Los Angeles @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 3, Colorado 1
The Colorado Rockies are down to their last gasp.
The Rockies will be looking to keep hope alive when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers again on Tuesday.
It looked like another late-season surge would have Colorado back atop either the wild card or the NL West division by now, but after going 13-2 from Sept. 3-18, the Rockies have fallen off a cliff.
A 3-1 loss on Monday night dropped them to 1-7 in their last eight games and 4 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves in the race for the National League wild card.
The San Francisco Giants lead the NL West, five games in front of Colorado.
One of the best home teams in baseball all season due to an offense that has averaged nearly six runs per game at Coors Field, the Rockies have dropped three of their last four at home while scoring a total of four runs in the three setbacks.
They managed only four hits against Ted Lilly on Monday, getting a solo homer from Carlos Gonzalez to account for the lone run.
Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, who figure to be vying with each other for the National League MVP Award had the Rockies continued their September run, are now looking up at Cincinnati’s Joey Votto and St. Louis’ Albert Pujols.
Colorado will try to keep its season alive behind rookie Jhoulys Chacin on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old right-hander has been the Rockies’ best pitcher of late, allowing a total of six runs in his last seven outings. He surrendered just two runs and three hits in seven innings last week against the Giants, but suffered the loss in the 2-1 setback.
He has beaten the Dodgers twice during his run, yielding one run in 15 innings, including eight scoreless frames at Los Angeles on Sept. 18. In six career appearances against the Dodgers - five starts - Chacin owns a 3-2 record with a 2.73 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 33 innings.
Countering for Los Angeles will be left-hander Clayton Kershaw.
The 22-year-old has allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts, with the lone dud coming against the Rockies on Sept. 19. Kershaw allowed six runs - four earned - and walked four in four innings in that outing.
But the Dallas native rebounded last time out, allowing one run and four hits in eight innings to earn a win at the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He has already faced Colorado 13 times in his young career, posting a 5-3 record with a 3.63 ERA.