The National League Division Series between National League West rivals will be exciting for fans in California. The Los Angeles Dodgers lost in four games to another NL West rival, the San Diego Padres, last season. The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming off a two-game upset of the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series. Here is everything that you need to know about the NLDS.
When and where is the National League Division Series?
The Los Angeles Dodgers have home-field advantage, meaning Games 1, 2, and 5 will be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Games 3 and 4 will be at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The five-game series starts on Oct. 7.
How to watch Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
The entire NLDS, including the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves series, will be broadcast on TBS. The games can be live-streamed with the TBS app.
Dates
Game 1: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 7 at 9:20 p.m. ET
Game 2: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 9 at 9:07 p.m. ET
Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks, Oct. 11 – TBD
Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks, Oct. 12 – TBD
Game 5: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 14 – TBD
TV channel: TBS | Live stream: TBS app
Odds: Dodgers -230 to win the series
Diamondbacks storylines
The Arizona Diamondbacks have a recent example to draw motivation from for the National League Division Series. The San Diego Padres faced the Dodgers last season as underdogs and took down the NL West leaders in four games. The Diamondbacks now enter the same situation, and the Dodgers are a wounded team compared to past years. The Diamondbacks went into the series against Milwaukee as an underdog due to their young lineup facing off against the elite Brewers pitching staff. They went into Game 1 and saw Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno hit clutch homers off Corbin Burnes. Then they got to the Brewers' bullpen in the sixth inning of Game 2 after being shut down by Freddy Peralta. Their offense showed they could rise to the occasion and lead the team to a series win. The Dodgers' pitching staff isn't what it used to be, and the Diamondbacks can take advantage.
The Diamondbacks' ability to finish off the Brewers series in two games will serve them well in this series. Instead of having to use Merrill Kelly in Game 3, they can save him for the start of the Dodgers series. Their starting pitcher for Game 1 hasn't been named yet, but it will be either Kelly or Zac Gallen. This means that Kelly and Gallen will be available to pitch four out of five possible games in this series. As was shown in the Brewers series, the Diamondbacks have the bullpen depth to win a game that Kelly or Gallen don't start. The Diamondbacks hold the edge in the pitching matchup for the NLDS. Pitching wins many games in the playoffs, and the Diamondbacks have a great opportunity to pull off the upset here.
Dodgers storylines
The Dodgers' pitching depth has taken a hit compared to their recent iterations. They will send Clayton Kershaw and his 2.46 ERA to the mound in Game 1, but the rest of the series is up in the air. They have a rookie in Bobby Miller, Lance Lynn, and a group of openers and relievers. This caused some problems in the regular season, but a pieced-together pitching staff is known to work in the playoffs. It's a common theme that it doesn't matter how the team gets to the end of the game, as long as they get there.
When the teams played back in April, the Diamondbacks ran all over the Dodgers, with the young legs using the new rules to wreak havoc. That was a long time ago, and the Dodgers have adjusted, but it's worth remembering that these problems can arise again in the NLDS.
Put the pitching questions aside, the Dodgers still have the superior offensive lineup. Mookie Betts would be a frontrunner for the MVP if Ronald Acuna Jr. never had one of the best power/speed seasons of all time. Freddie Freeman batted .331 with 29 homers and 102 RBI, and he may also find himself on some MVP ballots. The Diamondbacks will give the Dodgers some problems, but their offensive firepower may win out in the end.
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