Game: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Time: 9:07 p.m.
Odds: Diamondbacks +136, Dodgers -162
Total: 8
Right-hander Zac Gallen, Arizona’s Cy Young contender, has a score to settle and will have the chance to exact some justice tonight. He also has the ability to give his Arizona Diamondbacks a significant advantage in the best-of-five National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As the series moves to Phoenix on Wednesday, Gallen will start Game 2 for Arizona on the road in Los Angeles tonight, hoping to give the fledgling Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead. In Game 1 of the series, the Diamondbacks defeated Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw 11-2 thanks to a six-run first inning. Arizona scored five of those runs before recording their first out of the game.
Seven times this season has Gallen allowed five earned runs in a single start. Two of those came against the Dodgers. The most notable was on August 28 in Los Angeles, when Gallen allowed a career-worst four home runs and six runs total in a 7-4 defeat. That was part of a three-game sweep by the Dodgers as they outscored Arizona 23-5.
Gallen went 0-2 this year against Los Angeles despite winning a career-high 17 games and posting an overall 3.47 ERA in 34 starts. In his two starts against the Dodgers, Gallen’s ERA was 9.90. Gallen has made 11 career starts against the Dodgers and has a 1-4 record with a 3.48 ERA. Arizona should feel good about Gallen as he beat Milwaukee in the decisive game in the wild card series.
After Kershaw’s meltdown forced the Dodgers’ bullpen to cover 26 of the 27 outs in Game 1, Los Angeles needs all the help it can get from rookie right-hander Bobby Miller in Game 2. Miller faced the D-backs twice this season and pitched a total of 12 innings, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA.
The emergence of Miller is something that gives the Dodgers some hope tonight. Miller has a 100 mph fastball that helped him go 11-4 this season. He also sported a respectable 3.76 ERA through the first 22 starts of his promising career. He was a bright spot in a rotation that had its fair share of injuries this season. Emmet Sheehan and Michael Grove, two more rookies, also had an opportunity to shine in Game 1, as they also made their postseason debuts.
Arizona has just one win – the one on Saturday – against the Dodgers in the last six meetings. The DBacks are, however, 5-1 in their last six road games. Arizona is only 5-15 SU in the last 20 games against Los Angeles in Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games. If they are going to have a chance tonight, it’s going to come down to pitching. In LA’s last 11 games, the Under has hit eight times. In their last seven home games, the Under has cashed a winning ticket five times. What’s interesting is that in the last 10 meetings between these two teams, they have averaged over 10 runs a game.
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