NL West rivals will battle it out in the first game of a four-game series Thursday as the Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2) take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (3-3). The Diamondbacks will host this one at Chase Field, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 pm ET.
The Dodgers are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -148 to win, while the Diamondbacks’ moneyline sits at +126. The runline features Arizona +1.5 (-130), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Dodgers Continue Quest To Dominate Division
At -125, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to win the NL West. Striving to make this a reality, they got off to a good start going 4-2 in their first two series.
After sweeping a short two-game series over the Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers enjoyed an off day on Wednesday. In their last game, they were able to pick up a 5-2 victory over Colorado.
In the win, Julio Urias pitched six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out six. Offensively, the Dodgers hit three home runs as Will Smith, Jayson Heyward, and Max Muncy all went deep.
Against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly, Mookie Betts has the most success with three home runs off the righty.
Unfortunately, Betts suffered an ankle injury in his last game and might be questionable for this one.
This will be the second time that Kelly and Dodgers’ starter Dustin May square off in the last week. In the first outing, the Diamondbacks got the upper hand, but May was dominant. He went seven innings, allowing three hits and struck out four.
Diamondbacks Hope To Play Dodgers Tough Again
After splitting the opening four-game series with the Dodgers on the road, Arizona is hoping to build off of that as they now host Los Angeles. Last year, at Chase Field, Arizona was just 40-41 at home.
As previously mentioned, Merrill Kelly will get the ball again in this one and will look to pitch a bit better than the first outing. Even though Arizona eventually won the game, Kelly only went 3.2 innings. He didn’t allow an earned run, but he gave up three hits and four walks.
Through six games, Corbin Carroll is quickly reminding Diamondbacks’ fans why he is one of the best prospects in the game. In 23 at bats, he is hitting .261/.261/.435 with a home run and three stolen bases. Against May, he is two for six with three runs batted in.
Christian Walker has also had some success, hitting .571 in seven at bats against May. Last year, Walker went .242/.327/.477 with 36 home runs, 94 runs batted in, and 84 runs scored.
Take Los Angeles To Win
Looking at the trends, not only are they 4-2 this season, but they are 15-5 in their last 20 games against the Diamondbacks. As for Arizona, they are just 1-5 in their last six home games stemming from last season.
While Dustin May not be able to replicate his dominance over seven innings again like last time, it is also hard to imagine the Dodgers not being able to put up some more runs on Kelly and the Diamondbacks.
Obviously the availability of Mookie Betts could have an impact, but Los Angeles is deep enough to withstand his absence. Take Los Angeles to win this one on the road (-148).
