Dodgers aim to pad NL West lead in Colorado

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers hope to pad their lead in the National League West when they start a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies Monday at Coors Field.

The Dodgers are three games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for the NL West lead and took two of three meetings with the Giants this weekend at AT&T Park.

Clayton Kershaw was his usual nasty self with eight innings of two-run ball and nine strikeouts to just one walk. Kershaw now has 19 wins (19-3) for the Dodgers, winners in seven of the past nine games.

"It showed a lot about our team," Kershaw said about handing the Giants a series loss. "It's obviously a huge series for us and the way we did it to win the series was pretty cool."

Kenley Jansen posted his 42nd save with two strikeouts in the ninth.

Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer and tied Mike Piazza for fourth on the L.A. all- time home run list with 177. Kemp has 12 home runs since the All-Star break.

Los Angeles has the best road record in the majors at 45-29 and is 44-23 in division play this season and is in the midst of playing 12 straight games against NL West foes.

Roberto Hernandez is 2-3 with a 4.75 ERA in six starts with the Dodgers since coming over in a trade with Philadelphia, and will get the start Monday against the Rockies. Hernandez has dropped two straight and three of four starts, and lasted three innings in a 6-3 loss to San Diego on Tuesday. He allowed five runs (2 earned).

Hernandez is 0-1 in three career starts against the Rockies and 8-11 overall this season to go along with a 4.04 ERA.

Meanwhile, the Rockies went winless on their six-game trek against the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, and will try to play spoiler versus the rival Dodgers.

Colorado, which is last in the NL West, suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals with Sunday's 4-1 loss, as Jordan Lyle surrendered all three runs and nine hits in six innings for the loss.

Brandon Barnes went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Rockies, who struck out 16 times as a team. Seven players struck out twice Sunday.

"We can't strike out that many times and expect to do anything offensively," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

Weiss's club will also host Arizona four times on this homestand and hopes Christian Bergman can pitch the Rockies back on track Monday. Bergman has a 2-3 record and a 4.89 ERA this season and last toed the rubber in a 2-0 loss to the Mets on Tuesday, allowing both runs in six innings.

The rookie right-hander has never faced the Dodgers and is 2-2 in four starts at Coors Field.

Los Angeles is 9-4 against Colorado this season with a 5-2 record as the guest.