The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the ending point of their 10-game road trip and face the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final team this season. Los Angeles has bounced back to win the past two games after dropping the series opener.
The Dodgers are 12-6 against the Diamondbacks this season, including 5-4 at Chase Field. Jose De Leon makes his third career start. The right-hander last tossed five innings against the New York Yankees, allowing two runs on three hits, two of which were solo home runs.
De Leon admitted to having extra motivation to beat the Yankees. On the season he’s 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.
Opponents are batting .205/.273/.436 off De Leon, and he has 12 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. The Diamondbacks counter with Robbie Ray, who’s coming off a shaky performance.
Ray allowed four runs on six hits in just five innings, but earned a win against the Colorado Rockies. The southpaw has faced the Dodgers three times this season, going 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA.
During a road start on April 14, Ray walked five and allowed two runs on four hits over 6.1 innings pitched. He didn’t factor into the decision of a game the Dodgers won, 5-2.
Ray threw seven scoreless innings and had seven strikeouts at Chase Field on July 17 to earn a win. He collected 12 strikeouts, allowed three runs on two hits and walked four during a Sept. 7 start at Dodger Stadium and suffered a tough-luck loss.
Ray enters 8-13 overall this season, with a 4.55 ERA, 3.49 FIP and 1.44 WHIP. The 24-year-old owns a career 5.05 ERA and 1.58 WHIp at the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Par for course when facing a lefty, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has again stacked his lineup with a bevy of right-handed batters.
Rob Segedin starts at first base, Kiké Hernandez is in center field, Yasiel Puig is in right. Howie Kendrick also returns to left field after appearing as a pinch-hitter Saturday night.
For his career, Puig is 5-for-11, with a home run and two RBIs against Ray. Seager enters Sunday’s contest 3-for-12 off Ray with two doubles and one RBI.
Yasmani Grandal misses a second consecutive game due to a sore right elbow he’s been bothered by for quite some time.
Los Angeles enters play with a five-game lead in the National League West, and their magic number at 10 to clinch the division.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Howie Kendrick
3B: Justin Turner
SS: Corey Seager
RF: Yasiel Puig
1B: Rob Segedin
CF: Kiké Hernandez
2B: Charlie Culberson
C: Austin Barnes
P: Jose De Leon
Diamondbacks lineup:
2B: Jean Segura
SS: Chris Owings
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
3B: Jake Lamb
LF: Brandon Drury
CF: Mitch Haniger
RF: Socrates Brito
C: Tuffy Gosewisch
P: Robbie Ray
