Fans of dingers and intense baseball games with a postseason-like atmospheres are in for a treat this weekend.
Starting Friday night, the Colorado Rockies will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Coors Field, the most home run happy ballpark on Earth. Those two clubs, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks, are locked in a tight three-team race for the NL West title.
Here is the schedule and the pitching matchups for this weekend's series in Denver.
| Date | Time | TV | Rockies SP | Dodgers SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fri., Sept. 7 | 8:40pm ET | ATT SportsNet-RM, SportsNet LA | Jon Gray (11-7, 4.70) | Clayton Kershaw (6-5, 2.40) |
Sat., Sept. 8 | 8:10pm ET | ATT SportsNet-RM, SportsNet LA, ESPN+ | Kyle Freeland (13-7, 2.96) | Walker Buehler (6-4, 2.92) |
Sun., Sept. 9 | 3:10pm ET | ATT SportsNet-RM, SportsNet LA | Tyler Anderson (6-7, 4.80) | Alex Wood (8-6, 3.37) |
Wow those pitching matchups. Gray has been much better since returning from his brief Triple-A stint (3.08 ERA in nine starts), and Freeland has a chance to become only the third qualified pitcher in Rockies history to finish with a sub-3.00 ERA, joining Marvin Freeman (2.80 ERA in 1994) and Ubaldo Jimenez (2.88 in 2010). We're going to see the best these two teams have to offer this weekend.
"I think the Rockies take two of three. The Rockies are just the better team right now. They're playing better," said former Marlins team president David Samson on CBS Sports HQ. "... From the Dodgers standpoint, salvaging one game with Kershaw has to happen. Tonight's game is critical. If they don't win tonight, the Rockies have a chance to sweep."
Here are six things to know heading into this important three-game Rockies vs. Dodgers series at Coors Field.
The NL West race is tight
It is, rather easily, the best division race in baseball at the moment. The Rockies are atop the NL West with the Dodgers right behind, and the D-Backs right behind them. Here are the division standings coming into Friday:
- Rockies: 77-62
- Dodgers: 76-64 (1 1/2 GB)
- Diamondbacks: 75-65 (2 1/2 GB)
- Giants: 68-73 (10 GB)
- Padres: 86-86 (eliminated)
One win ensures the Rockies will escape this series in sole possession of first place in the NL West. Winning two of three would create some more breathing room with three weeks to go in the regular season. Colorado is looking for the first division title in franchise history, remember. They've never once won an NL West crown.
It should be noted the Rockies go into this weekend's series having won five straight games and 13 of their last 19 games. The Dodgers, meanwhile, dropped two of three to the Mets earlier this week after that intense weekend series win against the D-Backs.
Projection systems still love the Dodgers
Although the Rockies are 1 1/2 games up in the division, the various projection systems still believe the Dodgers are the team most likely to win the NL West. Check out the division odds:
| Dodgers | Rockies | |
|---|---|---|
65.7% | 21.6% | |
62.8% | 29.3% | |
48.4% | 40.1% |
The projection systems all favor the Dodgers in the NL West because of their overall talent and depth, and the fact they have an enormous edge on the Rockies in run differential (plus-129 to minus-8). That said, the Dodgers came into the season with NL West odds that were damn near 100 percent. Now, with three weeks and three days to go in the regular season, those odds have been whittled down quite a bit. A series win by the Rockies this weekend would knock them down even further.
The season series is relatively even
So far this season the Rockies and Dodgers have played 13 times, with the Dodgers winning seven games and the Rockies six. Los Angeles has a big edge in run differential (plus-16), though Colorado has won five of their last seven meetings, which including back-to-back walk-off wins on August 11 and 12.
These two clubs have averaged more than 12 runs per game combined in their seven previous meetings at Coors Field this season. Even with some great pitching matchups on tap, expect there to be quite a bit of offense this weekend.
The Dodgers won't have their closer this weekend
As important as this series is to both teams, there are things more important than baseball, which is why Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will not be with the team. Jansen did not travel to Colorado this weekend after a cardiologist recommended he skip the series. Last month he experienced an irregular heartbeat while in Denver -- it was the second such episode of his career -- which led to a stint on the disabled list a regiment of blood-thinning medication.
"Whenever we get that decision from the doctor it's sort of a no-brainer, but you have to applaud Kenley for feeling good and wanting to still kind of see it through," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to the Associated Press earlier this week. "But we sometimes have to take it out of the player's hands to do what is best for him."
It should be noted Jansen's heart trouble is not life-threatening, though another series in the thin mountain air could lead to another irregular heartbeat, and thus more treatment. Besides, it's the guy's heart. Jansen is married with three young children. As important as this series is, it is not as important as Jansen's long-term health. There's no sense in risking anything.
With Jansen sidelined the Dodgers are expected to turn to starter-turned-reliever Kenta Maeda in save situations, should one arise. Recent trade pickup Ryan Madson figures to see late-inning bullpen duty as well. Since August 1, Dodgers relievers other than Jansen have a 4.34 ERA in 91 1/3 innings. Things might get dicey this weekend if Los Angeles has a late-inning lead.
Story is red-hot right now
Thanks to a big increase in contact rate -- his strikeout rate has dropped from 34.4 percent last year to 25.4 percent this year, making it one of the largest year-to-year strikeout rate improvements in history -- Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is enjoying a huge breakout season this year. He's already set new career highs in doubles (39), homers (31), RBI (95), steals (25), and total bases (NL-leading 300), and is on his way to setting new career highs in batting average (.298), on-base percentage (.354), and OPS+ (129).
Wednesday night, in the club's last game prior to this weekend series, Story swatted three home runs, including a mammoth 505-foot blast that is the longest recorded by Statcast since the system went online in 2015.
Story is 10 for 20 with three doubles and five home runs in five September games, and going back to July 1 he is hitting .334/.378/.619 with 30 doubles and 20 home runs in 83 games. He's also stolen 17 bases.
Yes, Story plays in Coors Field and that undeniably inflates his offensive numbers. But those numbers don't happen automatically. Story's played his home games in Coors Field his entire career and he's never gone on a hot streak like this. Right now, he is dangerous no matter where he happens to be playing.
These teams will meet again soon
This weekend is not the last time the Dodgers and Rockies will meet this season. They have a three-game series set for September 17-19. Here's what's on tap following this weekend:
- Rockies: Four games vs. D-Backs (at home) and three games vs. Giants (on the road)
- Dodgers: Three games vs. Reds (on the road) and four games vs. Cardinals (on the road)
Those upcoming Rockies vs. D-Backs and Dodgers vs. Cardinals series have huge postseason implications. After that, the Rockies and Dodgers will get back together for another three-game series at Dodger Stadium. It's going to be a fun last few weeks in the NL West.
