Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers could relax, here come the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks. L.A. has brought its lead in the National League West to two games with four consecutive wins, but now it will have to take down another division rival which has won six of its last nine.
We’ll explain in our Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers predictions why the offenses should do the talking against two slightly troubled, high-profile arms.
Without further ado, let’s hand out some MLB picks for Friday, August 29.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers prediction
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers best bet: Over 8.5 (-110)
It’s simply all gone wrong for Zac Gallen here in 2025. Perhaps approaching 30 was the nail in the proverbial coffin for the right-hander, or perhaps he was really never that good. Whatever the case, Gallen has fallen mightily from an already precarious position.
The veteran is having his worst strikeout season by far, running a 21.1% punchout rate which is four points lower than his previous worst last year, and problems have mounted on contact with his Expected Batting Average spiking to .264 along with a positively dreadful .470 Expected Slugging.
He’s been able to do very little right in what’s assuredly the worst season of his entire career.
The good news is that Gallen’s numbers have been better in August; he’s run a 3.10 ERA with much more friendly expected stats.
The bad news is that his whiff rate has dropped all the way to 17.4% -- and for context he was already right at the league average with a 28.5% clip for the whole season.
A disciplined Los Angeles Dodgers offense isn’t going to help him recover much in that area, and it also poses a huge threat with an Isolated Power of .200 in the last two weeks.
The other thing to take into consideration is that he’s made three of his five starts at home, where friendly dimensions allow him to breathe easy, and another one in Texas’ pitcher-friendly park. Dodger Stadium checks in with a top-five grade for offense.
That should leave it all on Blake Snell here, and I’m similarly unconvinced he’s ready to seize his opportunity. That’s because the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have hit lefties well all year with a low 18.8% strikeout rate, have continued to do so in the last couple of weeks despite their skeleton crew.
While strikeouts have actually been a huge issue, they’ve hit a splendid .258 and will get a hittable version of Snell on Friday.
The lefty has made just four starts since hitting the injured list in April, and while the strikeouts were poling up early against the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, they were hard to come by against the San Diego Padres.
He’s now surrendered at least five hits in all but one of his six starts, and just once did he walk fewer than two batters. It’s certainly possible for the lefty to build the strikeout totals back up with the way the Diamondbacks are swinging, but even with some gains in that area we’re looking at a guy with an unfriendly .269 xBA on the year.
That leads me to believe Arizona should put plenty of men on base, and it should just take a couple of runs to deliver us the Over with the troubled Gallen on the bump in a rough spot.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers same-game parlay (SGP)
We’ve been backing Andy Pages all week, and he’s certainly been delivering. The young outfielder is now hitting .265 with nine hits in his past nine games, and he’s totaled two homers and a double in his last three.
Against finesse pitchers like Gallen, who throw to low strikeout and walk totals, Pages has been a weapon for L.A., hitting .267 with 13 home runs to grade out as the third-best Dodger in this split after Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez, but he’s hotter than those two and the market still hasn’t caught on.
I’m also going to be daring enough to short Gallen’s strikeout total here. He owns just a 19% strikeout rate versus the Dodgers in his career, and while L.A. has struck out a bit more than normal in the second half of the season, it’s back to 22% in the last two weeks which has it knocking on the door of the 10 best in the game.
Gallen has come in under five strikeouts in three of his five August starts, and with his whiff rate falling off a proverbial cliff, this isn’t the worst idea in the world.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers odds
- Moneyline: Arizona +158 | Los Angeles -189
- Run line: Arizona +1.5 (-130) | Los Angeles -1.5 (+110)
- Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers trend
The Los Angeles Dodgers have hit the First Five Innings (F5) Moneyline in their last 11 games at home (+11.00 Units / 59% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Diamondbacks vs Dodgers and game info
| Location | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date | Friday, August 29, 2025 |
| First pitch | 10:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB Network |
| Diamondbacks starting pitcher | Zac Gallen (9-13, 5.13 ERA) |
| Dodgers starting pitcher | Blake Snell (3-2, 1.97 ERA) |
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers latest injuries
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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