The Rockies head into Wednesday with a lineup that looks a little different and a challenge that looks a lot the same: stop the Dodgers from finishing off a sweep at Coors Field.
Colorado dropped Tuesday’s game 7-6, leaving the club at 50-76 as Los Angeles moved to 76-51 and kept an 8.5-game cushion over the Padres in the division. The Dodgers have taken the first two games of the series and have also piled up 18 runs over the last two nights, which puts the pressure squarely on Kyle Freeland.
The left-hander gets the ball for Colorado with a 4-10 record, 6.27 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 98 strikeouts. Across from him is Roki Sasaki, who comes in at 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 108 strikeouts.
Colorado also has to play without Hunter Goodman, who is now on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. Goodman had already missed several games, and both he and the team had hoped to avoid an IL stint. That decision has now been made, and the Rockies are moving on without their biggest offensive weapon.
The lineup reflects that reality. Jake McCarthy is leading off and playing right field against Sasaki, with Micky Moniak hitting second as the designated hitter.
Rookie Cole Carrigg continues to be one of the club’s bright spots, batting third and starting in center field. TJ Rumfield moves into the cleanup spot, Zac Veen hits fifth and starts in left field, and Brett Sullivan handles catching duties in Goodman’s place.
The roster shuffle didn’t stop there. Colorado made several pitching moves Wednesday, selecting left-hander Mark Manfredi from Triple-A Albuquerque and reinstating right-hander Jaden Hill from the 15-day injured list. To make room, right-hander TJ Shook was optioned back to Triple-A after being called up on August 17, and left-hander Parker Mushinski was designated for assignment.
Manfredi arrived in the organization in the trade with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this month that sent Antonio Senzatela away. Before the deal, he had posted a 3.09 ERA in 23.1 innings with Triple-A Nashville, and now he gets his shot in the majors.
Hill’s return gives Colorado another bullpen arm after he’d been sidelined since June with right shoulder tendinitis. The Rockies now have 37 players on their 40-man roster.
Freeland will also have to navigate Shohei Ohtani, who crushed a 448-foot homer for his 30th of the season on Tuesday and has already hit three home runs in this series.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. MT at Coors Field.
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Tarik Skubals Next Deal May End One Tigers Dream
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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 🡒]