The Colorado Rockies continue their late playoff push when baseball's hottest team tries to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games in tonight's finale of a three-game series with the host Los Angeles Dodgers.

Colorado has put together its first 10-game winning streak in club history following Wednesday's 2-0 triumph at Dodger Stadium. The surge has vaulted the Rockies within one game of San Diego in the race for the National League wild card and two back of NL West leader Arizona heading into the regular-season's final weekend.

Following tonight's matchup, Colorado will host the Diamondbacks for a crucial three-game series beginning Friday. The Padres will play their final four contests in Milwaukee.

Josh Fogg twirled 6 2/3 scoreless frames for the Rockies in Wednesday's win, with the veteran right-hander scattering five hits and striking out five. Three Colorado relievers preserved the eight-hit shutout, with closer Manny Corpas wiggling out of trouble in the ninth for his 18th save.

The Rockies scored the game's only runs in the third inning, with Kazuo Matsui singling in the first tally and later scoring on MVP candidate Matt Holliday's base hit.

Los Angeles starter Derek Lowe was the hard-luck loser, allowing two runs and fanning seven over seven innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

Top prospect Franklin Morales will try to keep the Rockies' amazing run going when he takes the mound tonight. The rookie southpaw has been dominant over his last three starts, having not allowed a single run and yielding just seven hits in 18 innings of work during that span.

Morales delivered five shutout innings and six scoreless frames in back-to- back wins over Philadelphia and Florida earlier this month, then held San Diego to only one hit in six innings last Friday at Petco Park. The native Venezuelan wound up not factoring in the decision, however, of an eventual 2-1 victory by Colorado.

The 21-year-old made his major league debut at Dodger Stadium on August 18 and fared very well in a no decision. Morales held Los Angeles to one run on five hits and did not issue a walk over 5 1/3 innings.

Veteran Esteban Loaiza makes his fifth start for the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight since being claimed off waivers from Oakland for the September stretch drive. After winning his Los Angeles debut on September 3, Loaiza has lost three straight starts and has failed to last past 4 2/3 innings in any of those outings.

Loaiza was rocked for six runs on five hits -- including two home runs -- in just four innings during a 12-3 loss at Arizona last Friday. He has amassed an ugly 11.25 ERA during his current losing slide.

The 35-year-old is 4-3 with a 6.28 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) against Colorado.

The Rockies are 11-6 versus Los Angeles this season. The divisional foes have split eight meetings at Dodger Stadium in 2007.

 

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