Preview: Diamondbacks (10-12) at Dodgers (14-8)
Game: 2
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: May 02, 2015 9:10 PM EDT
The Los Angeles Dodgers have to like their chances of capturing another home series from the Arizona Diamondbacks since they are next facing a pitcher whose teams have dropped 12 of his last 13 starts.
The Dodgers will try to take advantage of Jeremy Hellickson's losing ways Saturday night in the middle game of this series.
Los Angeles (14-8) won for the 11th time in its last 15 at home against Arizona with Friday's 8-0 victory. Carlos Frias pitched into the sixth inning and Joc Pederson gave him more than enough support with his first career grand slam for the Dodgers, who average an NL-best 5.9 runs at home.
Hellickson (1-3, 5.24 ERA) seems like an unlikely candidate to contain them since he fell to 1-7 with a 5.37 ERA in his last 13 starts after allowing four runs over 4 2-3 innings in Sunday's 8-0 home defeat to Pittsburgh.
The beleaguered right-hander is among baseball's worst in opponent batting average (.333), WHIP (1.75) and batting average on balls in play (.390).
Hellickson's only start against the Dodgers was an 8-2 road loss Aug. 11, 2013, in which he gave up four runs over three innings for Tampa Bay.
He has limited Adrian Gonzalez to three hits in 19 at_bats, though two were homers. Howie Kendrick is 1 for 9 against him.
Pederson, who has never faced Hellickson, has homered in three of his last four games.
'Donnie (manager Don Mattingly) told me from day one that it's about putting together quality at_bats,' Pederson said. 'They weren't worried about the results. They saw what I could do. I still need to continue to put together quality at_bats. We're only a month into the season. So it's not how you start, but how you finish.'
Los Angeles used a fast start for the second straight game after Pederson opened the scoring with his second-inning blast. The Dodgers, who have seven homers in the last two games, led 4-1 after one inning in Wednesday's 7-3 home win over San Francisco.
Infielder Juan Uribe is batting .324 during an 11-game hitting streak that matches the second-longest of his career.
The Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt had two hits to improve to 11 for 18 in his last four games. He is 6 for 16 with six RBIs in the season series, which is tied at two wins apiece.
Arizona (10-12) has split eight road games while Los Angeles owns baseball's second-best home mark at 11-2.
Veteran right-hander Scott Baker (0-1, 3.86) makes his home debut after yielding three runs in seven innings in Sunday's 3-1 loss to San Diego in his first game with Los Angeles, which signed him April 3 to a minor league contract.
He had been 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in six starts against NL West clubs.
Baker's two starts against Arizona came in 2008 and 2011. Aaron Hill could be in the Diamondbacks' lineup for the first time in three games since he is 6 for 13 with a homer versus Baker, who has never faced Goldschmidt.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Fri, May 1 Final 0 to 8
Boxscores
GAME 2
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Sat, May 2 - 9:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Sun, May 3 - 4:10PM EDT
Game: 2
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: May 02, 2015 9:10 PM EDT
The Los Angeles Dodgers have to like their chances of capturing another home series from the Arizona Diamondbacks since they are next facing a pitcher whose teams have dropped 12 of his last 13 starts.
The Dodgers will try to take advantage of Jeremy Hellickson's losing ways Saturday night in the middle game of this series.
Los Angeles (14-8) won for the 11th time in its last 15 at home against Arizona with Friday's 8-0 victory. Carlos Frias pitched into the sixth inning and Joc Pederson gave him more than enough support with his first career grand slam for the Dodgers, who average an NL-best 5.9 runs at home.
Hellickson (1-3, 5.24 ERA) seems like an unlikely candidate to contain them since he fell to 1-7 with a 5.37 ERA in his last 13 starts after allowing four runs over 4 2-3 innings in Sunday's 8-0 home defeat to Pittsburgh.
The beleaguered right-hander is among baseball's worst in opponent batting average (.333), WHIP (1.75) and batting average on balls in play (.390).
Hellickson's only start against the Dodgers was an 8-2 road loss Aug. 11, 2013, in which he gave up four runs over three innings for Tampa Bay.
He has limited Adrian Gonzalez to three hits in 19 at_bats, though two were homers. Howie Kendrick is 1 for 9 against him.
Pederson, who has never faced Hellickson, has homered in three of his last four games.
'Donnie (manager Don Mattingly) told me from day one that it's about putting together quality at_bats,' Pederson said. 'They weren't worried about the results. They saw what I could do. I still need to continue to put together quality at_bats. We're only a month into the season. So it's not how you start, but how you finish.'
Los Angeles used a fast start for the second straight game after Pederson opened the scoring with his second-inning blast. The Dodgers, who have seven homers in the last two games, led 4-1 after one inning in Wednesday's 7-3 home win over San Francisco.
Infielder Juan Uribe is batting .324 during an 11-game hitting streak that matches the second-longest of his career.
The Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt had two hits to improve to 11 for 18 in his last four games. He is 6 for 16 with six RBIs in the season series, which is tied at two wins apiece.
Arizona (10-12) has split eight road games while Los Angeles owns baseball's second-best home mark at 11-2.
Veteran right-hander Scott Baker (0-1, 3.86) makes his home debut after yielding three runs in seven innings in Sunday's 3-1 loss to San Diego in his first game with Los Angeles, which signed him April 3 to a minor league contract.
He had been 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in six starts against NL West clubs.
Baker's two starts against Arizona came in 2008 and 2011. Aaron Hill could be in the Diamondbacks' lineup for the first time in three games since he is 6 for 13 with a homer versus Baker, who has never faced Goldschmidt.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Fri, May 1 Final 0 to 8
Boxscores
GAME 2
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Sat, May 2 - 9:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Sun, May 3 - 4:10PM EDT
