After splitting four games with the Giants in San Francisco, the Rockies will head down the coast to face the suddenly hot Dodgers.
Nolan Arenado continued to torch the Giants, and picked up his 80th career RBI against San Francisco. Arenado has had a fantastic start to the young campaign: .331 AVG, 8 HR, and 25 RBI. He is on pace for a career year, and has been the team’s most consistent bat all season long.
The three-game series provides the Rockies with an opportunity to re-establish their road success. Colorado is currently 3-3 on the road trip with an overall road record of 18-11.
The Rockies come into Monday’s opener 25-22, second in the NL West. The Dodgers are coming off of a three-game road sweep against the Nationals in the nation’s capital. Los Angeles has gained some momentum of late, having won four in a row and sitting at 20-26, fourth in the NL West.
The series’ pitching matchups will look like this:
Monday: German Marquez (2-5) vs. Walker Buehler (2-1)
Tuesday: Chad Bettis (4-1) vs. Kenta Maeda (3-3)
Wednesday: Kyle Freeland (4-4) vs. TBA
It’s possible that Brock Stewart could start Tuesday for the Dodgers, and Maeda could be moved to Wednesday. The Dodgers have been hit hard by the injury bug this year, and it has struck their rotation of late. Over the weekend, Los Angeles lost yet another starter after Rich Hill was placed back on the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season. With Hill’s injury, the Dodgers have now lost three of the five pitchers from their opening day staff. Clayton Kershaw (biceps tendinitis) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin strain), are all currently on the disabled list.
Justin Turner was activated last Tuesday, after missing the start to the season due to a fractured left wrist. Since his return, the Dodgers are 4-2 and riding a four-game win streak. Turner was a major factor in the Dodgers’ World Series run last year, mashing .322 AVG, 21 HR, and 71 RBI. He’ll add icing on the cake to a Dodger offense that’s already ranked 13th in the majors.
Colorado’s offense has been heating up as of late. After scoring 20 runs in four games in San Francisco, the Rockies will look to translate their offensive success at AT&T Park to Dodger Stadium. After failing to take over first place over the weekend — twice — the Rockies still sit just one half-game out of first in the NL West.
The Dodgers are coming in hot, and are right on the Rockies’ heels. If the Rockies could win two of three in Los Angeles, they’ll be in great shape heading home. But if the Dodgers were to sweep the Rockies, they would finish the series just a half-game behind Colorado. This is a huge series for Colorado as they’ll look to swing some momentum forward before heading-home for a nine-game home stand.