Joe D's MLB Consensus Winner

LA Dodgers vs. Arizona, 05/23/2012 21:40 EDT, Score: 4 - 11

Money Line: +113 LA Dodgers

Sportsbook: JustBet

Result: Loss

Today's winner is Los Angeles over Arizona. This is my Consensus Play.

Los Angeles is starting not just to run away with the West but distance themselves from the entire National League. The Dodgers boast a 30-13 record, which is tops in the Major's. They have won 6 straight games, averaging 6.66 RPG. This is despite having some key injuries including CF, Matt Kemp (check status). This season alone, they have taken 3 of the 4 meetings over the Diamondbacks. As a team, they rank 4th with a BA of .270. They also rank 2nd in the league in ERA, allowing just 3.04 RPG. Today, Ted Lilly takes the mound. The LH is 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA on the season. In his career, the veteran pitcher has limited Arizona to a .212 BA. He faces a D-Backs team that sits at 11 1/2 GB on the NL West at 19-25. 'Zona has won a mere 7 of their 21 games at home this season. The unit is having problems on both sides of the field. They post 4.02 RPG while yield 4.23 RPG. Both stats rank in the bottom half of the league. Catcher, Miguel Montero is most-likely out today with a groin strain (check status). They don't possess a single every day batter that is near a .300 average and their top power hitters each have just 5 round-trippers apiece. Joe Saunders gets the nod today. The LH is 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA this year. His last victory was over a month ago and has allowed 19 runs on 34 hits in his L4 outings. Saunders is 3-6 against LA in his lifetime. The Dodgers are 4-1 their L5 games played at the D-Backs, 39-16 their L55 games played overall, and 12-2 in Lilly's L14 starts. The Diamondbacks are 3-14 their L17 games played at home, 5-12 their L17 games played overall, and 1-4 in Saunders L5 games pitched vs. teams with a winning record. Take Los Angeles. Thank you.