ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
HERE’S THE STORY
♦ Arizona is 1-2 on its opening 6-game road trip @ Dodgers (1-2) and Padres (April 3-4).
♦ Christian Walker, in his fi rst 3 games, is batting .400 (4-for-10) with 1 homer and 2 RBI.
HOLLYWOODALKER
♦ Walker’s 11 home runs @ Dodger Stadium since 2018 are the most by an opposing player, ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. (9), Nolan Arenado (7), Hunter Renfroe (7) and Pete Alonso (7).
WALKER REMAINS A DODGER DELIGHT
♦ Christian Walker has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 road games @ Dodgers, since Sept. 14, 2021, at a .347 clip (17-for-49)/1.172 OPS with 7 home runs, 11 RBI and 3 walks.
♦ His 16 home runs and 39 RBI vs. Dodgers since 2019 are the most in baseball:
NAME HR NAME RBI
Christian Walker …………….. 16 Christian Walker ……………. 39
Manny Machado …………………… 13 Manny Machado …………………. 31
Fernando Tatis Jr. ………………….. 13 Nolan Arenado ……………………. 30
Charlie Blackmon ……………………. 9 Charlie Blackmon ………………… 28
Eduardo Escobar …………………….. 9 Eduardo Escobar …………………. 24
BEEN CAUGHT STEALING
♦ Arizona’s 2 catcher caught stealings through the first 3 games are the most in the Majors.
♦ D-backs backstops have yet to allow a stolen base this season (2 SBA).
♦ In 2022, Arizona catchers’ 32 caught stealings ranked tied for fi fth in the Majors (also: Cubs and Pirates), behind the Phillies (37), Mariners (35), Blue Jays (33) and Tigers (33).
EAGLE EYE
♦ Through 3 games so far this season, Arizona is 3-for-3 in replay reviews (2 overturns on opposing stolen base attempts at second and 1 overturn on out call at first base).
TODAY’S STARTER – RHP ZACH DAVIES ♦ #27
AT A GLANCE: Second season with the D-backs and ninth in the Majors.
• Played 5 seasons with Brewers (2015-19), 1 with Padres (2020) and 1 with Cubs (2021).
• Selected in the 26th round by Orioles in the 2011 draft.
ZACH ATTACK IS BACK: Signed a 1-year contract with a mutual option for 2024 on Jan. 11.
VS. DODGERS: Is 4-5 with a 3.16 ERA (27 ER in 77.0 IP), 1.17 WHIP and .232 opponent avg. in 14 career starts.
RECENTLY AT THE RAVINE: Posted a no decision last Sept. 20 @ Dodgers [GM 1], allowing just 1 run over 3.0 frames with 3 strikeouts.
VS. NL WEST FOES: Has gone 19-15 with a 3.56 ERA (112 ER in 283.0 IP) in 54 career starts.
A WORKHORSE: Is 1 of 11 pitchers with 27+ starts in 5 of the last 7 seasons since 2016.
FROM THE DESERT: His family moved to the greater Phoenix area when he was 7.
• Is a 2011 graduate of Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz.
• Committed to play college baseball at Arizona State University before getting drafted in 2011.
2022 RECAP: Made 27 starts in his fi rst season with Arizona, going 2-5 with a 4.09 ERA (61 ER in 134.1 IP)…issued 2 walks or fewer in 22 of his starts while limiting left-handed batters to a .222 average.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
STANDING O: The Dodger bats came to life as they clobbered four homers and beat up the Diamondbacks, 10-1, on Saturday night. The offense was led by Trayce Thompson as he clubbed a career-high three homers and drove in eight of the 10 runs in the rout of the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers will look to win their first series of the season this afternoon as Noah Syndergaard will make his Dodger debut at 1:10 p.m. After the conclusion of their matchup today, the Dodgers will welcome the Rockies for two games beginning on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. before traveling to Arizona (April 6-9) and San Francisco (April 10-12) for their first road trip of the campaign.
SABADO GIGANTE: In his first plate appearance of the 2023 season, Thompson stole the show, connecting for his second career Grand Slam (other, 10/2/ 2021 vs. STL) in the bottom of the first inning. The slam capped a five-run inning as the Dodgers took the early lead and never looked back. The outfielder added a three-run shot in the fifth inning to put the game completely out of reach, making it 8-1 and recording his second career multi-homer game (other, 5/16/2016 vs. LAA). He finished the night with a solo blast in the eighth inning, recording the Dodgers first three-homer game since Mookie Betts clubbed three homers on August 13, 2020 against the Padres. Thompson became only the third player in Dodger franchise history with 3+ homers and 8+ RBI in a game, joining Gil Hodges (8/31/1950 vs. BSN, 4 HR & 9 RBI) and Adrian González (8/22/16 at CIN, 3 HR & 8 RBI). Clayton Kershaw did his thing as well, spinning 6.0 innings, allowing four hits, one run (solo homer) and striking out nine. He finished with nine strikeouts without allowing a walk…it was the 40th time in his career that he has struck out 9+ batters without a walk. He recorded his 198th win of his career and is now tied for 121st all-time with Jack Chesbro and Bucky Walters and he is two wins away from joining the prestigious 200-win club. He improved to 8-0 with a 1.61 ERA (15 ER/83.2 IP) and 99 strikeouts in his last 13 starts against the D-Backs at Dodger Stadium.
WILL I AM: Will Smith enjoyed his first off day of the season last night and is hitting .562 (9-for-16) with five RBI during his current five-game hitting streak against the Diamondbacks. In 49 games against the Diamondbacks, he is a .303 (48-for-158) hitter with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 33 RBI. On Thursday night, he set a new Opening Day Dodger franchise mark for RBI from the catcher position, surpassing Roy Campanella (2), A.J. Ellis and Yasmani Grandal, who previously held the mark with three. The former Louisville Cardinal also tied a franchise mark with three hits from the Catcher spot on Opening Day, joining Hank DeBerry (1929), Roy Campanella (’52, ’53), Steve Yeager (1978), Mike Scioscia (1991), Todd Hundley (2000), Paul Lo Duca (2004) and Austin Barnes (2019).
vs. ARI: The Dodgers took another game from the Diamondbacks on Saturday night and are now 16-6 in their last 22 against the Diamondbacks, including a 9-3 record at Dodger Stadium against the Snakes since 2022. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Dodgers are 40-11 against the Diamondbacks with a 21-4 mark at Dodger Stadium. According to Sportradar, the Dodgers record against the Diamondbacks is the best record against a division opponent since 2020:
Team Opponent Division W-L Pct
Dodgers vs Diamondbacks NL West 40-11 .784
Phillies vs Nationals NL East 36-12 .750
Mariners vs Rangers AL West 35-13-1 .729
Braves vs Nationals NL East 35-14 .720
Giants vs Diamondbacks NL West 34-14 .708
Rays vs Orioles AL East 34-14 .708
OLD WESTERN: The Dodgers improved to 2-1 on the season and are now 56-23 against the National League West dating back to last season. The Dodgers have posted nine straight winning seasons against the National League West division, including four 50+ win seasons against their NL West foes (2014, 2019, 2021-22). In the nine-year span, the Dodgers are 409-243 (.627) against the NL West.
DOC TALK: Dodger manager Dave Roberts is in his eighth season at the helm and has lead the Dodgers to playoff appearances in his first seven seasons as the leading man. In 2022, he led the Dodgers to a franchise record 111 wins. In eight years with the Dodgers, he has posted a 655-381 record (.632), which is the highest winning percentage by a manager in Major League Baseball history with a minimum of 1,000 games managed. His 655 wins rank fifth in franchise history, while his 45 postseason wins are the most in Dodger history.
TODAY’S STARTER vs. D-BACKS: RHP NOAH SYNDERGAARD (10-10, 3.94 ERA in 25 G (24 GS) in 2022)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
• Pitched in five games (four starts) during spring ball, going 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA (12 ER/18.2 IP) with 13 strikeouts against just two walks…held a 1.13 WHIP
• Only victory came in his second start in Dodger blue against San Diego, where he fired 3.0 scoreless frames with two strikeouts without issuing a walk
VS. D-BACKS:
• Will face Arizona for just the fifth time in his career, with his last start against the club on May 20, 2018
• Owns an overall 3-1 record in four starts with a 2.45 ERA (7 ER/25.2 IP) and 1.21 WHIP after striking out 34 batters and walking just six…has pitched at Chase Field just once in four outings on Aug. 16, 2016
2022 NOTES:
• Began his season with the Los Angeles Angels before getting traded at the deadline to the Philadelphia Phillies…earned a 10-10 record over 25 games (24 starts) with both clubs, striking out 95 batters and walking 31 en route to a 3.94 ERA (59 ER/134.2 IP)
• Recorded wins in his first two starts of the season (April 9 vs. HOU, April 16 at TEX), marking the first time in his Major League career he earned back-to-back victories to start the season in as many outings
• With the Angels, posted a 5-8 record in 15 starts with a 3.83 ERA (34 ER/80.0 IP) and 1.21 WHIP with 64 strikeouts…with the Phillies, bettered his record to a 5-2 mark in ten games (nine starts) with 31 strikeouts and a 4.12 ERA (25 ER/54.2 IP)
• Limited hitters to a .263 overall average, with righties kept at a .256 (77-for-301) and lefties at .272 (61-for-224)
• Returned to the Postseason for the first time since 2016, totaling a 0-1 record across four games (two starts) with a 3.24 ERA (3 ER/8.1 IP) and 0.84 WHIP…was one of two Phillies pitchers with previous World Series experience
• Started Game 5 of the World Series for the Phillies, taking the loss after allowing two unearned runs on three hits and four strikeouts through
3.0 innings…signed with the Dodgers as a free agent on December 16
CAREER NOTES:
• 2016 All-Star right-handed pitcher joins the Dodgers after splitting his time last season between the Angels and Phillies…owns a 57-41 Major League record over seven seasons with a 1.18 WHIP and 3.42 ERA (324 ER/852.2 IP)…has struck out 872 batters and walked 197 for a 9.20 strikeout-per-nine innings mark
• Across nine Postseason appearances, the righty has tallied a 2-2 mark with a 2.62 ERA (10 ER/34.1 IP) with 44 strikeouts and .190 opponents’ batting average…was a member of the 2015 New York Mets World Series roster and 2022 Philadelphia Phillies roster
• Threw his first two career complete games on Sept. 2 at San Francisco and on Sept. 30 vs. Miami, both in 2018…has fired four complete games in his career (also: May 2, 2019 vs. CIN, Aug. 4, 2022 vs. WSH)
• Named to the 2016 NL All-Star team, his first and only All-Star selection…did not pitch in the game due to arm fatigue
• Started three games during the 2015 playoffs with the New York Mets and earned the win in two of the three outings…his 26 strikeouts were tied for second-most by a rookie in postseason history and was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series vs. Kansas City, becoming the second youngest Met to win a World Series game
• Smashed his first Major League home run, a solo homer to dead center, on May 27, 2015 vs. Philadelphia (off Sean O’Sullivan), also his first Major League hit…has hit seven doubles, six home runs, and 15 RBI at the Major League level
• Made his Major League debut as a Met at Chicago-NL on May 12, 2015, pitching 5.1 innings in his first big league start, striking out
six…earned his first career win five days later on May 17 vs. Milwaukee after firing 6.0 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts
• Picked up the save in the Futures Game in 2014, a 3-2 triumph for the United States over the World Team…in 1.0 inning, allowed one hit,
no runs, no walks and one strikeout…started and hurled a scoreless inning for Team USA in the 2013 Futures Game at Citi Field as a
member of the Mets farm system
• Originally signed by Blue Jays scout Steve Miller in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft
