Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers (97-64) won the second game of this three game series in Colorado by another wide margin, this time 13-2. The Rockies (61-100) couldn’t pitch or hit, and it resulted in their second consecutive 100 loss season. Additionally, the Phillies (94-67) lost to the Nationals yesterday, earning the Dodgers home field advantage throughout the postseason with the best record in baseball. Nothing is on the line in this game besides the usual desire to get out of Colorado healthy, especially with the Dodgers’ first postseason game coming next Saturday. The only thing keeping this one interesting is Shohei Ohtani still fighting Luis Arraez for the battling title. Anthony Banda will open the game for the Dodgers, while Ryan Feltner makes his final start of the year for the Rockies.
Ohtani really had no business being in the conversation for the batting title a few weeks ago, but now with one game to play, his .310 batting average trails just Arraez at .314. It’s a tough ask and there are a few ways it can play out but it looks like it’ll need a 4-4 or 4-5 performance from Ohtani, with Arraez either sitting or playing and going 0-3 or something similar. Ohtani’s past nine games have catapulted him into the race, going 26-39 with six home runs, six doubles, 20 runs batted in, and nine stolen bases. He leads the NL in home runs (54) by 15, RBI (130) by 18, and is just one great (and slightly lucky) day away from being the first NL Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937. Additionally, this will be Charlie Blackmon‘s final game, a four-time All Star and a member of the Rockies since 2011. He was always a thorn in the Dodgers’ side, and won a batting title of his own back in 2017.
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Feltner has had a solid campaign in his first full season with the Rockies, making his 30th start today. He has a 4.66 ERA, 4.20 FIP, and a 1.36 WHIP over 156.1 innings pitched, with 135 strikeouts to 50 walks. Nothing crazy as a whole, but that’s a very solid year for a guy who has to make half his starts at Coors Field. He left his last start with cramping in his right arm, but it seemed to be just that and he’ll look to close his season continuing a recent run of good form. He has a 2.22 ERA, 3.17 FIP, and a 0.99 WHIP over his last four starts and 24.1 innings pitched, with two of those coming in Colorado.
Banda will open this game for the Dodgers, making his second appearance since returning from the Injured List, due to a hand fracture.
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First pitch is at 12:10 PT on SNLA.
