The Arizona Diamondbacks cannot waste any more time against NL West foes. The club will enter Monday's series with the first-place Dodgers 4.5 games back of the division lead. With the Giants also tied for first place, a poor showing in L.A. would make it awfully tough for the D-backs to rally and claim their second-straight title in the west.
The Dodgers have been revitalized through the acquisition of Hanley Ramirez, who has hit very well since leaving Miami. Along with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, that trio is immediately one that can carry the club on any given night. Keeping the ball in the park when any of these three are at the plate is an absolute must, which is hardly an easy task these days.
The D-backs are equally hot, winning seven of their last 10 games. It looks like the team is finally hitting their stride, although they've been beating up on some weak competition. This series in L.A. will be a great measuring stick for if Arizona has a chance in the division or if they're looking at golf in October instead of baseball.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series:
Monday, 7:10 p.m. - Trevor Cahill (8-9, 3.86 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (7-5, 3.39 ERA)
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. - Wade Miley (11-6, 3.11 ERA) vs. Chris Capuano (10-6, 3.16 ERA)
Wednesday, 12:10 p.m. - Josh Collmenter (3-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. Stephen Fife (0-1, 1.46 ERA)
For more on the D-backs, check out AZ Snake Pit.