Dodgers' Ryu will try again to conquer Coors Field

Clayton Kershaw is the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers' staff, and Walker Buehler looks like an ace in training, but Hyun-Jin Ryu has been the team's most effective pitcher this season.

Ryu's 1.27 ERA leads all major league starters, and he has allowed more than two runs in an outing just once -- Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. They scored three runs on him, but only one was an earned run, and the Dodgers won that game to continue their mastery over their National League West rivals.

As well as he has pitched in his 15 starts, he has yet to conquer the thin air in Denver. Ryu (9-1) gets another crack at hitter-friendly Coors Field when he takes the mound Friday night against Colorado in the second of a four-game weekend series.

Ryu has pitched so well that he is considered the early favorite for the NL Cy Young award, but that standing could take a hit if he has a poor outing Friday night.

In 11 career starts against Colorado, he is 4-6 with a 4.61 ERA, but in four starts at Coors Field, he is 1-3 with a 7.56 ERA.

He will be hard-pressed to go deep into the game on Friday night. Coors Field has been a hitter's paradise over the last five games, including L.A.'s 12-8 win on Thursday night. The Dodgers hit six home runs in their 12th straight win over Colorado.

Ryu's opposite number in Friday's matchup is Antonio Senzatela, who has learned how to pitch in Denver in his short career -- and against Los Angeles.

Senzatela (6-5, 4.91) has gone 13-8 at Coors Field, with a 5.29 ERA, and he is even more effective against the Dodgers. In four lifetime appearances against them, he is 1-0 with a 4.73 ERA.

Senzatela has become a solid part of the rotation despite not joining the team until mid-April. With last year's ace, Kyle Freeland, working out issues in Triple-A, and lefty Tyler Anderson likely done for the season after left knee surgery, Senzatela has become a steadying presence among Colorado starters.

He has found a groove since a rough month of May, going 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five June starts.

"His fastball has been really good and the velocity has been up a notch, and he's been commanding it much better," Colorado manager Bud Black said after Senzatela went 6 1/3 innings against the Dodgers last weekend. "I also think there has been a little change in his delivery. ... It's something (pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes) have worked on, and Senza has taken that out to the mound."

Senzatela will try to tame a scorching Los Angeles lineup. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has pushed all the right buttons this season, including trying Joc Pederson at first base. The career outfielder has started six of the last seven games there to keep his bat in the lineup.

Pederson has had his struggles in the field, but the Dodgers are 5-2 since he has started playing first base.

"I'm putting in all the early work and doing everything I can to best prepare for the situation," Pederson told the Los Angeles Times. "When you're not helping the team win, it's not a good feeling."

--Field Level Media