Game Preview: Dodgers Begin Final Month of Regular Season with Kershaw

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers

Time: 7:10 PM PT

Venue: Dodger Stadium

Arizona Record: 74-61

Los Angeles Record: 73-62

How are the Dodgers Doing?

The Dodgers rebounded in game two of this four game set against Arizona with a 3-2 victory on Friday. They trailed 2-0 after the first inning before scoring in the third and adding a run in the seventh and eighth innings. Both runs in the late innings came via solo home runs by Kike Hernandez and Justin Turner. The bullpen threw two shutout innings as Kenley Jansen earned his 33rd save of the year.

Why is this Game Important?

Los Angeles will have some added momentum for the final stretch of the year. They added reliever Ryan Madson from the Nationals and infielder David Freese from the Pirates on Friday. Madson will provide another late inning arm while Freese is expected to bring a veteran presence and a solid right handed bat.

With September arriving, rosters can expand to 40 players, meaning fresh faces should begin to arrive for the Dodgers within the upcoming days.

Pitching Matchup

Clayton Kershaw (6-5, 2.39 ERA) vs Patrick Corbin (10-5, 3.15 ERA)

Clayton Kershaw makes his 21st start of the year. He has performed at the highest level during the second half of the season. He has remained healthy and is posting a 1.85 ERA since the All-Star break. Kershaw tossed eight innings in his last start against the Padres.

Patrick Corbin faces the Dodgers for the fourth time this year. He has shut down the Dodger offense each time this season, with a 0.98 ERA in 18.1 innings against Los Angeles. Corbin’s best start of the year came against the Dodgers when he allowed just one hit and struck out 12 batters back on April 4.

Matchup of the Day

Justin Turner vs Patrick Corbin

Justin Turner came through with the big hit on Friday and he may do the same thing on Saturday. Turner entered August with a .259 batting average and exited the month raking at a .312 clip. He is batting .400 in the second half of the year and has a .407 batting average against Corbin in his career.

Vegas Odds

Odds Sharks

Predicted Score

Dodgers: 2.0

Diamondbacks: 3.3

Moneyline Consensus

Dodgers: -167

Diamondbacks: +157

FiveThirtyEight

Dodgers: 57% chance of winning

Diamondbacks: 43% chance of winning

Fun Fact

The Diamondbacks have made the playoffs six times since their inaugural year in 1998.