After earning a victory on a walk-off home run off the bat of Cody Bellinger on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers now go for the three-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Dodgers have been on a roll as of late, winning three straight and 10 of their last 11 to claim the best record in baseball at 21-8. They have outscored opponents by 71 runs this season, which is by far the best mark in baseball.
The Rockies, on the other hand, are trending in the opposite direction as they have lost seven in a row and nine of their last 10.
Ross Stripling gets the ball for the Dodgers in the series finale and is looking to bounce back after a rough outing against the Seattle Mariners in which he gave up eight hits and seven runs (six earned) in just three innings of work.
Overall in five starts this season, the righty is 3-1 with a 5.61 ERA, 6.31 FIP and 1.33 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and six walks in 25.2 innings.
Stripling has pitched well against the Rockies in his career, yielding a 2.43 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 10 walks in 33.1 innings across 13 appearances (four starts).
Getting the start for the Rockies is right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who has been arguably their best starter to begin the season. In five outings, Senzatela is 3-0 with a 2.90 ERA, 3.03 FIP and 1.03 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 31 innings.
The 25-year-old has struggled against the Dodgers though, going 2-2 with a 6.39 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in seven games (five starts) against them.
Corey Seager is among those that have fared well against Senzatela, going 3-for-6 with a home run. Bellinger is only 2-for-12 against him but comes in swinging a hot bat, hitting .323/.432/.839 with five home runs and nine RBI in his last nine games after a slow start to the season.
Will Smith returns to the Dodgers lineup after being activated from the 10-day injured list. He missed the minimum amount of time due to a neck injury, but before going down was only hitting .188/.341/.406 with two home runs and eight RBI in 14 games.
Justin Turner, on the other hand, gets a day off to nurse minor hamstring tightness that was a result of being hit by a pitch in Saturday night’s win.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Corey Seager
LF: Chris Taylor
CF: Cody Bellinger
DH: Joc Pederson
3B: Max Muncy
2B: Kiké Hernandez
1B: Matt Beaty
C: Will Smith
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