Game #6 Preview: 4/12, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Zack Greinke LHP, 0-0, 1.50

Josh Collmenter RHP, 0-1, 7.71

Jimmy Rollins - SS	A.J. Pollock - CF
Yasiel Puig - RF	Ender Inciarte - RF
Adrian Gonzalez - 1B	Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
Howie Kendrick - 2B	David Peralta - LF
Yasmani Grandal - C	Jake Lamb - 3B
Andre Ethier - LF	Tuffy Gosewisch - C
Alex Guerrero - 3B	Cliff Pennington - 2B
Joc Pederson - CF	Nick Ahmed - SS
Zack Greinke - RHP	Josh Collmenter - RHP

If you're looking for omens, there's some good karma here. Remember the last time we blew out Kershaw - also, the last time he allowed more than three runs against any opponent? The following day to that one, our starter was... Josh Collmenter, and Arizona prevailed by a margin of 5-3, which gave us our only series win against Los Angeles of the season. We've already matched that tally in 2015, and sit at the dizzy heights of one game above .500. for the first time since September 26, 2013. [In case you're wondering, the high-water mark that season was nine games above .500, the latest being after we beat the Giants on June 7]

If we're to repeat that history and take the sweep this afternoon, we will need Josh Collmenter to be better, but it would also help if the Dodgers are not as insanely lucky as the Giants: San Francisco had a BABIP of .526 against Josh on Opening Day: now, some of that was certainly the result of hard-hit balls, but that number is generally expected to be hundreds of points lower. NL average BABIP this season to date is .288, so if Collmenter simply gets that this afternoon, the results should be an awful lot better. Another six-inning outing, or better, would be helpful in resting the bullpen for the long trip.

Some changes in the line-up today. Lamb is back, playing third, and Chris Owings, who is 0-for-15 this season, is replaced at second by Pennington. We also get the all-defense outfield for which many have been calling, with Peralta in left and Inciarte in right.