Rockies, Dodgers open two-game series (Apr 18, 2017)
LOS ANGELES -- After losing their past two games at home, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to end their skid when they host the Colorado Rockies for a two-game series beginning Tuesday.
Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-1, 5.91 ERA) will oppose Dodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-2, 5.79) in the opener.
Freeland, a rookie, beat Ryu and the Dodgers on April 7, limiting Los Angeles to a run on four hits with six strikeouts in six innings in a 2-1 victory at Coors Field. The Rockies won two of three from the Dodgers during that series.
The Rockies (9-5) were off Monday. On Sunday, they earned a 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants, giving them three wins in a four-game set at AT&T Park for the first time in franchise history.
"It's a big deal; that's pretty cool," said Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, according to MLB.com. Arenado doubled twice Sunday and finished the series 6-for-16 with three doubles, a homer and three RBIs. "We came ready to go, we competed, and we didn't shy away from that second game that we lost. The thing about this group is we never lose sight of what we can do."
The Dodgers could use a strong start from Ryu, who is trying to bounce back after shoulder surgery in 2015 forced him to miss much of last season. However, the Korean left-hander hasn't been promising in his two starts this season, failing to complete the fifth inning each time.
Ryu allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in his last outing, a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on April 13. Ryu struck out five and walked two.
In his start against Freeland and the Rockies, Ryu gave up two runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk.
"As a starting pitcher, I feel like five innings is the minimum you need to pitch," Ryu said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "And for two games straight, I wasn't able to."
Against the Rockies in his career, Ryu is 3-3 in six starts with a 3.98 ERA, 32 strikeouts and seven walks.
The Dodgers are 2-2 during their current six-game homestand. They are 5-3 overall this season at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles lost the last two to the Arizona Diamondbacks to split a four-game series. On Monday, the Diamondbacks rallied from two runs down for a 4-2 win in the series finale. Dodgers reliever Chris Hatcher served up the go-ahead home run to Jake Lamb in the eighth inning.
Los Angeles got a solid outing from starter Brandon McCarthy, but manager Dave Roberts gave him a quick hook after Arizona scored two runs in the fifth inning. The move also seemed a bit perplexing since Roberts admitted his bullpen has been overused lately.
Following the two-game set against the Rockies, the Dodgers hit the road for a seven-game trip to face the Diamondbacks again and then the Giants. After two days in Los Angeles, Colorado returns home to face San Francisco this weekend.
