Written By: The Persian
The upstart Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a four-game set late afternoon on Monday inside Chase Field from Phoenix, Arizona. They toss out the first pitch at 4:10 pm. Bookmaker has installed the Dodgers -140 on the ML in the series finale.
The Diamondbacks snapped a four-game slide overall and stopped the bleeding against the Dodgers on Sunday. They captured a 14-3 win to win the third game of the four-game set as they snapped their skid.
The Diamondbacks are once again one of the major stories of the baseball season. After their incredible win and run last season, Arizona is looking to pull off some late-season magic and win the NL West.
They found themselves in third place as they entered play on Sunday, and this was the series they were supposed to put a scare into the Dodgers. They now sit tied for second place with the talented San Diego Padres, as both clubs are just five games back of the Dodgers thanks to an excellent response on Sunday when they collected 17 hits.
They still can grab one of the two NL wild card spots, but they need to return to their winning ways and Sunday as a start.
On offense, they are led by several players, including third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who has cracked 22 home runs this season. He has driven in 85 runs and is batting .238 on the season.
The Diamondbacks will send out hurler Eduardo Rodriguez, who takes the ball and steps on the mound with a mark of 2-0 to go along with an ERA of 5.06 in his first season with Arizona.
The Dodgers might be one of the most complete teams in the National League, but they know they need to make a deep run into the playoffs. Anything less than a World Series appearance and win would be a massive disappointment to their loyal and rabid fanbase.
They are stacked from top to bottom, and they have several big-time sluggers in their lineup, including DH Shohei Ohtani, who is running away with the NL MVP award.
He once again has proven and shown he is the game's best player, as he has cracked an incredible 44 home runs to go along with 98 RBI while hitting a scorching .291. He is now the face of the franchise and will be a very scary at-bat once the postseason rolls around.
The Dodgers will toss out veteran hurler Jack Flaherty, who sports a record of 3-1 during his first campaign with the Dodgers. If you combine his stats with the Detroit Tigers before he was traded to the Dodgers, he has a total mark of 10-6 this season. He is a solid pitcher, and the Dodgers will rely on him come October.
The Diamondbacks are 1-4 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 37-31 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games. The Dodgers are 4-1 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 31-35 in their road games against the spread.
