Dodgers Preview: Dodgers Head to Mile High City for Three-Game Set vs Rockies

DENVER, CO— After a successful ten-game homestand which saw the Los Angeles Dodgers take two critical series against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, furthering their lead in the National League West, the team will now kick off a six-game road trip with a three-game set against another NL West opponent: the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers have been clicking this month, winners of seven of their last ten games, improving their record to 12-9 in June.

Overall, the Dodgers enter today’s game with a 3.5-game lead over the second-place Giants, who have stumbled with four wins over their last ten games. And despite all the injuries the Dodgers have sustained this year, they’re a half game up on the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the National League.

The same cannot be said for the Colorado Rockies, who are on pace to break the all-time loss record and have just eighteen wins entering late June.

There is not much to say about this Rockies team other than their play explains their record. The Rockies statistically have the worst offense in Major League Baseball, despite playing half of their games at Coors Field, with a -1.9 fWAR and a 73 wRC+, and have the worst K% at 26.7%.

On the pitching side, the Rockies also have the worst team ERA in the sport with a collective 5.58 ERA, 4.81 FIP, and a combined 2.1 fWAR.

Add it all together and you get a team that is one pace to lose 120 games this season, just one game short of the all-time loss record set by the Chicago White Sox last season.

The Dodgers now enter the end of June with the second-easiest strength of schedule for the remainder of the regular season and will have six straight games against a team under .500, so they’ll still need to take care of business.

Pitching match-ups

Game One: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Germán Márquez (3-8, 6.11 ERA)

Game Two: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-6, 2.76 ERA) vs Chase Dollander (2-7, 6.19 ERA)

Game Three: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (3-0, 3.31 ERA) vs Austin Gomber (LHP) (0-1, 8.83 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 5:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rockies.TV

Game Two: 5:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rockies.TV

Game Three: 12:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rockies.TV

Who’s in & who’s out?

Things are trending in the right direction for the Dodgers on the injury front, with multiple positive updates on many arms on the injured list.

Right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow completed his first minor league rehab appearance since landing on the injured list in late April. Glasnow tossed two scoreless innings, allowing three walks and no hits on forty-four pitches.

Veteran right-handed relief pitcher Luis García also completed his first rehab appearance on Sunday with the Rancho Quakes, tossing one scoreless inning with a strikeout.

Lefty Blake Snell is set to throw another bullpen this week, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and 23-year-old righty Roki Sasaki has resumed his throwing program despite being transferred to the 60-day injured list last week.

15-day Injured List (1): Luis García

60-day Injured List (12): Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips

Despite the record, the Rockies are relatively healthy this season, with their biggest injuries being to former National League Most Valuable Player Award winner Kris Bryant and lefty starting pitcher Kyle Freeland.

Bryant, 33, was diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disk disease in April and transferred to the 60-day injured list not long after. Bryant has resumed throwing and taking dry swings, but his return this season is still to be determined.

Freeland, 32, has been battling low back stiffness and is expected to return before the end of June. The lefty tossed a 50-pitch bullpen session on June 22nd and is expected to return during the Rockies’ upcoming series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Second baseman Thairo Estrada is also considered day-to-day after suffering a right-hand contusion last week and has been out of the lineup for five straight games. The middle infielder took groundballs but is still unable to throw due to swelling.

Day-to-day (1): Thairo Estrada

10-day Injured List (1): Ezequiel Tovar

15-day Injured List (2): Tanner Gordon, Kyle Freeland

60-day Injured List (3): Jeff Criswell, Kris Bryant, Ryan Feltner

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