PREMIUM
Rogers' Monday Coach's Clinic - 3-1 Sunday! 17-10-1 L7 Days!
(MLB) Arizona vs. LA Dodgers,
09/05/2016 4:10 PM, Score: 2 - 10
Money Line: -176.00 LA Dodgers (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -176.00 LA Dodgers (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: Zack Greinke spurned the LA Dodgers and signed a six-year contract worth $206.5 million, with Arizona. The Diamondbacks hoped Greinke and other offseason acquisitions like Shelby Miller and Jean Segura would combine with Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Yasmany Tomas to give the team a real shot at playoff contention. in 2016. However, the 58-78 D'backs find themselves battling the 56-80 San Diego Padres just to stay out of last place in the NL West. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have overcome key injuries (can you say Clayton Kershaw?) to enter Labor Day at 76-60, three games up on the Giants in the NL West. Of course, the Dodgers have been helped by the Giants second-half slide, which has seen San Francisco stumble to a 16-30 record since the All Star break.
Zack Greinke (12-4, 4.17 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona vs. his ex-teammates in Monday's series opener, opposed by one of the real bright spots of LA's 2016 season, Kenta Maeda (13-8, 3.38 ERA). Greinke won 51 games and compiled a 2.30 ERA for the Dodgers from 2013 through 2015, finishing among the top-10 for the National League's Cy Young award all three seasons. That includes a second-place finish last year to the Cubs' Jake Arrieta, after leading the major leagues with a 1.66 ERA. Greinke spent the whole month of July on the DL and his ERA has ballooned to 4.17, his worst since 2010. Maeda saw his five-game winning streak come to a halt last Monday despite allowing just two runs on four hits in five innings of an 8-1 setback at Colorado. Maeda had won his previous four starts and earned victories in five successive decisions since July 23. During that stretch the Dodgers were 6-0 and he allowed 28 hits in 33 2/3 innings (30-7 KW ratio), while allowing hitters to bat just .226.
The pick: Greinke is 3-0 (2.53 ERA) in five career starts vs. the Dodgers (teams are 5-0) but this is his first time pitching against them after leaving as a FA last off-season. Maeda will be pitching on six days' rest for the third time in his last four starts and I expect him to bring his "A-game" in this one. LA is an 8* play.
Zack Greinke (12-4, 4.17 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona vs. his ex-teammates in Monday's series opener, opposed by one of the real bright spots of LA's 2016 season, Kenta Maeda (13-8, 3.38 ERA). Greinke won 51 games and compiled a 2.30 ERA for the Dodgers from 2013 through 2015, finishing among the top-10 for the National League's Cy Young award all three seasons. That includes a second-place finish last year to the Cubs' Jake Arrieta, after leading the major leagues with a 1.66 ERA. Greinke spent the whole month of July on the DL and his ERA has ballooned to 4.17, his worst since 2010. Maeda saw his five-game winning streak come to a halt last Monday despite allowing just two runs on four hits in five innings of an 8-1 setback at Colorado. Maeda had won his previous four starts and earned victories in five successive decisions since July 23. During that stretch the Dodgers were 6-0 and he allowed 28 hits in 33 2/3 innings (30-7 KW ratio), while allowing hitters to bat just .226.
The pick: Greinke is 3-0 (2.53 ERA) in five career starts vs. the Dodgers (teams are 5-0) but this is his first time pitching against them after leaving as a FA last off-season. Maeda will be pitching on six days' rest for the third time in his last four starts and I expect him to bring his "A-game" in this one. LA is an 8* play.
