Game: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
Time: 10:10 PM ET
Starting Pitchers: Zac Gallen vs. Clayton Kershaw
Odds: Diamondbacks +247, Dodgers -268
Clayton Kershaw will make his first start for the Dodgers since July 3. After spending two months on the injured list, Kershaw returns to help LA make a final playoff push. Currently, the Dodgers have the second-best record in baseball. They do not, however, lead their division. That honor would belong to San Francisco which has the best record in baseball.
Prior to his time on the injured list, Kershaw had a 9-7 record in 18 starts. His ERA was 3.39 with a 2.99 FIP in 106.1 innings pitched. Kershaw last pitched against Washington on July 3. He lasted four innings and gave up three earned runs. The Dodgers would win that game 5-3.
Kershaw has pitched once against Arizona this season. Way back on May 19, the Dodgers left-hander pitched six innings and allowed two hits and two earned runs in a 4-2 LA victory. Kershaw struck out eight Diamondbacks. Arizona’s offense leaves a bit to be desired. It’s one of the reasons why the D-Backs have the second-worst record in MLB.
Over the past two weeks, Arizona ranks 26th in ISO and 27th in OPS. The numbers aren’t much better for the season. The Diamondbacks are 26th in OPS for the season (.692). They also rank 24th in team batting average (.236) and 23rd in runs per game (4.22). And, don’t forget, Arizona is the worst road team in the majors. The D-Backs are 19-53 away from home this season.
Arizona will start right-hander Zac Gallen against the Dodgers. Gallen has been somewhat of a disappointment so far this season. He is just 2-9 with a 4.32 ERA. He has lost his last two starts giving up three earned runs each to Texas and San Diego. Gallen didn’t get much support from the Arizona offense. The Diamondbacks combined for a single run in those two starts, both losses of course.
Like Kershaw, Gallen also spent some time on the injured list. Since coming back, Gallen has pitched 71.1 innings and his ERA is a bit higher (4.79) than his season ERA. However, his last four starts have not been all that bad. He did give up six runs in his last two starts, but he didn’t give up a single earned run in either of the two starts prior. His ERA for the last four games stands at 2.19. The issue is that none of those last four opponents have a lineup like the Dodgers.
Los Angeles is coming off a weekend series in which they swept the Padres. Two of the wins were shutouts and the Dodgers put up a total of 16 runs. With a significant pitching advantage in most games, the Dodgers trend to the Under. The Under has hit in 12 of the Dodgers last 17 games, but the Over has cashed in five straight Dodgers-Diamondbacks games. LA is 11-1 straight up against Arizona in the last 12 games played at Dodger Stadium.