Los Angeles Dodgers: Facing Taylor Clarke for the third time in a month

After splitting a road series with the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks and opposing starting pitcher Taylor Clarke.

The Los Angeles Dodgers did not have the most productive road trip but the team was able to avoid having a terrible road trip and maintained its standing as the best team in Major League Baseball.

The Dodgers went 3-4 in the seven-game road trip, losing a series two games to one against the Arizona Diamondbacks before splitting a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Although Dodger fans have been used to more dominance out of the Dodgers, this is right on line with how the team has performed on the road this year. As is the case with most of the league, the Dodgers are not exceptional on the road. Los Angeles has a 23-20 road record.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers are absolutely dominant at home and are on pace to finish with the sixth-best home record of all-time and the best home record since 1950. Of course, a lot can happen from now until October, but the Dodgers’ 34-9 home record is eye-popping.

This leaves us to believe that the Dodgers are going to end the first half on a high note as the team finishes the first half with a five-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.

If LA manages to sweep both series, which is a tall order, the team will have a .8125 winning percentage at home in the first half. The greatest home record of all-time for a full season belongs to the 1932 New York Yankees, who finished with a .805 winning percentage at home.

Again, there is still a lot of games left to play and anything to happen. But the Dodgers finishing on a high note starts on Tuesday, as the team faces off against rookie pitcher Taylor Clarke for the third time in a month.

And as part of our Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series, this is who we think will get at least one base hit against Clarke in his ninth career start.

Jason’s pick (Current streak: 7): Cody Bellinger

Earlier in the year, I had a new personal-best in the two years of doing this Beat the Streak series with a 13-game hitting streak. Now, the fun Dodger offense has provided another lengthy streak as I look to move within five of my personal best.

And in game number eight there is no better person to select than the guy that I have picked in the last two games against Clarke, Cody Bellinger.

Bellinger has extended my streak in both of those games and has had some success against Clarke in limited at-bats. Bellinger has two hits in three at-bats against Clarke, which includes a triple, home run and three RBIs.

Clarke has actually been pretty decent against the Dodgers in his two starts, allowing four earned runs in 10 innings of work. The only problem for Clarke is that three of those runs have come off the bat of Cody Bellinger, the fourth was a run in which Bellinger scored on a sacrifice fly.