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Rockies-Dodgers Preview

May 8, 2010 - 6:44 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Colorado (14-15) at Los Angeles (13-16), 10:10 p.m. EDT

Injuries, especially to their starting rotation, have played a part in another slow start for the Colorado Rockies.

If Jhoulys Chacin can keep churning out impressive performances, it might help the Rockies endure for a little while.

Chacin will try to follow up his first career victory by beating the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel are Colorado's current starting pitchers on the disabled list along with closer Huston Street and outfielder Brad Hawpe. Another starting pitcher, Jeff Francis, is rehabbing from shoulder surgery at Double-A Tulsa after missing all last season.

Those injuries have the Rockies off to a 14-15 beginning to this season after they opened 11-18 in 2009.

Three weeks later, the franchise fired manager Clint Hurdle and replaced him with Jim Tracy, who led the Rockies to a 92-70 finish and the NL wild card. Colorado was also 11-18 through 29 games in 2008 and 12-17 in 2007.

Although his tenure as a starter is unknown, Chacin could help the Rockies start another turnaround if he can repeat his effort from Sunday's 4-1 win in San Francisco.

In his second career start and 11th appearance, the 22-year-old right-hander threw a one-hitter over seven scoreless inning and struck out seven.

"I'm a big believer in this kid and have been for a long time," Tracy said. "I was a believer last year when his fastball command was eluding him. ... He showed me glimpses when I started here as a coach."

Chacin (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who has never started against the Dodgers, will try to help the Rockies improve to 4-4 on their nine-game road trip, but will have to pitch carefully to Andre Ethier.

The outfielder is 15 for 32 (.469) with five homers and 15 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak. That run has boosted his average to an NL-best .376.

Ethier is also tied for the league lead with 10 homers and is first in the majors with 32 RBIs after driving in a pair of runs in Friday night's series opener.

However, it was Matt Kemp's sixth-inning triple that gave Los Angeles a 6-5 victory. The RBI was Kemp's first in 14 games.

"If we were winning and I was playing bad, it would be different," he said. "I'm just trying to work through it, working every day to get that rhythm back."

While the Rockies were struggling early last season, the Dodgers started 21-8 en route to a 95-67 finish and a second straight NL West title. Los Angeles has opened this season 13-16 but is 5-3 on its 10-game homestand.

Charlie Haeger doesn't seem to give the Dodgers a good chance to clinch a winning record over that stretch. They've lost nine straight games in which Haeger (0-3, 6.56) has pitched, including six in 2010.

In the most recent of his four starts this season, he didn't make it out of the fifth inning in a 10-5 road loss to the New York Mets on April 27 after giving up five runs, five hits and four walks.

However, he allowed one run over four innings of relief in Tuesday night's 11-6 loss to visiting Milwaukee.

The knuckleballer, who gave up a grand slam to Chris Iannetta in his only career appearance against the Rockies, has a 7.85 ERA as a starter this season and a 1.80 ERA in his two relief appearances.