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The last time Jake Arrieta faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, he threw seven scoreless innings on May 29 and lowered his season ERA to 2.16. Arrieta (7-6, 4.47 ERA) has had some struggles since then, but he'll try to get back on track Wednesday afternoon as the Philadelphia Phillies host the Dodgers.
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Right-hander Walker Buehler (4-2, 3.45 ERA) will be on the mound for the Dodgers as the teams play less than 12 hours after Trevor Plouffe gave the Phillies a 7-4 win by hitting a three-run homer in the 16th inning off Los Angeles utility man Enrique Hernandez.
Arrieta has a 5.06 ERA and 1.417 WHIP in nine starts since the beginning of June. He had allowed just four earned runs in his initial three starts of July, but the 2015 Cy Young Award winner struggled in his first start of the second half.
He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks in only 3 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres last Friday. The Phillies rallied for an 11-5 win, but it was the second time Arrieta failed to get through four innings in his last seven starts.
"Didn't really have much tonight," Arrieta told MLB.com after the start. "The stuff that I was in the zone with was either too much elevated or the breaking stuff didn't have the action that I needed."
Arrieta is 2-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in six career starts against the Dodgers.
Arrieta will try to get the Phillies the series win after Plouffe capped a five-hour, 55-minute marathon and used eight relievers.
Yasmani Grandal has continued his strong July this series. The Dodgers switch-hitting catcher homered in Monday's series opener and followed it up with two more homers Tuesday -- one from each side of the plate. Grandal has six multi-hit games in 12 starts this month.
"I'm knowing my strengths and knowing their weaknesses," Grandal told SportsNet LA earlier in the series about his success in July. "If they make a mistake, make them pay. I feel like in the past two months, I've been hitting the ball hard, just right at people. It was just a matter of time, and it seems like they're falling now."
Grandal will likely get the day off after catching all 16 innings Tuesday, but the rest of the Dodgers' offense will try to back Buehler. The 23-year-old is being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make the start, and the Dodgers are hoping for some distance after using seven relievers before Hernandez pitched.
Buehler has made 11 appearances for the Dodgers this season, 10 of which were starts. Buehler -- who pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the Phillies last season -- last pitched for Los Angeles on July 13 when he gave up two runs and struck out five in five innings against the Angels.
Wednesday's meeting will be the last game between the Dodgers and Phillies this season and the final regular-season game for Chase Utley at Citizens Bank Park. Utley, who is retiring at the end of the season, singled as a pinch hitter for the Dodgers on Tuesday. The former Phillies star got the start on Monday and went 0-for-4.
Each time, Utley has received a standing ovation from fans.
