The Diamondbacks and Dodgers have split the first two games of the series, and both have gone down by the slimmest possible margin. That sets up Sunday as the rubber game of the set and, as the source notes, of the entire 2026 campaign. If these two meet again this year, it will be in the playoffs.
Arizona sends Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound after a difficult last outing against the Padres, when he allowed 11 hits over five innings. Even so, the outing came with a .440 BABIP, and his FIP actually dropped in that start. The expectation is for a cleaner afternoon from him.
The lineup cards also feature a notable Arizona tweak, with Geraldo Perdomo leading off at shortstop and Corbin Carroll batting second in right field. Ketel Marte is in the four spot as the designated hitter, while Nolan Arenado hits fifth at third base. Gabriel Moreno is behind the plate, and Tyler Locklear is at first.
On the Dodgers’ side, Shohei Ohtani is the DH and Andy Pages is in center. Freddie Freeman bats third at first, with Tommy Edman at second and Mookie Betts at shortstop.
Kyle Tucker is in right, Teoscar Hernandez in left, Enrique Hernandez at third, and Ben Rortvedt catching. Justin Wrobleski gets the start on the mound.
There was also a little postgame debate about Torey Lovullo and the bunt game after Saturday night. The argument centered on whether Arizona should have been bunting with a runner on second, and the source points out that, with no pitchers hitting anymore, the play still has value in the right spot. Yes, it usually costs an out and cuts into the chance of a big inning, but when a team is down one and needs a run to keep the game alive, the goal is simply to improve the odds of scoring.
Tim Tawa didn’t get the job done on either of his two attempts, but the source notes that if one had worked, the tying run may have scored on McCann’s infield single.
For the season, Arizona has made 39 actual sacrifice bunt attempts, according to BR’s classification, which counts only bunts that put the ball in play. Those have produced 27 successes, eight hits, and four failures in which the lead runner was out.
The source also says those plays have added +50% to Win Probability, making it hard to call the strategy a failure overall. The broader point: a lot of the heat around the bunt game may come down to confirmation bias, with fans remembering the times Lovullo’s choice didn’t work out.
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