Los Angeles @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 9, 2023 ) LA Dodgers 6, Arizona 11
The Arizona Diamondbacks were 16 games above. 500 after winning on July 1 and held a three-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
The ensuing five-plus weeks have been horrid for the Diamondbacks, and they now sit nine games behind the Dodgers as they enter Tuesday's opener of a two-game set between the teams at Phoenix.
Arizona is just 7-22 since that point and now resides in third place in the division. The Diamondbacks have lost six straight games and scored only 11 runs during the funk.
Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins might have hurt as much as any all season.
Arizona set a club record with eight stolen bases and took a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth. But newly acquired closer Paul Sewald entered for his first save opportunity and served up a game-tying homer and a two-run, walk-off blast as Minnesota rallied for the victory.
"It's a gut punch," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said afterward. "How else can you define it, right? You do a lot right during the course of a day. You're in a great position to win the game and, you know, within three batters it completely reversed itself."
Arizona is 5-3 against the Dodgers this season but the most recent meeting was April 9. The Diamondbacks scored 23 runs in their last two victories versus Los Angeles.
The Dodgers lead the NL West by four games over the San Francisco Giants after Monday's 13-7 victory over the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles has won six of its past seven games.
Mookie Betts hit a grand slam to cap an eight-run, fourth-inning uprising and James Outman had four hits to end a series in which the Dodgers won three of four games. Los Angeles overcame an early 5-0 deficit in the finale.
"It's just important for us to play a whole game and we're showing that," Betts said. "You have to play a full nine innings, 27 outs, and sometimes more."
Freddie Freeman continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-4 with two runs to raise his average to .340. Freeman is batting .462 (36-for-78) with six homers, 17 RBIs and 27 runs over his last 19 games.
Enrique Hernandez also homered on an afternoon in which seven of the 15 Los Angeles hits went for extra bases. The Dodgers were 7-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
"We got back in the game and the big knockout punch from Mookie, a 3-0 swing that he typically doesn't like to do, but he felt he could fire right there," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Just up and down, a great offensive output."
Left-hander Julio Urias (8-6, 4.69 ERA) will start the opener for the Dodgers.
Urias has always excelled against Arizona, going 8-1 with a 1.55 ERA in 12 career appearances (nine starts). He defeated the Diamondbacks on March 30 when he gave up two runs and four hits over six innings.
Urias, who turns 27 on Saturday, beat the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. He gave up three hits over five scoreless innings.
Carson Kelly has hit two homers off Urias. Ketel Marte is 5-for-22 against the left-hander and is expected to be back in the lineup despite departing Sunday's game due to left quadriceps tightness.
"He probably could have continued playing, but I've been asking a lot of him as of late," Lovullo said of Marte. "Just wanted to get him off his feet, so he's going to be day-to-day."
Arizona rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (0-5, 7.11) will take his 10th stab at winning his first major league game.
He was superb in his last outing but lost 1-0 to the Giants. Pfaadt gave up one run (on a homer) and two hits over seven innings. He struck out a season-high seven and walked one.
Pfaadt, 24, has never faced the Dodgers.
--Field Level Media