After sweeping the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to extend their seven-game home winning streak as they now welcome the Colorado Rockies to town. The series opener is the first of nine consecutive contests the Dodgers will play against a National League West opponent.
With a win Monday night the Dodgers will match their longest home winning streak, which was set in April 2015. Los Angeles took two of three from Colorado at Coors Field earlier this season. One of their victories featured a five-run rally in the ninth inning.
Strong pitching has been key for the Dodgers as they’ve won 10 of their last 14 games, and Mike Bolsinger faces a Rockies team that’s lost four of their last five, and seven of 10.
Bolsinger is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA, 5.26 FIP and 1.13 WHIP over three starts this season. He’s yet to complete six innings any of the outings, with 5.2 frames of work the deepest he’s pitched into a game.
The right-hander has allowed one home run in all three starts, and recorded six strikeouts in his last two outings. Bolsinger went 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over three starts against the Rockies last season. He also faced them in 2014, allowing four runs on nine hits, including one home run, in five innings.
Meanwhile, Southern California native Tyler Chatwood looks to put together another strong road start. He’s allowed just three runs (two earned) in 33.2 innings pitched across five outings away from Coors Field this season.
Chatwood suffered a loss and managed to pitch just four innings, allowing three runs on six hits when he faced the Dodgers at home on April 23. Overall this season, he’s 6-4 with a 2.99 ERA, 3.85 FIP and 1.21 WHIP in 11 starts.
Chatwood owns a 1.44 lifetime ERA in four starts at Dodger Stadium, with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 innings. However, he last pitched at Chavez Ravine during the 2013 season. Although a right-hander is on the mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sits Yasmani Grandal, Joc Pederson and Chase Utley.
Roberts pointed to Chatwood’s reverse splits — righties batting .269/.340/.448 and lefties hitting .225/.254/.326 — as reason for his decision(s). As a result, Justin Turner bats leadoff for the first time this season, and 10th time in his career.
Turner hit .261/.346/.500 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and six RBIs in 52 plate appearances over those games. While Turner hasn’t yet been the same hitter he was in 2013 and 2014, Roberts praised the third baseman for his ability to get on base.
Turner is fifth on the team with a .329 on-base percentage, and eighth with a .297 wOBA.
Corey Seager and Trayce Thompson hit second and third in the lineup, respectively, for a second straight game.
Seager hit a blistering .370/.400/1.037 with six home runs and 11 RBIs last week. He’s coming off a third career multi-home run game, and has five home runs in the last three games.
Adrian Gonzalez is 4-for-17 with home run against Chatwood in his career. As for the Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado both homered on Sunday and are riding a hot streak. Gonzalez has eight home runs and 16 RBIs in his last 10 games, batting .425/.489/1.075 over that stretch.
Arenado hit .289/.378/.684 with three doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs over his last 10 games. He’s tied for the Major League lead with 18 home runs and leads the NL with 47 RBIs.
Dodgers lineup:
3B: Justin Turner
SS: Corey Seager
CF: Trayce Thompson
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
2B: Howie Kendrick
LF: Kiké Hernandez
RF: Scott Van Slyke
C: A.J. Ellis
P: Mike Bolsinger
Rockies lineup:
CF: Charlie Blackmon
2B: DJ Lemahieu
3B: Nolan renado
RF: Carlos Gonzalez
SS: Trevor Story
LF: Gerardo Parra
1B: Mark Reynolds
C: Nick Hundley
P: Tyler Chatwood
