Jon Gray is still in search of his first win this September after failing in his first try. That was last Saturday, when Gray allowed three earned runs on five hits across five innings of a 6-2 home loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’ll be stepping out of the hitter-friendly Coors Field this Thursday, though it appears that he’s better in Mile High City than when away from it.
On the season, Gray is 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA in nine road starts. That’s a significant difference from his 4-1 record and 3.34 ERA in six home starts this year. In any case, Gray will have to bring his best stuff to Chavez Ravine for his second start against the Dodgers this season. Gray had faced the Dodgers in a 4-2 win way back in Apr. 8, allowing just an earned run on four hits in 5.1 innings of mound duty. The under is 4-1 in Gray’s last five road starts.
It’s not easy hitting against Kershaw, but the Rockies do possess some talented hitters capable of rocking the lefty. For one, they have the duo of Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon. Arenado is 14-for-45 with a pair of homers against Kershaw. Blackmon, on the other hand, is 12-for-45 with two triples in the same matchup.
The Dodgers aren’t looking as invincible over the past couple of weeks, but the narrative sure changes whenever Clayton Kershaw is on the hill. Kershaw, as always, is near flawless whenever it’s his turn to pitch. He is 16-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 22 starts this season so far.
After over a month of absence due to a back injury, Kershaw returned to action on Sept. 1, and flashed no signs of rust, as the former NL MVP pitched a six-inning shutout in a 1-0 road win over the San Diego Padres. Kershaw has been dominating the Rockies also throughout his career, as he is 21-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 36 starts dating back to 2008. This season, he is 3-1 against them to go with a 2.77 ERA.
As for the offense, the Dodgers will look for the likes of Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez to make contact off of Gray. Puig is 3-for-7 against Gray, while Gonzalez is 5-for-17 with a homer.
The Dodgers are 10-0 in Kershaw’s last 10 starts. They’re also 9-1 in Kershaw’s last 10 games when the Rockies are in town.
