Brett Anderson, Dodgers try for series win against Padres

The Dodgers try for a sixth straight series win against the Padres with Sunday's series finale at Petco Park, and here is a look at a trio of Dodgers heading into the finale.

Betting on Brett

Brett Anderson said in the winter that he turned down bigger offers to join the Dodgers on a one-year, $10 million deal, a show of confidence in himself after averaging just 52 innings per season for the previous four years. Now, as Anderson has the inside track at the third-starter role in the playoffs, his gamble appears to have paid off, with the left-hander proving quite durable and effective in 2015.

The ground ball specialist makes his 27th start of the season on Sunday afternoon in San Diego, and has fared better on the road this season, going 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 13 road starts with am 18.8-percent strikeout rate compared to a 4.08 ERA and 13.4-percent strikeout rate at home.

Anderson is at 152⅓ innings on the season, having already earned a $300,000 bonus for reaching 150 innings, and will likely continue to earn one, if not two bonuses in each of his remaining starts. Up next for Anderson is $300,000 for 155 innings, and $350,000 for 160 innings. Anderson has pitched two games this season of 7⅔ innings or longer, topping out at eight innings at Texas in June 16.

This will be Anderson's first start against the Padres this season. His one career game against the Padres was a start as a rookie at Petco Park while with the Athletics, allowing three runs in five innings on June 20, 2009.

Chase heating up

Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley went 2-for-5 with a double on Saturday night, extending his hitting streak to five games. Since joining the Dodgers, Utley is hitting .250/.350/.500 in 60 plate appearances as a Dodger, with eight extra-base hits in 14 games.

Utley has started 13 of 15 games since he was acquired by the Dodgers.

Stingy Jansen

Kenley Jansen struck out one in a perfect ninth inning on Saturday night, earning his 29th save of the season. He is one save shy of 30 on the season. Jansen, who saved 44 games in 2014, has one of the 11 seasons of 30 or more saves by a Dodgers pitcher. Todd Worrell (1995-97) and Eric Gagne (2002-04) are the only Dodgers to achieve 30 saves more than twice.

On the season, Kenley Jansen has 67 strikeouts and only five walks. Before this season, the only Dodgers pitcher to have single-digit walks and even 40 strikeouts in a season was Ken Howell, with 54 strikeouts and nine walks in 1984.

The most strikeouts by a Dodgers pitcher with five or fewer walks in a season is 29, by Brandon McCarthy this year to go with his four walks before he needed Tommy John surgery. Before this season, the record was 22 strikeouts by Gagne in 2005, with just three walks, also in an injury-shortened campaign.

Game info

Time: 1:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA