The NL West brings us a worst versus first series this week as the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks head to Los Angeles to face the first-place Dodgers. The Dodgers have mounted quite the lead in the West. The second-place San Diego Padres are 4.5 games behind them, and the last place D-Backs are 11.5 games back.
The Diamondbacks are 14-21 on the season so far. Staying in contention in the West didn’t seem so impossible until their last ten games. Arizona has only grabbed one win in their previous ten tries.
The 26-10 Dodgers look the same way they have for several seasons now, like the best team in the NL West. In a recent development, the Padres have decided to give them a run for their money, but all the Dodgers have to do is keep winning. They’re 8-2 over their last ten games.
The Dodgers will send 2-0 Julio Urias to the mound to open up the series on Tuesday night. Urias has a 3.67 ERA. The Diamondbacks will have 1-1 Alex Young going for them, Young’s ERA is 4.70. First pitch is due at 9:40 ET on Tuesday night.
Dodging Padres
Even in a year when the Padres are the talk of MLB, guess who is in first place in the NL West? Not the Padres.
The addition of Mookie Betts this off-season, to an already incredible lineup, has propelled the Dodgers forward even more. They may not be getting the press that Fernando Tatis Jr and the Padres are getting, but the NL West still knows who their padre is.
Not only has Betts been a godsend, but the re-emergence of Corey Seager has pushed them to victory. Seager trails only Betts in OBP and OPS and currently has a higher batting average. All of this talk of hitting, and we haven’t even mentioned Cody Bellinger, who already has 10 home runs, trailing only Betts with 11.
Raising Arizona
After trading Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals a few seasons ago, the Diamondbacks have gone into full rebuild mode. That being said, their young core nearly got them into playoff contention last season and came out mildly hot this year.
Ketel Marte hasn’t gotten off to the start he did in 2019 as of yet. It’s been Starling Marte and Christian Walker that have led the club offensively. Outside of Kole Calhoun, Starling and Christian are the only two starting Diamondbacks with an OPS over .800. They need more, to say the least.
Dodging Bad Beats
It’s honestly difficult to choose any lineup in MLB over that of Los Angeles. They’re loaded from top to bottom, not to mention a lights out pitching staff. Whether you’re taking the Dodgers money line at -220, or the run line that had them favored by 1.5, you should be confident in your pick.
Julio Urias comes out and slams the door on the D-Backs offense. The Dodgers cover the 1.5 and win big. Good luck.
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