Dodgers Rockies Game Two Preview

The Dodgers took game one from the Rockies in a shutout victory. They look to do the same tonight as they send Scott Kazmir to the mound.

Everything seemed to be working for the Dodgers last night. Bud Norris put together a fantastic start, the bats were hot and the bullpen held the lead. Even though Joc Pederson and Clayton Kershaw are currently sitting on the DL, some other things are finally coming together for the club. Tomorrow Brandon McCarthy will be making his first start back since having Tommy John surgery last April. He had 80 pitches in his last rehab start and feels like he is ready to take the mound again. McCarthy also made news this morning when information came out that he donated over $10,000 dollars to a sick ten year old boy in the UK who is seeking leukemia treatment. McCarthy is a good guy on and off the field. A lot has changed since April of 2015 when he got hurt, but the new dad will be looking for his first win in over a year tomorrow.

Tonight Scott Kazmir gets the ball in his 17th start this season with the club. Coming into tonight’s game, Kazmir has a record of 6-3 and a season ERA of 4.67. IN his 16 starts, he has struck out 91 batters and walked 36. Kazmir’s last start was June 27 against the Pirates, where he went five innings and allowed four earned runs. It was a shaky start, but Kazmir allowed all four runs in the first inning. After that rough first inning, Kazmir settled down and pitched four more scoreless. The biggest thing for Kazmir this season is trying to get deeper into games. He only has one start this season where he went eight innings. Most of his starts have resulted in him being pulled in the fifth or sixth inning. Kazmir has got to stay composed in the first inning and try to keep his pitch count down in order to avoid bringing the bullpen in early.

The Rockies will be sending Chad Bettis to the mound. Bettis currently has a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 5.84. In 89.1 innings of work Bettis has allowed 58 earned runs. He usually relies on his fourseam fastball and slider while mixing in a curve and change. His fastball is usually clocked around 93 MPH and frequently results in ground ball outs. In his 16 starts, Bettis has now struck out 69 batters and walked 23.

Yasiel Puig is in the lineup after being taken out of yesterday’s game in the eighth inning with a little pain. Scott Van Slyke, who sat yesterday against a lefty, gets the start in left against a righty today.

Next: Dave Roberts Mid-Season Report

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.