Battle For The West
Sole possession of first place in the NL West has been an elusive goal for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A three-game road set against the
division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks could change that.
The Dodgers look to pull even with the Diamondbacks in the West race Friday night when the rivals open their series.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global
have made Arizona -110 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has
been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that
73% of bets for this game have been placed on Arizona -110 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
In
Joe Torre’s first season as manager, Los Angeles (46-49) has not been
in first place alone since it was 3-1 on April 4. The Dodgers gained a
share of the division lead after a 2-1 win over Atlanta on July 9, but
dropped three of four at home to Florida and entered the All-Star break
one game behind the Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers haven’t helped
themselves against Arizona either, losing four of five meetings. They
were swept in a three-game series at Chase Field from April 7-9 as the
Diamondbacks went on to a major league-best 20-8 opening month.
"The
way they started, they manhandled us in the first series," Torre told
the Dodgers’ official Web site. "They were a very solid team. They
pitched, they hit, they had speed and power, everything seemed to be
firing.
"Considering how they started and how we struggled and
look where we are. I’m happy to see we were able to stay in the race.
We have to make sure our win streaks are longer than our losing
streaks. You can’t help but watch the scoreboard, but I don’t really
pay attention to them. We don’t need any help. If we don’t do it, it’s
our own fault."
Torre will give the ball to Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.43), who looks to win his third consecutive decision.
The
Japanese right-hander, who was on the disabled list with shoulder
tendinitis from June 19-July 2, has been outstanding since returning,
going 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA in three starts including a one-hitter
against Atlanta on July 7.
Kuroda allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 5-3, 11-inning loss to Florida on Saturday.
Kuroda
took the loss that completed the sweep at Arizona in April, yielding
four runs – two earned – and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings of the 4-3
defeat.
The Diamondbacks (47-48) own the worst record of any division leader, having gone 27-40 since their outstanding April.
Arizona, coming off Sunday’s 6-3 loss at Philadelphia, followed up its fast start to 2008 by going 27-40.
"I
think some of the first half has been less than what we expected," said
Diamondbacks left fielder Eric Byrnes, who has a .149 average in 26
games since May 1. "But I also think we’ve shown what we’re capable of.
It’s a matter of going out and playing up to the standard that we
expect."
The Diamondbacks will turn to Doug Davis (3-4, 3.80),
who faces the Dodgers for the first time since beating them on April 8
– his last start before undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer.
In that meeting, the left-hander held Los Angeles to two runs and six hits in six innings.
He’s 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 10 starts since being activated from the DL.
Did
you like this article? Subscribe to our Baseball news feed for the fastest
updates delivered right to you – Click here to
Subscribe
