(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers head back home to begin a nine-game
residency tonight, starting with the first of three straight games versus the
Arizona Diamondbacks at Chavez Ravine.
The Dodgers completed a huge three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants on
Sunday with a 4-0 win behind another brilliant performance from Clayton
Kershaw. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner threw a five-hit shutout,
struck out seven and walked just one batter.
"Anytime you sweep the Giants at home, I think regardless of what happened in
the previous series, that's a big deal," Kershaw said.
Luis Cruz had two hits and two RBI, and both Hanley Ramirez and Mark Ellis
knocked in a run for Los Angeles, which went 7-3 on the road trip and sits
just a percentage point behind the Giants for first place in the NL West. The
Dodgers outscored San Francisco by a lopsided 19-3 margin during the series
and posted a 10-0 win Saturday. They will also host the Cubs and Rockies on
the homestand.
Now L.A. will try to keep the Diamondbacks at bay, as the ballclub is just 4
1/2 games off the pace in the division standings. Hoping to do that tonight
will be Aaron Harang. The right-hander is 2-0 in his last four starts and did
not record a decision in Wednesday's 3-2 loss at St. Louis, allowing only two
runs in 7 1/3 innings.
He is 7-5 on the season in 20 starts to go along with a 3.39 earned run
average and will face Arizona for the second time in 2012. In an 8-7 win back
on May 22 in the desert, Harang was banged around for five runs and nine hits
in 4 1/3 innings for the no-decision. He is 3-6 with a 2.42 ERA in 14 career
games (13 starts) against Arizona.
The Diamondbacks are coming off a successful 10-game residency in which they
compiled a 7-3 mark, but dropped a 5-1 decision to the New York Mets on
Sunday.
Joe Saunders lasted seven innings and was reached for eight hits and four runs
to absorb the loss, while Paul Goldschmidt drove in the team's only run. Mets
starter R.A. Dickey held the D-backs to a run over seven innings, catching the
eye of Saunders.
"You tip your hat to Dickey, he pretty much baffled us all day," Saunders
said.
Arizona begins a 10-game sojourn through Los Angeles, Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh this evening, and will send Trevor Cahill to the mound Monday
night. Cahill has lost four of his last six starts and previously toed the
rubber in Wednesday's 4-2 setback versus Colorado. He gave up all four runs in
6 2/3 innings, falling to 8-9 in 20 starts this season with a 3.86 ERA.
Cahill is 1-0 in two starts against LA this season and 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in
three career starts in this series.
Arizona has won five of nine meetings with Los Angeles this season.
The Sports Network