Trayce Thompson is making the most of his second stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue their three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old outfielder delivered a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory on Monday and is batting .286 (10-for-35) with two homers and eight RBIs since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a cash transaction on June 20.
“I feel like I’ve been in a really good space all year,” Thompson said. “I think there’s a lot more left in the tank. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like the quality of at-bats has been decent.”
Thompson previously played for the Dodgers in 2016-17. He could be in the starting lineup again on Tuesday with outfielder Chris Taylor expected to miss the next few games.
Taylor exited the Monday game due to left ankle swelling and will be examined on Tuesday. He was playing his first game since leaving the Saturday contest against the San Diego Padres with a left foot contusion.
Los Angeles has won five of its past six games but is facing one of the league’s hottest hitters, Colorado first baseman C.J. Cron.
Cron has three homers in his last two games and is batting .333 (12-for-36) with three home runs and 13 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.
The 32-year-old is making a strong case for his first All-Star selection with a .297 average, 20 homers and 65 RBIs.
“Just look at the numbers that C.J. has put up, hitting right in the middle of our order, being durable, playing every day and producing,” Colorado manager Bud Black said.
The Rockies will turn to right-hander German Marquez (4-6, 5.89 ERA) for the Tuesday contest. He is looking to bounce back after giving up five runs over 3 1/3 innings in an 8-4 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Marquez, 27, pitched with a cut on his thumb and was removed after he had trouble gripping his fastball. He reported no issues after throwing a bullpen session on Saturday.
Cody Bellinger is 4-for-28 with two homers against Marquez, who is 2-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 13 career starts against the Dodgers.
Marquez owns a 7.17 ERA in nine starts this season at Coors Field compared to a 4.21 mark in six road outings.
The Dodgers will counter with right-hander Mitch White (1-1, 3.93 ERA), who moved into the rotation following injuries to Walker Buehler and Andrew Heaney.
White, 27, has yet to complete six innings this season and turned in another short outing on Thursday, when he allowed one run on six hits over 4 2/3 innings against the San Diego Padres.
White is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three career games (one start) across nine innings vs. Colorado.
The Rockies are making adjustments to their rotation after Antonio Senzatela landed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation over the weekend.
Jose Urena, who was signed by the Rockies in late May, is expected to be called up from the minors to start in Senzatela’s place in the series finale on Wednesday. Urena has a 7.29 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Albuquerque.
–Field Level Media