Rockies @ Dodgers May 17, 2015: No, Really, These Are The Starting Pitchers

Mike Bolsinger! Kyle Kendrick! It’s tiiiiiiiimmme for Dodger baseball!

If that matchup sounds less than exciting, uh, well, hey, have you seen the new Avengers movie yet? That was fun.

Anyway, there’s baseball to be played, and while I’m not sure it really feels like it, the Dodgers are tied with the Astros for the biggest division lead in baseball, at 4.5 games over San Francisco, who are currently holding a 6-5 lead over Cincinnati in the fifth inning. That’s with three starters, part of a shortstop, almost zero Kenley Jansen, and two-thirds of the Opening Day outfield spending considerable time on the disabled list. It’s more than a little impressive, endless payroll aside.

Today, there’s what’s become something of a regular lineup. (Yes, with Jimmy Rollins hitting second again, sigh.) Justin Turner is at third; Alex Guerrero continues switching off with Scott Van Slyke in left. And the Rockies, who should have traded Troy Tulowitzki a year ago, are again without him in the lineup, giving Daniel Descalso another opportunity.

Kendrick, it should be noted, has a 7.65 ERA, but it’s not as bad as all that. His FIP is “only” 6.35! But if you wanted to go big on the arbitrary endpoints and toss out seven scoreless innings from Opening Day, that’s 9.27 ERA and 7.31 FIP in his last six starts. It’s the very movable object meeting the irresistible force, so to speak.

Expect two runs over 6.2 innings. Mark it.