After going 5-1 on a road trip against the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers begin their longest homestand of the season by facing the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a four-game series.
The Dodgers have won nine of their last 11 games and enter play at 67-46, holding a six-game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West. The Rockies, at 45-69, own the worst record in the NL.
Prior to Thursday’s matchup, the Dodgers activated Clayton Kershaw off the 15-day injured list and optioned Victor González to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Kershaw makes his first start since June 27, when he removed himself from a dominant outing against the Rockies at Coors Field. The three-time Cy Young Award winner wound up revealing he was experiencing left shoulder inflammation that was treated with a cortisone injection.
Kershaw, who was initially projected to return immediately after the All-Star break, expressed some frustration with being on the IL and dismissed the notion that a break could ultimately prove beneficial with the postseason in mind.
The left-hander has compiled a 10-4 record with a 2.55 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.05 WHIP and 9.9 strikeouts per nine across 95.1 innings (16 starts) this season. Assuming he remains healthy to finish out the 2023 season, Kershaw should make at least 10 more starts.
The 35-year-old owns a career 27-11 record, 3.33 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 9.4 strikeouts per nine in 300 innings against the Rockies (49 starts).
Colorado counters with Ty Blach, who looks to bounce back from a rough start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings of work.
Blach has pitched to a 1-1 record, 4.85 ERA, 4.50 FIP and 1.58 WHIP in 26 innings this season (10 games, three starts). He is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 19 career appearances against the Dodgers (eight starts).
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
2B: Amed Rosario
DH: Max Muncy
LF: Chris Taylor
3B: Kiké Hernández
CF: James Outman
SS: Miguel Rojas
C: Austin Barnes
Rockies lineup
LF: Jurickson Profar
SS: Ezequiel Tovar
3B: Ryan McMahon
C: Elias Díaz
RF: Nolan Jones
2B: Alan Trejo
1B: Michael Toglia
DH: Elehuris Montero
CF: Brenton Doyle
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