LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda will take the mound Saturday against a Colorado Rockies team that he has had success against over the past three years.

Colorado Rockies starter German Marquez will take the mound Saturday on the road Authentic Adam Boqvist Jersey , where he has been excellent outside of the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

Something has to give at Dodger Stadium in a nationally televised game, when Dodgers right-hander Maeda (5-4, 3.44 ERA) faces off against Rockies right-hander Marquez (5-8, 5.53).

The Rockies won the first game of the series 3-1 on Friday, and Maeda will try halt the Dodgers’ two-game losing streak.

Since returning from the disabled list after being sidelined by a hip strain, Maeda has posted a 2.87 ERA over three starts, including a scoreless seven-inning outing Monday against the Chicago Cubs when he struck out nine and picked up the win.

The nine strikeouts were reminiscent of his best stretch of the season before his injury, when he struck out 32 batters over 24 1/3 innings, including a season-best 12 strikeouts in 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Rockies on May 23.

“Ever since coming off the DL, feeling-wise Jalyn Holmes Color Rush Jersey , this is the best I have felt,” Maeda said through an interpreter, after holding the Cubs in check during a 2-1 Dodgers victory Monday. “Overall it was a much better feeling coming into this game than the other ones.”

Especially troublesome for the Rockies is that Maeda figures to be fresh for Saturday’s outing, having thrown just 84 pitches in his latest start. Then there is this: Maeda is 5-2 in eight career appearances (six starts) with a 2.11 ERA against the Rockies with 48 strikeouts.

Marquez has struggled lately, having gone 1-4 in June with an 8.53 ERA, but there is no doubting his road success this year. He has a 7.93 ERA at home, but that mark falls off dramatically to 3.07 in 41 innings on the road. In fact, the Rockies have won four of Marquez’s seven road starts this season.

Marquez is 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.

His two outings against them this season have been a mixed bag. On May 21 in Los Angeles, Marquez gave up one run over seven innings in a 2-1 Rockies victory. On June 2 at Colorado, he gave up four runs over six innings http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mason-rudolph-jersey , although he didn’t factor into the decision as the Dodgers rolled to a 12-4 victory.

In his four starts since then, Marquez has given up at least five runs in each time. He gave up a combined 10 runs (nine earned) in his last two starts, both of which came at home.

“I know I have been in the league two years and if I execute my pitches, it doesn’t matter how long they have known me,” Marquez told reporters, through an interpreter, after he gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings in an eventual 8-5 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. “It’s about me executing my pitches.

Marquez will face a Dodgers team that has 54 home runs in June, the most in franchise history for a single month.

The checklist for the Nashville Predators is getting shorter as the regular season winds down.

Kyle Turris scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Predators over the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Tuesday night to snap a three-game skid.

The win clinched the defending Western Conference champions home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The franchise’s first Central Division title also is in reach, with Nashville leading Winnipeg by five points for both the top seed in the West and in the division with six games remaining apiece. Nashville wrapped up its division schedule by going 18-5-3.

”We took another step closer tonight to achieving that goal and keep on getting wins, and finish as high as we can Frank Ragnow Color Rush Jersey ,” Predators forward Scott Hartnell said. ”It’s just been great efforts the whole year long, and especially tonight a big effort by everybody.”

Nashville also moved three points ahead of Tampa Bay in the chase for the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Predators visit Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Roman Josi scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 22 saves.

Rinne turned away Nino Niederreiter in the shootout. Zach Parise’s attempt went wide left, and Rinne stopped Mikko Koivu to clinch it.

”I thought it was our best game for a while now,” Josi said. ”I thought we played really well. I thought we played really well defensively, they didn’t have too many chances, and (Rinne) was there for us whenever they did have a chance. I thought it was a complete effort from us, and it’s good to be back in the win column.”

Eric Staal tied it for Minnesota with 3:15 left on his 40th goal this season.

Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves as Minnesota snapped a five-game point streak. The Wild still won the season series against Nashville, 3-2.

”It was a great point,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau with Minnesota third in the Central and three points ahead of St. Louis. ”That’s Cecil Cooper Milwaukee Brewers Jersey , right now, they are the best team in the league, and we played them inch for inch.”

The Predators thought they had scored 40 seconds into overtime on a slap shot by Ryan Ellis. Minnesota challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned on review because Turris’ right skate was a few inches ahead of the puck past the blue line.

”I was right on the line on the bench and I figured it might be offside, but great job of still getting it done after,” Josi said of the erased goal.

Rinne stopped Staal twice in overtime, and Mikael Granlund hit the far post with 1:07 left.

Turris shot first for Nashville in the shootout, and he skated up before going across the slot and beating Dubnyk stick-side .

Nashville returned home for three games mired in a skid that matched its longest this season. Playing in front of the 99th consecutive sold-out crowd didn’t hurt as the Predators improved to 26-8-4 in the place known as Smashville.

The Predators came out throwing pucks at Dubnyk, and Josi put Nashville up 1-0 with a slap shot from the point off the faceoff that went under Dubnyk’s glove 2:51 into the game.

Jordan Greenway made his NHL debut after finishing his college career at Boston University and signing a three-year entry level deal with Minnesota. Greenway was welcomed by a big check from Hartnell midway through the first period.

”This is a tough game … for a young man’s career, but I thought he handled it well Ian Thomas Color Rush Jersey ,” Boudreau said of Greenway.

Nashville missed plenty of chances to pad its lead, going scoreless on four man advantages through the first two periods.

Staal tied it by beating Rinne’s left skate inside the post.

NOTES: Staal joined Gordie Howe as the only players to go at least nine years between 40-goal seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Howe went 12 seasons between his 44 goals in 1956-57 and 44 goals in 1968-69. Staal scored 40 in 2008-09, and this is his third 40-goal season. … Nashville won its most divisional games since also winning 18 in 2007-08. … Turris now has six goals on 13 shots in the shootout this season.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host Dallas on Thursday night.

Predators: Host Sharks on Thursday night.


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