Arizona (9-3) at LA Dodgers (4-7)
When: Friday, April 13th 2018
Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Time: 10:10 ET | TV: FS Arizona, SportsNet LA
Opening Odds: Los Angeles -135/7.5
The defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers have dominated the NL West for the last five years, but the Arizona Diamondbacks have been the one team that has give the Dodgers some trouble recently. The two will tangle in the opener of a three-game weekend series on Friday night in Dodger Stadium. The D’Backs currently lead the division with a 9-3 record and swept L.A. back in Phoenix earlier this season. Arizona squeaked out a 15-inning victory in the opener of that series, then limited the Dodgers lineup to just one run and five hits in the next two contests. The Diamondbacks will go for a 10th straight regular-season victory against the Dodgers on Friday when they conclude the final leg of a nine-game road trip. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who got off to a slow start this season, has homered in consecutive games and is a career .306 hitter with 28 home runs and 92 RBIs in 114 games versus Los Angeles. Even though the Dodgers won the NL West going away last year, Arizona was able to make things a bit interesting with a 13-game winning streak from August 24th thru September 6th, including a pair of three-game sweeps. Los Angeles got the last laugh against Arizona last year by sweeping the Diamondbacks in three games during the NL Division Series. L.A. appears to be suffering from a World Series hangover – and not having Justin Turner – as they have yet to win more than two games in a row this season. The Dodgers pitching staff, which Wednesday with the NL’s lowest ERA, was pounded for 16 runs and 21 hits against a weak-hitting Oakland Athletics team.
Pitchers: Diamondbacks – Zack Greinke (0-1, 5.06 ERA) | Dodgers – Kenta Maeda (1-0, 0.00)
Zack Greinke is probably looking forward to the weather in L.A. this weekend as he struggled in the cold temperatures of St. Louis on Saturday, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out five in as many innings. Greinke has yet to make it through six innings or throw more than 86 pitches, but still boasts a 14/0 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 10.2 innings. He went 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA in four starts against his former team last season and is 1-2 with a 7.56 ERA in three outings at Dodger Stadium since joining Arizona in 2016.
Kenta Maeda will make his first start since March 31st after getting skipped in the rotation due to a rain-out and pitching one inning of relief at San Francisco on Saturday. Maeda allowed five hits and a walk and faced at least one baserunner in each of his first four innings in his season debut, but he kept the Giants off the scoreboard by striking out 10 over five innings. He struggled last season, as all Dodgers pitchers did against Arizona – going 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts against the Diamondbacks.
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Arizona really has L.A.’s number right now and Greinke should be sharp on Friday against a Dodgers lineup that is still struggling to breakout this season. Maeda’s numbers against the D’Backs last season were really bad. That wouldn’t give me any confidence to take him as a favorite here.
Pick: Diamondbacks +120
BETTING TRENDS:
- Diamondbacks are 4-0 in their last 4 during game 1 of a series.
- Diamondbacks are 5-0 in their last 5 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Diamondbacks are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. National League West.
- Diamondbacks are 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Diamondbacks are 7-2 in their last 9 overall.
- Diamondbacks are 7-2 in their last 9 games on grass.
- Diamondbacks are 16-5 in their last 21 when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Diamondbacks are 20-7 in their last 27 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Diamondbacks are 19-7 in their last 26 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.
- Diamondbacks are 23-10 in their last 33 games following a win.
- Diamondbacks are 10-2 in Greinke’s last 12 starts with 5 days of rest.
- Diamondbacks are 4-1 in Greinke’s last 5 Friday starts.
- Diamondbacks are 7-2 in Greinke’s last 9 starts following a team loss in their previous game.
- Diamondbacks are 23-7 in Greinke’s last 30 starts vs. a team with a losing record.
- Diamondbacks are 19-7 in Greinke’s last 26 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Diamondbacks are 11-5 in Greinke’s last 16 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.
- Diamondbacks are 1-4 in Greinke’s last 5 starts.
- Diamondbacks are 1-4 in Greinke’s last 5 starts on grass.
- Diamondbacks are 1-4 in Greinke’s last 5 starts when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Dodgers are 20-6 in their last 26 games following an off day.
- Dodgers are 20-6 in their last 26 Friday games.
- Dodgers are 51-16 in their last 67 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Dodgers are 23-9 in their last 32 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
- Dodgers are 61-25 in their last 86 home games.
- Dodgers are 74-31 in their last 105 home games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Dodgers are 55-26 in their last 81 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Dodgers are 10-22 in their last 32 games following a loss.
- Dodgers are 2-5 in their last 7 overall.
- Dodgers are 2-5 in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Dodgers are 2-5 in their last 7 games on grass.
- Dodgers are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. National League West.
- Dodgers are 0-4 in their last 4 games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Dodgers are 7-0 in Maeda’s last 7 Friday starts.
- Dodgers are 7-1 in Maeda’s last 8 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Dodgers are 5-1 in Maeda’s last 6 starts after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Dodgers are 17-5 in Maeda’s last 22 home starts.
- Dodgers are 10-4 in Maeda’s last 14 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Dodgers are 15-7 in Maeda’s last 22 starts.
- Dodgers are 15-7 in Maeda’s last 22 starts on grass.
- Dodgers are 2-5 in Maeda’s last 7 starts vs. National League West.
- Dodgers are 2-6 in Maeda’s last 8 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Diamondbacks last 5 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 12-4 in Diamondbacks last 16 road games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Over is 5-2 in Diamondbacks last 7 Friday games.
- Under is 5-2 in Diamondbacks last 7 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Diamondbacks last 7 games following a win.
- Over is 10-4 in Diamondbacks last 14 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Over is 35-15-1 in Diamondbacks last 51 games following an off day.
- Under is 3-0-1 in Greinke’s last 4 starts following a team loss in their previous game.
- Under is 5-1-2 in Greinke’s last 8 starts when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Greinke’s last 5 road starts.
- Under is 8-2-1 in Greinke’s last 11 starts vs. National League West.
- Under is 3-1-1 in Greinke’s last 5 Friday starts.
- Under is 6-2-1 in Greinke’s last 9 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.
- Under is 3-1-1 in Greinke’s last 5 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 18-8-4 in Greinke’s last 30 starts on grass.
- Under is 18-8-4 in Greinke’s last 30 starts overall.
- Under is 6-0-1 in Dodgers last 7 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 7-1 in Dodgers last 8 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Under is 7-1-1 in Dodgers last 9 games following a loss.
- Under is 6-1-2 in Dodgers last 9 games following an off day.
- Under is 6-1-2 in Dodgers last 9 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1-1 in Dodgers last 6 Friday games.
- Under is 4-1 in Dodgers last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
- Over is 4-1 in Dodgers last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Under is 6-2 in Dodgers last 8 home games.
- Under is 7-3-1 in Dodgers last 11 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 7-3 in Dodgers last 10 vs. National League West.
- Under is 7-3 in Dodgers last 10 during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 9-4 in Dodgers last 13 overall.
- Under is 9-4 in Dodgers last 13 on grass.
- Under is 50-23-1 in Dodgers last 74 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Under is 5-0 in Maeda’s last 5 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Under is 7-1 in Maeda’s last 8 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Over is 6-1-1 in Maeda’s last 8 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 5-1-1 in Maeda’s last 7 home starts.
- Under is 4-1 in Maeda’s last 5 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 3-1-3 in Maeda’s last 7 starts after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Under is 3-1-1 in Maeda’s last 5 starts when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game.
- Over is 7-3-1 in Maeda’s last 11 starts vs. National League West.
- Diamondbacks are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings.
- Over is 7-3 in Maeda’s last 10 starts vs. Diamondbacks.
- Diamondbacks are 2-5 in Greinke’s last 7 starts vs. Dodgers.
- Diamondbacks are 10-29 in the last 39 meetings in Los Angeles.
- Dodgers are 0-4 in Maeda’s last 4 starts vs. Diamondbacks.
