The Diamondbacks head into Friday night’s matchup having won the first game of the series last night over the Dodgers by a score of 5-3.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Gabriel Moreno celebrates with Eugenio Suarez after hitting a grand slam off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on May 8, 2025. © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It was a welcome sight to see for the D-Backs when they were able to capitalize on having bases loaded in the fourth inning when Gabriel Moreno hit his second ever career grand slam. That was also Moreno’s first home run of the season, which came at a very opportune time for this D-Backs team.
Friday night mound matchups:
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for Eduardo Rodriguez, but the D-Backs will look for him to show some stability on Friday. His 1-3 record and 5.92 ERA shows that Rodriguez has struggled a bit so far in 2025. In Rodriguez’s last start in Philly, he pitched 5.1 innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits though he did have 10 strikeouts on the day. E-Rod has been calm under pressure in the past, which could be massive for him in tonight’s outing.
May 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (57) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Roki Sazaki will be starting for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Sazaki so far has a 3.86 ERA with a 1-1 record on the season. His talents are very obvious as the Dodgers believe this young pitcher could turn out to be even better than he is now. Sazaki has allowed a lot of walks on this season though, as he has given up 20 in 30.1 innings pitched.
May 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a solo home run in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Arizona will look to contain the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman who have been on a tear lately. Ohtani has a hit in six straight games, which included a solo home run last night. Freeman is riding a thirteen game hitting streak while boasting a .368 batting average along with eight home runs.
The D-Backs have scored five or more runs at Chase Field in four out of the last six home games, and they will most likely need to replicate that on Friday night against one of the most talented lineups in all of baseball. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Brandon Pfaadt out duels Yamamoto in D-Backs dismantling of Dodgers on Thursday
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
