First pitch: Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles +130, Cleveland -140, Total: 9.0

The Dodgers will be going for their sixth straight win when they face the Indians on Wednesday.

Los Angeles is rolling right now, as the Dodgers have won five straight games heading into this one. Their offense is really clicking at the moment, as they have now put up at an average of 7.0 runs per game over their past four. They’ll look to keep it up, but it won’t necessarily be easy against RHP Corey Kluber (5-2, 4.38 ERA, 59 K). Kluber has struggled a bit this season, but he is still one of the best pitchers in the game. The Dodgers don’t have a slouch on the mound either, though. They’ll be sending RHP Brandon McCarthy (5-3, 3.28 ERA, 51 K) out there in this one, and the righty has been as solid as could be this season. One trend that favors Los Angeles in this game is the fact that Cleveland is a lousy 1-8 against the money line in inter-league games this season. The Indians are, however, an impressive 33-10 against the money line after having lost four or five of their past six games over the past two seasons. One injury that needs to be mentioned is that 1B Adrian Gonzalez (Back) is on the 10-day DL. That is a big loss for the Dodgers, but they have been fine without him thus far.

The Dodgers are playing very well right now, and they’ll hope to keep it going with McCarthy on the hill on Wednesday. The righty has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four straight starts, and he has walked a total of five batters in those games. If he can continue to throw with pinpoint accuracy then things aren’t likely to change. McCarthy will continue to give Los Angeles solid innings, but that obviously is not as easy going against an offense that led Cleveland to the World Series last year. Offensively, the Dodgers will be hoping that both OF Yasiel Puig (.239 BA, 10 HR, 33 RBI) and OF Cody Bellinger (.261 BA, 17 HR, 39 RBI) can stay hot after Tuesday night’s game. Puig was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in that game, and Bellinger was 3-for-4 with a double, two homers, and four RBI. Los Angeles can’t expect the two of them to do that every game, but the two should be feeling confident on Wednesday.

The Indians need a victory on Wednesday, but that means that Kluber is going to need to keep up the good work. Kluber has been better than he was early on in the year over his past two starts, allowing just three earned runs in his last 12 innings of work. He struck out 18 batters over those two games, but he has still allowed seven or more hits in three of his past four outings. Kluber is much better than that, and the Indians are waiting for him to start having some of his signature dominant performances. If Cleveland is going to start winning games then the team will, however, need both SS Francisco Lindor (.254 BA, 12 HR, 27 RBI) and DH Edwin Encarnacion (.243 BA, 12 HR, 26 RBI) to start playing to their potential. Both guys have had underwhelming seasons, but it’s not too late for them to turn it around. It’d be huge if they can both play well on Wednesday.