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The Dodgers host the Rockies for three games this weekend at Dodger Stadium, in what at the moment would be a preview of a wild card round matchup.
Colorado comes in as the No. 8 seed in the National League at 18-19. Within the division, the Rockies are nearly as far behind the second-place Padres (four games) as San Diego is behind the Dodgers (six games). Given how the playoff seeding works, with the top six seeds reserved for first- and second-place finishers, it seems — at the moment anyway — that Colorado’s ceiling is a No. 7 seed.
Several teams are bunched together on the lower end of the playoff scale, with the Rockies two games behind the fifth-best record in the NL (Phillies, 18-15) and two games ahead of the 12th-best NL record (Reds, 16-21).
The Rockies need wins to solidify their postseason chances, which entering Friday stood at 34.9 percent per FanGraphs and 31.4 percent per Baseball Prospectus. Victories have been scarce for them of late at Dodger Stadium, where they have lost 16 of their last 17 games.
Dodgers-Rockies schedule
| Date | Time | Pitchers |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Pitchers |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 6:40 p.m. | May v. Senzatela |
| Sat, Sep 5 | 6:10 p.m. | Gonsolin v. Márquez |
| Sun, Sep 6 | 7:10 p.m. | Urías v. Gray* |
The Dodgers swept the Rockies just two weeks ago in Los Angeles, though Colorado has recovered to win five of nine games since to remain in contention for October baseball.
Colorado will send three right-handed starters to the mound this weekend, which usually is good news for the Dodgers, who’ve hit .258/.336/.504 with the most home runs (59) and highest wRC+ (126) in MLB against righties this season.
It will also mean more playing time for Joc Pederson and Gavin Lux as they try to turn around their individual seasons. Lux is just 2-for-17 (.118) with a double and seven strikeouts. It’s only been five games, so not too much to draw on, and manager Dave Roberts said Lux would start all three games this weekend.
Pederson is hitting just .189/.298/.389, and he’s hitless in his last 12 at-bats. His batted ball data, per Baseball Savant, suggests an expected .250 batting average and .473 slugging percentage, so perhaps he hasn’t been as bad as it seems.
Pederson has started all 28 games against right-handed pitchers this season, with 93 percent of his plate appearances coming against righties.
Game info
Time: 6:40 p.m. PT
TV: SportsNet LA