The Dodgers are heading to Arizona with the NL West race suddenly tighter than it looked a month ago, and this three-game set with the Diamondbacks arrives with real weight. Los Angeles had a 14-game cushion over Arizona in mid-July. That lead is down to 8.5 games now, and with the teams meeting for the final time in the regular season, the stakes are obvious.
The Dodgers come in after back-to-back sweeps, first at home against the Boston Red Sox and then on the road against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. If that slide keeps going and Arizona completes the sweep, the Diamondbacks could pull within six games of first place. If Los Angeles steadies itself and takes care of business, the gap could climb back into double digits.
The season series has already been split in a way that fits the tension. The Dodgers opened the year by sweeping Arizona in the first three games, then the Diamondbacks answered with a three-game sweep of Los Angeles to close the first half. In between, the clubs split a four-game series at Chase Field in June.
Friday’s opener features RHP Roki Sasaki against RHP Merrill Kelly. Sasaki has been sharp since the All-Star break, posting a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings in three starts with 21 strikeouts and only one home run allowed.
For the season, he owns a 4.64 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 99 innings. Kelly enters at 8-9 with a 5.04 ERA in 20 starts, though he’s been better lately with a 3.48 ERA in four second-half starts.
Saturday brings RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto against RHP Brandon Pfaadt. Yamamoto will be looking to bounce back from his last outing against Arizona, when he gave up six runs over six innings right before the break.
Since then, he’s put together a 2.35 ERA over three starts and 23 innings. On the year, Yamamoto has a 2.76 ERA in 133.2 innings with 121 strikeouts and 29 walks.
Pfaadt has also been rolling since the break, putting up a 1.44 ERA in four starts covering 25 innings. Overall, he has a 3.66 ERA in 20 appearances, including 10 starts and 10 relief outings.
The Dodgers still haven’t announced Sunday’s starter. Left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski is next in line, and Los Angeles could also go with one last bullpen game and have Wrobleski pitch on Monday.
There’s also a scenario where the Dodgers line things up with Wrobleski on Sunday, Tarik Skubal on Monday, Eric Lauer on Tuesday and Blake Snell returning Wednesday. If Sunday turns into a bullpen game, those assignments would all slide back a day.
Arizona is sending Rodriguez to the mound after a rough outing in which he allowed seven runs, five earned, on 11 hits over 5.2 innings. Even with that start, the first-time All-Star is still 10-4 with a 2.71 ERA over 136.1 innings.
First pitch for Friday’s opener is 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m.
ET. Saturday’s game starts at 5:10 p.m.
PT/8:10 p.m. ET, and Sunday’s finale is set for 1:10 p.m.
PT/4:10 p.m. ET.
All three games will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.
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