Rockies at Dodgers
The Colorado Rockies look to regain their footing in the tight National League West race on Friday as they open a three-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won seven straight games and 13 of their last 14. The Rockies are beginning a nine-game road trip after being outscored 26-8 in back-to-back losses to Arizona.
Colorado will be hard-pressed to slow down an explosive Dodgers team that belted 15 home runs during their four-game sweep of the New York Mets and leads the division by 1 1/2 games over the Diamondbacks and Rockies. Rookie Cody Bellinger is 12-for-34 with five home runs during his eight-game hitting streak for Los Angeles, which hit three more homers in Thursday’s 6-3 win. This weekend’s series features two of the top third basemen in the majors in the Dodgers’ Corey Seager and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado, who is hitting .361 with three blasts and 25 RBIs this month. Rockies leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon also is enjoying a productive month, going 8-for-22 with nine runs scored during the team’s just-concluded seven-game homestand.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Rocky Mountain (Colorado), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Kyle Freeland (8-4, 3.42 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Alex Wood (7-0, 1.90)
Freeland notched his team-leading 10th quality start of the season on Saturday, allowing one run and eight hits over six innings in a 5-1 victory over San Francisco. The Denver native has served up only eight home runs in 81 2/3 frames and continues to find success by keeping the ball on the ground. Freeland faced the Dodgers twice in April and went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA over 10 innings.
Wood remained unbeaten last Friday by holding Cincinnati to one run and four hits over eight innings in a 3-1 victory. The 26-year-old is averaging 10.86 strikeouts per nine innings and fanned 10 over six frames in a 4-0 win over the Rockies on May 13. Ian Desmond is 5-for-21 with two home runs against the North Carolina native, who has gone 3-2 with a 5.59 ERA in seven career starts against Colorado.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Rockies are 25-13 away from Coors Field but have lost three of their last four.
2. Dodgers RHP Kenley Jansen has struck out 50 of the 111 batters he’s faced this season without issuing a walk.
3. The Rockies activated LHP Tyler Anderson from the 10-day disabled list and optioned RHP Carlos Estevez to Triple-A Albuquerque.