Rockies at Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers could not have asked for much more than what Gavin Lux gave them in his much-anticipated big-league debut, but what they may not have anticipated was several of his teammates doing their best to overshadow him. Coming off one of their most explosive offensive outbursts of the season, the Dodgers hope to keep it going Tuesday when they continue their three-game set at home against the Colorado Rockies.
Considered the organization's top prospect and ranked ninth overall among all major-league prospects per MLB Pipeline after batting .347 with 26 homers in 113 minor-league games this season, Lux finished 2-for-5 with three runs scored just hours after he was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Not to be outdone, Joc Pederson went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs, Chris Taylor had three hits and a pair of blasts and Corey Seager drove in four while joining two other Dodgers with homers in a 16-9 rout. Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story went deep in the opener, but it wasn't nearly enough for Colorado to avoid a seventh consecutive loss. The Rockies have dropped 11 of 14 meetings this season against the National League West-leading Dodgers, who maintained their 18-game division lead and 4 1/2-game edge over Atlanta for the best record in the NL.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-6, 8.07 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Julio Urias (4-3, 2.53)
Gonzalez was only able to retire two batters in his shortest start of the season after he was pounded for seven runs on seven hits and a walk in a loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. "It was a terrible outing. I didn't give my team a chance to win. The few times I threw a slider, it was like a slow fastball. The second pitch of the game, I gave up a home run. I missed spots and continued to miss spots," the 27-year-old told reporters afterward. Gonzalez settled for a no-decision June 30 against the Dodgers after yielding three runs in four frames.
Urias is expected to pitch no more than three innings after he was reinstated from the restricted list following a 20-game suspension for a domestic violence allegation. The team's former top pitching prospect last appeared in relief at Atlanta on Aug. 16, working three scoreless innings to earn his fourth save, and is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in six starts this season. Arenado (6-for-8, three doubles, one triple) and Charlie Blackmon (4-for-6) have tormented Urias, who owns a 4.82 ERA in three 2019 appearances (two starts) against Colorado.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pederson exited the game after crashing into the outfield wall while robbing Blackmon of a home run in the fifth inning. He was later diagnosed with an abdominal bruise and is considered day-to-day.
2. Colorado 1B Daniel Murphy doubled three times in five at-bats Monday and is batting .378 against the Dodgers this season.
3. Los Angeles has scored nine or more runs against the Rockies seven times and is averaging 7.8 runs against them in 2019.