Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off an important series win over the Baltimore Orioles and winners of seven of their nine games on this homestand, will head to Phoenix for a massive four-game series with their National League West rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It is the final series that the two teams will play during the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season, with the Diamondbacks currently having the edge over Los Angeles winners of five of their first nine meetings so far.
It will be the first meeting between the two clubs since their three-game series at Chavez Ravine at the beginning of July, in which the Diamondbacks won two of three and took the lead in the season series.
Since that series, both the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have been playing exceptionally well. The Dodgers have a record of 26-19 since July 5th, 15-8 in August, and have won eight of their last ten games.
The Diamondbacks have been slightly better in that same span, going 33-19 since July 5th, 18-6 in August, and winners of seven of their last ten games.
Since the all-star break, the Diamondbacks’ offense has been on another level, but the Dodgers have been close behind the Snakes in many offensive categories.
In terms of National League ranks since the break, Arizona is second in home runs (63), first in runs scored (230), has the third lowest strikeout percentage (18.7), and has the best team batting average (.279) while also being the most productive offense with a collective wRC+ of 134.
As for Los Angeles, the Dodgers rank third in home runs (52) and fourth in runs scored (177) but rank ninth highest in strikeouts percentage (23.8) and thirteenth lowest in team batting average (.242) along with a slightly above league-average offense with a wRC+ of 107.
Despite a sizeable gap in some areas, the Dodgers are finally healthy offensively and look to ride the high of a successful nine-game homestand to an Arizona team that is feeling themselves while quickly gaining ground in the division and solidifying their postseason odds.
The Dodgers enter today’s series with a four-game lead over Arizona with twenty-eight games remaining and have an opportunity to gain some ground in the National League West as they look to repeat as champions for the tenth time in eleven seasons.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (2-2, 3.72 ERA) vs Zac Gallen (10-6, 3.65 ERA)
Game Two: Gavin Stone (11-5, 3.33 ERA) vs Merrill Kelly (4-0, 3.98 ERA)
Game Three: TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (8-7, 4.31 ERA)
Game Four: Jack Flaherty (10-6, 3.07 ERA) vs Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 5.06 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 6:40 PM PT, SNLA, Arizona Diamondbacks TV
Game Two: 5:10 PM PT, SNLA, Arizona Diamondbacks TV
Game Three: 1:10 PM PT, Roku
Game Four: 1:10 PM PT, SNLA, Arizona Diamondbacks TV
Who’s in & who’s out?
The Los Angeles Dodgers enter this series missing two of their biggest arms on the starting rotation in right-handed pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto recently started his minor-league rehab assignment this past Wednesday and pitched two solid innings, allowing one run (solo home run) while striking out two batters on thirty-one pitches.
The next step for Yamamoto will be another rehab outing. The righty will look to eclipse the three-inning mark and throw an additional three innings in the bullpen as a simulated session.
However, the news on Glasnow has been bleak. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts‘s optimism about the initial prognosis of Glasnow’s elbow tendonitis has turned into doubt.
Roberts and the Dodgers initially thought the righty would only need to miss the minimum stint on the 15-day injured list, but after Glasnow has still had discomfort, a throwing session on Friday will determine the next steps.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was absent in the Dodger’s three-game series against the Orioles due to soreness from a fractured middle finger, is expected to return to the Dodgers lineup for the series opener.
Freeman had been struggling since the injury, going 3-for-23 (.130) in six games, but with this massive division implication series ahead of them, they opted to rest Freeman’s hand so he was available these next four games.
Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes was also activated on the 10-day injured list in the series final against the Orioles yesterday after dealing with a fractured big toe.
With Barnes’s activation, the Dodgers optioned catcher Hunter Feduccia, who made a few brief appearances in his time on the 26-man roster, including his first Major League start on Sunday in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory with Gavin Stone on the mound.
Right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol is inching closer to his second return of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in his 2024 regular season debut.
Graterol was seen stretching his legs at first base prior to yesterday’s game and will likely throw another bullpen and debate on a rehab stint.
Since their last meeting at the beginning of July, the Arizona Diamondbacks look a bit different.
For starters, they will continue to be without Dodgers killer first baseman Christian Walker, who is on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain and is eying an early September return.
In Walker’s absence, the team acquired veteran first baseman Josh Bell, who has hit .261/.343/.466 with a .809 OPS since joining the Snakes.
The Diamondbacks will also be without National League Most Valuable Award candidate Ketel Marte, who is nursing a left ankle sprain.
Marte, who was forced to leave the D-backs’ game on August 18th after aggravating what the club says is a “low-grade” ankle sprain suffered on August 12th, has been actively doing agility exercises in a pool and transitioning into hitting in the cages, per manager Torey Lovullo. There is still no official date of return on the table.
Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Morena will also miss this series as he recovers from a left adductor strain that sidelined him nearly all of August.
However, unlike last time, the Diamondbacks will have two boosts to their rotation in Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez. Both missed a large chunk of the season until returning in August.
With the two additions in the rotation and the offseason signing, Jordan Montgomery was demoted to the bullpen after posting a 6.16 ERA in 20 appearances this season.
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