Sweeping the Snakes Would Be So Sweet

Dan Haren (1-0, 0.75) vs. Trevor Cahill (0-3, 7.90)

Lineup: 

Gordon 2B

Puig RF

Ramirez SS

Gonzo 1B

Kemp CF

Ethier LF

Uribe 3B

Federowicz C

Haren P

After two decisive victories over the Snakes in this series (and four wins against Arizona overall), the Dodgers will be looking to go 5-0 against the Snakes with a series sweep on Sunday. The D-backs look extremely down, and they are struggling. Their starting pitching is really hurting, and Wade Miley had another disappointing start in the loss to the Dodgers on Saturday. Their bullpen is also taxed from having to pick up extra slack because of the starting rotation toils.

The Dodgers took advantage of the D-backs bad start to the season, and they hope to continue the onslaught with a series sweep. Adrian Gonzalez had a slow start to the season of his own, but he has now collected 7 RBIs in this series and has a eight-game hitting streak. The Dodgers were even able to win without the hot hitting Carl Crawford and Dee Gordon who sat out for Justin Turner and Scott Van Slyke on Saturday. With Trevor Cahill on the mound, we can expect Mattingly to go back to his “righty” lineup which consists of Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, and Dee Gordon in the mix.

Dan Haren was impressive in his first two starts for the Dodgers, and the right-hander will be vying for his second win in Blue. He’s only allowed one earned run over his 12 innings of work so far this season. He’s struck out 10 batters this season while only walking one. Haren is very familiar with Chase Field, and he is 24-14 with a 3.31 ERA over 45 starts in his career while pitching at Chase Field. Haren has only faced his former team in 3 games and is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA against them. Haren pitched for Arizona from 2008-2010 before the D-backs traded him to the Angels. Haren will have to watch out for Aaron Hill who is hitting .318 with 7 hits and a homerun against him.

Trevor Cahill has really struggled so far this season, and he has yet to pick up a win. Last time out against the Giants, Cahill allowed five runs

Even Paul Goldschmidt has been lukewarm. Photo: Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

in just 3 2/3 innings. Cahill has had trouble with his command, and he has walked 8 batters in 13 2/3 innings. Cahill has always had success against the Dodgers. He is 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 starts against L.A. Adrian Gonzalez will once again be the thorn in Arizona’s snake tail. Gonzo is hitting .450 with 9 hits and a homerun against Cahill in the past. Dee Gordon has 4 hits against Cahill as well.

The Dodgers would like nothing more than to head to the lion’s den in San Francisco fresh off a series sweep of the Snakes. The Dodgers want to redeem themselves against the Giants after losing 2 of 3 at Dodger Stadium in the Opening Weekend Series in L.A. With team cohesion coming together and injuries on the mend, the Dodgers could go on another historic tear this season. A series sweep in Phoenix is a great start.

Prediction: Adrian Gonzalez finishes the series sweep with a bang

Tune into SportsNet LA or FS-A at 1:10 p.m. PT and be sure to come back to LL after the game to relive the highlights.

Go Blue!