Paul Maholm looks to turn around terrible homestand for Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers look to Paul Maholm to stop the bleeding of what has so far been an underwhelming homestand.

The Dodgers dropped the opener to the Rockies on Friday, and are now 3-5 in the first eight games of the 10-game homestand, and they've been outscored 35-28.

"Since that Arizona series [in Phoenix], we really haven't been very good," said manager Don Mattingly.

Since scoring 22 runs in a three-game sweep in Phoenix, the Dodgers have scored 33 runs in 11 games and are hitting .224/.275/.374 as a team.

They are hitting .221/.267/.382 as a team on the homestand, but then again their opponents are hitting just .224/.287/.350. Perhaps its the close games, as the Dodgers have dropped three extra-inning games in the last eight days, and have dropped both one-run contests during the homestand.

"We just have to continue to get better, and continue to grind it out. In baseball in general you're going to get stretches where it's not good for a period of time, like this," Mattingly said. "Then the next thing you know you bounce out of it and everybody talks about how good your offense is."

Dodgers starters have a 2.50 ERA on the homestand while the bullpen has a 4.55 ERA. Though the starters have also allowed six unearned runs, so if we're comparing total runs allowed it's 20 runs in 50⅓ innings against the starters, and 15 runs in 27⅔ innings against the bullpen.

Maholm will try to do something he hasn't done in seven years: beat Colorado.

Maholm is 1-8 in with a 6.63 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rockies, with 41 strikeouts, 17 walks and eight home runs allowed in 58 innings. Most of that damage has been done at Coors Field, with seven career starts in Denver, but even in his three starts against the Rockies outside of Colorado Maholm has a 5.28 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP.

The Rockies' two big stars have feasted on Maholm. Troy Tulowitzki is 10-for-22 (.455) with four doubles and two home runs against him, while Carlos Gonzalez is 6-for-14 (.429) with two home runs and two doubles.

Juan Nicasio is 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA in four starts so far this season with the Rockies, with 20 strikeouts and five walks.

Andre Ethier is 8-for-14 (.571) with a home run, a double and four walks against Nicasio. Matt Kemp is 4-for-13 (.308) with two home runs and a triple, and Hanley Ramirez is 6-for-11 (.545) with two doubles. Juan Uribe is 3-for-15 (.200) with a double, and Adrian Gonzalez is 1-for-7 (.143), but that one hit is a home run.

Nicasio is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium, with 30 strikeouts and six walks in 29 innings.

"Confidence is so important amongst the club. You don't talk about it, but you have to believe it in there. It's got to be a part of your fabric," Mattingly said. "We may be down but we're coming out of it, and someone's going to pay."

Game info

Time: 6:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA