Los Angeles @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( May 17, 2015 ) Colorado 0, LA Dodgers 1

The Colorado Rockies took advantage of two of the National League’s most inept offenses in order to complete a 5-1 road trip last week. The Rockies will find another struggling offensive unit awaiting them when they return to Denver and kick off a 10-game homestand on Monday with the first of four contests against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Colorado, which has won seven of eight overall, started its recent surge by taking the final two games of a four-game home set versus San Francisco before claiming two of three against the NL’s second-lowest scoring team in Cincinnati. The Rockies carried that success into Philadelphia, giving up a total of four runs to the worst offense in the majors to complete their first road sweep of the Phillies in their 24-year team history. The Dodgers, who led the NL in runs scored just over two weeks ago, ended a franchise-worst streak of getting shut out in four straight road games with Saturday’s 5-1 win in St. Louis, but could mount only two hits in Sunday’s 3-1 setback versus the Cardinals. Los Angeles has won seven of its nine meetings with Colorado this season, including both contests during a snow-shortened two-game set at Coors Field from May 8-10.

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, SportsNet Los Angeles, ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 3.86 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Kyle Kendrick (2-6, 6.38)

Kershaw flashed his three-time NL Cy Young Award-winning form for the first time this season on Tuesday, yielding only four hits and striking out 10 over seven frames in an 8-0 home win versus Atlanta. The four-time All-Star has already faced Colorado three times over his first 10 turns, going 2-0 despite a 4.42 ERA while fanning 27 over 18 1/3 innings. Carlos Gonzalez (6-for-33, two homers) and Troy Tulowitzki (15-for-60, three homers) are among the Rockies that have seen the most of Kershaw, who is 15-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 29 career starts against them.

Kendrick ended a streak of six straight losing decisions and won for the first time in nine outings Wednesday in Cincinnati despite giving up a pair of homers and four runs over 7 1/3 innings. The 30-year-old Texan has been much better over his last four turns, however, allowing opponents to bat only .198 against him while trimming more than two runs off his season-high 8.73 ERA on May 3. Kendrick took a hard-luck loss at Los Angeles on May 17 despite permitting one run in seven frames, falling to 5-8 with a 6.28 ERA in his career against the Dodgers.

WALK-OFFS

1. Coors Field (12) is the only opposing venue in which Kershaw has allowed more than four home runs in his career.

2. Dodgers CF Joc Pederson’s 13th homer of the season on Sunday tied Orlando Cepeda (1958) for the second-highest total ever by an NL rookie through the end of May (Albert Pujols, 16 in 2001).

3. Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado went deep for the third time in four games on Sunday and is batting .429 with five homers and 14 RBIs over his last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 3, Rockies 2