The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series opener on Monday, taking the first matchup against them this season.
The 8-4 win marked the Dodgers’ seventh over their last 10 games, extending their lead in the National League West to four games over the San Francisco Giants. Along with the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers own one of the best road records in the NL at 10-4
While the game was scheduled to start at 6:40 p.m. PT, the start was delayed nearly two hours by bees.
Landon Knack gets the ball on Tuesday for his third start of the year. The 26-year-old was called up to bridge the gap as a sixth man in the starting rotation, but has since earned a few more opportunities because of Bobby Miller going on the 15-day injured list.
Knack has been solid thus far, racking up a 3.27 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .184 batting average allowed. Reaching 94 pitches in his last outing, Knack is built up enough to go deep into games if needed.
His starts of five and six innings have been crucial to the overall health of the Dodgers’ pitching staff. Knack’s hiccups have been isolated, allowing him to post quality results since making his MLB debut.
Both of Knack’s starts have come against the Washington Nationals, and he now faces a Diamondbacks lineup that is top-heavy, featuring Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Christian Walker and rookie Blaze Alexander.
The Diamondbacks expected to send left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the mound for his third start of the season. The veteran signed with Arizona in late March after surprisingly remaining on the free agent market.
However, they instead decided to go with Brandon Hughes, another left-hander, following the delay.
Entering play Tuesday, the Dodgers rank eighth in baseball with a 119 wRC+ against left-handers. Their .281 collective batting average is tied for fourth, with Will Smith leading baseball with a .455 average against lefties.
Miguel Rojas is getting a rare opportunity to start at second base with Mookie Betts remaining the shortstop. In prior games, it was Betts who slid over to second base so that Rojas could start at shortstop. Rojas also has played some third base this season.
Dodgers lineup
SS: Mookie Betts
DH: Shohei Ohtani
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
RF: Teoscar Hernández
3B: Kiké Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
2B: Miguel Rojas
LF: Chris Taylor
Diamondbacks lineup
RF: Jake McCarthy
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
2B: Ketel Marte
1B: Christian Walker
DH: Joc Pederson
3B: Eugenio Suárez
C: Gabriel Moreno
CF: Corbin Carroll
SS: Kevin Newman
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