Diamondbacks and Dodgers Series Preview and Pitching Matchups

Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are in for a critical four game series against NL West rival D-backs starting Friday night at Chase Field.

Aug 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs out a ground ball against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks (76-58) host the Los Angeles Dodgers (80-54) for a pivotal four game series starting Friday night at Chase Field. The Dodgers hold a four game lead over the D-backs in the NL West, but Arizona is holding down the first NL Wild Card slot, a game ahead of the San Diego Padres.

The Diamondbacks lead the season series 5-4, but notably will be without Dodger killer Christian Walker, who is on the injured list with a strained oblique. They're also missing All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, (high ankle sprain) and Gold Glove catcher Gabriel Moreno.

In comments he made to this reporter earlier this week, Torey Lovullo said that Walker and Marte are expected back next week, but also left the door slightly ajar for the possibility of a September 1st activation for Walker when roster's expand.

The Dodgers lineup should be at full strength Friday night. Freddie Freeman has missed multiple games with a fractured finger but is projected to be in the lineup Friday night. No Dodgers regular position players are on the IL.

Of course the Dodgers offense is led by their sensational Designated Hitter Shohei Ohtani. He leads the NL in homers (42), slugging (.613) OPS (.990), runs scored (104) and WAR (6.6). He also has 42 stolen bases while being caught just 4 times.

Nonetheless, it's the Diamondbacks who lead MLB with 5.33 runs per game, while the Dodgers rank 4th with 4.94 R/G. Even with the aforementioned top three position players out, the Diamondbacks lead MLB with 133 runs scored since August 10th. The Dodgers have scored 90 runs since that date.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Starting pitching injuries have beset the Dodgers this year. Most noably, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are still on the disabled list. Furthermore, according to our sister site Los Angeles Dodgers ON SI, there is still some uncertainty for their rotation this weekend.

The D-backs rotation is back at "full strength" injury wise, since Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez have returned. Their performance has not been up to previous standards however. The D-backs most effective starter over the last two months, Ryne Nelson, is not available for this series, having just pitched on Thursday.

 Friday: RHP Zac Gallen (10-6, 3.65) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (2-2, 3.72)

Gallen is coming off six innings of two-hit, shutout baseball against the Red Sox in his last outing. He faced the Dodgers on July 4th, going four innings and giving up three runs on four hits.

Kershaw is making his seventh start since returning from shoulder surgery. He got knocked around by Rays to the tune of five runs on nine hits in five innings in his last start. That ballooned his ERA from 2.63 to 3.72.

Saturday: RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 3.98) vs. RHP Gavin Stone (11-5, 3.33)

Kelly will be making his fourth start since returning from a shoulder injury. He's given up 10 runs in his last 11 innings as he's struggled with both velocity and command. Prior to beating the Dodgers in the NLDS last year, Kelly was 0-11 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 career regular season starts against L.A.

Coming into the season, nobody would have projected Stone to lead the Dodgers in innings pitched, (135.1) or wins (11). He has been spectacular in his last three starts, allowing just two runs in 19 innings while striking out 23 and walking just four.

The D-backs have had success against him this year however. In two outings he's given up eight runs and 15 hits, including two homers, in just nine innings of work.

Sunday: RHP Brandon Pfaadt (8-7, 4.31) vs. TBA, Possibly LHP Justin Wrobleski 1-1, 4.68

As chronicled by Aaron Hughes, Pfaadt has struggled to a 6.29 ERA over his last six starts, but some of that has been bad luck, as he's posted a 3.61 FIP over that same span. Nonetheless Pfaadt needs to find a way to avoid the blow up inning and maintain his stuff and command beyond the fourth inning.

Looking at Pfaadt's splits, we can see innings 1-4 he has a 2.60 ERA. But innings 5-7 that jumps to 7.88. Likewise his first time through the order his OPS against is a paltry .578. That jumps to .731 the second time through and .813 the third.

Wrobleski is the likely fill in on Sunday, but as he's currently in Triple-A. Since rosters expand September 1st he can be called up without a corresponding move. The 24 year old has been called up twice prior this summer, making five starts in all.

The Diamondbacks have struggled against left-hand starters this year, going 22-25 in games started by a lefty. As such, teams are re-arranging their rotations to stack as many lefties as possible against them.

Monday: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 5.06) vs. RHP Jack Flaherty (10-6, 3.07)

Rodriguez was cruising along through four perfect innings against the Mets on Tuesday night when all of a sudden he blew up to allow four runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. The D-backs went on to win the game thanks to Corbin Carroll's grand slam in the eighth.

Rodriguez, who missed the first four months of the season due to a shoulder strain, has yet to get over the hump and complete six innings in his first four starts.

Flaherty was picked up from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline and has been a strong addition for the Dodgers, going 3-1 with a 3.49 ERA in five starts. He was hit on the wrist by a comebacker in his last outing and there is a possibility his start could be pushed back to Monday. In that case, it's not quite clear who the Dodgers would go with.

BULLPENS

Justin Martinez has taken a tentative grip on the closers role, at least for now. He is 7-for-7 in save changes in August, but also has three losses after coming into tie games. Alex D'Agostino took a deep dive into Torey Lovullo's comments about both Martinez anbd displaced closer Paul Sewald here .

 The Dodgers have the fourth best reliever ERA in MLB (3.49). Manager Dave Roberts has spread the save chances around behind primary closer Evan Phillips, who has 17 saves and a 3.30 ERA. Former Diamondbacks Danile Hudson has 10 saves, and setup man Alex Vesia has five.