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Penny looks to rebound against Rockies

Jun 3, 2008 - 1:34 PM Colorado (20-38) at LA Dodgers (28-29) 10:10 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Brad Penny has been anything but solid lately - no matter the location - but he has a solid track record against the Colorado Rockies, who have been downright dreadful.

Penny targets his 10th straight winning decision against the Rockies while handing Colorado its ninth straight loss when the teams continue their three-game set on Tuesday.

Starting after a pair of wins over the Rockies in back-to-back starts on April 26 and May 2, Penny (5-6, 5.66 ERA) has seemingly fallen apart, going 0-4 with a 9.43 ERA in his next five starts. That stretch includes Thursday's 8-4 setback vs. the New York Mets when he surrendered six runs and eight hits over four innings.

However, he has endured little trouble in his career vs. Colorado, against which he is 14-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 23 career starts.

The task for Penny figures to be much easier than usual as the Rockies continue to play without outfielders Matt Holliday (hamstring) and Brad Hawpe (hamstring) and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (quadriceps) all on the 15-day disabled list.

Their absences have played a prominent role in Colorado's longest skid since dropping 10 in a row from April 24-May 7, 2005. Even worse, the Rockies have lost 13 in a row on the road, the worst streak of its kind since the Seattle Mariners dropped 15 in a row from June 22-July 28, 2004.

To end both streaks, the Rockies will once again turn to ace Jeff Francis (1-5, 6.12), who is off to the slowest start of his career. The lefthander allowed three runs and six hits over five innings in Colorado's 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.