The Los Angeles Dodgers biggest struggles this season have come against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they’ve lost seven of eight to their division rivals.
Wednesday is a new day though, and the Dodgers send left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has been their best pitcher so far this season, to the mound to try and get back in the win column.
In five starts so far this season, Ryu is 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA, 3.21 FIP and 0.85 WHIP. He has risen his strikeout rate by a wide margin, fanning 34 hitters compared to just nine walks in 28.1 innings on the season.
Ryu has had one bad start on the season, his season debut, and it came against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2. In that game, Ryu gave up five hits and three runs in 3.2 innings while striking out two and walking a season-high five batters.
Struggling at Chase Field has become a theme in Ryu’s career with the Dodgers. He is 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in six starts at the Diamondbacks home ballpark.
Opposing Ryu is right-hander Zack Godley, who is 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA, 3.28 FIP and 1.41 WHIP in five starts so far this season. Godley has also thrown 28.1 innings, striking out 28 batters while walking 11.
In 10 career games (six starts) against the Dodgers, Godley is 2-2 with 3.79 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has faced them twice this season and had mixed results, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, earning a win on April 3, and then giving up five runs in four innings on April 15, resulting in his only loss so far this season.
Chris Taylor has had success of Godley in his career, going 5-for-13 (.385 batting average) with two home runs, but he is not in the lineup. Taylor has hit safely in five straight games, going 8-for-23 (.348 batting average) during that span.
The Dodgers pitching staff will have the tough task of slowing down A.J. Pollock, which they haven’t been able to do so far this season. Pollock is slashing .310/.375/1.034 with six of his 10 home runs in eight games against the Dodgers this season.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Joc Pederson
LF: Alex Verdugo
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Cody Bellinger
RF: Matt Kemp
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Max Muncy
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Diamondbacks lineup:
LF: David Peralta
SS: Nick Ahmed
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
CF: A.J. Pollock
RF: Chris Owings
2B: Ketel Marte
3B: Deven Marrero
C: John Ryan Murphy
P: Zack Godley
