Can The Diamondbacks Silence The Los Angeles Bats?
D'Backs vs Dodgers Baseball Series: Unfortunately Zac Gallen Only Pitches Once
The Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Dodger Stadium for a three-game series during the week.
Despite tasting the World Series last year, the Diamondbacks have hovered around .500 throughout the season. They’re fighting for a Wild Card spot in the National League, but they would miss out on the playoffs if the season ended today.
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!Meanwhile, the Dodgers are one of the league’s best teams. They’re 52-33 and currently lead the NL West by 7.5 games over the Padres.
The Dodgers are 6-4 in their last ten games and are starting to run away with the division. That’s why they’re -187 in the first game of this series. The total is also at 8.5, with the Over juiced to -126.
Let’s chat about the D’Backs vs Dodgers baseball series below.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers 
Day/Time:
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Streaming: SportsNet LA, Arizona Diamondbacks, MLBN
Gabriel Moreno’s Return
On Sunday, the Diamondbacks designated Tucker Barnhartt for assignment with the intention that Gabriel Moreno will return from the 10-day injured list today, ahead of this three-game series.
Barnhart made 29 starts for Arizona behind the plate, and in those games, the Diamondbacks went 16-13.
However, his OPS of .497 wasn’t cutting it. Moreno has a lot more potential with his bat.
Could Rojas Stay At Shortstop?
Miguel Rojas hasn’t made an error at shortstop in nearly 216 innings. After Mookie Betts injured his hand on a hit-by-pitch, Rojas has been playing shortstop ever since.
When Dave Roberts was asked about Rojas being the permanent shortstop, Roberts didn’t dismiss the idea. This move wouldn’t change the MLB World Series odds for the Dodgers, but if Rojas continues to play at this level, he’ll be an X-factor.
D’Backs vs Dodgers Baseball Series Preview & Odds For Game 1:
RL: Dodgers -1.5 (+105) ML: Dodgers -187, O/U: 8.5 -126/+106
âš¾ Game 1 âš¾
Tuesday, 10:10 pm ET
Ryne Nelson vs. Bobby Miller
In the first matchup of this series, Ryne Nelson will get the ball for the Diamondbacks. He’s 5-6 with a 5.69 ERA and has ultimately struggled badly this season. Over the last 30 days, he’s been worse against righties as a right-handed pitcher, allowing a .255 ISO and wOBA of .386 to his previous 59 righties. He’s also struck out only 12.6% of batters over the last 30 days.
That’s not ideal against the Dodgers. While Los Angeles is still without Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, the Dodgers still have plenty of potential in the lineup, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Jason Heyward, who all have insane stats against righties over the last month.
On the flip side, the Dodgers will send Bobby Miller to the mound. He’s only had five starts this season due to an injury, but he hasn’t looked good since returning from that injury.
Miller has only struck out 8.1% of his last 37 batters. He’s also walked 16.2% of batters and has allowed a .323 ISO and wOBA of .458. While getting a high ground ball rate and limiting fly balls, he continues putting guys on base.
That won’t be good when he faces an Arizona lineup with a wOBA of .335 against righties over the last 30 days. The Diamondbacks literally have seven batters with a wOBA of at least .315 against righties in the last month.
Therefore, after reviewing all of the Major League Baseball lines, we like the Over 8.5 (-126) as the best bet in this game.
âš¾ Game 2 âš¾
Wednesday, 10:10 pm ET
Jordan Montgomery vs. Gavin Stone
In Game No. 2, Jordan Montgomery will get the ball for Arizona. He’s a lefty with a 6.03 ERA this season. He’s pitched better over the last 30 days but has still allowed a .222 ISO and wOBA of .409 to his last 91 righties.
On the other hand, the Dodgers have been getting on base at a higher rate against lefties over the last 30 days. Teoscar Hernandez should end up leading the charge. He’s hit a .381 ISO and wOBA of .419 against lefties over the last 30 days. Andy Pages, another righty, has hit a .227 ISO and wOBA of .446 with just 16% of strikeouts against lefties over the previous month.
The Dodgers will counter Montgomery with Gavin Stone, who has been one of the more surprising pitchers in the MLB this year. He’s got a 2.73 ERA and has held opponents to a .077 ISO and wOBA of .247 over the last month.
Stone doesn’t have the highest strikeout rate, but it’s increased lately. Over the last month, he’s struck out 23% of batters when he’s only earned 19.5% of strikeouts throughout the season.
While the Diamondbacks don’t strike out at a very high rate, the offense hasn’t hit for much power over the last month against righties.
We’d back the Dodgers in Game 2. They’ll likely be on top when you look at the MLB scoreboard on Saturday.
âš¾ Game 3 âš¾
Thursday, 9:10 pm ET
Zac Gallen vs. Landon Knack
Zac Gallen returned last week after a month-long absence with a hamstring injury. Gallen faced 19 batters in his return and held batters to a .000 ISO and wOBA of .083 with 72.7% of ground balls and 36.8% of strikeouts.
If anything, Gallen will give the Diamondbacks the best chance to win at least one game on the road against the Dodgers in this series.
He’ll duel Landon Knack of the Dodgers, who is a righty with 23.7% of strikeouts over the last 30 days. The young right-hander has limited walks to 5.3% in the previous 30 days, which has helped him keep opponents to a .261 wOBA.
This could be the lowest-scoring game of the series. Consider the Under to close out this D’Backs vs Dodgers baseball series.
For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
