Dodgers Diamondbacks Game Four Preview

The Dodgers look to keep their stranglehold on the West in game four against the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers got two wins yesterday. They beat the Diamondbacks, which is always nice. In my recap, I stupidly said that the Giants were leading and the Dodgers would likely keep their four-game lead. Bruce Bochy decided to put Santiago Casilla in a one-run game, so now the Dodgers are up five.

They can bring the magic number into single digits with a win in Arizona tonight. It’s unfortunately their final date with the DBacks this season, as they’re 12-6 against them this year.

Dodgers Starter

Jose De Leon gets another chance to win a playoff roster spot tonight. His first couple starts haven’t been flawless, but he’s shown a lot of promise and has eaten some innings for the Dodgers.

De Leon has won both of his major league starts, but has been prone to the longball. He allowed only three hits in his last start in New York, but two of them left the park. They weren’t cheap Yankee Stadium homers either, they were absolutely crushed.

Diamondbacks Starter

Robbie Ray starts for the Diamondbacks. This is troublesome, as Ray throws with his left hand. More on that when we gets to the lineup portion of this preview.

This will be Ray’s fourth start against the Dodgers this season. He’s gone at least six innings in each start and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any game. His numbers against other teams are quite a bit worse, as he has a 4.55 ERA on the season. Surely, a victim of a not-great defense behind him and an unfriendly ballpark, as his 3.49 FIP is pretty solid.

Ray has taken a huge leap as far as strikeouts go. His hit, homer run and walk per nines are all pretty consistent with his previous two seasons, but his K/9 has jumped from 8.4 to 11.9.

Dodgers Lineup

That’s certainly a lineup.

Yasiel Puig gets the start in right and bats cleanup. Adrian Gonzalez gets the day off against a lefty, giving Rob Segedin the start at first. Joc Pederson continues to be a platoon with Enrique Hernandez. If Kiké was crushing lefties like he did last year, it would be fine. Now? Not so much.

Charlie Culberson starts at second and Austin Barnes starts behind the plate. Yasmani Grandal took a foul ball off the shoulder on Friday and sat yesterday against a righty. Carlos Ruiz had to start yesterday, and with a day game after a night game, Barnes gets the start behind the plate. He and De Leon have some familiarity with each other as well.

Other Stuff

Scott Kazmir was scheduled to throw for OKC today, but they were eliminated from the playoffs. He threw a simulated game instead and he developed a blister, so his comeback is on delay.

Alex Wood‘s comeback is not on delay, as he’ll reportedly be activated for the Giants’ series.

First pitch today is scheduled for 1:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.