The Dodgers have one more chance to put a bow on their series in Colorado Wednesday night, and they’ll do it with a few familiar names missing from the lineup.
Los Angeles has already handled business in the first two games, rolling to an 11-5 win in the opener before edging out a 7-6 victory on Tuesday. Now the club is aiming for the sweep in the final meeting between these teams this season, with Thursday’s off day waiting back in Los Angeles.
Roki Sasaki gets the ball for the Dodgers, and he’s been sharp since the All-Star break. In five starts after the break, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA across 30 innings. For the full season, the 24-year-old is 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 111 innings.
Sasaki has already seen Colorado twice this year. On April 19 at Coors Field, he gave up three runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Then, in his final outing of the first half on July 8, he allowed three runs on four hits over six innings.
Kyle Freeland will start for the Rockies, and the veteran lefty comes in at 4-10 with a 6.27 ERA over 120.2 innings. He’s spent all 10 years of his career in Colorado, which means he’s logged plenty of innings against Los Angeles.
This season, Freeland has faced the Dodgers twice. On May 26, he was charged with eight runs on nine hits in four innings.
On July 6, he gave up six runs on nine hits over five innings. In 28 career starts against the Dodgers, he’s 5-13 with a 5.23 ERA.
Los Angeles will be without Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, while Rojas and Kiké Hernández are in the lineup. Hunter Feduccia is also out after leaving Tuesday’s game early because of an illness.
First pitch for Dodgers-Rockies on Wednesday, Aug. 19 is set for 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on SportsNet LA and streamed in the MLB app.
On radio, the broadcast will air on AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
In Other News...
Dodgers Prospect Depth Just Sent A Clear Message To The Rest Of MLB
MLB Pipelines latest midseason rankings put a fresh spotlight on the Dodgers farm system, and the message was hard to miss. Los Angeles moved to No. 1, a jump that speaks to more than just one hot stretch of prospect hype. It reflects a system that keeps producing, keeps replenishing, and keeps giving the organization real depth even as players get promoted, traded, or traded for big-league help.
The Dodgers rise came after adding Tarik Skubal and continuing to lean on the kind of player development that has become one of the clubs defining strengths. It also serves as a reminder that these rankings are about more than brand name or reputation. While the Tigers still have plenty of talent and even more Top 100 prospects than they did to open the season, Los Angeles has separated itself by building a pipeline that feels as sustainable as it does star-driven. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Already Be Facing Early Skubal Trade Validation
The Dodgers made a big bet when they sent Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith to Detroit for Tarik Skubal, and the early returns have given the deal a little extra buzz. Hope, one of the headliners in the package, has stumbled at the plate since landing with the Tigers Double-A affiliate, a reminder that prospect evaluations can shift quickly once a player changes organizations and faces a new environment.
Still, it is far too soon to treat a rough first stretch as proof of anything lasting. Hope has dealt with August slumps before, and analysts around the trade have pointed out that hitters often need time to adjust after a move like this, so the Dodgers are left watching a storyline that is intriguing more for its potential than for any firm verdict right now. [Read more 🡒]
Tarik Skubals Next Deal May End One Tigers Dream
Tarik Skubals looming trip to free agency is already shaping up to be one of the biggest pitching stories of the offseason, and the Dodgers are right in the middle of it. The left-hander is projected to land a deal north of $300 million, and MLB insider Bob Nightengale has pegged Los Angeles and the New York Mets as the only clubs likely to make serious runs at him when the market opens.
For the Dodgers, that puts them in position to chase a pitcher with ace-level stuff and rare leverage, even as Skubal has left open the idea of a return to the Detroit Tigers. Still, unless Detroit can somehow come close to his asking price, that possibility looks remote, which means one of the games most intriguing pitching pursuits may come down to a bidding fight the Tigers were never built to win. [Read more 🡒]