Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions August 29th 2025

Diamondbacks take aim at streaking Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks were expected to be battling neck-and-neck for the National League West crown heading into September. Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers have widened the gap with consistency, while the Arizona Diamondbacks find themselves scrambling to remain in the wild-card picture.

Friday night’s series opener at Dodger Stadium begins a three-game set that still carries playoff implications, even if the rivalry has lost some of the division-race edge it once promised. The Dodgers enter with the best rotation health they’ve had all season, riding a four-game winning streak, while the Diamondbacks arrive having won six of their last nine and showing life despite being labeled as sellers at the trade deadline.

Diamondbacks balancing the future with the present

When Arizona moved on from veteran players like Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Jordan Montgomery, Merrill Kelly, and Shelby Miller ahead of the trade deadline, many assumed the franchise was punting on 2025. But Torey Lovullo’s club has kept grinding, blending young call-ups with holdover stars to piece together competitive baseball.

The Diamondbacks’ latest win came Thursday at Milwaukee, where the bottom of the order carried the load in a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Tyler Locklear, Alek Thomas, and Ildemaro Vargas combined for four RBIs, while rookie reliever Taylor Rashi made his MLB debut with three scoreless innings to lock down the save.

“Basically, everybody was down in the bullpen,” Lovullo said afterward. “On a day when we needed it most, I think Rashi blocked all that out and just made pitches and got a massive, massive save for us.”

It is precisely that kind of performance — unlikely heroes stepping up — that has kept Arizona’s season alive. The club still sits 6 ½ games out of the final NL wild card spot, but for a team transitioning into a new core, playing spoiler against Los Angeles also has motivational weight.

Dodgers getting healthy at the right time

The Dodgers’ success has long been tied to depth, and that formula is coming together again. With Blake Snell returning from the paternity list to start Friday, Los Angeles has its rotation largely intact for one of the few times this season. Shohei Ohtani’s midweek start against the Cincinnati Reds further underscored the point: the Dodgers’ pitching staff is finally in sync, and their offense doesn’t have to carry every night.

Ohtani struck out nine over five innings in Wednesday’s 5-1 win, while the bullpen piled on 10 more strikeouts to set a franchise record for a nine-inning game with 19 punchouts. Manager Dave Roberts noted how telling the performance was.

“That’s a big number,” Roberts said. “It speaks to what our guys can do with the talent that we have, the swing and miss, and so really good performance.”

The Dodgers also welcomed back Enrique Hernandez this week. A versatile utility man who embodies the franchise’s “next man up” mentality, Hernandez immediately contributed with RBIs in each of his first two games back. He also played multiple positions, reminding everyone why the team values him so highly.

“We’ve always known that if we’re at full strength, as good as our offense is, our pitching is probably even better,” Hernandez said. “We’re getting there. We still have a guy or two that are out. But as far as the rotation, we’re pretty healthy right now. And we feel pretty confident.”

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Pitching matchup: Zac Gallen vs. Blake Snell

Friday’s series opener pits two high-profile starters against one another, though their seasons have gone in very different directions.

Gallen, once viewed as Arizona’s ace and a Cy Young candidate, has endured a rocky 2025. He’s 9-13 with a 5.13 ERA, his command wavering and his strikeout totals dipping compared to prior years. Against Los Angeles specifically, the numbers are concerning: 1-5 with a 4.20 ERA in 14 career starts.

By contrast, Snell has thrived when healthy. The two-time Cy Young winner is 3-2 with a sparkling 1.97 ERA, and since returning from shoulder inflammation he has looked like the ace the Dodgers envisioned when they signed him. He has dominated Arizona historically as well, with a 5-2 record and 1.99 ERA across 10 starts.

If Gallen cannot keep the ball down against the Dodgers’ power-laden lineup, this could be another difficult outing. For Arizona, keeping it close early will be critical to avoid a bullpen mismatch later.

Key offensive players to watch

While stars like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts draw attention for Los Angeles, it has been the complementary bats that have lifted the team lately. Hernandez’s return is one, but James Outman has also provided a spark with clutch hitting in August.

For Arizona, Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll remain the big bats, but the real story has been the bottom of the order delivering unexpectedly. Locklear’s timely RBIs and Vargas’s versatility have allowed Lovullo to piece together scoring opportunities even when the top of the order struggles.

Here’s how a few of the main bats stack up against Friday’s starters:

The numbers highlight how much pressure will fall on Arizona’s supporting cast rather than their stars when facing Snell.

What’s at stake

The Dodgers already have a commanding NL West lead, but every win helps in securing top seeding in the playoffs. They currently hold the league’s second-best record, trailing only the Brewers, and with playoff odds tightening, Los Angeles wants to avoid letting Milwaukee or Atlanta jump ahead.

For the Diamondbacks, the series is less about catching the Dodgers and more about keeping their fading playoff hopes alive. Dropping another series would bury them further in the wild-card race, while stealing two of three at Dodger Stadium would at least keep them relevant heading into September.

Fans tracking these dynamics can follow game-by-game breakdowns on the MLB picks page and monitor live wagering lines via the scores and odds board.

Conclusion

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks no longer share the same division stakes that many expected entering the year, but Friday night’s opener still sets up as a fascinating clash. Los Angeles is finally healthy, anchored by Snell’s return and Ohtani’s brilliance, while Arizona continues to defy expectations by scrapping for wins with a rebuilt roster.

Whether Gallen can deliver a shutdown performance or Snell continues his dominance will shape the tone for the series. For the Dodgers, it’s about tightening their grip on playoff seeding. For the Diamondbacks, it’s about proving they can still punch above their weight. Either way, the interleague-style intrigue of these NL West rivals remains alive.