Dodgers at Rockies
For all the things that went right for the Los Angeles Dodgers en route to their fourth consecutive National League West title last season, they had their fair share of trouble solving left-handed starting pitching. After struggling against another southpaw Friday, the Dodgers hope they can remain undefeated against right-handers one day later as they continue a three-game set in Colorado against the Rockies.
Los Angeles had a .595 winning percentage against right-handers in 2016 and ranked second in the NL - trailing only the world champion Chicago Cubs (.647) - but the team posted a modest 22-24 record against left-handers. The Dodgers appear to be falling into a similar pattern this season, going 3-0 against right-handers and 0-2 against southpaws after Kyle Freeland dazzled them over six innings in his major-league debut during the Rockies' 2-1 series-opening victory. Colorado finds itself atop the NL West after five games despite getting almost no production from the top three hitters in the order (Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez are combined 8-for-58 this season) and totaling five runs over its last three games. One reason for the Rockies' surprising start has been their bullpen, which has yielded only one run and six hits over 15 1/3 innings in their four wins.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Jon Gray (0-0, 11.25)
Kershaw tied Don Drysdale's franchise record for most Opening Day victories with five following Monday's 14-3 rout of the San Diego Padres, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out eight over seven frames. The three-time Cy Young Award winner retired 19 in a row at one point before yielding a solo shot to Ryan Schimpf in the seventh. Kershaw worked seven scoreless innings in a win over Colorado last year, improving to 18-5 with a 3.08 ERA in 32 career starts against the Rockies.
Gray fanned seven through four scoreless frames but was fortunate to come away with a no-decision in Monday's Opening Day win at Milwaukee. The 25-year-old Oklahoma native ran into trouble in the fifth inning when he failed to retire any of the five batters he faced and was charged with five runs on six hits and two walks, squandering a 4-0 lead before Colorado rallied with two in the seventh to take him off the hook. Gray went 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA in five starts against the Dodgers in 2016, striking out 38 over 26 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Dodgers SS Corey Seager, 1B Adrian Gonzalez and OF Andrew Toles are all expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday after coming off the bench in the series opener.
2. Friday's victory marked only the second time in franchise history Colorado has won back-to-back 2-1 games (April 28-29, 1995, at Houston).
3. Los Angeles 3B Justin Turner, who had two of his team's five hits Friday, is a career .381 batter against the Rockies. His .368 average at Coors Field is the seventh-best mark among active hitters with at least 75 plate appearances.