Los Angeles Dodgers: Five players to watch in the NLDS

SP Rich Hill

For being the best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the underdog for far too many critics. Los Angeles boasts the best record in baseball, yet, the Diamondbacks have been painted as this unstoppable monster. Many point to the 11-8 season record the Diamondbacks have over the Dodgers, as flawed as that is.

Six of those wins came in the Dodgers’ lowest point of the season, and the Diamondbacks best. Four of those six games were pitched by guys not even in the rotation, Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Against the trio of Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood the Diamondback bats have been neutralized.

That trio has a 6-0 record with a 1.97 ERA against Arizona. The one guy not mentioned? Rich Hill, and for the sake of the series, his start is critical.

If Hill can go out and win game two, following a Kershaw win, a series win is almost guaranteed. Los Angeles would have Darivsh and Wood following in Arizona with Kershaw back on the bump at Dodger Stadium in game five, if necessary.

Kershaw had a 0.57 ERA at Dodger Stadium against the Diamondbacks this season.

Hill made two of those six starts during the Dodgers’ dry spell. In Arizona, he let up six runs in 3.2 innings pitched. At Dodger Stadium, he threw six innings only allowing two runs with nine strikeouts.

While Hill is the fourth best pitcher in the rotation, his performance at Dodger Stadium warrants him a game two start. Game two is lining up to be the most pivotal game of the series and the Dodgers are going with Rich Hill.