The Dodgers arrive in Colorado with a clear sense of urgency, and Monday’s opener against the Rockies gives them a chance to start making up ground right away.
Los Angeles is 74-51 after dropping a series to the Milwaukee Brewers, a setback that also cost them the end-of-season tiebreaker. The Dodgers sit as the No. 3 seed in the National League, which would send them into the wild-card series, and their cushion atop the NL West has shrunk to seven games over the San Diego Padres.
Colorado, meanwhile, comes in at 50-74 and has some momentum of its own. The Rockies just took a series from the San Francisco Giants and have won four of their last five.
This will be the 11th meeting between the teams this season, and the Dodgers have controlled the matchup so far, winning seven of the first 10. Monday’s game begins the final three head-to-head meetings of the year.
The mound matchup brings Blake Snell back into the spotlight for Los Angeles in his second start since returning from surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Snell looked sharp in his first outing back last week against the Kansas City Royals, giving up one run over six innings while striking out 10. He needed only 84 pitches, which leaves open the possibility that he could work deeper into the game Monday if things break right.
Coors Field has not been a kind place for Snell in his career. In six starts there, he owns a 5.97 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 28.2 innings.
Colorado will counter with Tomoyuki Sugano, who is 12-5 with a 4.43 ERA in 21 starts and 113.2 innings this season. Sugano has already seen the Dodgers twice this year and struggled both times.
On April 17 at Coors Field, he allowed five runs on nine hits in four innings. On May 27 at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, he gave up three runs on six hits over 4.2 innings.
First pitch is set for 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m.
ET on Monday, Aug. 17.
The game will air on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app, with radio coverage on AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
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Rockies Just Made A Telling Move After One Veterans Rough Season
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Lorenzen is now headed to waivers, leaving his next step uncertain while Colorado absorbs the shift on the roster and the payroll. Even if another club decides to take a chance on him, the Rockies would still be on the hook for the rest of his salary, a reminder that the cost of a disappointing season does not always end when the player leaves the active roster. [Read more 🡒]
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Rockies Keep Letting Winnable Games Slip Away For One Painful Reason
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Colorado has already had bullpen moments turn into the difference between a win and another frustrating defeat, including losses attached to Antonio Senzatela and Juan Mejia. Until the pitching stabilizes, especially in those high-leverage spots, the Rockies will keep paying for every shaky inning. If they want any realistic shot at playing meaningful baseball deeper into the season, they have to start closing out the kind of games they keep letting slip away. [Read more 🡒]