-year-old did not walk a batter after issuing four free passes in his rough two-start stretch. Locke has struggled in his career versus the Dodgers, falling to 1-3 after permitting five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings in his last encounter.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh SS Jordy Mercer is riding a nine-game hitting streak.

2. Los Angeles 2B Chase Utley has overcome a sluggish start to the month by hitting safely in six in a row and nine of his last 11 contests.

3. Pirates LHP Tony Watson has recorded a scoreless inning of work in each of his last seven appearances after yielding seven runs on six hits in his previous three outings.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 4, Pirates 2