Dodgers @ Rockies August 30, 2016: Hill vs. Anderson

Dodgers
Rockies
5:40 p.m. PT
Colorado
LF
Hernandez
CF
 Blackmon
2B
Kendrick
2B
 LeMahieu
3B
Turner
3B
Arenado
1B
Segedin
RF
Gonzalez
C
 Ruiz
C
Hundley
RF
 Reddick
LF
Dahl
SS
 Culberson 1B Cardullo
CF
Toles
SS
Adames
P
Hill (L)
P
Anderson (L)

For Rich Hill, the followup to his excellent Dodger debut will be something of a test. Hill relies heavily on two main pitches: a fastball and a curveball. However, Coors Field is notorious for making normally effective curveballs more likely to hang, so it will be worth keeping an eye on Hill’s pitch usage and seeing how he handles this potential issue.

Hill’s three career starts at Coors Field occurred in 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. That was a long time ago, though, and Hill was a very different pitcher then. Thus, we probably shouldn’t consider those starts — nor Hill’s 8.80 ERA in them — particularly relevant today.

Rockies rookie Tyler Anderson faced the Dodgers earlier this month in Colorado, and he was very good, allowing just two runs in seven innings of work (6 H, 2 BB, 6 K). In 14 starts this season, Anderson has a 3.69 ERA (3.65 FIP) through 83 IP, and the Rockies are exactly .500 in those games.

Anderson’s 53.6% ground ball rate is well above league average (44.9%). He’s struck out batters at a rate of 22.6% (8.35 K/9) and walked batters at a rate of 5.9% (2.17 BB/9). The 26-year-old southpaw throws a five-pitch mix, featuring a plus changeup. His most-used pitch is his fourseam fastball, which averages 92 MPH and tops out around 95 MPH. He also throws a cutter, a sinker, and, on rare occasions, a curveball.

Anderson will face … a lineup. Hooo boy, that is some kind of lineup right there. It’s righty-heavy, sure, but that only explains so much. For instance, what’s up with starting Josh Reddick versus a lefty and not Joc Pederson (again), if only because of the defensive advantage Joc gives you?

Corey Seager, who was hit by pitches twice yesterday, is not in today’s lineup, though that was the plan all along. Rob Segedin, who made 31 starts at first base in the minors this year, will make his first start there for the big club (and is batting cleanup!). And Carlos Ruiz, noted good-OPS-against-lefties haver, will make his second Dodgers start.

In other Dodger news, here’s a sight for sore eyes:

It’s so beautiful.

What’s next for Clayton Kershaw, though?

Hm. Got anything to add, Andrew Friedman?

Yeah, that’d probably make a lot more sense.

Oh, and these guys threw sim games, too.

Casey “This Is” Fien is back, and Pedro Baez is off to Tulsa (but he’ll likely be back when the minor-league season ends).

A couple of notes on Julio Urías.

Finally, there was this tidbit from Jon Heyman, that should come as a shock to no one:

We still don’t know who the #mysteryteam is at this point (though this guy says it’s the Red Sox), and we may never know, since nothing may come of it. But it isn’t at all surprising that some team out there is interested in Yasiel Puig, considering his talent, his potential, and the fact that the Dodgers’ asking price has to have taken something of a hit with the various recent dramas surrounding the outfielder.

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About Sarah Wexler

Sarah Wexler is a native Angeleno and longtime Dodger fan. She began blogging about baseball in 2012 on her Tumblr, New Grass On The Field, where she covered an array of topics but especially enjoyed exploring baseball history. She is now a reporter/producer for MLB.com. She earned her master's degree in Sports Management from Cal State Long Beach. She graduated from New York University in 2014 with a bachelor's in History and a minor in American Studies. She's an avid Springsteen fan, which is a big boost to her baseball writer cred.