SB Nation Denver - Dodgers Vs. Rockies: Colorado Completes Two-Game Sweep With 7-5 Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48907/denver-fave.png2011-04-06T16:17:16-06:00http://denver.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18555472011-04-06T16:17:16-06:002011-04-06T16:17:16-06:00Dodgers Vs. Rockies Final Score: Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki Homer As Rockies Win, 7-5, Sweep Dodgers
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Colorado Rockies</a>' offense was clicking again in their 7-5 Wednesday victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>. For the second game in a row, <span>Troy Tulowitzki</span> hit a home run. His two-run home run in the fourth inning off reliever <span>Blake Hawksworth</span> put the Rockies up, 7-4. <span>Todd Helton</span> hit his 334th career home run, a three-run shot, in the third inning to put Rockies back in the lead.</p>
<p>The Rockies got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when <span>Seth Smith</span> doubled and then scored on a <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> double, A few batters later <span>Jose Lopez</span> singled in Gonzalez for the 2-0 lead.</p>
<p>The starting pitching, though, was not as crisp for the Rockies. The Rockies started <span>Jason Hammel</span>, who used seven pitches to get out of the first inning. Then he ran into trouble in the second inning when he allowed a home run to <span>James Loney</span>. Things got dicier in the third inning when Hammel allowed a leadoff home run to <span>Rod Barajas</span>. Following a <span>Rafael Furcal</span> walk, <span>Casey Blake</span> singled the runner in with a triple. <span>Andre Ethier</span> pushed Blake across home plate on a single. Hammel left after five innings of work.</p>
<p><span>Franklin Morales</span> made his first appearance of the season and looked dominant on the mound. He struck out two and induced a pop out in the sixth inning and then followed that up with a scoreless seventh. He was able to throw his pitches for strikes (25 of 34). <span>Matt Lindstrom</span> allowed a run in the eighth inning before giving way to <span>Huston Street</span> in the ninth. It was shaky again for Street, allowing back-to-back singles to start the inning before Carlos Gonzalez made a nice catch to prevent at least one runner, possibly both, from scoring. He picked up his third save by striking out the last two batters.</p>
<p>The Dodgers' <span>Chad Billingsley</span> left the game after three innings of work, allowing five runs. Outside of the home run Hawksworth surrendered, <span>Kenley Jansen</span> and Matt Guerrier each threw two scoreless innings of relief.</p>
<p>The Rockies head to Pittsburgh to face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> in a four-game series.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-rockies/2011/4/6/2095158/dodgers-vs-rockies-final-score-troy-tulowitzki-todd-heltonRuss Oates2011-04-06T15:36:04-06:002011-04-06T15:36:04-06:00Dodgers Vs. Rockies Score: Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki Homer As Colorado Leads, 7-4
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<p>After six innings of baseball, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Colorado Rockies</a> hold a 7-4 lead over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>. In the third inning, <span>Todd Helton</span> hit a three-run home run to put the Rockies in the lead, 5-4. It was a shot to right field, but it just barely made it over the wall. Helton now has 334 career home runs.</p>
<p>In the fourth inning, <span>Troy Tulowitzki</span> pulled a ball to left field for his second home run of the season, putting the Rockies up 7-4. The Rockies scored their two other runs in the first inning on a <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> double and a <span>Jose Lopez</span> single.</p>
<p>The pitching hasn't been too good this afternoon. The Dodgers' <span>Chad Billingsley</span> was the first to leave, allowing five runs in three innings. Blake Hawksworth relieved him and gave up the Tulowitzki home run. The Rockies' <span>Jason Hammel</span> wasn't great, but he was better than Billinglsey. He finished his time with four runs allowed (two on solo home runs) and four walks in five innings. <span>Franklin Morales</span> made his debut and had a dominant first inning with two swinging strike outs and a pop out. He remained in the game for the seventh inning.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-rockies/2011/4/6/2095176/dodgers-vs-rockies-score-todd-helton-troy-tulowitzki-home-runsRuss Oates2011-04-06T10:47:13-06:002011-04-06T10:47:13-06:00Dodgers Vs. Rockies: Jason Hammel Pitches For The Sweep
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> are now 2-1 following their 3-0 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> on Tuesday night. Can <span>Jason Hammel</span> keep the Rockies' pitching strong, having seen <span>Jorge De La Rosa</span> and <span>Jhoulys Chacin</span> combine to throw 12 1/3 innings of scoreless ball over the last two games?</p>
<p>Hammel has made five starts against the Dodgers in his career and has a 3.31 ERA in eight appearances overall. In 2010, Hammel made three starts against the Dodgers, only one at Coors Field. In that late August start, he picked up his ninth win of the season after pitching 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He struck out Dodgers. His last start came in the middle of September when dead arm pitching caught up with him and he could barely manage to go five innings.</p>
<p><span>Chad Billingsley</span>, the Dodgers' starter, has made 11 appearances (nine starts) against the Rockies, five appearances coming at Coors Field. His ERA in those games is 6.29 and his WHIP comes in at over 1.8. His lone start against the Rockies in Coors Field in 2010 came in late August when he lasted six innings and gave up three runs. He walked five batters and struck out none.</p>
<p>Lineups for today:</p>
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<col style="width: 78pt;" width="104"> <col style="width: 92pt;" width="122">
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<td style="height: 15pt; width: 78pt;" width="104" height="20"><b>Dodgers</b></td>
<td style="width: 92pt;" width="122"><b>Rockies</b></td>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">SS Rafael Furcal</td>
<td>CF Dexter Fowler</td>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">3B <span>Casey Blake</span>
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<td>RF Seth Smith</td>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">RF Andre Ethier</td>
<td>LF Carlos Gonzalez</td>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">CF Matt Kemp</td>
<td>SS Troy Tulowitzki</td>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1B <span>James Loney</span>
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<td>1B <span>Todd Helton</span>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2B <span>Juan Uribe</span>
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<td>2B <span>Jose Lopez</span>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">LF Xavier Paul</td>
<td>3B <span>Ian Stewart</span>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">C <span>Rod Barajas</span>
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<td>C <span>Chris Iannetta</span>
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<td style="height: 15pt;" height="20">P Billingsley</td>
<td>P Hammel</td>
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https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-rockies/2011/4/6/2094470/dodgers-vs-rockies-jason-hammel-chad-billingsleyRuss Oates2011-04-06T00:10:41-06:002011-04-06T00:10:41-06:00Dodgers Vs. Rockies Final Score: Colorado Shuts Out Los Angeles, 3-0, On Strength Of Tulowitzki, Iannetta Home Runs
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<p>Not off to a good start this season, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Colorado Rockies</a> shortstop <span>Troy Tulowitzki</span> changed his walkup music from Katy Perry's "Firework" to Justin Bieber's "Baby," and the results showed. After a second-inning fly out, Tulowitzki followed with a solo home run in the fourth inning to get his first hit of the season.</p>
<p>In the fifth inning, <span>Chris Iannetta</span> continued his hot hitting with a no-doubt blast for a second Colorado Rockies solo home run. And for a third straight inning, the Rockies scored another run in the sixth inning. <span>Dexter Fowler</span> started the game with double and advanced to third on a <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> ground out. Troy Tulowitzki, fresh off his home run, drew an intentional walk. <span>Jose Lopez</span> also came up big again with a single to center field to score Fowler.</p>
<p><span>Ian Stewart</span> pinch hit in the seventh inning with a deep fly out to center field, but could have gone out if he pulled it a bit more. He entered the game for starter <span>Jhoulys Chacin</span>, who continued the impressive string of innings that Jorge De La Rosa started with on Saturday. In seven innings, Chacin held the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> scoreless and struck out four batters. He recorded 13 ground outs and used 97 pitches all together.</p>
<p>The one-two punch of <span>Rafael Betancourt</span> and <span>Huston Street</span> worked again. Betancourt was just dealing, striking out two Dodgers. Street looked much better than he did on Saturday, getting a 1-2-3 inning to pick up his second save of the season.</p>
<p>The Rockies are now 2-1 on the season. They will finish this series on Wednesday with <span>Jason Hammel</span> opposing the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley. Rain is expected after the game begins.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-rockies/2011/4/6/2093843/dodgers-vs-rockies-final-score-colorado-shuts-out-los-angeles-3-0-onRuss Oates2011-04-05T09:02:24-06:002011-04-05T09:02:24-06:00Dodgers Vs. Rockies: Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Kershaw Duel In First Game
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Colorado Rockies</a> host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> for a quick two-game series before embarking on their first road trip of the season. As a result of Sunday's postponement, the Rockies will have already altered their pitching rotation. Here's a look at the pitching matchups:</p>
<p><b>Tuesday, April 5, 6:40 p.m. MT, ROOT Sports<br></b><i><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> vs. <span>Jhoulys Chacin</span></i><br>This is one of the better early season matchups between two young, highly-though of pitchers. Kershaw started the Dodgers' season opener on March 31 with a seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">San Francisco Giants</a>. He limited the Giants to four hits, a walk and no runs. Kershaw had to be sweating a little in the ninth inning when closer <span>Jonathan Broxton</span> allowed a <span>Pat Burrell</span> home run, bringing the game to its final 2-1 score.</p>
<p>Jhoulys Chacin makes his first of the season, having missed out on it following the postponement of Sunday's game.</p>
<p><b>Wednesday, April 6, 1:10 p.m. MT, ROOT Sports<br></b><i><span>Chad Billingsley</span> vs. <span>Jason Hammel</span></i><br>Billingsley also makes his second start of the season, having been saved by his offense in the bottom of the sixth inning. Billingsley finished the top of the sixth inning on the hook for the loss since he allowed a three-run homer to Giants rookie <span>Brandon Belt</span> in the fourth inning. But a sac fly, a fielding error and a single each scored a run for the Dodgers in the bottom of the sixth.</p>
<p>Jason Hammel, who would have started the first game of this series, will look to improve upon his previous two campaigns, both of which were quite similar (averaged 10 wins, 202 hits allowed, a ~1.4 WHIP and threw ~177 innings).</p>
<p><b>Dodgers Lineup<br></b>It's still too early to make anything out about player performance yet, but here are some notable things with LA's lineup. Center fielder <span>Matt Kemp</span> is mashing the ball in 15 plate appearances before. He leads the team with five hits (two doubles, one home run) and three RBI. He has also walked three times. Former Rockies Jamey Carroll and <span>Aaron Miles</span> are both with the Dodgers. The former has played in all four games and hit one triple, while the latter has two singles in nine at-bats.</p>
<p><b>Dodgers Bullpen<br></b>Jonathan Broxton appeared in three of the four games and picked up a save in all three. However, he gave up a home run in the first and third games.</p>
<p><b>Rockies Lineup<br></b>Catcher <span>Chris Iannetta</span> looks like a new player in two games, collecting three hits (two doubles) in six at-bats. <span>Jose Lopez</span> has also surprised his doubters so far with some nice hitting (a home run in the series opener) and stellar defense. <span>Troy Tulowitzki</span> is still hitless after 10 plate appearances.</p>
<p><b>Rockies Bullpen<br></b>Manager Jim Tracy relied on his bullpen in the first two games of the season because of injuries cutting his starters' appearances short (and an extra-inning affair in the season opener). <span>Huston Street</span> appeared in both games and made his teammates and the fans sweat it out when he ran into trouble closing out the second game. <span>Franklin Morales</span> is the only reliever yet to appear in a game.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/2011/4/5/2332775/dodgers-vs-rockies-jhoulys-chacin-clayton-kershaw-duel-in-first-gameRuss Oates