Dodgers at Rockies
The Los Angeles Dodgers own the best record in the major leagues and have turned the National League West into a runaway as they prepare to square off with the Colorado Rockies for the second time in a week. After losing two of three at division rival Arizona, the Dodgers resume their seven-game road trip with the first of four in Colorado on Thursday night.
Los Angeles is 12 games clear of the second-place Rockies in the division and have won 11 in a row in the series, improving to 6-0 this season with a three-game sweep -- all via walk-off wins -- in Colorado last weekend. The Dodgers lost for only the second time in nine games Wednesday despite Cody Bellinger's 26th homer, which surpassed his total from last season. Colorado is sitting near the top of the tightly bunched wild-card chase after completing a 5-4 road trip with a 6-3 victory in San Francisco on Wednesday. David Dahl clubbed a grand slam and drove in five runs in the series finale and has three homers and nine RBIs during a four-game hitting streak.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Walker Buehler (8-1, 2.96 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Peter Lambert (2-0, 5.85)
The Rockies have nowhere to go but up against Buehler, who struck out a career-best 16 and limited them to two runs and three hits in a complete-game win on Friday. Improving to 4-0 over his last six outings, the 24-year-old has been spectacular in four starts this month, posting a 3-0 record and microscopic 0.87 ERA while striking out 42 and giving up three runs and 13 hits in 31 innings. Buehler has flustered Nolan Arenado and Ian Desmond, holding them to 6-for-37.
Lambert has not had an easy introduction to the majors, facing the Chicago Cubs twice and set to take on the Dodgers for the second time in six days as he prepares to make his fifth career start. The 22-year-old Californian did not factor in the decision in Los Angeles after giving up three runs and seven hits over five innings. That followed an ugly performance in which Lambert was hammered for eight runs and nine hits in three frames against San Diego.
WALK-OFFS
1. Dodgers OF Alex Verdugo was 6-for-14 with two homers and two doubles in last weekend's sweep.
2. Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon is 2-for-17 over the past five games but has scored 17 times in the last 13.
3. Bellinger became the fastest Dodger to reach 90 career homers, beating Mike Piazza by six fewer games.