The Dodgers got out of Atlanta with a series win. Another extra inning win gave them their tenth win of the regular season. The Dodgers are now 10-6 this season and are now all alone in first place in the National League West. Not bad at all for a club with over a dozen players on the disabled list by opening day. This is what we were talking about when the word “depth” kept coming up in conversation 800 times. Andrew Friedman has built impressive depth on the major league roster, and organizationally via the top notch farm system. This is how a club overcomes all of those injuries and stays competitive.
Now the Dodgers will fly into Denver for a three game weekend set with the Colorado Rockies. Coors field has always been a house of horrors for the pitching staff, especially the bullpen. In the series opener, left hander Scott Kazmir will battle rookie right hander Jon Gray. I hate Coors Field. I know you all do too.
Dodgers Lineup @Colorado
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Puig RF
Grandal C
Kendrick LF
Pederson CF
Kazmir P
Scott Kazmir-1-1 vs. Jon Gray-0-0
Game time – 5:40 PM TV- SNLA
Kazmir is coming off another horrendous outing in which he couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. So far he has a 6.43 ERA in 14 innings pitched. He’s allowed ten earned runs on 15 hits, and has really sucked thus far. The thought of Kazmir pitching in Coors Field is indeed terrifying.
Kazmir has made just one start in his career against the Rockies because he’s played his entire career in the American League. That one start was at Coors Field. It’s not as bad as you think. He’s 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA. That one start he allowed three earned runs on six hits over six innings and struck out five. I would take that kind of start tonight.
Not much to go on versus the Rockies. Kazmir has limited them to a .148 (4 for 27) average, with one home run. Kazmir and the Dodgers will have to deal with rookie sensation Trevor Story. The shortstop made history by slugging seven home runs in the first week of the season. He now has hit 8 on the season. Only one since April 10. That bum.
Kazmir vs. Rockies
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Ryan Raburn | 18 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .167 | .167 | .333 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Barnes | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 27 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | .148 | .148 | .370 | .519 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Rockies will counter with rookie Jon Gray. The 24-year old right hander will make his first MLB start against the Dodgers. Not his first MLB start. He made 9 starts last season for the Rockies and was 0-2 with a 5.53 ERA across 40.2 innings pitched. Check that, after checking the books I see that Gray made one start against the Dodgers last season. He allowed two earned runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out 8 in that game and took the loss. Overall he is 0-1 with an 8.27 ERA in five games pitching at Coors Field. This will be his first action of 2016. The Dodgers will need to compensate for extended slumps from Corey Seager, and Justin Turner.
Gray is from Shawnee Oklahoma and was originally drafted by the Rockies in the first round of the 2013 draft. He was a top pick, third overall actually. The Dodgers are 5 for 15 against Gray, so not much to go on from those numbers.
Gray vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joc Pederson | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Turner | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Utley | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .333 | .000 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.500 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Seager | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.000 | 3.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | .333 | .389 | .467 | .856 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
In case you haven’t heard, Pedro Baez has been cleared to pitch after getting hit in the head with an errant pregame throw in the bullpen. Louis Coleman was placed on the bereavement list, and left hander Luis Avilan was called up for the next few days to replace him.
Go Blue!
Another rookie pitcher? That’s usually bad news for the Dodgers.
Kazmir faced the Rockies early in his career. I think it was in 2007, so he still had a good fastball.
I thought that Baez wouldn’t be availble, so I was hoping they could bring another pitcher up, to be a long man, in Colorado.
Because Wood and Kazmir, haven’t been able to pitch deep into games, let alone how Colorado affects pitchers, and the bullpen.
Pairing off against Robinson and the Dodgers in the World Series, the Yankees won the first two games before events got really interesting.