| Douglas Benton. 11th April, 2011 - 4:28 am
 It was just a two-game series, but the Colorado Rockies were able to halt any momentum the Los Angeles Dodgers built up from their season opening series win against the San Francisco Giants with two wins over Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.
Game 1: Colorado defeats Los Angeles 3-0
Game 2: Colorado defeats Los Angeles 7-5
Colorado Rockies:
23 year old right-hander Jhoulys Chacin is just 10-12 in his career, but after seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on Wednesday, he is a young name people should remember. He had a WHIP of 1.00 with five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in sitting in the low 90s. Chacin was particularly effective in keeping the ball down to the tune of 14 ground ball outs. This is a trait which will serve him well at Coors Field as the Rockies look to solidify their rotation in the early going.
Huston Street picked up two saves in the short series with two shutout innings. He tallied three strikeouts and threw 22 of his 27 pitches for strikes. End of game situations are vital in what should be a close race throughout the year in the NL West and playing in a hitter's ballpark.
Fresh off of signing a monster deal during the off-season, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had a big series in going 3-for-7 with two home runs and three RBI. He is a legit franchise cornerstone who can hit for power and average in the middle of the line-up. The money he received was balked at by some, but the return on Colorado's investment will play out in the coming years.
Centerfielder Dexter Fowler is off to a slow start in hitting less than .200 and it continued through the Dodgers series. He went 1-for-9 with three strikeouts out of the lead-off position. Fowler is a young player (24 years old) who brings speed and athleticism to the field. His defense is always there, but you have to wonder if his bat will force him down the order and/or out of the line-up if it doesn't come around. He is a .259 career hitter.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
The two aces for the Dodgers had mixed results in Denver in continuing recent trends. First, left-hander Clayton Kershaw is planting himself as one of the game's premier arms. He gave up three runs on six hits in six innings while striking out eight. He got 13 swings and misses on the night with a fastball that can reach the low-to-mid 90s and good breaking stuff. He did give up two home runs for his downfall.
For right-hander Chad Billingsley, he lasted just three innings in throwing 86 pitches. He gave up five runs on six hits, walking three and striking out three. In the past, he has been too focused on getting the strikeout and needs to become more economical in his pitches to take the next step.
First baseman James Loney was just 2-for-15 entering the Colorado series and went 2-for-8 with a home run coming in the finale. Loney's hitting ability can sometimes be overlooked because he isn't the prototypical power hitting first baseman, but this is a quality bat. I fully expect his average to continue to tick up as he is an x-factor in the middle of the order behind budding stars Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.
After injuries halted what started as a very promising 2010, Ethier looks to be ready to go this year. He was the best offensive producer for the Dodgers in the sweep in going 2-for-6 with three walks and an RBI. He brings the best blend of power and average to the ballclub.
While opportunities were hard to come back, the Dodgers didn't do a good job of taking advantage of theirs. They went just 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position in losing both games by a combined five runs. |
