More than three weeks after being traded to Los Angeles in a deadline deal with Oakland, left-hander Rich Hill is set for his Dodgers debut, and the 36-year-old will take the mound Wednesday looking to help his new club extend their division lead with a second straight victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Hill, who has been on the disabled list since exiting his July 17 start against the Toronto Blue Jays just one batter in due a blister on his middle finger, crafted a 2.25 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP in 14 starts for the Athletics before getting traded. Johnny Cueto, who boasts a 2.90 ERA this season, gets the ball for San Francisco, looking to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young award.
Here's what else is happening all around the majors today:
JAPANESE REUNION
Former Japanese league teammates Masahiro Tanaka and Hisashi Iwakuma face off when the Yankees play at Seattle. The pair worked in Rakuten's rotation from 2007-11, playing in the finals in 2009. They already pitched against each other once this season, when Tanaka's Yankees got a 4-3 victory in New York in April.
RICK ROLLING
Red Sox righty Rick Porcello (17-3, 3.22) can become the majors' first 18-game winner when Boston plays at Tampa Bay. Porcello already has a career high for victories and is tied with Toronto's J.A. Happ for the majors' lead.
BATTED AROUND
Pirates ace Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.30) tries to get back on track in a matinee against Houston. Batters have 24 hits and a .453 average against Cole in his past two starts, a huge spike from the .258 average he allowed in his first 17 starts. Astros righty Collin McHugh (7-10, 4.99) is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in his past five starts.
BAUER POWER
Indians righty Trevor Bauer faces Oakland after striking out a career-high 13 in a 3-2 win over Toronto last time out. Bauer has an inconsistent track record but has been better this season in part because he's inducing more groundballs - his 49 percent grounder rate this year is about 10 points better than his 2015 mark. Kendall Graveman (9-8, 4.09) is coming off a two-hit shutout of the White Sox.
DARVISH DEALING
Yu Darvish (4-3, 2.75) is rounding into form for the Rangers and gets his next test against Cincinnati. Darvish has pitched at least six innings in each of his last six starts, averaging 96 pitches in that stretch as he returns from Tommy John surgery.