Colorado @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2012 ) LA Dodgers 10, Colorado 8

The Los Angeles Dodgers have no margin for error in the National League wild-card race as they open a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday. The Dodgers are three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild card and can’t afford to stumble against one of the NL’s worst teams. Colorado has won four straight games but its next defeat will tie the franchise record of 95 losses in a season.

The Rockies have endured a tough season but rookies Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario have shown promise. Pacheco homered and had three RBIs in Thursday’s victory over the Chicago Cubs to raise his average to .309, tops among National League rookies. Rosario has two or more hits in six of his last seven games – he’s batting .593 during the stretch – and leads NL rookies with 27 homers. Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp has 27 homers in 100 career games against the Rockies. Los Angeles third baseman Luis Cruz has had three-hit outings in two of the last three games.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Jeff Francis (5-6, 5.54 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Joe Blanton (9-13, 4.86)

Francis has experienced five consecutive winless starts since defeating Los Angeles on Aug. 27. He threw five shutout innings of three-hit ball in that outing to improve his career mark to 6-4 against Los Angeles. Francis has a 3.30 ERA in 18 career starts against the Dodgers and is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in nine career starts in Los Angeles.

Blanton has just one victory in nine starts since joining the Dodgers - and it came against the Rockies on Aug. 29. He allowed three runs and 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings to improve to 2-0 in his career against Colorado. Blanton has a 5.11 ERA in four career outings against the Rockies. He has a 5.57 ERA since joining Los Angeles but allowed just one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last start, a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds.

WALK-OFFS

1. Kemp is batting .375 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 32 career at-bats against Francis.

2. Rockies OF Dexter Fowler, who hasn’t batted since last Saturday due to a wrist injury, underwent an MRI exam to determine the severity.

3. Dodgers OF Andre Ethier is batting just .214 against left-handers this season, but has a .308 mark in 26 career at-bats against Francis.