3 reasons the slumping Dodgers should fear the surging D-Backs
The Los Angeles Dodgers are snakebitten. The formerly unstoppable buzzsaw hasn't won back-to-back games since Aug. 24-25, and has lost nine of its last 10.
Four of those losses have come against the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that's won 11 straight, and delivered the Dodgers' first series sweep of the season.
It would be easy to dismiss the D-Backs to the tune of recency bias, or a sort of "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" attitude toward the Dodgers. But, there are three good reasons why the snakes could spoil the party in L.A.
Rotation depth rivalry
When Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is healthy, no pitcher on earth touches him. If the Dodgers' pitching staff could stay off the DL, it'd be second to none. With constant questions around the Dodgers' health, the Diamondbacks could have the advantage in a seven-game series.
| Name | W-L | ERA | WHIP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke | 16-6 | 3.08 | 1.07 | 4.7 |
| Patrick Corbin | 13-11 | 3.83 | 1.39 | 2.9 |
| Robbie Ray | 12-5 | 2.80 | 1.15 | 2.9 |
| Zack Godley | 7-7 | 3.21 | 1.13 | 2.8 |
| Taijuan Walker | 8-7 | 3.42 | 1.29 | 2.1 |
Before the season, the pitching staff was the biggest question mark. There were even rumblings that the Diamondbacks were suffering buyer's remorse with Greinke, and were pursuing a trade after a rough 2016. He's proving last season was an anomaly.
Getting Robbie Ray back from what looked like a serious head injury and watching him continue his breakout season is great news. While the Diamondbacks' bats applied offensive pressure in Monday's 13-0 blowout, Ray made fools of the Dodgers batters, allowing only three hits in 7 2/3 innings while punching out 14. After him, pick your poison.
Even with how good Alex Wood and Rich Hill have pitched for the Dodgers, they don't hold a definitive advantage over the middle of Arizona's rotation. Especially if the mashers continue to mash.
Lefty-crushers uniting
The heart of the Diamondbacks' batting order is terrifying, and they can overload it with right-handed bats when facing a lefty pitcher - of which the Dodgers have in abundance.
J.D. Martinez may have put on a one-man show on Monday, but the likes of A.J. Pollock and Brandon Drury pitched in with timely hits of their own. This was without lefty-killer Paul Goldschmidt, too, who was heading back to Arizona to undergo an MRI on his elbow. It's not considered serious.
Since the All-Star break, Goldschmidt and Martinez have combined to go 30-for-75 with 11 home runs against lefty pitching. Look out.
Inserting Goldschmidt, the best all-around position player between the two teams, back in the lineup will be headache-inducing for Dodgers lefties, and it helps hide third baseman Jake Lamb's shortcomings against his fellow southpaws.
Archie Bradley: shutdown reliever
The bullpen dynamics still favor Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers, but Bradley has finally had his breakout season and could be the arm the team leans on in relief.
In 62 2/3 innings across 53 appearances, Bradley has a 1.29 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and 68 strikeouts. He's also thrown 10 2/3 innings (most vs. any opponent) against the Dodgers, allowing only two earned runs. He's easily the team's most effective reliever, and he's capable of multiple innings per appearance. If either team has an Andrew Miller equivalent, he's the closest.
Still, the path is muddier for Arizona. They will have to win a one-game playoff just to play in the NLDS - the joys of being a wild-card team - and anything could happen.
Besides, one bad stretch for the Dodgers does not a season make. This is still a team on pace to post the third-best record in franchise history, as MLB Network's Jon Morosi notes. It would be dangerous to underestimate them, just as it has been to do the same with the desert snakes.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
(Stats courtesy: Fangraphs)