Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Five Players To Watch

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Apr 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA: General view of Dodger Stadium entrance sign during ceremony to rename Elysian Park Avenue to Vin Scully Avenue in honor of Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Scully, who is retiring after 67 years after the 2016 season. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Coming off a series where the Colorado Rockies took three of four games in San Francisco for the first time in franchise history from the Giants, the Rockies were rewarded with their first off day of the season.

After resting up on Monday, the Rockies now face the task of taking the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine for the first time in 2017. Colorado took two of three meetings from the Dodgers in their first encounter of the season at Coors Field from April 7-9.

In Tuesday’s series opener, Colorado is expected to send left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-1, 5.91 ERA) to the hill against southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-2, 5.79 ERA). The two squared off on April 7 in the home opener at Coors Field, which was also Freeland’s Major League debut. Freeland earned the win by throwing six innings of four-hit baseball and allowing just one run. Ryu certainly didn’t throw poorly in taking the loss that day, allowing just two runs and six hits in 4.2 innings of work.

On Wednesday in the finale of the two-game series, Tyler Anderson (1-2, 8.59 ERA) is tentatively slated to start for the Rockies against Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 2.53 ERA). Anderson, a left-hander, gave up five hits and five runs against the Dodgers on April 9. Kershaw, meanwhile, was tagged for four runs and eight hits on April 8 as the Rockies registered three home runs against him in a 4-2 Colorado win.

So who are five players who will be key for the Rockies during these two big games against the Dodgers? Let’s take a look…

Apr 12, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

The biggest question with Kyle Freeland is this: Which version of the rookie left-hander will we see against the Dodgers? He started his career by handcuffing Los Angeles as we discussed on the previous page. During that game, he also walked just two while striking out six.

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However, his follow-up outing against the San Diego Padres was not as strong. In just 4.2 innings, the 23-year-old gave up six runs and eight hits. He also didn’t show the control he did in his debut, walking three while striking out just two.

What was the biggest difference? Against the Dodgers, Freeland was able to avoid trouble. Against the Padres, he wasn’t. In both games, he faced a situation where the bases were loaded early. In his debut, he induced a groundout to short-circuit Los Angeles. Against San Diego, the Padres jumped on him for four early runs, including back-to-back doubles to open the game and a homer later in the frame.

If Freeland can keep the Dodgers off balance as he did in his first outing, he’ll do well. However, Los Angeles has seen him once and they will be more familiar with what he’s bringing to the mound.

What to watch: Can Freeland keep his pitch count down and not issue free passes to Los Angeles batters? That will tell a lot about how successful he is.

Apr 9, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson (44) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Let’s be perfect honest … Tyler Anderson hasn’t looked like the Tyler Anderson of 2016 so far this season. In his three outings, Anderson has surrendered 14 runs in 14.2 innings. Part of that can be attributed to the 18 hits he’s given up in his outings. Opponents are hitting .305 against him this season. He’s averaged 88.67 pitches per appearance … and has never reached the sixth inning yet. That has to change.

Another thing that has to change is Anderson’s ability to get crucial outs at crucial times. So far in 2017, opponents have tagged the 27-year-old with a 22.09 ERA when there are runners in scoring position. Teams are hitting .412 during those opportune moments.

So what’s the key for Anderson? Getting ahead in the count. When he gets ahead, opponents are hitting .136 against him. When he’s behind, that number balloons to .357. His ERA also jumps from 2.70 to 10.80.

What to watch: Can Tyler Anderson get Justin Turner out? In 2016, Turner hit 6-for-9 against Anderson. This season, he’s 1-for-3 with a two-run double. That’s 7-for-12 over two seasons and a sure sign that Turner is a trouble spot that needs to be erased for Anderson to succeed.

Apr 7, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu (9) fields a ground ball during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

DJ LeMahieu is getting hot at the right time … and that’s a great sign for a Rockies offense that has been looking for a kickstart in the season’s early stages.

Since dipping to a .171 average in the series finale against San Diego on April 12, LeMahieu has been on a tear. In the four-game series in San Francisco, LeMahieu went 8-for-15 to raise his average to .280 for the season.

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When the Dodgers came to Coors Field earlier this month, LeMahieu went just 3-for-10 and saw his season average plummet to .087. Don’t forget, this is last season’s Major League Baseball batting champion we’re talking about here.

But that was then and this is now, right? LeMahieu seems to have found his stroke at the plate once again. He’s also doing some pretty darn amazing things in the field, as can be seen by this defensive highlight from Sunday’s win over San Francisco. Yes, Rockies fans are used to seeing this from LeMahieu … but that doesn’t mean they get tired of seeing it.

What to watch: Can LeMahieu start racking up some big hits when they matter most? So far this season, he is 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Mar 13, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Tony Wolters (14) catches a fly ball in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

With Tom Murphy on the shelf thanks to a broken forearm, it was expected that Tony Wolters would get the lion’s share of the work behind the plate in the month of April. That, however, has not been the case.

Dustin Garneau has earned plenty of reps behind the plate, thanks in part to some impressive numbers in the slugging percentage and hard-hit ball categories as was pointed out in this article. So what has that done to Wolters? It’s kept him on the bench perhaps more than expected.

Wolters saw action in just one game against the Dodgers at Coors Field. However, it was his best day of the season at the plate. The 24-year-old went 2-for-3 and added a walk, scoring three runs in Colorado’s 10-6 loss.

Since then, Wolters has gone just 3-for-13 at the plate. However, his ability to frame pitches and his defensive prowess behind the dish is an asset to the Rockies. No one is questioning that. It’s the same argument that was valid before the season began … Wolters can catch but does he have enough pop in his bat to make him an all-around weapon?

We’ll see how much Wolters plays in Los Angeles. However, seeing an offensive improvement from him would be a boost to Colorado’s lineup.

What to watch: It may be a limited sample, but if Wolters could play at home during the day every game, he would be an All-Star. He’s hitting .417 in day games versus .143 in night games while logging a .333 average at Coors Field versus .235 average on the road.

Apr 13, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) falls to the ground after being brushed back by San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40)(not pictured) in the third inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports /

Carlos Gonzalez is off to a rough start for the Colorado Rockies. His average for the season peaked at .209 during the San Francisco series but stands at .192 heading to Los Angeles.

With one homer and two RBI, it’s not hard to see where some of the sputtering from the Colorado offense has come from early in the season. Without CarGo being CarGo, it hasn’t been as easy to drive home Charlie Blackmon or set the table for Nolan Arenado.

CarGo’s current average includes being 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position so far this season. He’s also struck out six times in 24 at-bats so far to end the inning. He’s hitting just .167 with two outs so his ability to extend the inning hasn’t been there so far in 2017.

In his career, CarGo has more strikeouts (59) than hits (45) at Dodger Stadium. His .243 average isn’t great, but even that would be a plus for Colorado in this short series.

Next: The 5 Best Colorado Quotes from the Recent Homestand

What to watch: CarGo didn’t see action against Clayton Kershaw when the two teams met in Colorado. Will left-handed Gonzalez get a swing in against left-handed Kershaw in this series? The two haven’t faced each other since 2015 when CarGo went 2-for-6 against Kershaw.

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Coming off a series where the Colorado Rockies took three of four games in San Francisco for the first time in franchise history from the Giants, the Rockies were rewarded with their first off day of the season.

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