Los Angeles Dodgers (97-43) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (66-74)
The Los Angeles Dodgers battle the Arizona Diamondbacks in the closing contest of a three-game series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday night with the first pitch at 9:40 PM ET. The Dodgers blanked the D-backs 6-0 in Monday’s opener, while the middle game has been excluded from the analysis.
LA opened as a firm moneyline fave for Wednesday’s closer. The bookies expect the Dodgers to extend their dominance over the Diamondbacks, who have won two of their first 12 contests against the Blue Crew in 2022.
The LA Dodgers scored three runs in the seventh inning of Monday’s clash at Chase Field, while Mookie Betts launched a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to secure the third straight victory for his team. Tyler Andersen threw seven frames of a five-hit ball, improving to 15-3 on the season, and the Dodgers extended their winning streak over Arizona to nine games.
Los Angeles has dropped four of its first 11 games in September despite scoring a thumping 71 runs on a .257/.336/.508 slash line. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been charged for two of those four losses while posting a solid 2.77 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 through 39 innings of work.
“The most important part of the year is coming up.” – @Cody_Bellinger speaks w ith @kirsten_watson after the #Dodgers' 6-0 win over the D-Backs. pic.twitter.com/EC3ls9a5G8
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 13, 2022
The Dodgers decided to give Dustin May a couple of extra days to rest, so Michael Grove will get the starting call Wednesday at Chase Field. Grove hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 29 when he tossed 4.2 frames in a no-decision against the Miami Marlins. The 25-year-old righty yielded a couple of earned runs on five hits and a walk, while the Dodgers eventually prevailed over the Fish 3-2.
Grove has recorded a troublesome 4.82 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and 7/5 K/BB ratio across 9.1 innings of work in the big leagues this season. He’s 1-5 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 90/26 K/BB ratio through 76 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.