:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54207827/usa_today_8674320.0.jpg)
The Dodgers return home for a weekend series against the Diamondbacks, but this is no ordinary get together at Dodger Stadium. The two teams will actually play a four-game wraparound series that begins Friday and ends Monday night in Los Angeles.
Here is a look at the probable pitching matchups plus the schedule and television information for these four games between National League West division rivals.
Friday, 7:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)
The series begins with one of the most attractive pitching matchups of the season, and the first time that former teammates Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke will face each other.
It is the highest-priced pitching matchup of all-time, with Greinke ($34 million in 2017, including his $31 million salary and $3 million of his signing bonus) the only pitcher in baseball making more than Kershaw ($33 million).
Best ERA, Dodger Stadium
| Pitcher | Starts | Innings | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Starts | Innings | ERA |
| Sandy Koufax | 85 | 715.3 | 1.37 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 138 | 944.3 | 1.98 |
| Don Drysdale | 139 | 1,107.0 | 2.187 |
| Zack Greinke | 48 | 320.3 | 2.191 |
| Dean Chance | 65 | 511.0 | 2.24 |
| Kevin Brown | 71 | 494.7 | 2.31 |
| Andy Messersmith | 66 | 528.1 | 2.35 |
Kershaw (1.98) and Greinke (2.19) have the second and fourth-best ERA, respectively, in Dodger Stadium history, with a minimum of 30 starts.
"I want to face him," Greinke told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, "just to see how nasty he is."
Saturday, 6:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA, MLB Network)
Jackie Robinson Day is always special, and this year is even more intriguing with the unveiling of the new Jackie Robinson statue at Dodger Stadium before the game.
During the game, with the preferred Saturday start time of an hour earlier than normal, Kenta Maeda makes his third start of the season for the Dodgers, while left-hander Patrick Corbin starts for Arizona.
Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA, KTLA)
Rich Hill is eligible to be activated off the disabled list on Sunday, but that requires the blister on his middle finger to cooperate. If he isn’t ready yet to be activated, Alex Wood will get another start.
Taijuan Walker is a product of Yucaipa High School, about 71 miles east of Dodger Stadium. This is his second career start at Chavez Ravine. He lost here with the Mariners on Apr. 15, 2015, allowing five runs in four innings.
Monday, 7:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)
Brandon McCarthy starts on Monday night against one of his former teams. The Diamondbacks in the series finale will counter with Robbie Ray, the seventh left-hander the Dodgers will face in their first 14 games of the season.
In 2016, the Dodgers faced their seventh southpaw starter on May 1, in their 26th game.