The red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers look to keep their momentum in a National League West showdown with the Colorado Rockies. Los Angeles enters the three-game weekend set leading the division by 1.5 games and on a season-best seven-game winning streak.
The Rockies have spent the majority of the season in first place but lost their standing by dropping two of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Colorado faces Alex Wood, who has been as good as any Dodgers starter this season.
Wood takes the mound undefeated at 7-0 in 12 games (10 starts), to go along with a 1.90 ERA, 2.14 FIP and 0.92 WHIP. Wood called the dominant stretch the best of his career.
The southpaw is coming off his best start of the season. In eight innings pitched against the Cincinnati Reds, Wood allowed just one run on four hits. He also contributed at the plate with an RBI single.
The 26-year-old last faced the Rockies on May 13 in start at Coors Field. Wood scattered four hits and issued one walk over six scoreless innings, while collecting 10 strikeouts.
In seven career starts against the Rockies, Wood is 3-2 with a 5.59 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a change in his rotation earlier this week so that Wood, not Hyun-Jin Ryu, would take the mound in the series opener.
The Rockies look to rookie Kyle Freeland, who went six strong innings against the San Francisco Giants in his last start. Freeland has twice faced the Dodgers in 2017, going 1-0 with a 1.82 ERA in those outings.
Freeland held Los Angeles to just one run on four hits over six innings of a home start on April 7, which was his MLB debut. Less than two weeks later, Freeland again only allowed one run but was removed after four-plus innings due to a high pitch count.
In 14 starts this season, the 24-year-old is 8-4 with a 3.42 ERA, 4.61 FIP and 1.41 WHIP. Joc Pederson enters Friday’s game 2-for-3 against Freeland, with a walk and RBI. Justin Turner is 2-for-5 with a double.
Wood will look to slow down MVP candidate Nolan Arenado, who is 4-for-7 with one double, two home runs and three RBIs in two games at Dodger Stadium this season. Overall, the Rockies All-Star third baseman is batting .301/.352/.575 with 27 doubles, 15 home runs and 59 RBIs.
Prior to the series opener the Dodgers placed Chris Hatcher on the 10-day disabled list with thoracic inflammation and recalled Ross Stripling from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Logan Forsythe
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
RF: Kiké Hernandez
CF: Chris Taylor
LF: Franklin Guitierrez
C: Austin Barnes
P: Alex Wood
Rockies lineup:
CF: Charlie Blackmon
2B: DJ LeMahieu
3B: Nolan Arenado
1B: Mark Reynolds
LF: Ian Desmond
SS: Trevor Story
RF: Raimel Tapia
C: Tom Murphy
P: Kyle Freeland
