The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies kick-off a three-game set at Coors Field this Tuesday night with both teams looking to close the gap with Arizona in a very congested NL West race. This series opener is set to get underway at 8:40 p.m. (ET) and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

The Dodgers are starting to find their form with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games that has them just four games back in the division. After beating the rival San Francisco Giants three straight times last week, they took three of four against Philadelphia this past weekend to wrap-up the seven-game home stand at 6-1.

Colorado is just two games in back of the Diamondbacks in the division but it has just two victories in its last six games. The Rockies are 41-42 overall and 25-19 at home this season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in their last five games.

Dodgers vs. Rockies Betting Storylines

Los Angeles is ranked sixth in the National League in pitching with a team ERA of 3.81. Other than a 16-run implosion last Friday night against the Phillies, it has not allowed more than three runs in six of its last eight contests. The Dodgers’ bats have picked up the pace on their end as well with an average of 4.8 runs during this same stretch of games. Overall, they are ranked 14th in the NL in scoring with just 3.6 runs a game.

Look for staff ace Clayton Kershaw to be on the mound for Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The left-hander allowed just two runs his last time out in eight full innings of work. Overall, he is 6-5 with a 2.08 ERA. The last time he faced the Rockies he allowed just three runs over seven innings but failed to get the decision. Kershaw is 7-4 lifetime against Colorado with an ERA of 3.82.

The Rockies closed-out the month of June with a 5-2 loss to San Francisco as 117 underdogs at home to fall to 4-6 in their last 10 games. During this run they have struggled with a power outage at the plate with four or less runs in eight of the 10 outings. They remain one of the best hitting teams in the NL with a .271 batting average and 4.7 runs a game. Carlos Gonzalez has done much of the damage with 60 RBI and 22 home runs. Troy Tulowitzki has also been a force with 51 RBI and 16 homers but he is currently on the DL with a broken rib.

Colorado will go with Roy Oswalt as its starter for this series opener. The veteran right-hander will be making his third start of the season for his new team after losing his first two against Washington and Boston in late June. He allowed nine earned runs on 18 hits in 11 innings of work. Over the course of his career, Oswalt is 8-4 against Los Angeles with a 3.08 ERA.

Dodgers vs. Rockies Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has opened Los Angeles as a -145 road favorite for the series opener with the Rockies listed as 135 underdogs at home. The total line for this NL West clash has been set at 8.5.

The Dodgers are 5-0 in their last five division games and 6-1 in their last seven games following a win. The total has gone over in Game 1 of 15 of their last 22 series.

The Rockies are 2-6 in their last eight games following a loss and 5-16 in the first game of their last 21 series. The total has stayed under in six of their last seven games after a loss.

Head-to-head in this NL West matchup, Los Angeles is 9-3 in Kershaw’s last 12 starts against Colorado and the total has gone over in four of the last five games played at Coors Field. The Rockies have a 4-2 advantage in this season’s series and the total has gone over in five of the six games.

Dodgers vs. Rockies Predictions

The combination of Kershaw on the mound with the current uptick in the Dodgers’ offensive effort should be more than enough for the visiting team to grab the early edge in this series with a win on Tuesday night. Given the recent trends in this matchup on the total line, a bolder play would be Los Angeles and the “over” in a parlay.

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