The NL West is one of the tightest divisions with three of the NL’s best teams all vying for the division crown. Two of those teams will square off in a three-game weekend set as the Colorado Rockies head to the City of Angels to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will be a continuation of a tough divisional stretch for the Rockies who will have just finished hosting the Diamondbacks.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 23, 2017 through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Saturday’s can be seen on MLB Network for those outside the local viewing markets.
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Pitching Matchups
We open the series with a pair of southpaws on the hill. The Rockies will turn to rookie sensation Kyle Freeland against the Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Like most Dodgers’ starters, Ryu has been shuffled between the rotation and the pen this year as Los Angeles finds the right balance behind Clayton Kershaw.
Ryu’s numbers are okay. He’s just 3-6, but his 4.35 ERA and 4.88 FIP make him just about a league average pitcher. That’s not as good as he was before his injury bout the last two years, but it’s still a serviceable arm.
The lefty is coming off a solid start against the Reds where he went five innings, allowing two runs. He got the win in that game, but it still took him 105 pitches to get through five frames. He’ll need to be more pitch efficient against a slugging Rockies’ squad to avoid spending the pen in the first game of the series.
As for Freeland, he took a back seat to Antonio Senzatela early on, but has emerged as the de facto ace of the staff.
The lefty grew up a Rockies’ fan which makes the story even better, but there’s more to this kid than the sentimentality. He’s second on the Rockies in rWAR, behind only Nolan Arenado. He’s 8-4 with a 3.42 ERA. Those are great numbers, but his FIP is much higher than that. He’s prone to walks and will allow baserunners. He’s also only struck out 50 batters in 81.2 innings.
Despite all of that, the lefty has been able to limit damage and keep the Rockies in the game. Colorado is 10-4 in his starts, including 2-0 against the Dodgers. He’s held them to two runs over 10 innings though Los Angeles has improved their game against southpaws since then.
As the series progresses, the competition for the Rockies intensifies. Kershaw takes the hill Saturday, looking to bounce back from a four-home run game. He gave up six runs his last start as the Mets tagged him for several long balls.
Kershaw’s still the best pitcher in the game. He’s 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.929 WHIP. It’s hard to beat those numbers. He’s also striking out 10 per nine innings and has 6.76 strikeouts per every walk. All those numbers are very Kershaw-like, but here’s one that’s not: 17 home runs. That’s already a career-high and we’re only in June. With the home run ball plaguing him, the Rockies are not the team you want to be facing.
So, it’s not all sunshine and butterflies for the ace, but he’s still a better pitcher than his counterpart: Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood is 6-7 with a 4.08 ERA. The overall numbers aren’t as impressive as Freeland, but he’s a better strikeout pitcher. He’s also allowed two or fewer runs while going six or more innings in each of his four June starts. He’s throwing well.
The Rockies have the advantage on Friday and the Dodgers do on Saturday so Sunday could be the rubber match. German Marquez will be ready for Colorado. He’s got a sub-4 ERA and the best FIP amongst the seven pitchers to record a start for the Rockies.
Much like Marquez is an unsung hero for the Rockies, Brandon McCarthy fills the same role in Los Angeles.
The veteran right-hander has had a nice bounce back season with a 2.87 ERA. The Dodgers are 8-4 with him on the hill. He’s been particularly strong his last six starts. He went six scoreless last time out and has allowed only six runs in his last 34.1 innings.
Who's Hot?
Forever and always, the answer to this is: Cody Bellinger. The outfielder/first-baseman is doing historic things. He’s already hit 22 home runs in 52 games, a pace even the great Aaron Judge cannot match.
For a team that’s been missing power otherwise, Bellinger is providing it in spades and he’s just not slowing down. Five of his homers have come in the last seven games. He’s 10-for-27 in that time with a couple walks as well.
Corey Seager just had a monster game on Tuesday and will look to continue swinging a hot streak after three home runs, coming a Grand Slam shy of the home run cycle.
Over the last week, even Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson are swinging it. Meanwhile, Justin Turner is as perpetually hot as Bellinger. In fact, Turner has a comparable OPS to Bellinger despite 18 fewer homers. Bellinger provides the pop, but Turner is nearly impossible to get out. He’s batting .390 with a .468 OBP. He’s hitting even better over the last couple weeks. Could be flirt with .400 all season?
As for the Rockies, Mark Reynolds—surprisingly—is still cranking out homers and getting on base. He’s been an absolute blessing filling in for Ian Desmond who is now the jack-of-all-trades. That, finally, also includes hitting. His bat is coming around. He, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, and Charlie Blackmon are all batting over .300 with an OPS north of .800 in the month of June.
Who's Not?
It’s probably not fair to put Greg Holland in this camp. He’s been one of the best offseason acquisitions by any team and he’s still locking down saves, but he’s allowed eight walks in June in eight innings. That’s a bit concerning.
More seriously, Carlos Gonzalez is still not swinging the bat well. It’s been three months and CarGo hasn’t been CarGo. In June, he’s batting .176. He is drawing walks which is good, but he’s got just three RBIs in 16 games and only two extra base hits.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Logan Forsythe continues to lose playing time at second-base. He’s supposed to help against lefties, but he’s batting .157 in June with 20 strikeouts in 51 at-bats. Yasmani Grandal leads the team in strikeouts in June with 22 and he’s only walked once, giving him a .217 OBP for the month.
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