(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers went all in for a playoff push
when they made a deal in late August to bring both Adrian Gonzalez and Josh
Beckett to town.
While Gonzalez is heating up at the plate, Beckett gets a chance to improve
his club's playoff chances on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game
series with the Colorado Rockies.
Beckett and Gonzalez were acquired from the Red Sox on Aug. 25 along with Nick
Punto and the injured Carl Crawford. Beckett has pitched to a 3.16 earned run
average in six starts since the deal, but is only 1-3 in that time.
The right-hander is 0-2 in his last four outings and is coming off a loss at
the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. It was another tough-luck outing as Beckett
yielded two runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks, striking out
seven in a 2-1 decision.
"Beckett pitched another great game, the bullpen did a great job and we
couldn't score runs the way we should have," said outfielder Matt Kemp. "It's
kind of the same thing every time."
The 32-year-old hurler faced the Rockies in his Dodgers debut on Aug. 27 and
lost a 10-0 game, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3
innings. He fell to 4-2 with a 4.01 ERA in seven lifetime meetings.
Los Angeles got enough offense to win Saturday's meeting thanks to Kemp and
starter Joe Blanton.
Kemp hit two homers and Blanton threw six-plus innings of scoreless ball in a
3-0 win, one that moved the Dodgers to within two games of St. Louis for the
NL's final wild card spot after the Cards lost to the Washington Nationals.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, extended his hit streak to 11 straight games as L.A. won
for the fourth straight time.
"We got enough to win tonight," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Joe
Blanton was good. He put up zeroes for us and Matt had a couple of big hits. A
big win for us."
Tyler Chatwood allowed two runs on five hits and two walks through four
innings for Colorado, which dropped its second straight game on the heels of a
four-game win streak.
The Rockies moved just one runner past first base after the first inning.
"We did everything we could do tonight. We just couldn't put a run across,"
Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
The Rockies have lost six of eight in Los Angeles this season.
Jorge De La Rosa will close out the set on the mound for Colorado, making his
third start of the season after missing 16 months of action due to Tommy John
surgery.
The 31-year-old lefty allowed five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of a loss on
Sept. 20 to the San Francisco Giants in his season debut, then faced the
Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and did not get a decision.
De La Rosa yielded four runs -- two earned -- on five hits and a walk in three
frames.
He is aiming for his first career victory over the Dodgers, holding a lifetime
record of 0-6 with a 5.98 ERA in 12 previous meetings, including eight starts.
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