Preview: Zack Greinke Backed By Heavy Right-Handed Lineup Vs. Rockies
Zack Greinke makes a second start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies this season, but he’ll be supported by a Los Angeles Dodgers lineup that looks markedly different than the one that accompanied him April 18.
With Jorge De La Rosa starting for the Rockies, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly filled his lineup card with a plethora of right-handed hitters. As a result, regulars Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson are sitting. Replacing the trio are Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner and Kiké Hernandez, respectively.
So too is switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal, though Mattingly indicated Friday A.J. Ellis was due for starts in the coming days after last playing May 10. Additionally, Juan Uribe, who seemingly has fallen behind Alex Guerrero and Turner at third base, gets the nod Saturday for his just his third start in the club’s last 10 games.
As for Greinke, he’s 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA and he can become the first Dodgers pitcher to start a season 6-0 since Kazuhisa Ishii in 2002. Greinke is also 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his last four starts against the Rockies.
And it gets better for the Dodger right-hander as he’s also riding a personal 10-game winning streak that stretches over 15 starts, and Greinke is 16-0 with a 1.79 ERA in 20 starts against National League West opponents since the start of the 2014 season.
Meanwhile De La Rosa enters the game with an 0-2 record and 9.56 ERA in four starts. The last time he was on the mound was to face the Dodgers May 10 in a game where he began to battle control issues, allowed five runs and walked six in four innings.
De La Rosa is 5-10 with a 5.89 ERA in 22 games (18 starts) against the Dodgers, including 1-5 at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are 6-1 against the Rockies this season and have won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two teams dating back to last season.
Dodgers Lineup:
CF: Kiké Hernandez
SS: Jimmy Rollins
2B: Howie Kendrick
1B: Justin Turner
LF: Alex Guerrero
RF: Scott Van Slyke
3B: Juan Uribe
C: A.J. Ellis
P: Zack Greinke
Rockies Lineup:
CF: Charlie Blackmon
2B: DJ LeMahieu
RF: Carlos Gonzalez
3B: Nolan Arenado
LF: Corey Dickerson
1B: Wilin Rosario
C: Michael McKenry
SS: Daniel Descalso
P: Jorge De La Rosa
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