The first two games of the weekend series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers were on both ends of the spectrum. After the clubs combined for 20 runs on Friday, the Diamondbacks squeaked out a 2-1 victory in 12 innings on Saturday night.
For the Dodgers, they hope to shake off watching Kenley Jansen blow his fourth save this season and pull to 23-23 on the road with a win. They’ll aim to do so with Kenta Maeda on the mound, who returns to the scene of a scary incident.
Facing the Diamondbacks at Chase Field last month, Maeda was drilled on his right leg by a Paul Goldschmidt line drive. The Japanese native managed to recover the ball and make the play, but immediately dropped to the ground in pain.
He was removed from the game but with plenty of good fortune, avoided serious injury. Maeda is coming off a dominant start in which he held the San Diego Padres to just one run on two hits over seven innings.
What’s more, the right-hander set a career high with 13 strikeouts in the outing. It capped off what Maeda deemed a productive first half for himself.
On the season he’s 8-6 with a 2.95 ERA, 3.40 FIP and 1.09 WHIP. Maeda has thrown 11.1 innings over two starts against the Diamondbacks, going 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 10 strikeouts to two walks.
He’s opposed by Robbie Ray, who enters 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA, 3.90 FIP and 1.56 WHIP. The southpaw allowed three runs on six hits in his last start, suffering a loss to the San Francisco Giants.
The 24-year-old is a career 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in five starts against the Dodgers. He last faced Los Angeles on April 14, allowing two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings. Ray didn’t earn a decision and struggled with his command, issuing five walks.
With a lefty on the mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has stacked his lineup with a bevy of right-handed batters. That most notably has Yasiel Puig making his first start in center field this season. Puig last played in center on Sept. 28, 2014 in what was his 20th consecutive start at the position.
Recent call-up Zach Walters starts in right field, while Howie Kendrick again is in left. Kendrick is 3-for-11 lifetime against Ray, with one home run. Puig has also enjoyed success off the Diamondbacks starter, albeit in a small sample size, going 3-for-8.
In a broader scope, Kendrick is batting .358/.419/.513 (34-for-95) in his last 27 games since June 14, with 10 doubles and two home runs. He’s coming off a four-hit game and is 10-for-14 in his last three games.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Howie Kendrick
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Scott Van Slyke
CF: Yasiel Puig
2B: Chris Taylor
C: A.J. Ellis
RF: Zach Walters
P: Kenta Maeda
Diamondbacks lineup:
2B: Jean Segura
CF: Michael Bourn
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
3B: Jake Lamb
LF: Brandon Drury
RF: Mike Freeman
C: Tuffy Gosewisch
SS: Nick Ahmed
P: Robbie Ray
