The Colorado Rockies will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for the third game of their four-game series here. Colorado desperately needs to win to keep their fading playoff chances alive, while the Dodgers are looking to wrap up the NL West. Colorado will start Chi Chi Gonzalez, while ace Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for Los Angeles.
Dodgers Cruising
The Los Angeles Dodgers were widely expected to be the best team in baseball following their offseason acquisition of Mookie Betts, and they've certainly looked the part so far. They've easily got the best record in the majors at 36-15 entering Friday, and are the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. They haven't just been winning games they've been dominating them, as evidenced by their +108 run differential. As such, playing them on the run line often makes sense if you're looking to back the Dodgers. As they look to wrap up the division, they'll have ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound here.
Kershaw has looked like his Cy Young-winning self this year, entering with a 2.28 ERA. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers are 7-2 in his starts this year. Not just that, but all seven of those wins came by multiple runs. Even if Kershaw isn't his sharpest here it might not matter, as the Dodgers rank second in the league with a bullpen ERA of just 2.73. The offense has been fantastic, and they put up nine runs in the first game of this series on Thursday. They lead the league in home runs for a reason, and it's virtually impossible to slow down a lineup that features Betts, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Max Muncy, and A.J. Pollock. All of those guys have at least ten home runs.
Rockies Struggling
I was high on this Colorado Rockies team coming into the year, since I thought their abysmal 2019 record wasn't representative of the talent they had on the roster. After their 11-3 start to the year, I was feeling pretty good. Things sure did go south in a hurry, as they proceeded to go 11-24 in their next 35 games. They're now hanging on by a thread to their playoff hopes, as ESPN gave them around a seven percent chance of making the postseason as of Friday. For this pivotal game, they'll go with Chi Chi Gonzalez on the mound.
Unfortunately, he's not the most inspiring option. After not appearing in the big leagues since 2016 Gonzalez made 12 starts with Colorado last year, compiling a 5.29 ERA. He's been even worse this time around, with an 8.68 ERA through four appearances. In his most recent outing against the Padres, he gave up four earned runs while only getting one out. Assuming Gonzalez doesn't go deep into this game that's a major problem, as Colorado ranks 29th in the league in bullpen ERA. They haven't even had their usual home-field advantage, as they've actually been worse at Coors Field than on the road this year. The offense has fallen off dramatically, and they haven't topped three runs in any of their past five games.
Notable Trends
Rockies are:
- 1-4 in their last 5 home games
- 16-35 in their last 51 games vs. Dodgers
Dodgers are:
- 39-17 in their last 56 road games
- 20-6 in their last 26 road games vs. a right-handed starter
