The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh off of three straight wins after losing the opener to the Cincinnati Reds. They take that hot streak into a new series against the team that eliminated them from the National League Division Series in 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It’s the first time the Diamondbacks are visiting L.A. this season.
The Dodgers took two of three from the Diamondbacks in Arizona at the end of April, dropping them to 14-18 at the time. However, Arizona has since found a bit of momentum (8-7) and have stabilized their National League championship defense season.
They still sit at fourth in the NL West and below .500, but with an upward trajectory in recent weeks.
L.A. continues to lead the division thanks to their mix of elite pitching and clutch hitting.
Shohei Ohtani gave the Dodgers the series win on Sunday with a 10th-inning walk-off, but it’s the pitching that led the way against the Reds. They allowed only five total runs in the final three games of the series.
That is likely to continue with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound on Monday night in L.A. Yamamoto famously struggled in his first MLB start against the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series, but has been nothing short of elite in the weeks since.
In his last seven starts, Yamamoto has a 2.31 ERA, a 0.943 WHIP, a 5.67 K-to-BB ratio and a .601 opponent on-base plus slugging in 46.2 innings innings. He has won his last four decisions and the Dodgers are 4-0 in his last four starts.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Yamamoto has benefitted from having Ohtani by his side this season, but has been remarkable in his own right.
He faces a test in the Diamondbacks, who have been among the more consistent offenses in the Majors this season. They rank in the top half in batting average (13th), on-base percentage (8th) and OPS (10th), but have struggled to hit for power.
They have not been nearly as effective on the bases — 28th in steals — as they were last season, but remain strong at getting on base and scoring runs (6th).
The problem for the Diamondbacks has been their pitching. Their 4.48 ERA ranks 22nd in MLB and their 1.33 team WHIP ranks 20th.
On Monday, they are putting together a bullpen game with left-hander Joe Mantiply starting things off. Mantiply has a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings this season, but the more important figure is the 4.60 team bullpen ERA held by Arizona this season, which ranks 24th.
The Dodgers will have to make lineup adjustments as they go through a bullpen game, but have shown the depth required behind Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to stay successful.
Dodgers Lineup
SS: Mookie Betts
DH: Shohei Ohtani
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
LF: Teoscar Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
RF: Jason Heyward
3B: Kiké Hernández
2B: Miguel Rojas
Diamondbacks Lineup
CF: Corbin Carroll
2B: Ketel Marte
DH: Joc Pederson
1B: Christian Walker
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
RF: Jake McCarthy
3B: Eugenio Suarez
C: Gabriel Moreno
SS: Kevin Newman
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