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Dodgers Rockies Game Two Preview

By Alex Campos

Apr 17, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) reacts after forcing San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (not pictured) out at second during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) reacts after forcing San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (not pictured) out at second during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a disappointing loss yesterday, the Dodgers look to rebound with Kenta Maeda on the hill at Coors.

Scott Kazmir was disappointing again, the offense didn’t take advantage of a bad Rockies bullpen, Yimi Garcia got hurt and Chris Hatcher got too fastball friendly, all of which combined to give the Rockies a come from behind victory in game one against the Dodgers

Game two should be less painful, as Kenta Maeda gets his first start in a not-pitcher-friendly ballpark. His first start came at Petco Park, and his other two came at Dodger Stadium, so today is Maeda’s first time experiencing a hitter friendly park, namely Coors Field. His pitches are heavy and he has a 52 percent ground ball rate as opposed to a 34 percent fly ball rate, so that should help him keep the ball in the ballpark. He doesn’t get a lot of soft contact (only 17 percent), but he limits hard-hit balls (22 percent). It’ll be interesting to see if his breaking pitches break well at Coors, and if not it could be a rough day for the stellar rookie.

Tyler Chatwood gets the ball for the Rockies and has been great to start the season for the Rockies. Chatwood missed 2015 after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery, but has rebounded nicely. In his two road starts (at Arizona and Chicago), Chatwood has allowed a total of one earned run in 13 1/3 innings. His lone start at Coors came against the Giants, and he allowed two homers and five earned runs in six innings.

Justin Turner was reportedly stepped on last night and bruised a toe, but he is available to pinch hit according to MLB’s Ken Gurnick. Yimi Garcia was placed on the 15-day DL with a sore bicep. Zach Lee has been recalled to take his place as a long reliever for the next couple games, but Louis Coleman is reportedly scheduled to return from the bereavement list on Monday. Scott Kazmir is reportedly getting treatment on his thumb, but is expected to make his next start. Coors Field. Not even once.

For the Rockies, Trevor Story leads off against Maeda and Chatwood will bat eighth. The Diamondbacks and Giants batted their pitchers eighth against the Dodgers in the past, and it mostly worked out well for the Dodgers as it helped them out of sticky situations.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA

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