Zac Gallen and Julio Urias, two of this season’s stingiest pitchers, face off at Dodger Stadium on Thursday as the Arizona Diamondbacks (70-80) take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (103-46) with the five-game series in the balance. The Diamondbacks leveled the series 2-2 after winning 6-1 on Wednesday, their fifth head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Starter Madison Bumgarner went six innings, giving up one run on one hit, to get the win. Christian Walker was 2 for 4 with two RBIs in the win. Mookie Betts went 1 for 4 with a solo home run for the Dodgers.
ON THE MOUND
Gallen (12-3, 2.52 ERA) is slated for the start for Arizona. The righty is tied for fifth in the NL in ERA. Gallen allowed two runs over 5.1 innings in his last start, a 2-0 road defeat against the Padres on Saturday. He was charged with the loss, yielding four hits while striking out four and walking three. Gallen has made one previous start against the Dodgers this season, a 3-1 home victory on April 27. He allowed two hits over six scoreless innings, striking out five and walking two. For Los Angeles, southpaw Urias (17-7, 2.27 ERA) takes the mound. He has made one prior start against the Diamondbacks this season, giving up one runs over six innings in a 3-1 road defeat on April 27. He gave up one hit and walked two, while striking out four in the no-decision. In his last start on Saturday, Urias got the win on the road against the Giants. He threw six innings and gave up two runs (1 ER) on five hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 7-2 triumph. The left-hander leads the NL in ERA and is tied for second in wins.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Arizona has averaged 3.8 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.4. Against southpaws like Urias this season, the D-backs have a .657 OPS, fifth lowest in MLB. Walker is the team’s best hitter against left-handers with a .861 OPS in 123 at-bats. Los Angeles is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five, down from 5.4 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.238/.317/.360). The Dodgers have a .793 OPS against righties in 2022, highest in MLB. With a .975 OPS over 403 at-bats, Freddie Freeman has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Arizona is 31-41 in road games in 2022, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. Los Angeles has gone 51-20 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 5.4 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. In the last 10 meetings at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 5.6-4.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Dodgers lead the NL West by 20 games over the Padres. Their magic number in the division is zero. The Diamondbacks are fourth in the NL West, 33 games behind the Dodgers. They are sixth in the Wild Card race, 12 games out of third.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Los Angeles Dodgers (-225)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
