Scott Baker (0-1, 3.86 ERA) and Rubby De La Rosa (2-1, 4.68 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers (13-8) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (10-11) at Dodger Stadium. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 1 and can be seen on FSN-AZ and SportsNet LA.
Baker is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in his appearances against the Diamondbacks, but goes up against a quality Arizona offense which is batting .256 this season. Adrian Gonzalez (.383, 19 Rs, 8 HRs, 19 RBIs) continued his strong play Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. De La Rosa went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out eight in a 2-1 defeat to the Pirates in his most recent start. Paul Goldschmidt (.338, 18 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Diamondbacks, going 3 for 4 Wednesday with two runs, one RBI, and one stolen base.
The odds for Los Angeles and Arizona are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Within its division, Los Angeles has a record of 9-8 SU. The Dodgers have no trouble scoring as they lead the NL in offense with 4.7 runs per game. The Dodgers are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with an impressive 8.9 per game. Los Angeles’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 7.0 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Dodgers, who lead the NL in strikeouts per game with 9.6.
The Diamondbacks are 8-7 against NL West foes. Offensively, the Diamondbacks have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.3 runs per game by averaging 5.1 in those contests. The Diamondbacks are an excellent base stealing team with 19 stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB.
The Diamondbacks lead the season series, 2-1. The Dodgers have a great 8-1 record at home (11-6 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when De La Rosa takes the mound. Baker (RHP) will be on the hill against the Diamondbacks, who have a 6-8 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Arizona is 7-2, while Los Angeles is 4-4.
The Dodgers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Diamondbacks have a 1-6 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Dodgers are 0-5. The Diamondbacks have a 2-8 record when opponents outhit them.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league when it comes to home runs with 32 this season. Arizona ranks near the bottom at 23rd with 14.
Los Angeles and Arizona both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at fourth with 8.90 hits per game and Arizona ranks fifth with 8.86.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Los Angeles has an OPS of .832 this season. Arizona ranks 16th with an OPS of .694.
The Diamondbacks are 5-7 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Dodgers are 8-5 when they allow at least one homer.
