News
Trip to Coors could spark LA's offense
Los Angeles (74-51) at Colorado (71-54), 5:40 p.m. PT
By David Ely / MLB.com
08/25/09 5:29 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- In taking three of four games against the Cubs, the Dodgers seemed to have righted the ship, at least temporarily. But their weekend success had little to do with the play of their offense. The Dodgers scored two runs in wins on Friday and Saturday and then scored just once in a 3-1 loss on Sunday. That adds up to five runs in three games, and now the Dodgers are off to Colorado for a pivotal three-game series against the surging Rockies. At 70-54, the Rockies are 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, and the lead could be just three if the Rockies beat the Giants on Monday. But as crazy as it sounds, a trip to Colorado and Coors Field -- even if it means facing the Rockies -- could be the right medicine for an ailing Dodgers offense. In six games at Coors Field, the Dodgers have posted a combined 47 runs. The 7.8 runs per game scored in Colorado is three runs better than the scoring clip the Dodgers have averaged this season. While the numbers might say that Dodgers batters enjoy the light Rocky Mountain air, manager Joe Torre said after Sunday's game that the park isn't the hitter's paradise it once was. "It's certainly a different type of ballpark," Torre said. "The ball doesn't fly like it used to, but still it's a little bit different dynamic over there. We've played two series over there, and hopefully we can go in there on Tuesday and play our game." Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp also downplayed the effect Coors Field has on batters. "I try to hit the ball good everywhere, so it doesn't really matter where I'm at," Kemp said when asked if he thinks he hits better in Colorado. Either way, the Dodgers need their offense to step up if they hope to put some distance between themselves and the Rockies in the NL West standings. The Rockies have been one of the best teams in baseball of late and are 52-26 under Jim Tracy, who replaced Clint Hurdle on May 29. When the Rockies switched managers, they were 18-28 and 14 1/2 games behind the Dodgers. Now they lead the NL Wild Card race by three games and are a legitimate threat to win the division. "We're still up four games, so there's two good teams going at it," Kemp said when asked if the Rockies are playing better than the Dodgers. "They always play us good. I don't know if they're playing any better than we are. We're playing pretty good right now, too." Pitching matchupLAD: LHP Clayton Kershaw (8-7, 2.96 ERA)
Kershaw had another wild inning last time out against the Cardinals and this time couldn't get out of it, running up his pitch count to 97 and bringing Torre's hook after only 3 2/3 innings. He had four walks and a wild pitch. Despite an overpowering fastball, Kershaw is most effective when he pitches to contact and conserves his energy. Kershaw is winless in his past six starts and he's 2-2 with an 8.64 ERA at Coors Field. COL: RHP Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.54 ERA)
Hammel has struggled at Coors Field, where he's 2-3 with a 7.02 ERA but hopes his continued fastball command will help him keep the Dodgers at bay in a critical series that could decide the outcome of the NL West. The right-hander has been trying to integrate a sinker into his repertoire to serve as a complementary pitch with mixed results -- when it's on, he gets grounders; when the sinker doesn't sink, he gets hit. So he's redoubled his efforts to command his four-seam fastball and throw it for first-pitch strikes. That strategy was successful Thursday in Washington, where Hammel allowed a run on three hits over seven innings, never allowing the Nationals to generate any sustained offense. Tidbits
The second annual ThinkCure! "Radiotelewebethon" concluded Saturday night with more than $218,000 raised for cancer research during the two-day campaign. Online auctions continue through Monday afternoon. ... With three scoreless innings Sunday, Dodgers relievers have thrown 10 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and 18 without an earned run. ... The Dodgers are just 1-7 in their past eight Sunday home games. Overall on Sundays, the Dodgers are 9-1 on the road and 3-7 at home. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 8-6, 3.34) at Rockies (TBD), 5:40 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Dodgers (Vicente Padilla, 8-6, 4.92) at Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa, 12-8, 4.76), 12:10 p.m. PT
• Friday: Dodgers (TBD) at Reds (TBD), 4:10 p.m. PT
David Ely is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
