Rockies at Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the upswing with five victories in six games, and they look to win the three-game series when they host the Colorado Rockies in the rubber match on Wednesday. Los Angeles recorded a 5-3 victory on Tuesday and looks to further reduce its deficit in the National League West behind the first-place Rockies.
Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer and Yasiel Puig followed with a solo blast during the decisive sixth-inning uprising on Tuesday as the fourth-place Dodgers climbed within 4 1/2 games of Colorado. The suddenly hot Puig has gone deep five times in his last eight games after not homering in his first 28 contests. The Rockies have registered only 10 hits over the first two games of the series and are anticipating that Nolan Arenado soon will arise from a 15-game home-run drought. Arenado, who recorded a run-scoring single on Tuesday, has collected just five RBIs during the power slump.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Kyle Freeland (4-4, 3.17 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (3-3, 3.89)
Freeland has given up just three runs and 13 hits over 20 innings while winning three consecutive decisions. The 24-year-old defeated San Francisco in his last turn as he allowed one run and five hits over 6 2/3 frames. Freeland went 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA in four starts against the Dodgers as a rookie last season.
Maeda received an extra day of rest after a stellar effort in his last turn, when he gave up two hits over eight scoreless innings against Miami on Thursday. The 30-year-old hadn't worked more than six frames in any of his first seven starts and lasted five or fewer in four of them. Maeda is 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) versus the Rockies and has limited Arenado (2-for-14) while struggling with Charlie Blackmon (4-for-11, homer).
WALK-OFFS
1. Dodgers 3B Justin Turner, who is just 1-for-13 over his last three games, is 6-for-11 with three doubles against Freeland.
2. Colorado 2B DJ LeMahieu (left thumb) played catch from 50 feet on Tuesday and caught balls with a glove but still isn't ready to swing a bat.
3. Los Angeles LF Matt Kemp has recorded three straight two-hit performances and is 10-for-20 with five doubles over his last six contests.