Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers look to extend streaks against slumping Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers will play the Colorado Rockies six times in their final 24 games this season, and their timing couldn’t be better.

The last time these two teams played on July 14, the Rockies were in third place, four games under .500 and two games behind the Dodgers for second place.

It might as well have been last season. The standings today have the two teams 17 games apart. The Dodgers are looking toward October and the Rockies are looking toward 2014.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, meanwhile, is in the midst of a season that people will be talking about beyond even next season. He’s allowed seven earned runs since the All-Star break and driven in five. In terms of ERA, Coors Field is Kershaw’s second-worst pitching venue; it’s also among his favorite parks to bat in, putting him in line with nearly every pitcher who has stood on the mound and in the batter’s box in Denver.

No Michael Young in the starting lineup today. No Troy Tulowitzki for the Rockies; he’s getting a scheduled day off to rest his legs.

Here are both lineups for the 1 p.m. game:

Carl Crawford LF
Yasiel Puig RF
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Hanley Ramirez SS
Andre Ethier CF
Mark Ellis 2B
A.J. Ellis C
Juan Uribe 3B
Clayton Kershaw P

Josh Rutledge SS
D.J. Lemahieu 2B
Michael Cuddyer RF
Wilin Rosario C
Nolan Arenado 3B
Charlie Culberson LF
Jordan Pacheco 1B
Charlie Blackmon CF
Chad Bettis P

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.