MLB Series of the Week: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

From Chase Field in Phoenix, the top two teams in the NL West will collide from Friday to Monday with the division lead possibly on the line as the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers led the NL West by as many as nine games in 2024, but the Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres, the only two teams with better records than the Dodgers since the All-Star break, have crept within three and four games, respectively.

The Diamondbacks lead the season series 5-4.

Los Angeles Dodgers (78-53, first in the NL West)

The Dodgers began a nine-game homestand last week, sweeping a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners and taking two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was a refreshing start to the homestand, as Los Angeles welcomed third baseman Max Muncy and utility player Tommy Edman off the 60-day injured list on August 19.

Muncy hadn’t played since May 15 due to an oblique strain, while Edman made his season debut after nursing an ankle sprain and getting wrist surgery.

There was something more joyous to celebrate in Los Angeles, though, as designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, an NL MVP candidate, became the sixth player in major league history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season on Friday.

Ohtani swiped his 40th bag in the fourth inning of Friday’s game against the Rays, then barely cleared the wall in right-center field on a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to join the 40-40 club.

2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts is two weeks removed from the injured list, and he’s hit .275 with three home runs in 13 games since his return, and catcher Will Smith has hit three home runs in the eight games he’s played against the Diamondbacks this season.

In the rotation, Gavin Stone and Walker Buehler have struggled to the tune of eight earned runs in nine innings in two starts against the Diamondbacks this season and six earned runs in 7 ⅓ innings after a two-month stint on the injured list, respectively.

Jack Flaherty, acquired from the Detroit Tigers at this year’s trade deadline, has posted a 3.22 ERA in four starts with the Dodgers, while 2014 NL MVP Clayton Kershaw gave up just two earned runs in three starts before a five-run clunker against the Rays on Saturday.

Flaherty won his first decision of the season on May 18 against the Diamondbacks, pitching six innings of two-run ball in Chase Field.

In the bullpen, Michael Kopech, acquired from the Chicago White Sox at the deadline, has given up only one earned run in 11 ⅓ innings with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers will host the Baltimore Orioles for three games before heading to the desert.

Arizona Diamondbacks (75-56, second in the NL West)

The Diamondbacks went undefeated in their last week of play, sweeping two three-game road series against the Miami Marlins and the Boston Red Sox.

It wasn’t all good news for Arizona last week, as on August 19, two-time All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, another NL MVP candidate, was placed on the 10-day injured list due to an ankle injury.

Even with Marte’s absence, the offense has still scored the most runs in baseball since August 10, the day Marte was injured.

Outfielders Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy, first baseman Josh Bell, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins to replace the injured Christian Walker, and third baseman Eugenio Suárez all have at least a .900 OPS since the All-Star break.

Another injury the Diamondbacks have had to deal with is a groin injury to catcher Gabriel Moreno, who has been out since August 6.

However, Adrian Del Castillo, the team’s 14th-ranked prospect, has filled in admirably with a .341 batting average, three home runs and a 1.011 OPS in 13 games.

Designated hitter Joc Pederson has enjoyed playing against the Dodgers in 2024, batting .333 with three home runs in nine games against them.

In the rotation, no pitchers scheduled to start against the Dodgers this Labor Day weekend have faced Los Angeles this season, giving them a litmus test for a potential postseason rematch.

Zac Gallen has struggled since coming off the injured list, with a 4.64 ERA in 11 starts since June 29, and so has Merrill Kelly and his 6.75 ERA in three starts since August 11.

The struggles have persisted elsewhere in the rotation, with Brandon Pfaadt posting a 5.46 ERA in his last five starts and Eduardo Rodríguez slowly progressing back from a left shoulder injury that kept him from making his Diamondbacks debut until August 7.

In the bullpen, Justin Martinez picked up his second career save and first of the season on August 5, and he’s been a reliable reliever in August alongside A.J. Puk, also acquired from the Marlins at the deadline.

The Diamondbacks will host the New York Mets for three games before this critical division series.

Projected Starters (per ESPN)

Game 1 (August 30, 9:40 p.m. EST): LHP Clayton Kershaw (2-2, 3.72 ERA) vs. RHP Zac Gallen (10-6, 3.65 ERA).

Game 2 (August 31, 8:10 p.m.): RHP Gavin Stone (11-5, 3.33) vs. RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 3.98).

Game 3 (September 1, 4:10 p.m., Roku): RHP Jack Flaherty (10-5, 3.00) vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (8-6, 4.08).

Game 4 (September 2, 4:10 p.m.): RHP Walker Buehler (1-4, 6.09) vs. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (2-0, 3.94).

All stats and records are as of before the games on August 27, 2024.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.