Dodgers head to Coors for final time this season

The Dodgers are in Colorado for their final series at Coors Field this season. A sigh of relief, perhaps, since it is one of the strangest ballparks in the majors.

It hasn’t been a good month for the Rockies. They are 5-17 in July and they are fresh out of a series loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The last time the Rox as much as tied a series was against the Dodgers exactly one month ago when they split the 4-game series at Coors Field.

The Dodgers are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they just earned another series victory over the Washington Nationals. The boys in blue are 8-2 in the season series against the NL West opponent, with both losses at Coors.

Game one: Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.81 ERA) vs. Jon Gray (9-7, 4.05 ERA)

Monday, July 29 - 5:40 p.m. PDT // TV: SportsNet LA

Kenta Maeda will get his last chance to earn a win in July on Monday against the Rockies. He’s 0-3 this month in five games and earned a loss in his last start versus the Angels. He pitched 4 ¹⁄₃ innings and allowed four hits, three runs (one earned) and two walks. The Japan native has career success at Coors Field, with a 5-1 record and 3.12 ERA in seven starts. In two games this season, he hasn’t allowed a home run at the home run ballpark.

Jon Gray will start on the mound in game one for the Rockies. He earned a win the last time he faced the Dodgers a month ago and hasn’t earned a win since. The right-handed pitcher left his last start early after being hit with a line drive, but he is good to go for Monday. In his last outing, he pitched four innings and allowed one run from four hits and five walks.

Game two: TBD vs. Kyle Freeland (2-8, 7.00 ERA)

Tuesday, July 30 - 5:40 p.m. PDT // TV: SportsNet LA

The Dodgers have not announced who will pitch on Tuesday after Ross Stripling was placed on the injured list earlier this week.

Kyle Freeland will look for his first win since April 18. In his last start, the 26-year-old threw six innings and only allowed one run (zero earned) to score in a tough loss to the Nationals. He is 2-3 in eight career starts against the Dodgers and hasn’t faced the team this year.

Game three: Hyun-Jin Ryu (11-2, 1.74 ERA) vs. German Márquez (10-5, 4.88 ERA)

Wednesday, July 31 - 12:10 p.m. PDT // TV: SportsNet LA

Hyun-Jin Ryu will make his last start of July on the last day of the month. The MLB ERA leader will try to redeem himself after his last start at Coors Field didn’t exactly go as planned. He went four innings and allowed seven earned runs from nine hits, including three home runs. The Korean Monster doesn’t have a great track record at Coors Field, with a 1-4 record and 9.15 ERA in his five career starts in Denver.

German Márquez is in the early stages of a hot streak, with his last two games being seven inning gems. This comes after the Giants ate him alive July 15, when he allowed 11 earned runs in just 2 ²⁄₃ innings. His last game against the Dodgers was a gem, but the Rockies couldn’t give him run support so he got a no decision. He pitched eighth innings and held LA to two runs (one earned), five hits and no walks.