The Los Angeles Dodgers begin their final road series of the season with the opener of a weekend set against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
L.A. is coming off a series with the Colorado Rockies where they took two of three games thanks to a late-inning rally on Thursday.
With a record of 98-55, the Dodgers sit one game behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West. As the Dodgers now face the Diamondbacks, they hope to receive some help from the Rockies as they begin a series with the Giants.
The Diamondbacks don’t have much to play for, but with a record of 49-104, they are tied with the Baltimore Orioles in the running for the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Tony Gonsolin takes the ball for the Dodgers after Clayton Kershaw’s start was pushed back to Saturday.
Gonsolin holds a 2.93 ERA and 4.36 FIP in just 46 innings (13 games, 11 starts) as he has dealt with injuries for much of the season.
The 27-year-old has already made four starts against the D-Backs this year and he has been successful against them, throwing 14.1 innings with a 2.51 ERA.
Arizona has one of the worst offenses in the league, and against right-handers they have been the worst offense in the NL, hitting .228/.301/.366 with a 78 wRC+ this year.
The Diamondbacks give the ball to Humberto Castellanos, who has only made five career starts, however, he has pitched in 15 games out of the bullpen over the last two seasons.
In his career, the 23-year-old right-hander has pitched 45.2 innings with a 4.73 ERA and 4.97 FIP. As a starter, he has thrown 23.1 innings while posting a 4.63 ERA and 5.22 FIP.
He has faced the Dodgers one time in his career, which came in 2020 while he was pitching for the Houston Astros. He allowed two hits and struck out three while pitching a scoreless inning.
The Dodgers are hitting .243/.334/.415 with a 105 wRC+ against righties.
One player to keep an eye on is Ketel Marte, who is the lone bright spot on the club. This season he is hitting .325/.386/.534 with a 143 wRC+ and 2.6 WAR in 81 games.
Gavin Lux again is in center field as Chris Taylor is out of the lineup due to his lingering neck injury. However, he could soon make another start as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reported on Thursday that had been recent improvement. Taylor then pinch-hit in the series finale against the Rockies.
The Dodgers lineup also has a different look in that Justin Turner was dropped down to batting sixth for the first time since 2018, though that was an appearance off the bench. Turner last started and hit sixth in the lineup in 2015, doing so twice.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
2B: Trea Turner
1B: Max Muncy
C: Will Smith
3B: Justin Turner
LF: AJ Pollock
CF: Gavin Lux
P: Tony Gonsolin
Diamondbacks lineup
SS: Josh Rojas
2B: Ketel Marte
CF: Daulton Varsho
RF: Kole Calhoun
LF: David Peralta
1B: Pavin Smith
C: Carson Kelly
3B: Josh VanMeter
P: Humberto Castellanos
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