Colorado @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2019 ) Colorado 3, LA Dodgers 7

The Los Angeles Dodgers open their final home series of the regular season Friday against the Colorado Rockies still eyeing home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. With a day off following an extra-inning loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, the Dodgers own a 4 1/2-game lead over Atlanta for the best record in the NL and are two games back of Houston for the top mark in the majors.

They'll try to get back into the win column behind ace Clayton Kershaw, who is aiming to reach the 15-win mark for the sixth time in the past nine years. Cody Bellinger slugged his 45th home run for Los Angeles in Wednesday's loss, leaving him four behind Pete Alonso of the New York Mets for the major league lead with nine to play. One of those 45 blasts came against Rockies rookie Peter Lambert, who starts Friday opposite Kershaw. Colorado added another painful loss to its docket with a 7-4 setback to the Mets at home Wednesday afternoon, giving up four runs in the ninth.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Peter Lambert (3-6, 6.98 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (14-5, 3.05)

Lambert picked up the win Saturday against San Diego despite allowing five runs in five innings and walking three batters with zero strikeouts. Opponents are batting .316 against the 22-year-old and he's given up 17 home runs in 86 1/3 innings. Lambert was pounded for six runs in 1 2/3 innings at Dodger Stadium earlier this month and has an 11.12 ERA in three matchups on the year.

Since spinning seven scoreless innings at Miami on Aug. 14, Kershaw is 2-3 with a 5.08 ERA over a span of five starts. He defeated the Mets his last time out with 6 1/3 solid innings, although he walked three batters for the second straight time and he's issued an uncharacteristic 20 free passes in 54 1/3 innings over a nine-start span. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 22-8 with a 3.21 ERA in 41 career starts against the Rockies.

WALK-OFFS

1. Dodgers LH Rich Hill (knee) was scheduled to throw to hitters Friday and return to the rotation Tuesday in San Diego.

2. Los Angeles RH Kenley Jansen set a career high with his eighth blown save Wednesday.

3. Rockies 2B Garrett Hampson is 12-for-27 with nine runs scored over his last seven games.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 7, Rockies 3