The Los Angeles Dodgers successfully split a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, scoring in odd fashion and coming from behind to defeat their National League rival.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 4-8 against the first-place Diamondbacks this season. Moreover, the victory was the club’s third in the last four head-to-head meetings.
At nearly the midpoint in May, the Dodgers have played the Diamondbacks in exactly one-third of their games thus far. That will soon change, as the clubs won’t face off again until the final week of August.
That being said, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is looking forward to a steady dose of new opponents, per Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles:
“I’m ready to turn the page on those guys and play somebody else.”
Alex Wood, who logged five innings and allowed just one run against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, is also thrilled to not have to face them again for three months, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I know it’s going to be nice to not have to throw against them until August. When you have to throw against them every single time, it gets a little old. It’ll be nice to see a new team in here this weekend, for sure. And also nice not to see those guys for a little while.”
Wood additionally complimented the Diamondbacks’ offensive juggernaut and pointed out similarities to the Dodgers’ lineup.
Meanwhile, Kenley Jansen compared the Dodgers’ early-season matchups with the Diamondbacks to a postseason series and is also looking forward to seeing new opponents:
“It felt like the playoffs, to be honest with you. Like they’re all I’ve faced. That’s how I feel about it. It’s good to go and play teams out of the division. When you start playing teams outside of the division, things start going, you find your momentum and things start to go good again.”
By the time the two teams meet again in August, the Dodgers should have a better feel for their postseason hopes and outlook. Entering play on Thursday, Los Angeles finds themselves eight games behind Arizona in the division.
But the Dodgers will soon receive some much-needed boosts, as Clayton Kershaw and Justin Turner figure to both be back on the field in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the front office could very well add outside reinforcements at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline as well.
