Colorado Rockies to face Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: David Dahl #26 of the Colorado Rockies is tagged out at second by Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after he is caught stealing in the fourth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on October 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: David Dahl #26 of the Colorado Rockies is tagged out at second by Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after he is caught stealing in the fourth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium on October 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

The rivalry between the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers will get a primetime slot early in the 2018 baseball season.

After tying for the National League West title last season and needing a Game 163 to decide the division winner, the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers will renew their competition for the division title during the first weekend of April at Coors Field. Colorado’s home opener is slated against the Dodgers on Friday, April 5 at 2:10 p.m. (Mountain time), followed by a Saturday night matchup between the two teams, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

On Sunday, the matchup will draw ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage, marking the first time the first time the Rockies have been on Sunday Night Baseball since August 14, 2011, when they lost at St. Louis. In fact, according to our own Jake Shapiro, the Rockies have made just two Sunday Night Baseball appearances since the start of the 2005 season. The other also came on the road, on July 13, 2008, when the Rockies suffered an 8-0 loss against the New York Mets.

The last time Sunday Night Baseball came to Denver was on July 22, 2001, when the Rockies lost to the Dodgers 9-8.

The Rockies are 5-6 overall in the franchise’s 11 appearances on Sunday Night Baseball through the years.

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Colorado received plenty of national attention last postseason by winning the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field over the Chicago Cubs before losing in the National League Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, an early-season Sunday Night game on ESPN will give the country an early look at Colorado’s Silver Slugger left side of the infield (Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story) and bring an even more festive atmosphere to Opening Weekend at 20th and Blake.

Last season, both the Rockies and Dodgers finished the regular season with 91-71 marks before Los Angeles claimed the National League West with a 5-2 decision at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers hosted Game 163 because they held the edge in regular-season matchups against the Rockies last year, winning 12 of the 19 encounters.

Could this be the year Colorado claims its first-ever National League West title? Every game against the Dodgers is pivotal toward reaching that goal, and the nation will be watching the two teams battle on the second Sunday night of the 2019 MLB season.

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