The Arizona Diamondbacks punched their ticket for a National League Division Series showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers by upsetting the Milwaukee Brewers in a sweep of the Wild Card Series.
The Dodgers went 8-5 against the Diamondbacks this season, outscoring them 72-14 in those games. However, eight of those were played in the first two weeks of the season, where the D-Backs won five of the matchups.
The Dodgers closed out the season by winning five in row against Arizona, with their last meeting being a three-game sweep at the end of August.
L.A. finished the season 100-62, clinching the NL West for a 10th time in the past 11 years and putting them 16 games ahead of the 84-78 Diamondbacks. The Dodgers also had a run differential of +207 compared to Arizona’s mark of -15.
The 2023 NLDS matchup marks just the second time the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. The Dodgers knocked out the Diamondbacks with a three-game sweep in 2017.
2017 NLDS: Dodgers sweep Diamondbacks
In 2017, the Dodgers held the top seed in the NL while the Diamondbacks faced off against another NL West rival in the Wild Card round.
Arizona defeated the Colorado Rockies, but that proved to be the only win of their postseason run as the Dodgers made quick work of their divisional opponent.
The Dodgers took the first game at Dodger Stadium with a 9-5 win behind Clayton Kershaw facing Taijuan Walker. Kershaw went 6.1 innings and gave up four runs while striking out seven and walking three.
Justin Turner carried the offense with five RBI, while Yasiel Puig had a double and triple in the contest.
Some familiar faces made an impact for the Diamondbacks as J.D. Martinez and AJ Pollock both drove in a run. David Peralta was the leadoff hitter, but went 0-for-4, and Jake Lamb went 0-for-1 in his opportunity.
The Dodgers lineup continued to stay hot in Game 2 with an 8-5 victory as Rich Hill made the start against Robby Ray. Hill went four innings and gave up two runs before the Dodgers relied on their bullpen the rest of the way.
Austin Barnes and Puig carried the offense with two RBI each. Barnes had the lone extra-base hit, finishing the game 2-for-3.
Peralta had another tough night, going 0-for-5, while Pollock joined him with an 0-for-3 effort, but he did have one walk that led to a run.
Martinez went 1-for-4 with a single and Lamb went 2-for-4 with a run scored as their only batter with multiple hits.
Game 3 saw the Dodgers offense cool down, but their pitching made up for it with a 3-1 victory to complete the sweep. Yu Darvish got through five innings of one-run ball while the bullpen shut it down the rest of the game.
Another familiar face was on the mound for the D-Backs as Zack Greinke started and allowed three runs over five innings. The Diamondbacks only mustered three hits throughout the game, with one coming from Peralta.
Cody Bellinger and Barnes each homered, while Turner and Bellinger were the only Dodgers with more than one hit in the win.
Clayton Kershaw starting Game 1 of 2023 NLDS for Dodgers
The Dodgers officially announced Clayton Kershaw will start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Bobby Miller will take the ball in Game 2, while the rest of the order is still to be determined.
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