Think Blue: Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― After a series in late May, it seemed the Colorado Rockies couldn't seriously compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A month later, that may no longer be the case. The surging Rockies look for a fourth straight victory while trying to avoid a fourth consecutive loss to the NL-leading Dodgers on Monday night in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles (48-28) outscored the Rockies 31-13 while sweeping a three-game set at Coors Field from May 25-27 to improve to 8-1 versus Colorado.

Two days later, with the Rockies 18-28 and last in the NL West - 14 1/2 games behind the Dodgers - manager Clint Hurdle was fired and replaced by Jim Tracy.

Since then, Colorado (40-35) has won 20 of 23 and is 22-7 under Tracy. After a 3-1 win at Oakland on Sunday, the Rockies have gained seven games on the Dodgers, who've lost four of their last five contests.

"We had talent," said Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe, who's among the NL leaders with a .329 average. "We just weren't putting it together (earlier) and we weren't playing to our potential."

In the 46 games under Hurdle, Colorado hit .249 and had a 4.93 ERA. With Tracy, the Rockies are batting .283 and have a 3.76 ERA while seemingly gaining more confidence with each victory.

On Sunday, Clint Barmes had two hits and Aaron Cook won his fifth straight start as the Rockies improved to 4-2 on a nine-game road trip. Barmes went 7 for 13 with a homer against Oakland.

Though Hawpe is hitting .435 (10 for 23) with two homers and 10 RBIs versus Los Angeles, Colorado is hitting .234 overall against the Dodgers. Rockies' pitchers have an 8.08 ERA against the Dodgers, who also swept a home set between the teams from April 17-19.

Ubaldo Jimenez (6-7, 3.83 ERA), is 4-3 with a 6.99 ERA in nine starts against Los Angeles, but all three losses have come this season while posting a 10.20 ERA.

In his most recent start, the right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits while striking out five in seven innings of a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

Los Angeles counters with Randy Wolf (3-3, 3.64), who hopes to recover from his shortest outing of the season.

The veteran left-hander allowed five runs and seven hits - including three homers - in 3 1-3 innings of a 10-7 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

"There is no way to candy-coat it. I stunk," said Wolf, who's 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA in five June starts. "Frankly, I'm embarrassed with the way I pitched."

Wolf is 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts versus the Rockies. He allowed three runs while striking out nine in six innings, but didn't factor in the decision of a 4-3 home win over them on April 17.

Matt Kemp hit his 10th homer in a 4-2 home loss to Seattle on Sunday for Los Angles, which scored three runs while dropping the final two games of that set.

"When you have a 162-game season, you're going to go through some (rough) spots," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, whose team is batting .236 in its last five games. "We've lost four our of five, and that is something pretty unusual for us."

Kemp, who went 5 for 12 (.417) against the Mariners, has two homers and 10 RBIs against Colorado this season.

Los Angeles' Andre Ethier is batting .364 (12 for 33) with two homers and 11 RBIs versus Colorado in 2009, but his three-homer game Friday is the only time he's hit safely in his last six contests overall.

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