D-backs Look to Continue Season-Long Beatdown of Dodgers
It’s an NL West showdown as the division leading Diamondbacks take on the Dodgers on Tuesday, May 8th at Dodger Stadium. The two teams have already met ten times this season, with Arizona coming out on top seven times.
The Dodgers’ early season struggles have come as something of a surprise, as LA was heavily favored to win the division and return to the World Series in 2018. Injuries to key contributors like Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Clayton Kershaw have been part of the story, but the team’s highly-touted offense has also sputtered badly. The Dodgers are scoring just 4.44 runs per game and rank a distant 25th in the Majors in home runs.
The D-backs, on the other hand, have wildly exceeded all expectations. Arizona has the best record in the National League and has yet to lose a series all season. They looked especially impressive over the weekend against the Astros, winning two of three and holding the defending champs to one run on Sunday afternoon.
Below, find the opening odds, key statistics and betting trends, weather forecast, and score prediction for tonight’s game.
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| DIAMONDBACKS (+107) | DIAMONDBACKS +1.5 (-180) | OVER 7 (-110) |
| DODGERS (-127) | DODGERS -1.5 (+160) | UNDER 7 (-110) |
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Team Stats
| 23-11 (10-5 Away) | RECORD | 15-19 (7-8 Home) |
| +34 | RUN DIFFERENTIAL | +10 |
| RHP Zack Godley: 4-2, 3.41 ERA, 1.40 WHIP | PROBABLE STARTER | LHP Rich Hill: 1-1, 6.00 ERA, 1.60 WHIP |
| .267 BA, .368 OPS (in 75 at-bats) | LINEUP VS OPPONENT STARTER | .233 BA, .312 OPS (in 150 at-bats) |
| 2.19 ERA (1st in MLB) | BULLPEN ERA | 4.52 ERA (20th in MLB) |
| .710 (20th in MLB) | TEAM OPS | .717 (17th in MLB) |
| 7-3 (2-1 Away) | 2018 HEAD-TO-HEAD | 3-7 (1-2 Home) |
Zack Godley is no stranger to the Dodgers. The 6’3″ right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA in his three starts against the Blue Crew in 2018. His record may not leap off the page, but he’s actually pitched brilliantly in two of those outings. Godley was especially sharp on May 2nd, giving up just one earned run in six stellar innings.
Should Godley falter, Arizona can take solace in knowing they have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The Diamonbacks are tops in bullpen ERA and are giving up just 0.45 home runs per nine innings.
The Diamonbacks are tops in bullpen ERA and are giving up just 0.45 homer runs per nine innings.
The Diamondbacks will also be facing a familiar foe in Rich Hill. The veteran southpaw gave up seven runs in five innings in his last start against Arizona on April 14th. He’ll be making his first appearance in three weeks after spending extended time on the DL with inflammation in his left middle finger.
Betting Results & Trends
| DIAMONDBACKS | TREND | DODGERS |
|---|---|---|
| Won 2 | WIN/LOSS STREAK | Lost 2 |
| 6-4 | LAST 10 | 4-6 |
| 20-14 | RUNLINE RECORD | 12-22 |
| 14-18-2 | OVER/UNDER SPLIT | 17-16-1 |
| Under 3 | OVER/UNDER STREAK | Under 1 |
The Diamondbacks defeated the AL West-leading Astros 3-1 on Sunday afternoon thanks to another strong outing from Matt Koch. The 27-year-old right-hander scattered six hits over 6.1 innings to improve his record to 2-0.
The Dodgers were blanked by the Padres 3-0 on Sunday in front of a boisterous crowd in Monterrey, Mexico. Eric Lauer picked up the win for San Diego after throwing six shutout innings.
Weather Forecast at Opening Pitch
| TEMPERATURE | 70° |
| HUMIDITY | 54% |
| WIND SPEED | WSW 2 mph |
| P.O.P. | 0% |
Score Prediction
| DIAMONDBACKS | 5 |
| DODGERS | 2 |
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks were expected to be at the center of the National League’s biggest rivalry in 2018, but so far their games have been comically one-sided. Arizona has won 70% of their dust-ups this season and has outscored LA 51-38 in the process. The D-backs’ starters have consistently found ways to shut down the Dodgers, regardless of who is in the lineup.
That trend should continue again tonight as Zack Godley takes the bump for Arizona. The Dodgers are hitting just .233 against the 28-year-old righty and he should have little difficulty keeping them off the base paths yet again. Take the Diamondbacks to win tonight and to win the series.
Ryan worked as an Editor and resident Lead NBA and MLB Writer for SB from 2017-19. He has authored his own weekly columns for Fox Sports and AskMen, and has created successful campaigns for the WWE, the NHL, and the NFL. Ryan's critically acclaimed stories have been published in 20 books.
