The Rockies will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers in an NL West showdown this weekend. The Rockies are coming in hot with a sweep over the Diamondbacks, and will look to continue the momentum against the division-leading Dodgers.
Game 1: Friday, June 21 | 10:10 PM
Probable Starters: German Marquez (7-3, 4.57 ERA) vs. Walker Buehler (7-1, 3.06 ERA)
German Marquez is having a rough June, posting an ERA of 10.06. He gets a lot of run support, and being at Coors Field could be used as another excuse for the Rockies’ current ace. He’ll be on the road, and like most Rockies pitchers, he posts much better numbers outside of Colorado. It’s hard to tell how he will do against a tough Dodgers lineup, but the 24-year-old will likely need some run support if he wants to go deep in this game.
Walker Buehler has had about a good of a June as a pitcher can this far. He’s thrown 22 innings while only giving up a single earned run, giving him an ERA of 0.41 this month. Buehler hasn’t faced an offense as good as the Rockies in June, but that shouldn’t stop him from giving Los Angeles a great chance to win tonight.
Prediction: It’s hard to see Buehler having anything less than a quality start, but who knows with Blackmon’s hot bat, not to mention the likes of Nolan Arenado. The Dodgers will take the game 6-3.
Game 2: Saturday, June 22 | 7:15 PM
Probable Starters: Peter Lambert (2-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. TBD
Peter Lambert debuted on June 6 against the Chicago Cubs. He went seven innings, giving up just one run and striking out nine. Lambert faced the Cubs again in his second start. He only threw five innings, but still only gave up one earned run. His most recent start reveals his 6.00 ERA. He went three innings against the Padres, and gave up eight runs. The rookie didn’t even walk anyone either, so he got hit around quite a bit. However, the Dodgers haven’t seen him yet, so he has the advantage there.
Prediction: The rookie has the potential to keep the Rockies in this game. Depending on who pitches for the Dodgers. The Rockies will take the second game 8-7.
Game 3: Sunday, June 23 | 4:10 PM
Probable Starters: Antonio Senzatela (6-5, 5.09 ERA) vs. TBD
Antonio Senzatela has been lowering his ERA in the month of June, posting a 3.57 ERA through his four starts. If his one bad outing is taken away, he’s left with a 1.48 ERA. This hot streak doesn’t diminish the fact that current Dodgers hit with a line of .321/.406/.679 against him. This is again a toss-up, but it is very possible he will have an early exit Sunday.
Prediction: This hot Dodgers lineup will likely put on an offensive show for its home crowd on Sunday afternoon. Even though they don’t have a starter named, their rotation is solid enough to count on whoever they put out there. The Dodgers will take the third game 10-5.
Notable Injuries
Rockies-
- Tyler Anderson- Anderson will likely be out until at least September with a knee injury, hurting the Rockies rotation even more.
- Seung-Hwan Oh- The reliever will be back sometime in July due to an abdomen injury.
- Trevor Story- Story was recently added to the 10-day IL due to a right thumb injury.
- Nolan Arenado- Arenado fouled a ball off of his toe last weekend, and is battling through it. He will likely be playing this weekend in Los Angeles.
Dodgers-
- Corey Seager- Just as he was heating up, Seager injured his hamstring. He’ll likely be out for a few more weeks.
- A.J. Pollock- The outfielder injured his elbow a few days ago, sidelining him for about a month.
- Kenta Maeda: A hand injury will likely only cause Maeda to miss one start.
- Rich Hill- Hill will be out for a while after his arm injury ended up being diagnosed as a flexor strain.
Feature Image Courtesy of Sports Illustrated
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