Game Preview: Dodgers Look For Sole Possession of First Place vs Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers

Time: 1:10 PM PT

Venue: Dodger Stadium

Arizona Record: 74-62

Los Angeles Record: 74-62

How are the Dodgers Doing?

The Dodgers have found themselves tied for first place with the Diamondbacks once again. For the second straight night, an eighth inning home run provided the difference in a 2-3 victory for Los Angeles. Matt Kemp came through with a three-run home run. Clayton Kershaw gave the Dodgers at least seven innings for the fourth consecutive outing as he allowed two runs and wound up with the no-decision.

Why is this Game Important?

The Dodgers can find themselves in sole possession of first place if they can defeat the Diamondbacks on Sunday. All three games in this series have been decided by two runs or fewer and neither team has scored more than three runs in any single game. The Rockies trail the Dodgers and Diamondbacks by 0.5 game.

Pitching Matchup

Walker Buehler (6-4, 3.02 ERA) vs Clay Buchholz (7-2, 2.07 ERA)

Walker Buehler tossed the shortest start of his career in his last outing. He threw just four innings against the Rangers, allowing two runs. He is 1.2 innings away from reaching the 100 inning mark for the season. Buehler has not thrown this much since his sophomore year at Vanderbilt, when he tossed 102 innings.

Clay Buchholz closes the series out for Arizona.He has been superb of late, providing at least seven innings in each of his last four starts. Buchholz has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings for the Diamondbacks heading into Sunday.

Matchup of the Day

Max Muncy vs Clay Buchholz

A pair of Texas natives in Max Muncy and Clay Buchholz will matchup on Sunday for the first time in their careers. Muncy entered the season with five career home runs in two years of service. He has slugged at least five home runs in each of the last four months.

Vegas Odds

Odds Sharks

Moneyline Consensus

Dodgers: -160

Diamondbacks: +150

FiveThirtyEight

Dodgers: 59% chance of winning

Diamondbacks: 41% chance of winning

Fun Fact

Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter in his second career start with the Red Sox. He became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to reach this feat within his first two career starts.