Rockies Ready to Broom Los Angeles Dodgers
Troy Tulowitzki is a one-man show and the Colorado Rockies are in position to sweep the Dodgers today at Chavez Ravine with Los Angeles the MLB odds favorites.
The hits just keep on coming for Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies.
Tulowitzki popped a first inning home run in Friday's series opener at the Los Angeles Dodgers, then added two more in the second game of the set on Saturday. The Colorado shortstop has now hit 14 long balls this month.
His 12th of the month on Friday helped the Rockies to a 7-5 victory. Colorado closed as 135 MLB odds favorites behind ace Ubaldo Jimenez who picked up his 19th win of the 2010 campaign.
Saturday's 12-2 win as 125 chalk lifted the Rocks to just a game behind the Padres in the NL West, with the Giants between Colorado and San Diego.Francisco. The Rockies trail Atlanta by 2½-games for the NL wild card entering Sunday.
Colorado might just have the two best young position players in all of baseball in Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Tulo is hitting over .350 since Aug. 1, and has 33 RBI in 17 September games to go with his 14 dingers. Gonzalez, who is nursing a sore right wrist and thumb, was batting a robust .460 this month heading into today's series finale and led his red-hot teammate Tulowitzki by 13 points in the NL batting title race.
The pair will face Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw (16-14, 2.85) in Sunday afternoon's series finale. Los Angeles opened as 140 chalk for the game at Bookmaker.com.
It will be Kershaw's fourth assignment versus the Rockies this season with the Dodgers victorious in the previous four. Two of the four starts came at Chavez Ravine with Kershaw tossing scoreless baseball in his 15 innings combined. The Dodgers were slight 105 underdogs in LA on May 9 when they haded Jimenez his first loss of the season in a two-zip contest. Los Angeles was pronounced 165 chalk on Aug. 17 in a 6-0 win.
Jason Hammel (16-11, 4.45) will be making his third go against the Dodgers this season with Colorado winners in the other two. The right-hander worked into the sixth inning in LA on Aug. 29, allowing two runs and striking out seven in the Rockies' 10-5 triumph.
The weatherman is calling for partly cloudy skies and no chance of rain in the Los Angeles area for Sunday afternoon. Thermometers should tickle 80ºF at their warmest with westerly winds at 8-10 mph (3B across to 1B).
Tim Welke should have plate duty for Sunday's finale. Now in his 28th MLB season, Welke has been fairly level between home teams and visitors on the season, 17-14 in favor of the home squads for a loss of about a third of a unit.
He's been prone to the 'over' at an 18-11-2 clip, including 9-4-1 with a 'total' set at eight or less. Four have his last five plate assignments have finished above the closing number.
Both teams take Monday off before beginning new series on Tuesday. The Dodgers will remain at home and start a huge set with the Padres. Clayton Richard (15-15, 3.70) is on tap for San Diego in Tuesday's opener; Los Angeles counters with Chad Billingsley (14-14, 3.55).
The Rockies will make the short trek from LA to Phoenix and open a series with the Diamondbacks. Jorge De La Rosa (11-7, 4.25) gets the call for Jim Tracy's troops opposite Joe Saunders (2-8, 4.88) for Arizona.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
Troy Tulowitzki is a one-man show and the Colorado Rockies are in position to sweep the Dodgers today at Chavez Ravine with Los Angeles the MLB odds favorites.
The hits just keep on coming for Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies.
Tulowitzki popped a first inning home run in Friday's series opener at the Los Angeles Dodgers, then added two more in the second game of the set on Saturday. The Colorado shortstop has now hit 14 long balls this month.
His 12th of the month on Friday helped the Rockies to a 7-5 victory. Colorado closed as 135 MLB odds favorites behind ace Ubaldo Jimenez who picked up his 19th win of the 2010 campaign.
Saturday's 12-2 win as 125 chalk lifted the Rocks to just a game behind the Padres in the NL West, with the Giants between Colorado and San Diego.Francisco. The Rockies trail Atlanta by 2½-games for the NL wild card entering Sunday.
Colorado might just have the two best young position players in all of baseball in Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Tulo is hitting over .350 since Aug. 1, and has 33 RBI in 17 September games to go with his 14 dingers. Gonzalez, who is nursing a sore right wrist and thumb, was batting a robust .460 this month heading into today's series finale and led his red-hot teammate Tulowitzki by 13 points in the NL batting title race.
The pair will face Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw (16-14, 2.85) in Sunday afternoon's series finale. Los Angeles opened as 140 chalk for the game at Bookmaker.com.
It will be Kershaw's fourth assignment versus the Rockies this season with the Dodgers victorious in the previous four. Two of the four starts came at Chavez Ravine with Kershaw tossing scoreless baseball in his 15 innings combined. The Dodgers were slight 105 underdogs in LA on May 9 when they haded Jimenez his first loss of the season in a two-zip contest. Los Angeles was pronounced 165 chalk on Aug. 17 in a 6-0 win.
Jason Hammel (16-11, 4.45) will be making his third go against the Dodgers this season with Colorado winners in the other two. The right-hander worked into the sixth inning in LA on Aug. 29, allowing two runs and striking out seven in the Rockies' 10-5 triumph.
The weatherman is calling for partly cloudy skies and no chance of rain in the Los Angeles area for Sunday afternoon. Thermometers should tickle 80ºF at their warmest with westerly winds at 8-10 mph (3B across to 1B).
Tim Welke should have plate duty for Sunday's finale. Now in his 28th MLB season, Welke has been fairly level between home teams and visitors on the season, 17-14 in favor of the home squads for a loss of about a third of a unit.
He's been prone to the 'over' at an 18-11-2 clip, including 9-4-1 with a 'total' set at eight or less. Four have his last five plate assignments have finished above the closing number.
Both teams take Monday off before beginning new series on Tuesday. The Dodgers will remain at home and start a huge set with the Padres. Clayton Richard (15-15, 3.70) is on tap for San Diego in Tuesday's opener; Los Angeles counters with Chad Billingsley (14-14, 3.55).
The Rockies will make the short trek from LA to Phoenix and open a series with the Diamondbacks. Jorge De La Rosa (11-7, 4.25) gets the call for Jim Tracy's troops opposite Joe Saunders (2-8, 4.88) for Arizona.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
