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Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks Betting Preview and Prediction

The weather is expected to be poor on the east coast today, so four games have been canceled. With a light six-game slate, the focus will be on an NL West matchup between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks.

Though we are just six games into the season, this is the second installment of the Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks and the second installment of Dustin May vs Merrill Kelly. Both teams had off yesterday, and both teams are coming off victories in their last games against other NL West opponents.

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks Betting Pick: Preview

Here are the odds at the time of posting for game two between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks:

Thursday, April 6                                   MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of DraftKings
Moneyline:                                              Los Angeles Dodgers -150 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks +130
Runline:                                                    Dodgers-1.5 +105 / Diamondbacks+1.5 -125
Total:                                                          9 Runs (Over -105 / Under -115)
Game Time:                                              10:10 pm ET / 7:10 pm PT
Where:                                                   Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ
Weather:                                                  76 degrees

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Analysis

These two teams played in Arizona to open the season, and these two teams split the opening series. Los Angeles bested Arizona 8-2 on Opening day, then Arizona bested Los Angeles 2-1 the next day. The Dodgers pounded Arizona 10-1 in game three, but the Diamondbacks won the series finale 2-1 in another great matchup.

The Diamondbacks went to San Diego after and split the series with the Padres. The Dodgers hosted the Rockies and won both games convincingly. Now, these teams will go at it for another four-game series.

Merrill Kelly will take the mound for the Diamondbacks, and Dustin May will make the start for the Dodgers. Kelly and May already had a showdown this season.

Who has the edge in this NL West matchup/rematch? Let’s dive in

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Dodgers Preview

The Dodgers, unsurprisingly, are looking great to start the season. Their only two losses came in games against Arizona, where they only scored one run, but other than those two games, the Dodgers are as advertised. They hit with contact and power, they make plays in the field, and their pitching staff is top-notch all around.

Dustin May, who made just six starts last season, will make his second start of the year for the Dodgers. In his first start, which also came against the Diamondbacks and Kelly, May pitched seven innings allowing three hits and no runs with four strikeouts. May looked phenomenal, and he threw just 84 pitches to get through 7 innings. Unfortunately for May and the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks ended up winning this game on a Kyle Lewis home run in the top of the eighth inning.

The Dodgers are used to facing Merrill Kelly, and they have a ton of success against him, but most of their success comes against him at Dodgers Stadium. Kelly did not have a great start against the Dodgers in the third game of the season, but he did enough not to allow any runs. The Dodgers’ offense has been hot this season, but they are striking out at a higher rate than expected. Still, this lineup is deadly, and they look mostly great to start the season.

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks Preview

The Diamondbacks roster is the best it’s been in the past few years, but they still seem to be a year away from being a year away. Still, this has been a very solid start for Arizona. Their pitching needs some work, but this offense seems dialed in, and this club has been exciting.

As we mentioned already, Merrill Kelly will make his second start against May and the Dodgers this season. In his first start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Kelly only pitched 3.2 innings, and he allowed three hits, issued four walks, and had four Ks. Kelly not allowing runs and the Diamondbacks winning was improbable. However, he pitched well enough, and the Diamondbacks got the win.

On offense, Arizona has been hit or miss, but their game against the Padres yesterday proved they can score in bunches when need be. Their bullpen is also relatively rested as they use basically just one arm yesterday in San Diego.

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Prediction

These two teams are very familiar with these starting pitchers, and they literally played against each other last week. More often than now, this becomes a situation where the bats wake up instead of the pitchers dominating again. I expect the same exact situation today. Kelly was lucky to allow no runs against the Dodgers in his first start against them, and he is historically bad against them. May is great, but the Diamondbacks are now comfortable against him, so I expect runs.

Prediction: Over 9 runs