Colorado Rockies: Los Angeles Dodgers Series Preview

As the month of August winds down, we look ahead to the Colorado Rockies next opponent, the LA Dodgers, and the importance of this series. This series comes at a good time for the Rockies as they have played much better at home and seem to be playing up against their competition when a division leader comes onto the schedule. The Rockies are 32-31 at home this year, and they have recently taken series from both the Cubs and the Nationals twice.

Here is what the Colorado Rockies need to do to continue the trend of beating division leaders.

1. Take pressure off Hoffman and score runs early.

Jeff Hoffman’s ERA really does not reflect how well he has pitched in his first two games. He has 10 innings pitched and a 8.10 ERA. Getting your first win in the big leagues is one of the hardest things a pitcher can do, so why not make it easy on the guy and put up five-plus runs in the first.

If the Rockies can strike early against Ross Stripling and give Hoffman some breathing room, pitch count depending, I can see Hoffman pitching six or seven strong innings.

2. Have Jon Gray return to form.

Gray has not won a game since the Rockies beat the Dodgers on August 2. His last start against the Brewers proved to be a good one, but the team could not finish off Milwaukee. This is the time of the year to really prove to the front office that you are our ace and that come next season, we want you on the mound opening day.

3. The offense needs to score enough to make our bullpen irrelevant.

It has been a rough go for the Rockies bullpen the second half of this season, making our run support more and more important as the season winds down. This series is also a good opportunity for the offense to show what you can do and what you bring to the team before the roster expands and we see minor league stars added to the big league roster.

4. Keep in mind that not only will this help our wildcard resume, but can help to spoil the Dodgers chance to win the NL West.

Nothing makes a Rockies fan smile more than to see the failure of the Dodgers, and this could be a good opportunity to watch them drop out of first with a series sweep at Coors. However, the unfortunate part of that is if the Dodgers do fall from first, the Giants are the ones who would take their spot. Pick your poison at that point.

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This series poses many great opportunities for the Rockies. They can take another series against a division leading ball club. They can tighten the gap between them and the second Wild Card team. And finally our 25-man roster can show off their talents before the dugout gets a little crowded come September 1^st.

Next: Colorado Rockies: Rate the Rockies Bullpen, Part 2

I expect another dominant outing out of Jon Gray, an early exit for the recently DL returned Rich Hill of the Dodgers, and Jeff Hoffman getting his first big league win on Sunday.