Suspending the use of hyperbole for the first time in my life, the Dodgers three-game series at Colorado starting on Tuesday is the biggest series of the season, to this date.
The Rockies are still playing very good baseball, and they are nipping at the Dodgers heels.
The Dodgers played better as far as winning games against the Cubs, but the offense still didn't look very good.
Starting Tuesday, the Dodgers have a chance to bury these Rockies, get things going in the right direction while gaining momentum for a run in September that hopefully results in home field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.
Despite recent success for the Dodgers against the Rockies, this will not be an easy series.
The Rockies are 11-5 at home since the All-Star break, and what's more impressive is they are 50-22 since early in June.
The Dodgers are 10-2 against the Rockies this year, which would lead the pessimist in me to believe that Colorado is due. Further more, the Dodgers are 5-1 at Coors Field, which seems bound to change. Again, this is the pessimist in me talking.
So after Monday night's win against the Giants the Rockies are three games behind the Dodgers. I watched all 14 innings and now a Rockies win means a sweep of the Dodgers could result in a tie atop the NL West. If the unimaginable does happen, we know LA can leave no worse than tied for first.
Let's take a look at the upcoming series...
Tuesday- Clayton Kershaw v. Jason Hammel
To say Clayton Kershaw has struggled at Coors Field would be an understatement. In four Big League starts in Denver, he has an ERA of 8.24 and has walked 13 batters in 19 2/3 innings. This is a scary game because the Rockies seem to own Kershaw, which means the Dodgers need to score runs, something that hasn't been easy.
The Rockies counter with Jason Hammel who has faced the Dodgers twice this year, and has given up one earned run. He's been tough on them, and they are already a struggling offense. This game has danger written all over it.
Wednesday- Randy Wolf v. Josh Fogg
Wolf has been fantastic of late, and even at Coors Field I'm expecting him to pitch just fine. He has faced the Rockies twice this year and has a respectable ERA of 3.75. Randy Wolf certainly won't get blown up. Josh Fogg, however, could. Mostly because he's terrible. This is a great chance for the Dodgers offense to get going. If Juan Pierre gets an at-bat against Fogg, expect him to get a hit. He's hitting .459 (17-for-37) in his career against him.
Thursday- Vicente Padilla v. Jorge De La Rosa
Padilla makes his Dodger debut on Thursday after a solid start in the Minors on Sunday. Padilla is a hard thrower, and hopefully he can just keep the Dodgers close and be solid. He doesn't have to be spectacular, he just needs to be adequate. De La Rosa is a guy the Dodgers have owned this year. In two starts, he's lasted just 8 2/3 innings and given up seven earned runs. Four of the Dodger regulars are hitting .375 or better of De La Rosa, including James Loney who's hitting .636 (that's right, .636!!) against the left.
By the way, Loney loves Coors Field and we need anything to jump start him. He is a lifetime .374 at Coors with 34 RBI in 94 at-bats.
I think this series is setup for the Dodgers to take two out of three, meaning they head to Cincinnati and the end of August with a four-game lead. This would be just fine with me.
Something tells me where going to kick a** in this series.
i agree... got a good feeling and i think the dodgers take at least two if they dont sweep.
game 1 was ridiculous, but game 2 provides hope...we knew this series wasnt going to be easy but a win today and we will have some momentum going up against a bad cincy team in a park that could also help our offense get going
MANNY HIT THE DAMN BALL OUT OF THE PARK!!!!!!!!! ONE TIME!
could wolf be a type A/B free agent next year...he is definetly worth offering arbitration, maybe a two year deal max which he could beat in free agency.