Five games remain for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, two teams that have been on opposite paths all season.
Now, the Dodgers still have hopes for their third straight 100-win season, while the Rockies have lost their 100th game for the first time in franchise history.
When the teams meet Wednesday night in Denver in the third game of a four-game series, Los Angeles (97-60) will send Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 5.13 ERA) to the mound while fellow right-hander Noah Davis (0-3, 8.77) will start for Colorado (57-100).
The teams split a doubleheader on Tuesday, with Colorado taking the opener 4-1 and Los Angeles winning the nightcap 11-2.
The Dodgers are 9-2 against the Rockies this season and had a five-game winning streak against Colorado snapped in Tuesday’s opener. Sheehan — a rookie like Bobby Miller, who pitched seven strong innings in Tuesday’s win — will face the Rockies for the second time this season.
Sheehan’s only start against them came June 29 in Denver when he allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out five in five innings to get the win.
Davis has had one appearance against Los Angeles, which came in his major league debut on Oct. 5, 2022. Davis allowed two runs in an inning of relief in the final game of last season.
The Dodgers still have a slim chance to gain the top seed throughout the National League playoffs, but the Atlanta Braves (101-56) are firmly in the driver’s seat.
Individually for the Dodgers, J.D. Martinez and Freddie Freeman need two RBIs each to give the Dodgers four players with 100 or more this season; Mookie Betts and Max Muncy are the others. Additionally, Freeman has 58 doubles, and with two more in the final days he will become the first major leaguer with 60 since 1936.
“I think this season, as a whole, it’s unprecedented,” manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman. “If you look at the hits, the average, the home runs, the doubles … It seems like every night, we’re always tipping our cap to Freddie on some accomplishment, and that’s fantastic.”
Freeman hit his 58th double in the nightcap on Tuesday by just beating the throw to second from Nolan Jones in left, a rare time Jones didn’t get his man with a throw from the outfield. Jones and Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle have made it a habit of throwing out runners on the basepaths with their strong arms.
Jones has 18 outfield assists since being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque in late May. Half of those assists have come at home plate.
“I’ve gotten a little lucky this year on the outfield assists, from a guy that’s never played outfield,” said Jones, a recently converted corner infielder. “Catching fly balls and throwing, I’m not great. There’s a lot of improvement for me in the outfield. I’ve just taken advantage of a couple of opportunities I’ve gotten.”
–Field Level Media
