National League West rivals clash when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Colorado Rockies in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday. The Rockies took the opener Monday night, routing the first-place Dodgers, 9-1.
Still Work To Be Done
The Dodgers own the best record in Major League Baseball so far this year. While they have been extremely solid this season, with the trade deadline coming up, they will be looking to round out their roster to put them in the best position to finally get over the hump and win the World Series this year. They are currently batting .261 as a team with 177 home runs and a team ERA of 3.37.
Scheduled to start for the Dodgers Tuesday is 25-year-old Tony Gonsolin. The Los Angeles Times reported that Gonsolin will be called up to get the start, but most likely will have a limited outing as they expect Julio Urias to carry most of the workload. So far, Gonsolin is just 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in his four innings pitched.
Tonight's Dodger lineup at Rockies:
Pederson 1B
Muncy 2B
Turner 3B
Bellinger RF
Seager SS
Pollock CF
Verdugo LF
Smith C
Maeda P#Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/VhWFoRfFHp— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 29, 2019
The Dodgers are led offensively by their MVP candidate, Cody Bellinger. The superstar rightfielder leads the team with 34 home runs, a .327 batting average and 79 runs batted in. Bellinger is also in the top 10 in the league in all of those categories. Despite Bellinger leading the team in those stats, there has been a lot of support behind him this year, as there is not many gaps in the Dodgers lineup, and they are a threat to put up big numbers every night.
Disappointing Stretch
The Rockies are sitting in last place in the NL West. They have had an extremely disappointing season so far this year. Despite having talents such as Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Charlie Blackmon, they have not been able to put together much of anything this season. They are batting .265 as a team but carry a 5.47 team ERA.
Getting the start on the bump in this outing will be left-hander Kyle Freeland. The 26-year-old is 2-8 this season after allowing one run on four hits and taking the loss against the Nationals in his last outing. He has an even 7.00 ERA with 62 strikeouts this season.
Freeland will hopefully get help from their offense as they take on a pitcher they should be able to hit early. If the Rockies can get out to an early lead, the pressure should be lifted off Freeland, hopefully turning this into an easier outing for him against a tough team.
As I mentioned before, despite their record, the Rockies do have threats on offense and can ruin any opposing pitcher’s day, especially in Colorado. Arenado currently leads the team with 22 home runs and 77 runs batted in. Blackmon leads the team with his .319 batting average, though he is currently listed as day-to-day.
What To Expect
The Dodgers are clearly the better team with their roster; however, the Rockies are at home and will be facing a pitcher with very little MLB experience. If Colorado can get on the board early and often, they will have a chance to run away with this game before the Dodgers can really get going. I will take the Rockies to win this one and upset the Dodgers.
