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Dodgers Go For Sweep In Phoenix

Fresh off one of their most thrilling wins of the season last night, the Dodgers go for the sweep tonight in Phoenix.  They have a tall task, facing one of the league's best pitchers in Dan Haren.

Haren has made 11 starts against the National League West this season, and he has a 1.85 ERA and a 3.04 FIP in those games, yet only a 3-3 record to show for it.  The Diamondbacks are shockingly only 4-7 in those games.

Jon Garland will make his second Dodger start, and second straight against his old teammates.  At Chase Field this season, Garland is 4-5 with a 5.35 ERA in 13 starts.  I would prefer if you didn't do the math this one time.

Don't look now, but Rafael Furcal has put together a modest five-game hitting streak.  He has reached base 12 times in those five games, hitting .381/.480/.476 while scoring six runs.

James Loney has five multi-hit games in his last eight contests, hitting .379/.438/.483 during that span.

Lost in the hoopla of last night's eighth inning rally was that Orlando Hudson made two outs during the inning, a rare but essentially meaningless occurrence.  Here are the Dodgers who have made two outs in the same inning this season:

  • Orlando Hudson: last night, grounded out to first base, then flew to center in the eighth inning
  • Juan CastroAugust 4 vs. the Brewers, sacrificed to pitcher, then grounded to pitcher in the sixth inning
  • Andre EthierJuly 10 in Milwaukee, grounded out to second base, then popped out to third base in the tenth inning
  • Matt KempMay 6 vs. Washington, lined out to center, then grounded into a force play, third to second, in the sixth inning

Also, from the Dodgers:

The Dodgers and the American Red Cross are hosting the Heroes Blood Drive on Friday at Dodger Stadium from 3:00-9:00 p.m.  All donors will receive a commemorative Dodgers item and may enter a drawing to win a chance to be honored as the Blood Donor of the Game at one of the remaining regular-season Dodgers home games.  To schedule an appointment, or for additional information, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE, or visit GiveLife.org

Here are tonight's lineups:

Dodgers                        Diamondbacks
SS Furcal
2B Roberts            
CF Kemp        
SS Drew
RF Ethier RF Upton
LF Manny 3B Reynolds
1B Loney C Montero
3B Belliard
CF Young
2B Hudson LF Byrnes
C Martin 1B Tracy
P Garland P Haren

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Check out Xeifrank's simulation of today's game here.

Don't forget to RSVP for True Blue LA Day at Dodger Stadium, on the next-to-last day of the regular season, October 3 against the Rockies.

Get your guesses in for our today's "One, Two, Three Strikes, You're Out," here.

Game Time:  7:10pm

TV:  Prime Ticket, ESPN

Baseball Reference Preview