Scott Delaney
Wednesday's winner ...
40 Dime Dodgers (Listing Kuroda and Jackson) - Something about the Phoenix desert that brings the best out of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won five of their last six meetings with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Actually, it must be the meeting itself, cause the Dodgers have won 20 of the last 28 meetings.
Tonight should be no difforent, as Hiroki Kuroda toes the slab with a bit of vengeance on the brain, given he is 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA in seven starts versus the Diamondbacks. He's already faced Arizona once this season, on April 15 in Los Angeles, and was quality in giving up three runs in seven innings while striking out seven. The Dodgers won 6-5 in 12 innings.
The right-hander, who is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season, will also be out to avenge his last start, in which he gave up five runs and nine hits over 5-1/3 frames against Colorado. Though he had a rough outing, the Dodgers respoanded to win 6-5 Friday night.
I'm looking for him to use his that three-quarters arm action to come to life tonight, and work his 89- to 92-mile per hour fastball on both sides of the plate. He'll frustrate the Snakes by changing the speed of the break on his slider from short and tight to big and slurvy anytime during the game. His close-out pitch is a sharp, late-diving splitter that looks more like a fastball upon release.
He'll most certainly be better than former Dodger Edwin Jackson, who is struggling back on the senior circuit. The right-hander is 1-4 with a 7.32 ERA and has an inflated 25.58 ERA over his previous two outings. And once the Dodgers get to him in the early innings, the Diamondbacks will be forced once again to turn to their somowhat fraught bullpen, which has allowed 26 runs in 11-2/3 innings over the last four games.
Take the Dodgers tonight, and be sure to list both pitchers.