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Fresh off yet another National League All-Star Game defeat, the battle for 1st in the NL West continues tomorrow night with the Diamondbacks hosting the Dodgers. The Dodgers are only a game behind the D-Backs and face the following issue: they can’t convert hits into runs! On the season L.A. has 18 more hits than Arizona but 30 less runs. The most glaring statistic is their 3-way tie for second-to-last in home runs with just 65 through the All-Star break! So what’s the answer? Winning small ball. The Dodgers have enough pitching but they need timely run production to win more close games. They will have to feed off of all-star Russell Martin’s energy to win this series. They'll win one of the first two matches setting up the deciding game Sunday against D-Backs all-star pitcher Brandon Webb. This one’s going to be close – Dodgers in 3. |
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Even with a losing record, the Arizona Diamondbacks are #1 in NL West. With Haren and Webb, the Diamondbacks boast a couple of the best pitchers in the National League. They have the most quality starts (57) in the league, and their presence seems to prevent long losing streaks.The Diamondbacks need to get back to their early season way when they were near the top in runs scored and ERA, jumping out to a 20-8 start. After letting the Dodgers sneak back into the race, the Diamondbacks look to get back on track and what better way than make a statement against the rival LA Dodgers. If the Diamondbacks can get more run support from their bats, they should have no problem defeating the pesky Dodgers.
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