After losing two out of three to the last-place Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Dodgers turned things around over the weekend by winning the first three of a big four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The three wins put them back in first place in the National League West, although after the Colorado Rockies won on Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers needed a win to complete a sweep the Cardinals and stay atop the division standings.
Unfortunately, they were unable to do that as they could not solve veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright and wound up being shut out, 5-0, to fall back to second place in the NL West.
The Dodgers finished 6-4 on their road trip and now begin a key series with the Rockies. Despite the loss Sunday night, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is pleased with where his club is at, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“To win a series here against a good club over there, we did what we wanted to accomplish,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re a half-game back now of the Rockies. We’ve got those guys at home. So we’re excited about that. Our ‘pen is lined up. We’ve got Ryu, Clayton and Walker going. So we’re in good shape.”
With just 12 total games remaining and these being the last three head-to-head matchups between the two clubs, it is fair to say that this series with the Rockies is the biggest of the season for the Dodgers.
The last time the two clubs met last week, the Dodgers took two out of three at Coors Field. That was despite being without Kenley Jansen, who did not make the trip for precautionary reasons.
Overall in 16 head-to-head meetings this season, Los Angeles has won nine and outscored Colorado 82-63.
