PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers are never shy about boasting about the power of Big Blue.
After Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, but before Orioles star Manny Machado was officially traded to L.A., Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling made a bold proclamation about what the trade would mean for Dodgers opponents.
“I think it would be pretty demoralizing,” Stripling told The Los Angeles Times, “Something they would see and say, ‘Oh crap, that’s not going to be any fun.’ You’ve got to deal with (Clayton) Kershaw, Rich Hill, Alex Wood, Kenta (Maeda) on the mound, and now you’ve got to deal with Justin Turner, Matt Kemp, Max Muncy, Machado, etc. That’s almost a super team, I feel like, on paper.”
The Rockies, however, are not quaking in their cleats. Don’t get me wrong, they respect Machado and the Dodgers, but they don’t think all that much has changed in the National League West, a division the Dodgers have won five years running.
“We just have to continue to do what we’ve been doing do, and that’s winning ballgames,” all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado said Friday afternoon before the Rockies opened a weekend series vs. the Diamondbacks. “We have been playing great baseball and that’s what we have to continue to do. That’s our only focus.
“It’s not the Los Angeles Manny Machados, it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are a team and they are good. But (he’s) just one guy. He definitely changes that lineup for sure, and he makes it a lot deeper than it already was, but our lineup is deep, too. I think we are going to be just fine.”
Machado was the prize of the trade-deadline market, a four-time American League all-star with two Gold Gloves who has 129 homers over the last 3 ½ seasons. This season, he entered the all-star break batting .317 with 24 home runs, 65 RBIs and a .962 OPS.
Arenado said he thought, way back at the end of April when the Dodgers lost shortstop Corey Seager to an elbow injury, that the Dodgers would find a way to land Machado.
Rockies shortstop Trevor Story understands that the mountain the Rockies must climb just got steeper. But Story, who’s coming off his first All-Star Game appearance and is the NL’s hottest hitter, is undaunted, even though the Dodgers led the Rockies by two games entering Friday’s play.
“(The Dodgers) are at the top right now, so as of right now we are chasing them,” Story said. “But I’ve said it all year: We are a very confident team. We are not picking anybody but ourselves.”
Told of Stripling’s comments, manager Bud Black said: “We are the furthest thing from demoralized, I know that. We worry about the Colorado Rockies and what we have to do. … We worry about ourselves, and I think if we play our game, we can play with anybody — with Machado or not.
“He’s a good player. I’m sort of anxious to see him play. But as far as our group being down about anything? No. Probably the opposite.”
Rotation set. Black has set his rotation for the second half. Right-hander German Marquez started Friday night’s game vs. the Diamondbacks and left-hander Kyle Freeland will start Saturday’s game.
Right-hander Antonio Senzatela, the blister on his right middle finger healed, is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale vs. Arizona. After Monday’s off day, left-hander Tyler Anderson will face defending World Series champion Houston on Tuesday at Coors Field, and right-hander Jon Gray will take on the Astros Wednesday night.
Senzatela was scratched from his last start because the blister on his finger have become infected, but he threw a bullpen session on Thursday with no issues.
“Right now, it’s pretty good,” he said adding that he threw all of his pitches, including his slider, the pitch that had caused the blister.
Looking ahead
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (8-6, 3.11 ERA) at Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (11-6, 4.61)
Freeland hasn’t given up more than two runs in a start since June 10. The southpaw looks to keep his momentum going at Chase Field, where he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts. Arizona is hitting .231 against him, with Paul Goldschmidt and Ketel Marte the lone Diamondbacks with home runs off him. Meanwhile, the Rockies haven’t had much collective success against Godley, hitting only .213 with just one long ball, by Charlie Blackmon, in the team’s 94 career at-bats against him.
Sunday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-2, 5.34) at Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (10-5, 3.18), 2:10 p.m., ATTRM
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Astros RHP Gerrit Cole (10-2, 2.52) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (6-3, 3.72), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Astros RHP Charlie Morton (11-2, 2.96) at Rockies RHP Jon Gray (8-7, 5.44), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
— Kyle Newman, The Denver Post
