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3 trends the Colorado Rockies need to continue against the Dodgers

By Kevin Henry

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez #54 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on August 20, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The Astros defeated the Rockies for the fourth straight game, winning 10-8. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez #54 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on August 20, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The Astros defeated the Rockies for the fourth straight game, winning 10-8. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 16: Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez #54 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field with the medical staff after getting hit in the hand on a ground ball that ended the game in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on August 16, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Rangers 10-6. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 16: Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez #54 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field with the medical staff after getting hit in the hand on a ground ball that ended the game in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on August 16, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Rangers 10-6. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have lost nine of their last 11 games. Now they must head to Los Angeles to face a Dodgers team this weekend that holds the best record in the National League.

It’s not the best time for the Colorado Rockies to hit the road for three games at Chavez Ravine followed by four games in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, in a stretch where there is no off day for the Rockies until September 3, the team has nowhere to go but forward.

So what needs to happen for the Rockies to right the ship in southern California this weekend? Let’s look at three trends that need to continue for Colorado against the Dodgers.

Bullpen contributions

After starting pitcher German Marquez gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in five innings on Thursday afternoon against Houston at Coors Field, Colorado’s bullpen shut down the Astros for the final four frames to give the Rockies a chance to rally.

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Joe Harvey, Tyler Kinley, and Carlos Estevez threw four hitless frames and didn’t walk a batter. It was an especially tremendous outing for Estevez, who returned to the bullpen after narrowly avoiding injury when a comebacker struck the back of his hand on Sunday as he nailed down a victory against Texas.

With the back end of Colorado’s bullpen in flux after recent struggles by Jairo Diaz, Estevez could play a key role for the Rockies in the coming days, including in Los Angeles. He and the rest of the Rockies bullpen have to return to the form they showed early in the season when Colorado raced to an 11-3 mark.

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