At the dish against the Diamondbacks…
Dodger first baseman James Loney has a .349 career average against Arizona, going 91-for-261. Only Pablo Sandoval and Aubrey Huff have higher lifetime averages among active players with at least 150 at bats. Just behind Loney on the list is teammate Andre Ethier at .347 (104-for-300). They’re not the only Dodgers who hit Arizona pitching. Slugger Matt Kemp has more home runs against the Diamondbacks than any other opponent. Of his 67 career blasts, 15 have come against Arizona.
On the hill against Arizona…
Tonight’s starter, Clayton Kershaw has three wins in four career decisions against the D-back s. In six starts against Arizona, Kershaw has a 2.70 ERA and has limited them to a .214 batting average, striking out 40 Arizona batters in 33 1/3 innings. In three starts at home against the D-backs, Kershaw is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Since 2009, Kershaw leads the Major Leagues with a .212 opponents’ batting average.
Chad fits the bill too…
Tomorrow’s starting pitcher, Chad Billingsley has also seen success against Arizona. Last year, he was undefeated in six starts against the club, going 2-0 with a 3.66 ERA. Drafted in 2003, Billingsley leads all pitchers drafted that year with 61 Major League wins and has posted a winning record in each of his five big league seasons.
Individual success translates to wins…
With all the success Ethier, Loney, Kemp, Kershaw, and Billingsley have seen against Arizona, it’s easy to believe the Dodgers’ team success against the Diamondbacks. Los Angeles won 13 of 18 last year and seven of nine at Dodger Stadium against Arizona. In the all-time series against the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers are 123-99, including 65-45 at home. Los Angeles hasn’t dropped a season series against Arizona since 2005.
A different kind of streak for Ethier…
Though Andre Ethier fell one game short of the franchise record for consecutive games with a base hit, the Dodger right fielder has another streak that is still intact. Ethier has reached base safely in every game he’s played since April 2nd. His streak of 35 games is the fifth-longest in Los Angeles Dodger history. If he reaches 40 games, he will pass Billy Grabarkewitz, Eric Karros, and Jeff Kent, each of whom ran similar streaks to 39 games. Even at 40 games, Ethier would be well behind Shawn Green’s L.A. mark of 53 set in 2000.
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