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After another successful second-half road trip, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to get their act together in their own ballpark on Thursday when they open a 10-game homestand against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers improved to 11-4 on the road in the second half after recording a 2-0 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Los Angeles is a far-less impressive 5-4 at home since the All-Star break.

The Dodgers are welcoming back a trusted member of the rotation, with veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw (10-4, 2.55 ERA) set to return Thursday from a shoulder injury. The 10-time All-Star has not pitched since June 27 when he held the Rockies to one hit over six scoreless innings in Denver.

“I’ve never been a guy who believes resting in the middle of a season is a good thing. Hopefully, I’m wrong,” Kershaw said, according to the Orange County Register. “… I understand how some people enjoy the mental break from it all. But it’s definitely worse for me. Definitely not a good thing.”

Whether he likes it or not, the reality is that Kershaw now has six weeks less of wear and tear with two months of the regular season remaining. That is, provided he can remain healthy.

In 49 career starts against the Rockies, Kershaw is 27-11 with a 3.33 ERA and had his only no-hitter against them in 2014.

“For the team, I know that we all get excited when he takes the baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You just feel more comfortable and confident when Kersh is active.”

The Dodgers’ injury concerns extend to All-Star designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who was sent home early from the road trip as he continues to experience groin/hamstring tightness.

Martinez had an MRI on Wednesday that did not clarify the situation, and he received an epidural injection to help alleviate discomfort. He is not expected back before Saturday.

The Rockies enter the series following a 7-6 defeat in 10 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, which came on the heels of Colorado’s 7-3 victory in 10 innings Tuesday. Colorado is 3-3 to start a 10-game road trip that also included a stop at St. Louis.

“There’s good energy (and) we’ve been talking about that for a little while,” the Rockies’ Nolan Jones said on the AT&T SportsNet broadcast. “Obviously sometimes we go through ups and downs, (individual) slumps and team slumps as well. Wins haven’t always been there for us but there is a lot of fun energy in there.”

On Thursday, the Rockies will counter with their own left-hander in Ty Blach (1-1, 4.85), who has made 10 appearances this season but just three starts. After a pair of short scoreless starts to close out July, Blach was tagged for four runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings of a loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

In 19 career appearances (eight starts) against the Dodgers, Blach is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA. His last start against Los Angeles came in 2019 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who missed the first four months of the season after shoulder surgery, has been out the past two games with a hamstring strain.

–Field Level Media