Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Key Players to Watch in NLDS

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PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 04: Brandon Drury /

The Dodgers are set to face the Arizona Diamondbacks after their 11-8 win over the Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card game. These teams are no strangers to one another as they’ve faced each other 19 teams during the regular season. The Dbacks took the season series 11-8 but the postseason is an entirely different story.

The season victory gives the Dbacks some well-deserved confidence heading into the series, but the Dodgers aren’t shying away. The Dodgers hold home-field advantage in the NLDS, and during the regular season, the two teams split the ten games at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers had the best home record in baseball (57-24), while the Dbacks were 41-40 on the road.

Aside from home-field advantage, the Dodgers will also have the advantage of not having to face the Dbacks’ ace Zack Greinke twice in a series. Greinke threw 58 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings against the Rockies and isn’t scheduled to pitch until game 3. Obviously, that bodes well for the Dodgers. That being said, there are still a few Dbacks that Dodger fans should keep an eye on in this series.

The Dbacks are a loaded team, that is why they are in the playoffs. I feel like they went highly under the radar this season because they failed to make the playoffs last year. I think this team is better than they were last season, in large part to these players having good seasons.

J.D. Martinez

Earlier this year I said that Martinez was the best available bat at the trade deadline. I liked Martinez so much that I even made a hypothetical trade with our sister site Motor City Bengals. Well, the Dodgers didn’t pursue Martinez because he’s an upcoming free agent and now the Dbacks added him to an already stacked lineup.

Since joining the Dbacks, Martinez is hitting .302/.366/.741 with 29 home runs and 65 RBI in only 62 games. Those power numbers are insane! He’s third on the team in home runs behind Goldy (36) and Lamb (30) in half the games.

What makes me worried about Martinez is that he rakes lefties. Martinez is hitting .376/.464/.892. Those are monster numbers. If you love advanced metrics, those numbers are just as good with a wOBA of .531 and ISO .516.

This concerns me because when you look at the Dodgers rotation, they are throwing three lefties (Kershaw, Hill, and Wood). That is almost assuring Martinez to get upwards of 12 at-bats against left-handers in this series and based on his regular season production, could spell trouble for the Dodgers. If I were Dave Roberts I’m not going to let Martinez beat me, especially with a left-handed hitter in Lamb hitting behind him.

Robbie Ray

While Zack Greinke gets the title of the team “ace,” Robbie Ray has been the Dodgers kryptonite this season. Ray is coming off of a breakout season, in which he made his first ever All-Star team. Ray went 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA with 218 strikeouts in 162 innings. Pretty impressive numbers.

What’s concerning for Dodger fans is how Ray has faired against LA. In 5 starts this season, Ray went 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. Ray had some dominant outings against the boys in blue. Including 7 2/3 scoreless innings in his last start against the Dodgers in September.

On the bright side, the Dodgers could get away with only having to face him once. Ray was used on Wednesday night out of the bullpen and threw 34 pitches in 2 1/3 innings. This was a little surprising when you consider that Ray was supposed to start game 1. But I can understand Torey Lovullo’s decision to use him because their spot in the NLDS was not guaranteed.

Ray is scheduled to start in game 2, so there still is a chance the Dodgers could face him twice. But that would mean pitching three times in one week. The Dodgers have seen Ray 5 times this season, so hopefully, Turner Ward develops a scouting report to shift the dominance.

PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 04: Archie Bradley /

Archie Bradley & Fernando Rodney

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I’m grouping these two together because in all likelihood if you see one, you will see both. But these two pitchers are on the complete opposite side of the spectrums. In my opinion, Bradley is the best reliever the Dbacks have. While Rodney assumes the closing responsibilities, he does not make me worried when he’s on the mound to close a game.

Bradley, a transitioned starter, has become a nice find for Lovullo at the back end of the bullpen. He has a 1.73 ERA in 73 innings out of relief and is averaging just over a strikeout per nine innings.

Meanwhile, Rodney is a volatile closer that struggles with command. Rodney has 39 saves on the season but also has an ERA of 4.23. He’s blown six saves this season, including a few to the Dodgers this season. To put this into perspective. I’d rather face Rodney with the last three outs than Bradley.

Next: Dodgers Need to Set the Tone

Aside from these two, there really isn’t anything worth writing about for this Dbacks bullpen. They are only carrying two lefties in their bullpen in Jorge de la Rosa and Andrew Chafin so that the Dodgers won’t have a lot of platoon disadvantages late in games. Outside of Bradley, there is only one other reliever with an ERA under 3.00 (J.J. Hoover) who didn’t even make the roster. The gameplan should be obvious for Dodger hitters. Work the count early so they can get into the bullpen as soon as possible.

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J.D. Martinez

Robbie Ray

Archie Bradley & Fernando Rodney

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