2023 NLDS Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The National League Divisional series begins on Saturday and two familiar foes will face off. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet for a five-game series with the first the first pitch being thrown in Los Angeles.
The Series schedule will look like this:
Game 1: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 7, 9:20 p.m. ET, TBS
Game 2: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 9, 9:07 p.m. ET, TBS
Game 3: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 9:07 p.m. ET, TBS
Game 4: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, Thursday, Oct. 12, 9:07 p.m. ET, TBS (if necessary)
Game 5: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 14, 9:20 p.m. ET, TBS (if necessary)
Both teams look different than they did at the start of the season and their pitching staffs are shaky. The Dodgers lost Julio Urias earlier this season as well as Dustin May. They are still led by ace Clayton Kershaw, who is slowly declining in velocity, but managed to post a 2.46 ERA this season. Rookie Bobby Miller has been playing well and Ryan Pepiot will likely get in the mix. The Dodgers will need some solid outings from their young guys to be competitive in this series.
For the Diamondbacks, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are the highlights of the pitching rotation. Because they swept the Brewers, both of them got extra rest and will most likely get two starts during this series if it goes beyond three games. Because of these two starters, the Diamondbacks are a scary team in a shorter series. Their third starter in the rotation is Brandon Pfaadt, who wasn’t great in the Wild Card and can be a liability at times. The Diamondbacks will likely not want to use anyone besides these three to start the games or they could be in some real trouble.
Why the Diamondbacks Could Win
The Diamondbacks are scrappy, young and very fast. They’ve been playing meaningful games for a while now and had to grind to get that last Wild Card spot. They’ve had their backs against the wall for a while and have been able to scrap their way out with some good pitching, good defense and clutch hitting.
We saw them hit well in big moments against the Brewers, who arguably have some of the best pitching in baseball. They could very well do this again against a team they know well that features inexperienced pitchers when it comes to the postseason, besides Kershaw of course. Even though the Diamondbacks lost the season series against the Dodgers and finished 16 games back of them in the division, they have a shot.
All that matters are these next five games and carrying their Wild Card momentum into Los Angeles.
Why the Dodgers Could Win
The Dodgers have a lot of playoff experience and the two best players in the series in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. These two are absolute game changers and their record and seeding are reflective of their play. The Dodgers lineup as a whole has the potential to wear out Arizona’s pitching staff.
The Dodgers also adjusted as the year progressed to teams with players who steal a lot of bases. This is important as the Diamondbacks have multiple players who are very quick and can easily steal a few bases. The Dodgers are just an overall scary offensive team putting up 5.6 runs per game and have multiple players who can quickly flip the momentum with one swing, so it can be hard to get back into games with them once they start pulling away.
My Prediction
It is on the safer end, but I think that the Dodgers will win this series in four games. I think that the depth of the Dodgers offense will be able to get Gallen and Kelly out of the game sooner than later and the Diamondbacks bullpen won’t be able to save the day.
I can see the Diamondbacks snagging game three at home but I just don’t think they will have enough to overpower this juggernaut. Despite this, the Diamondbacks are showing a lot of progress just two years after losing 110 games and I think they can be a dangerous team in the years to come.
