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The best team in baseball will make its last road trip of the regular season when the Los Angeles Dodgers head to The Centennial State to take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
This will be Colorado’s last homestand of the abbreviated 2020 season, and the team desperately needs to win at least two of the four games to stay in the playoff picture. According to SportsBetting.com, which allows online gambling to anyone in Colorado, the Rockies are going to be underdogs in half of the series, which runs Thursday through Sunday.
It won’t be easy to get the better of the Dodgers, but Colorado is the only team to beat L.A. in a series this season, taking two of three from the Boys in Blue just two weeks ago. Are the Rocks primed for another upset?
Rockies vs. Dodgers Previous Matchups
This is the third series between these two NL West rivals this season. In late August, the Rockies were swept at Chavez Ravine, scoring just seven runs over three games. The final game was capped off by the Dodgers’ batters teeing off on Antonio Senzatela and the Colorado bullpen, hitting seven home runs in an 11-3 rout.
Colorado’s bats came alive during the second three-game series in Los Angeles earlier this month, scoring at least five runs in each outing. Reliever Blake Treinen was roughed up in the ninth inning for the Dodgers’ first loss, while former Dodger Matt Kemp was the hero for the Rockies in the decisive third game.
Rockies’ Recent Run
Colorado has a smallish chance of reaching the postseason, getting 22% odds from SportsBetting.com to make the expanded eight-team playoff field. The Rockies currently sit a couple of games behind the San Francisco Giants for the final playoff spot heading into their two-game series with the Oakland A’s starting on Tuesday, and they close out the season with two four-game series against San Francisco and last place Arizona.
The Dodgers have won three of their last five games coming into their series with the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles currently has the best record in the league with a 33-14 mark, and the Dodgers can take a firm grasp on the NL West by winning their series against the Padres. San Diego is currently a few games behind L.A., and every other team in the NL is at least five games behind the Dodgers.
Rockies and Dodgers Injuries
Brendan Rodgers and Jon Gray are currently still on the 10-day injured list, but the Rockies are hoping that both players will be available for this series. Gray has been dealing with right shoulder inflammation, and he can be activated as soon as he is good to go. Nolan Arenado is considered day-to-day due to an issue with the AC joint in his left shoulder, while Raimel Tapia’s status is unknown after he left Sunday’s game in the fourth inning with dizziness.
Walker Buehler is currently on the 10-day injured list due to a blister, and Dustin May is seen as day-to-day after taking a groundball off his foot last week. X-rays on May’s foot were negative so he could return to the rotation as early as Wednesday, but if he missed that start, he is likely to take the bump in Coors Field at some point. Justin Turner is out for this series though with a hamstring issue.
Dodgers Players to Watch
Los Angeles’ rotation is a big question mark coming into this series due to the injuries to Buehler and May. Dave Roberts has yet to set his rotation for the series against San Diego as of Monday morning, so we’ll see how things shake up at that point. It does seem likely that the Dodgers won’t have to face ace Clayton Kershaw though as Roberts has been giving the veteran at least five days off between starts.
Youngsters Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin are in line to start. Urias has been decent this season with a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.53 ERA in 43.1 innings, while Gonsolin has been lights out in 28.2 IP. He has showed that last season was no fluke with a miniscule 0.84 WHIP and 1.57 ERA.
Reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger has really struggled this season with a .715 OPS in 174 at-bats. Roberts has continued to play the 25-year-old center fielder, but there is growing exasperation with his regression after finishing with a 1.035 OPS last season. Aside from Max Muncy, all the other bats are producing though with Mookie Betts living up to the hype and Corey Seager crushing the ball.
Rockies Players to Watch
None of Colorado’s starters have been great this season, but this hasn’t been the fire hazard it has been in previous seasons. Senzatela, Kyle Freeland, and German Marquez have all posted solid numbers, and the only starter to get lit up has been Gray. Marquez seems likely to be the odd starter out in this series, so Senzatela, Freeland, and Ryan Castellani are probably going to make starts with the fourth spot given to either Gray or someone out of the bullpen.
Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story are hitting the cover off the ball. Both players have a .900 OPS or higher, and Story is proving he still has it on the basepaths with 14 steals in 45 games. Unfortunately, Nolan Arenado and the rest of the bats have struggled with no other everyday player posting an .800 OPS or better.
Dodger at Rockies Odds Prediction
A lot will depend on the arms that are available in this series, but the Dodgers are likely to take three of four games due to their massive talent advantage.
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