Colorado RockiesColorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers Pick Center

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Reeling Rockies face uphill climb in opener vs. DodgersFLMThe Los Angeles Dodgers are scuffling a little bit heading into a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies that starts Monday, but it's a mere blip on their way to a seventh straight National League West title.The Rockies wish they had the Dodgers' woes.Colorado tied the franchise record for the worst August record when it went 9-19 last month, and that came on the heels of the worst month in club history with a 6-19 mark in July.The Rockies, who have dropped six straight and 10 of their past 11, finished with a team ERA of 6.36 in August.And now they head to Los Angeles to play a team that has owned them the past few seasons.There isn't much for Colorado to celebrate going into Dodgers Stadium, but the play of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story is at least a silver lining.Story hit .376 in August while Arenado tied a club record for homers in the month with 12. Arenado started September by belting his 35th home run on Sunday, and he is hitting .311 with 105 RBIs on the season.The injury-riddled pitching staff is coming off a rough series against the Pirates. Pittsburgh scored 37 runs and had 63 hits while clubbing nine homers in a four-game sweep."They have a number of guys swinging the bat well," Colorado manager Bud Black said of the Pirates. "They're a hot club. That might be a product of our pitching the past few games." Black will send rookie right-hander Peter Lambert (2-5, 6.63 ERA) to the mound Monday against Dodgers righty Walker Buehler (11-3, 3.03) in rematch of a June 27 game in Denver.Neither pitcher got a decision in Los Angeles' 12-8 victory, but Buehler has had success against Colorado in the past while Lambert is looking for his first win against the Dodgers.Lambert has received a pair of no-decisions versus Los Angeles, having allowed eight runs on 16 hits in 9 2/3 innings.Buehler is 3-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 appearances -- nine starts -- against the Rockies.In the biggest game between the two teams, last year's showdown for the division title in Game 163, Buehler threw 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball to help the Dodgers win and extend their run of division crowns.Los Angeles won't need a one-game showdown this year, given that it leads the NL West by 18 games with 23 to go. The Dodgers ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 win in 11 innings at Arizona on Sunday and will spend the month getting healthy for a run at a third straight World Series appearance.The biggest concern now is how quickly first baseman Max Muncy heals.Muncy sustained a small fracture in his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch against San Diego on Wednesday. An MRI confirmed the fracture, but the Dodgers are hopeful he won't miss much time and should be back before the end of the regular season."Based on the timetable that we have, yeah ... there should be no question about (being ready for the playoffs)," Muncy told reporters over the weekend. "But things happen. Things don't happen. We'll see." --Field Level Media

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