The Los Angeles Dodgers fell in the series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, receiving little run support in a 4-1 loss.
The Dodgers remain 5.5 games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres in the National League West, but have lost six of their last 10. At home this season, they hold a 19-12 record.
Offensively, the Dodgers have been a rollercoaster of sorts, nearly being shutout on Friday, and have relied on boom-or-bust scoring in recent weeks. They aren’t far removed from a five-game losing streak, which will take some time to dust off and find a rhythm.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for his 12th start of the year, coming into play with a 3.51 ERA, 2.83 FIP and 1.10 WHIP. The right-hander was solid in May, going 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in five starts.
Yamamoto improved over the course of his rookie season, expanding and refining his pitch mix in every start. Yamamoto has not faced the Rockies this season.
Yamamoto has been solid when pitching at Dodger Stadium, and in five starts, he’s tallied a 2.97 ERA over 30.1 innings. He’s struck out 33 batters to just three walks, yielding a 0.92 WHIP in the pitcher-friendly environment.
He’ll be opposed by Cal Quantrill, who also making his 12th start of the regular season. The 29-year-old has been a bright spot for the Rockies rotation, posting a 3.53 ERA and 4.40 FIP in 63.2 innings.
Quantrill’s last five starts have been very good, completing at least six innings in each outing. He’s also earned a 1.71 ERA, 2.88 FIP and a 1.87 batting average allowed.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, they’ve been an above-average offense against right-handed starters. The downside is Quantrill is a sinker-heavy pitcher, which they struggled to barrel against Dakota Hudson in the series opener.
At home this season, the Dodgers’ offense is second in the NL with a team on-base plus slugging of .761, with a NL-leading 45 home runs.
Heading into play, the Dodgers are Major League Baseball’s fourth-best team against right-handed pitching according to wRC+, which also includes a 9.9% walk-rate, tied for the best mark.
Dodgers lineup
SS: Mookie Betts
DH: Shohei Ohtani
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
LF: Teoscar Hernánez
2B: Gavin Lux
CF: Andy Pages
RF: Jason Heyward
3B: Kiké Hernández
Rockies lineup
RF: Charlie Blackmon
SS: Ezequiel Tovar
3B: Ryan McMahon
C: Elias Díaz
DH: Kris Bryant
2B: Brendan Rodgers
1B: Elehuris Montero
CF: Brenton Doyle
LF: Sean Bouchard
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