Dodgers Set to Seal Division Title in High-Stakes Bullpen Showdown Against Diamondbacks

Ever get that feeling when a team’s postseason fate hangs by a thread, and you wonder—will they clinch the division crown or settle for a Wild Card spot? The Dodgers find themselves right there tonight against the Diamondbacks, with the division magic number sitting tantalizingly at one. I’ve been riding the ups and downs this season, barely scraping a 1-1 record yesterday—classic déjà vu for me—but tonight I’m betting all my chips on Yoshinobu Yamamoto to keep the Dodgers marching toward another playoff berth. The Diamondbacks, scrappy as ever despite shedding key players, are still in the hunt and throwing a bullpen game into the fray with Jalen Beeks. It’s a high-stakes dance—can Arizona’s shaky relief pitching hold off the defending champs, or will the Dodgers tighten their grip on the division? Grab your popcorn; this one’s got potential for fireworks, extra runs, and maybe, just maybe, a signature win. LEARN MORE

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks, 3:40 ET

You’ll never believe it, but I went 1-1 once again yesterday. It has been a theme for this year, unfortunately. I still think I had the correct side in the Pirates and Reds game, even if the Pirates won the game and were leading for the majority of it. The Reds tied the game twice, sending it to extra innings, and extending the game in the 10th. They couldn’t do it the third time, though, and they ended up losing in the final frame, costing me the sweep. I’ll only have one baseball play today, so hopefully we can get a win in this one as the Dodgers take on the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers are going to return to the postseason once again, but the only real remaining question is if they will do it as the division winner or as a Wild Card team. The biggest difference for them is that they would host a series if they win the division, and if they do not, they will be on the road for their first series. The Brewers and the Phillies will get the first-round byes. There is something about this Dodgers team that doesn’t feel quite as scary as previous years. They still have a great rotation with multiple guys that you can confidently back to give strong outings. They still have a solid lineup, and they are defending champions, but they just don’t feel quite as scary as they have in the past. Tonight, they send out Yoshinobu Yamamoto to hopefully give them the win needed to get the division victory. Yamamoto has been good with an 11-8 record, 2.58 ERA, and 0.99 WHIP. He did have a few rough starts, but he has been on a tear recently, allowing one earned run or fewer in the past four starts, and posting a quality outing in five of his past six starts. He has faced the Diamondbacks three times this season, and two of the starts were at home, where he went 14 total innings and allowed just five hits and one earned run. In his one road start against Arizona, he allowed five earned runs over five innings.

The Diamondbacks are still battling for a playoff spot. Despite the fact that they traded away multiple players from their roster at the deadline, the team has been able to win games and stay relevant. As of today, they are one game back of the Mets. They are also tied with the Reds for being one game back, and, amazingly, the Cardinals are still in the hunt just behind them. This is obviously not the team the Diamondbacks wanted to face with a chance to make the playoffs, but they have a chance to split the series. They also have the Padres next, so this isn’t exactly an ideal couple of teams to play against. Looking to try and get a stop and win for the Diamondbacks is Jalen Beeks. Beeks is actually a reliever, so this will be a bullpen game for the Diamondbacks. For the season, Arizona’s bullpen is one of the worst in the league, with very few performing worse than them. The only good news for them is that the Dodgers at least haven’t hit Beeks very well, holding just a .216 batting average.

I think the Dodgers should be able to get a victory in this game, with Yamamoto on the hill, it is hard to bet against them. I know that Arizona needs to win, but a bullpen game seems a bit odd to get that done. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game go over, the Dodgers will likely eventually get to the Diamondbacks bullpen. Also, Yamamoto is more likely to allow runs in this one. The Dodgers magic number is 1 for the division, which feels like a when, not if, situation. I think they take care of business here though and will back them on the run line.

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