by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com
The defending back-to-back World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (38-21) open a four-game set on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks (31-27) tonight at Chase Field. This will be the fourth head-to-head meeting and second series matchup between the National League West combatants. The Dodgers opened the season with a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks at home from March 26-28. Los Angeles has won five in a row, and six of the last seven against Arizona.
Los Angeles took 2 of 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies at home over the weekend prior to this series. They walloped Philadelphia 9-1 in the series finale yesterday. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over 5.1 innings for the Dodgers in the win. Los Angeles has won 7 of their last 8 games.
Meanwhile, Arizona was swept in Seattle over the weekend. They dropped the series finale 3-2 in 10 innings yesterday. They also lost the series-opener (7-6) in 10 innings. Arizona had won 10 of 11 heading into the series against Seattle. The Diamondbacks only collected 3 hits in yesterday’s loss at Seattle.
Tonight’s starters are Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.70 ERA, 59 strikeouts in 10 starts) for Los Angeles and Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 2.31 ERA, 49 strikeouts in 11 starts) for Arizona. GAME ODDS Moneyline: Los Angeles (-157), Arizona (+130) Run Line: Los Angeles -1.5 (+102), Arizona +1.5 (-122) Run Total: over 9 (-105), under 9 (-114)
GAME STORYLINES: LOS ANGELES
Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers captured their second straight World Series crown. They became the first repeat World Series champion since the New York Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000. The Dodgers will look to match the Yankees and the Oakland A’s (1972-1974) as the only MLB teams to win at least three straight World Series crowns.
The catalyst for Los Angeles’s back-to-back titles was signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani as a free agent prior to the 2024 season in December 2023. In his six seasons (2018-2023) with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani established himself as a dominant hitter and pitcher, while being named the American League MVP in 2021 and 2023.
The Dodgers inked Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract. It was the richest free agent contract in MLB history until it was topped by Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract one year later in December 2024. Not only have the Dodgers captured back-to-back World Series crowns since the extravagant signing, Ohtani has won back-to-back National League MVPs in his two seasons as a Dodger. Ohtani became the first player in North American sports history to win two championships and two MVPs in his first two seasons with a new team.
Shohei Ohtani posted the first 50/50 (homers/steals) season in MLB history in his debut season wearing Dodger Blue in 2024, and he connected on 54 homers last season in 2025.
Not surprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers are putting together another dominant season in 2026 as they enter tonight’s contest with a 38-21 record and hold a 5.5 game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres. The Dodgers are well on their way to winning the National League West for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
After compiling back-to-back astonishing seasons at the plate (109 combined homers in 2024 and 2025), the incomparable Shohei Ohtani is now in the midst of an extraordinary season on the mound. The 31-year-old superstar is 5-2 with a microscopic/MLB-leading 0.82 ERA and 61:17 K:BB over 9 starts. Ohtani is pitching full time as a starter for the first time since the 2023 season after undergoing surgery for a torn UCL in his right shoulder in September 2023.
Despite some star players (Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith) getting off to slow starts, the Dodgers boast one of the strongest offenses in MLB. They rank 1st in batting average (.261) and on base percentage (.344), 2nd in total bases (853) and 3rd in homers (80) and runs scored (305). Their plus-129 run differential leads MLB.
The trio of outfielder Andy Pages (.294, 13 HR, team-leading 50 RBI in 59 gms), veteran third baseman Max Muncy (.257, team-high 14 HR, 21 RBI in 53 gms) and the aforementioned Shohei Ohtani (.280, 10 HR, 31 RBI in 58 gms) have been the standouts so far in a star-studded lineup. The 25-year-old Pages registered a breakout campaign last season (27 HR, 86 RBI) in year 2, and is picking up where he left off this year.
GAME STORYLINES: ARIZONA
One of the glaring victims of Los Angeles’s monumental success over the past decade and a half has been the Arizona Diamondbacks. With the Dodgers having an elite roster, an unlimited payroll and a brilliant front office, the Diamondbacks are essentially playing for second place in the NL West every season. And with the San Diego Padres becoming big spenders in recent years, finishing second in the division has also become a challenge for Arizona.
Arizona did slip into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed — the final playoff spot — in 2023 and made a miraculous run to the World Series in which they swept the top-seeded and heavily-favored Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 in the Divisional Round. Arizona fell to the Texas Rangers in an unexpected World Series matchup.
The next season (2024) saw Arizona finish with 5 more wins at 89-73, but they missed out on the postseason as Los Angeles (98-64) and San Diego (93-69) were just on another level. Not being able to compete with Los Angeles and San Diego due to the superior level of talent and high payroll of both teams will likely be a recurring issue for Arizona for the foreseeable future.
In the offseason, Arizona traded for veteran, power-hitting third baseman Nolan Arenado (35) and re-signed veteran pitchers Zac Gallen (30) and Merrill Kelly (37) in the offseason. The Diamondbacks also returned a talented trio of young players in right fielder Corbin Carroll (31 HR in 2025) — the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (100 RBI in 2025) and catcher Gabriel Moreno, along with star holdovers Ketel Marte (28 HR in 2025) and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (80 RBI in 2025).
Veteran first baseman Ildemaro Vargas has been the unsung hero for Arizona this season. The 34-year-old journeyman is in his third stint with the Diamondbacks after signing a minor league deal with the team in 2025. Vargas leads Arizona in batting average (292) and RBI (37), and his 7 homers are tied for second. Vargas’ batting average, homers and RBI are all career highs after just 51 games.
Eduardo Rodriguez takes the mound tonight for Arizona. The 33-year-old veteran is experiencing a resurgence in 2026 after struggling in his first 2 seasons with the Diamondbacks. The lefty enters tonight’s contest sporting a 5-1 record with a 2.31 ERA and 49 strikeouts across 11 starts. Rodriguez had an ERA of over 5.00 in each of his last 2 seasons.
Arizona currently finds themselves 6.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers, but are just one game behind second-place San Diego. They won 10 of 11 prior to getting swept in Seattle over the weekend, but all 10 wins were against San Francisco (23-36) and Colorado (22-38). How Arizona fares against the Dodgers over this four-game series may be an indicator of whether they’ll stay competitive in the division or end up battling San Francisco and Colorado for last place.
THE PICK: DODGERS (Run Line)
The back-to-back World Series Champion Dodgers enter tonight’s contest red-hot as they’ve won 9 of their last 11 games. Los Angeles is also 14-3 since May 12. Thirteen of those 14 wins have been at least 2 runs. I don’t see why anything would change tonight. Take the Dodgers on the Run Line.
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