Dodgers @ Diamondbacks September 2, 2024: Flaherty starts final regular season matchup with Arizona looking for a series win

Enrique Hernandez pitched yesterday, which probably is all I need to do to give a brief recap of that game. The Diamondbacks beat up on Justin Wrobleski and snapped the Dodgers’ four-game win streak. The division lead is back down to five, and the season series against the Diamondbacks is now even at six wins each. Today, the Dodgers close out their regular-season series with Arizona and look to leave Arizona with a bigger lead than the four game lead they had entering the long weekend series.

	1:10 P.M.		Phoenix
DH	Ohtani (L)	RF	Carroll (L)
RF	Betts	CF	McCarthy (L)
1B	Freeman (L)	DH	Pederson (L)
LF	T. Hernández	1B	Bell (S)
C	Smith	LF	Smith (L)
CF	Edman (S)	C	Del Castillo (L)
SS	Rojas	3B	Suarez
3B	K. Hernández	2B	Guillorme (L)
2B	Taylor	SS	Perdomo (S)
P	Flaherty (R)	P	Rodriguez (L)

Jack Flaherty makes his sixth Dodger start and 24th start overall this season. He was solid in his first month as a Dodger, with a 3.49 ERA over five August starts. He’s allowed 11 earned runs (12 total) in 28 1/3 innings, and 10 of the 11 earned have come off home runs. He’s allowed six homers in his five starts in LA after allowing 15 in 18 starts as a Tiger. He allowed multiple home runs in a start only twice in Detroit, but has done so three times already in LA. Seems like it could be a rough matchup against the team that led baseball in homers (49) and slugging percentage (.487) in August. Flaherty got his first win as a Tiger back in May in Arizona, when he held the Diamondbacks to two runs and five hits over six innings and struck out nine.

The Dodgers tried to make Eduardo Rodriguez last year’s Flaherty. They had a trade lined up for Rodroguez at the deadline, but he exercised his no-trade clause to stay in Detroit. He signed with Arizona in December and left a Spring Training start with what would end up being a shoulder injury that kept him out until August. He returned in the beginning of August and has struggled in his four starts, with a 5.06 ERA/4.20 FIP in 21 1/3 innings. He turned in his best start two turns ago, holding the Marlins to a run and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He followed that up last time out with his worst of the four starts, allowing five runs on five hits in 5 1/3 against the Mets. He was perfect through four innings of that game, but allowed four runs on four hits and a walk in the fifth. He then allowed a single and stolen base to start the sixth, got a groundout and got pulled for Kevin Ginkle, who allowed the inherited run to score.

Rodriguez started in LA last September after vetoing the trade, and it didn’t go well for him. The Dodgers tagged him for five runs in only three innings and J.D. Martinez took him deep twice.

Enrique and Chris Taylor get the starts against a lefty over Max Muncy and Gavin Lux. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez all left yesterday’s game early (due to the eight-run second inning) and are all back in the lineup today.

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Wrobleski was optioned, as Dave Roberts said would happen after his spot start. Michael Petersen returns.

The Dodgers recalled RHP Michael Petersen and optioned LHP Justin Wrobleski.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 2, 2024

Petersen made nine Major League appearances back in June and July and was mostly solid. He allowed six runs over 12 innings, but all the runs came in three outings. His worst one came against these Diamondbacks, when he allowed four runs over the final two innings in a 12-4 loss.

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Not the most promising Clayton Kershaw update.

Clayton Kershaw will require a walking boot and likely require scans on his left big toe, Dave Roberts said.

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 2, 2024

Kershaw will be in a walking boot to help reduce the inflammation and will likely get scans on his toe. Hopefully it’s all precautionary, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to see him being built up for October.

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First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM PT and will be shown on SportsNet LA.