Los Angeles @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2010 ) Colorado 6, LA Dodgers 7
The Colorado Rockies are coming to the end of the line in their bid for a playoff spot.
The Rockies will be looking for a miracle when they open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Colorado dropped two of three to the San Francisco Giants over the weekend and have lost six of seven overall to fall four full games behind the San Diego Padres in the race for the National League wild card.
The Rockies are also 4 1/2 games behind the Giants in the NL West with just seven games remaining on the schedule.
It looked like Colorado was building some momentum for a late charge when it came from behind to defeat the Giants in extra innings on Saturday, but Matt Cain took a no hitter into the eighth on Sunday to lead San Francisco to a 4-2 victory.
The Dodgers were once players in the race as well, but a 26-41 record since the All-Star break has turned them into also-rans in the National League. They dropped two of three to the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend.
Ubaldo Jimenez will take another crack at his 20th win when he takes the mound for the Rockies on Monday.
The right-hander watched his ERA climb to 3.00 for the first time this season last week when he got knocked around for five runs on five hits in four innings at Arizona. Jimenez had allowed just seven home runs in his first 30 starts of 2010, but was touched for two against the Diamondbacks in addition to issuing four walks.
No longer the National League Cy Young Award favorite, Jimenez has allowed four runs or more in three of his last four starts, though he has won two of those outings with the help of his offense.
He earned a win over the Dodgers on Sept. 17 despite allowing four runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. In 15 career appearances - 14 starts - against Los Angeles, Jimenez owns a 6-5 career record with a 5.27 ERA.
The Dodgers will counter veteran Ted Lilly.
The left-hander started out on fire after being traded to Los Angeles in July, but has collapsed like the rest of his new team down the stretch, going 0-4 with a 6.91 ERA in his last five outings. Home runs have been a big problem, with Lilly yielding eight blasts in the last five starts and 31 this season.
His first loss during this stretch came against the Rockies on Aug. 29 when he was lit up for seven runs on nine hits - two homers - in four innings to suffer a loss. Lilly owns a 2-4 career record with a 4.85 ERA in eight games - six starts - against Colorado.