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The Dodgers look to continue their great start to this season on Monday as they open a three-game series in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks. A big reason for the Dodgers owning the best record in baseball this season has been their starting pitching.
Dodgers' starters rank...
- first in the National League with a 2.79 ERA
- first in the NL with seven losses
- second in the NL with 19 wins
- tied for third in the NL with 28 quality starts
- third in the NL with 208 strikeouts
- fourth in the NL with 6.27 innings per start
- fifth in the NL with a 3.49 FIP
- tied for fifth in the NL with 22 home runs allowed
- ninth in the NL with a 3.83 xFIP
Chris Capuano gets the start Monday night for the Dodgers, and has been a big part of the success by Dodgers starters so far this season. Capuano has six straight quality starts, and sports a 2.34 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 50 innings so far this season.
The Dodgers are 19-5 this year in games started by one of their three left-handed starting pitchers, including 6-2 in Capuano's starts.
Patrick Corbin is making his fifth major league start for Arizona. He has allowed 13 runs in 15 innings in three road starts, but allowed just one run in seven innings in his only start at Chase Field.
Roster Move
Old friend Josh Bell, the Dodgers' fourth round draft pick in 2005 who was traded with pitcher Steve Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles in July 2009 for relief pitcher George Sherrill, was recalled by the Diamondbacks from Triple A Reno before tonight's game. Bell was designated for assignment by the Orioles, then traded to Arizona on April 21 for Mike Belfiore. Bell, who hit .381 with nine doubles and four home runs in 26 games with Reno, will wear number 15 with the Diamondbacks, and is starting at third base tonight.
Starting Lineups
One day after belting his first major league home run, Scott Van Slyke is hitting cleanup for the Dodgers and playing first base for the first time in the majors in the Dodgers' righty-heavy lineup.
Both Van Slyke and Elian Herrera faced Corbin in three games in Double A last season. Van Slyke was 3-for-7 with a double and two walks against Corbin, while Herrera was 3-for-8 with a home run and a walk off the southpaw.
Dodgers | Diamondbacks | |||
CF | Gwynn | SS | Bloomquist | |
3B | Herrera | 2B | Hill | |
RF | Ethier | RF | Upton | |
1B | Van Slyke | C | Montero | |
LF | Sands | CF | Young | |
2B | DeJesus | LF | Kubel | |
C | Treanor | 1B | Goldschmidt | |
SS | Sellers | 3B | Bell | |
P | Capuano | P | Corbin |
Game Time: 6:40 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket