Juan Nicasio (1-1, 1.29 ERA) starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers (30-20) as they square off against Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 6.51 ERA) and the Colorado Rockies (22-27) in the second of a four-game series at Coors Field. The Dodgers won the last game 11-4 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 3:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 2 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and ROOT-RM.
De La Rosa is 6-10 with a 5.48 ERA in his appearances against the Dodgers, and goes up against a quality Los Angeles offense which is batting .260 this season. Nolan Arenado (.289, 26 Rs, 13 HRs, 37 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Nicasio is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA when pitching against the Rockies. He takes on a good Colorado offense which is hitting .266 this season. Adrian Gonzalez (.339, 34 Rs, 10 HRs, 35 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Dodgers, going 4 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Los Angeles is favored (-180) over Colorado and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at nine runs. The Rockies have an overall money line of -212 and a record as the underdog of 17-18. Colorado has gone 7-2 in its last 10 as underdog. Colorado’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 6.0 against fellow NL West members, compared to its 5.0 season average.
As for their opponent, Los Angeles is coming in with an overall money line of +178 and an impressive record of 27-17 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 5-2 record, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is good for third in the NL. The Dodgers can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking second in the league with 68 home runs. Los Angeles is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 3.7 per game. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Dodgers are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.17 for the season.
The Dodgers have controlled the season series, 8-2. The Rockies have a 19-19 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Nicasio takes the mound. De La Rosa (RHP) will be on the hill against the Dodgers, who have a very good 28-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
Colorado 7-2-1 SU in its last 10 games.
Colorado is 4-10-1 SU in its last 15 games, at home.
Colorado is 2-11-1 SU in their last 14 games, when playing LA Dodgers.
Colorado is 1-3-1 SU in their last 5 games, when playing at home against LA Dodgers.
When leading after 7 innings, Los Angeles is 9-9, while Colorado is 8-9.
The Rockies managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Dodgers who are coming in with a 15-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Rockies are 3-18. The Dodgers have a 3-13 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking eighth in home runs, Colorado has hit 55 this season. Los Angeles ranks second with 68 home runs.
Ranking seventh, Los Angeles is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.58 per game. Colorado ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.12.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Los Angeles has an OPS of .789 this season. Colorado ranks fifth with an OPS of .739.
The Dodgers are 13-14 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rockies are 8-17 when they allow at least one homer.
