After going 3-4 on their road trip against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers return home to take on the Colorado Rockies for a three-game set. The series kicks off a season-long 10-game homestand.
Dodger Stadium has treated the Dodgers well as of late, as they’ve won six in a row at home and 14 of the last 17. The Dodgers are coming off a month of June in which they went 16-12, which tied the third-best winning percentage (.571) in the National League.
The opener marks the debut of right-hander Bud Norris, who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday in a five-player trade that sent Phillip Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks to Atlanta.
After getting off to a rough start to the season in April where the veteran went 1-4 with a 8.74 ERA, Norris was sent to the bullpen.
Since returning to the rotation in June, Norris has found his stride, going 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in five starts for an Atlanta team that has struggled mightily all season. Overall, Norris is 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in 70.1 innings.
The Rockies counter with left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, who has been stellar in last three starts, going 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
On the season, De La Rosa is 5-4 with a 6.47 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in nine starts. The Rockies, who’s currently in third place in the NL West, are coming off a series loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Along with formally placing Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list, Joc Pederson was also forced to the DL with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. That has Trayce Thompson making a third consecutive start in center field.
Thompson hit one of the Dodgers’ three home runs against the Brewers on Thursday. Will Venable, who recently accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City, had his contract selected to take Pederson’s roster spot.
The Dodgers are 1-2 against the Rockies at home this season, and 3-3 overall. Colorado is 5-5 in their last 10 games but have dropped two in a row.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
LF: Howie Kendrick
RF: Yasiel Puig
CF: Trayce Thompson
C: Yasmani Grandal
P: Bud Norris
Rockies lineup:
CF: Charlie Blackmon
SS: Cristhian Adames
3B: Nolan Arenado
RF: Carlos Gonzalez
1B: Mark Reynolds
2B: Daniel Descalso
C: Nick Hundley
LF: Brandon Barnes
P: Jorge De La Rosa
