Justin Wrobleski starts for Dodgers as Rockies struggle vs lefties
Justin Wrobleski starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, July 7, at Dodger Stadium — a favorable Dodgers-Rockies matchup because Colorado owns baseball's worst wRC+ against left-handed pitching at 83, while Wrobleski enters 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA. The left-hander aims for a third straight seven-inning outing and his 11th win of a 60-win Dodgers club.
Key Takeaways
- Justin Wrobleski (10-2, 2.80 ERA) starts for Los Angeles after back-to-back seven-inning outings; another deep start would push him to 100 innings on the season.
- Colorado carries the majors' lowest wRC+ versus southpaws (83), yet the Rockies have scored 126 runs from the eighth inning onward — most in baseball.
- Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández sit as Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.91 ERA) opposes Wrobleski at 7:10 p.m. PT on SportsNet LA.
- Covers.com projects Dodgers -1.5 and the Over 9.5, citing Lorenzen's struggles against left-handed hitters and taxed bullpens on both sides.
Why does Wrobleski's start matter for the Dodgers-Rockies series?
The Dodgers won a wild 8-7, 11-inning opener on Monday after blowing a three-run ninth-inning lead, with Dalton Rushing delivering a walk-off single in their first extra-inning victory of 2026. That marathon taxed a bullpen already stressed when closer Tanner Scott blew a save, making Wrobleski's ability to provide length especially valuable on Tuesday.
Los Angeles enters at 60-32 and can improve to 7-2 against the last-place Rockies in the National League West. Wrobleski has already accounted for 10 of the club's 60 wins, including 30 at home. For broader sports analysis, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage hub.
How vulnerable are the Rockies against left-handed pitching?
Colorado's offense ranks dead last in wRC+ against southpaws at 83, per True Blue LA. That split favors Wrobleski, who held the Rockies to one run over seven innings at Coors Field in April.
Still, the Dodgers are wary of underestimating Colorado. The Rockies rallied to beat San Francisco 7-6 and nearly duplicated that comeback against Los Angeles on Monday. Colorado also leads MLB with 126 runs scored from the eighth inning on, a late-inning threat that persists beyond Coors Field.
Who is starting opposite Wrobleski, and who is out of the Dodgers lineup?
Veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.91 ERA) draws the assignment for Colorado. He has allowed a league-worst 124 hits across 86 innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits over five frames when he last faced the Dodgers in April.
Covers.com notes left-handed hitters are slashing .365/.423/.640 against Lorenzen this season with a 1.94 HR/9 rate — a troubling profile against a Dodgers lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Kyle Tucker. Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández are out; Miguel Rojas starts at shortstop and Tommy Edman returns in left field.
What do the odds and experts say about Tuesday's game?
At Dodger Stadium, Covers.com listed the Dodgers at -266 on the moneyline and -1.5 (-138) on the run line, with the total set at 9.5. Analyst Jason Ence backed Los Angeles -1.5 and the Over, citing Lorenzen's 5.07 xFIP versus lefties over the past month and bullpens that each logged heavy workloads after Monday's extras.
Clear skies and temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s should produce ideal hitting conditions. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT (10:10 p.m. ET) on SportsNet LA and Rockies.TV.