Diamondbacks' Corbin hopes to dominate Dodgers again

LOS ANGELES -- Patrick Corbin will get a chance to continue his mastery of the Los Angeles Dodgers when the right-hander takes the mound Wednesday in the finale of a short series at Dodger Stadium.

It is only early May, but Corbin will be facing the Dodgers for the third time this season. Early returns suggest he likely will control the action yet again.

Corbin is not only 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA in seven starts overall for the first-place Diamondbacks, he has allowed just one earned run in 13 1/3 innings against L.A. this season, collecting 17 strikeouts with just three walks.

But all has not been lost for the Dodgers against Corbin. The Dodgers earned a 5-3 victory on May 3 at Arizona, the last time Corbin started. The right-hander exited after six innings in a 1-1 tie.

And although the Dodgers completed the victory against the Arizona bullpen, it usually isn't the best route to take. The Diamondbacks entered play Tuesday with a 2.19 ERA from their bullpen, easily the best in baseball.

The Diamondbacks had won seven of the first eight games against the Dodgers this season, and at one point in April had a 11-game winning streak against L.A. that dated to last season. Tuesday's Diamondbacks victory came after the Dodgers had won two consecutive at Arizona last week.

The Dodgers did get Rich Hill back from the disabled list Tuesday, while Justin Turner (wrist) took batting practice against a pitching machine. But the club is still without Yasiel Puig (hip), Clayton Kershaw (biceps), Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin) and Logan Forsythe (shoulder). Corey Seager (elbow) is gone for the season.

Alex Wood (0-3, 3.83), who will start for the Dodgers on Wednesday, has gone through multiple issues himself including food poisoning on a road trip, and a dip in velocity, but he has a career best 0.925 WHIP. He is 5-4 in 14 appearances (10 starts) against Arizona with a 3.09 ERA.

The Dodgers are just 7-9 at home this season after Tuesday's defeat, and entered play Tuesday, 10th in the NL in home OPS at .697. The current two-game series against the Diamondbacks is the start of a six-game homestand for the Dodgers.

Despite being on the road, Arizona is currently in a favorable part of the schedule. They are coming off a seven-game homestand when they went 4-3 and will return to Arizona following the two-game series in L.A. for another seven games at Chase Field.

"It is a little awkward," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of the two-game series. "I don't think we've ever had a series like this where we've gone out and come right back after two games. But it means we will be home again and we look forward to that."

The Dodgers are focused on hanging on until many of their stars return.

"We keep getting, I feel like, punched right in the nose," Turner said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "But we need to find ways to dig in and win ballgames."