Darvish and the Dodgers try for series win in Arizona

The Los Angeles Dodgers conclude their nine-game road trip tonight with a chance to win all three series and go 7-2 on their travels. That would require defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Yu Darvish toes the rubber for the second time for the Dodgers. In his last start on Friday the right-hander made a strong debut vanquishing the Mets for seven innings, limiting them to three hits while striking out 10 batters.

Prior to his Tommy John surgery, Darvish faced Arizona both home and away in interleague play in 2013 while with the Texas Rangers, racking up 14⅔ innings while allowing four runs (all in Phoenix). He also struck out 14 and walked none in each game. Paul Goldschmidt appeared in only one of those games and struck out all three times versus Darvish.

No, Jake Lamb has never seen Darvish*. Only two currently active Diamondbacks have faced him ten or more times; Chris Iannetta and J.D. Martinez are a combined 3-for-23 with three walks and 13 strikeouts. Both Adam Rosales and Chris Herrmann have homered against Darvish in the past; perhaps they will get starts tonight.

* At least in a regular-season game. Both the Rangers and Diamondbacks train in Arizona, so it seems likely a Cactus League matchup has occurred in the past.

In his third appearance in the majors (all starts), Anthony Banda (pronounced BAHN-duh) climbs the hill for Arizona in place of the injured Robbie Ray who is on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion. Banda has allowed only five runs total over his two previous starts and averaged nearly six innings while striking out ten batters and walking four.

The portsider provided a quality start in his last outing, allowing only one run and three hits in his six innings in San Francisco.

Banda was acquired by Arizona in a 2014 July deadline deal that sent Gerardo Parra to Milwaukee.

A Diamondbacks victory would hand the Dodgers their first series loss since June 5-7, when the Washington Nationals took two of three games in Los Angeles by a cumulative score of 7-5.

Game info

Time: 6:40 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA