Colorado @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 29, 2018 ) Colorado 3, LA Dodgers 1

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is playing with a sense of urgency during this weekend’s three-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers and imploring his teammates to do the same. The three-time All-Star set the tone with a solo homer in Friday’s 3-1 victory and will be in the spotlight again Saturday night.

Pat Valaika and Chris Iannetta also homered while Tyler Anderson tossed eight shutout innings as the Rockies won their second straight following a four-game losing streak. “You can’t continue to say we’ve got a lot of games left,” Arenado told reporters. “We were saying we have a lot of games left in April, we were saying we have a lot of games left in May and we’re about to be in July. We’ve got to start winning ballgames. It starts with looking ourselves in the mirror and trying to make a change.” The Rockies are in fourth place in the National League West, seven games back of the first-place Dodgers, who set a franchise record for home runs in a single month with 54 when Justin Turner went deep in the ninth inning Friday. Turner is 5-for-10 with two homers in his last three games, but second baseman Logan Forsythe is hitless in his last 23 at-bats.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (5-8, 5.53 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (5-4, 3.44)

Marquez’s dismal month continued last Sunday when he allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to Miami. The 23-year-old has given up a total of 25 runs (24 earned) in five starts in June covering 25 1/3 innings this month, and his ERA has climbed from 4.21 to 5.53 during that span. Cody Bellinger is 1-for-12 with three strikeouts against Marquez, who has gone 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in four career starts versus the Dodgers.

Maeda bounced back from a rough outing against the Chicago Cubs by holding them scoreless over seven innings in last Monday’s rematch. The 30-year-old native of Japan recorded nine strikeouts in the 2-1 victory and has fanned 80 batters in 68 innings. Maeda owns a 5-2 record and 2.11 ERA in eight career games (six starts) against Colorado but has struggled to keep catcher Chris Iannetta (3-for-8, two home runs) in the ballpark.

WALK-OFFS

1. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has converted his last 19 save opportunities.

2. Colorado has won six of its past eight games at Dodger Stadium.

3. The Dodgers optioned RHP Walker Buehler to High-A Rancho Cucamonga so he can be stretched out as a starter following a stint on the disabled list.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 7, Rockies 4