Rox kick off 9 game road trip. Game 1

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GAME: Colorado Rockies (6-13) at Los Angeles Dodgers (13-7).

TIME: Friday, 10:40 p.m. EDT.

After an impressive start to the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are suddenly struggling.

Los Angeles looks to break out of its funk when it opens a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have lost six of their last seven games, including Wednesday's 6-3 defeat to Arizona, dropping them out of first place in the NL West for the first time this season.

The slump comes after a brilliant a 12-2 start - Los Angeles' best since relocating from Brooklyn in 1958.

Los Angeles starters have posted an 8.76 ERA during the seven-game stretch, while the offense has stranded 54 runners and hit .167 (7-for-42) with runners in scoring position.

Now that the Dodgers have cooled off, J.D. Drew is just starting to heat up. The slugging outfielder is 20-for-51 since a season-opening 0-for-25 drought.

"I didn't change a whole lot, just tried to keep it nice and simple," Drew said. "The hits are just falling in there now."

Drew, who hit .305 with 31 homers, 93 RBI, 12 steals and 118 walks for Atlanta last season, signed a five-year, $55 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason.

Colorado comes into this series after two days of inactivity, as snow and rain washed out the last two games of the team's series with Florida.

Colorado's Clint Barmes is hoping the lull doesn't keep him from adding to his gaudy April numbers.

The 25-year-old shortstop ranks second in the majors with a .421 average and is vying to become the third rookie, and the first since Montreal's Andres Galarraga in 1986, to hit .400 in April. Barmes is also second in the NL in hits with 32, and is tied for second with 19 runs.

Barmes is the first rookie since 1961 to have four multi-hit games in April.

Not bad for someone who had just 32 games of big league experience heading into this season.

"It's already going to be one of the special months anybody has put up anytime, anywhere, anyplace," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

Colorado dropped the series opener 9-3 to Florida on Tuesday. Barmes was 0-for-3, ending his hitting streak at 10 games.

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The Colorado Rockies welcoming a nine-game, bicoastal road trip makes about as much sense as snow in late April.

Well, OK.

Right-handed pitcher Jason Jennings, who will start the first game of the swing on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, is pleased about it. After the three-game set with the Dodgers, the Rockies will play three-gamers at San Diego and Florida.

"They're pretty tough teams, but three good pitchers' parks," Jennings said. "Hopefully we can hold up our end of the bargain."

With the confidence the Rockies' starters have, who needs pitchers' parks?

"You saying this ain't a pitcher's ballpark? We've pitched pretty well here," right-hander Shawn Chacon said. "It's nice to go to sea level and pitch. But we've pitched well enough to have a confidence level -- not too high, but it's what you want going on the road."

The overall numbers for Colorado's starters certainly aren't eye-popping (5-6, 5.43 ERA). But before Jamey Wright's seven-run, 6 1/3-inning clunker against Florida on Tuesday night, Colorado starters were 5-1 with a 3.36 ERA over the previous nine games.

Jennings is coming off a complete-game, 9-1 victory over Los Angeles at Coors Field on Friday.

Left-hander Joe Kennedy, who starts on Saturday night, has an 8.18 ERA due to two bad outings to start the year. But his last two starts were at hitters' parks (Coors and Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park), and he emerged 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA.

Chacon, who will start at Los Angeles on Sunday, had his worst start in a win over the Dodgers on Saturday. Overall, he's logged a 3.18 ERA after three outings.

When the trip goes to San Diego on Monday, the Rockies will go with left-hander Jeff Francis, who struggled in his first outing of the season but has a 2.41 ERA since. On Tuesday, the Rockies give the ball to Wright, who is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two road starts.

The Rockies have usually gotten decent starting pitching on the road but nonetheless are 1-7, keeping up a tradition by struggling away from home. Colorado tried to address that with a bullpen shakeup on Thursday, with veteran righty Jay Witasick joining the team and rookie righties Scott Dohmann and Ryan Speier being sent to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

But with a tradition of weak road offense that has existed through the life of the Rockies franchise, in its 13th season, the best chance to win comes with starting pitching. Manager Clint Hurdle hopes that starts in Los Angeles.

"It's a good challenge and an opportunity," Hurdle said. "I think the Dodgers at least are aware of the fact that we're going to show up and we're going to play.

"Last year, we took them deep in games, and we're planning on taking them deep in games this year. We're going to plan on taking everybody deep in games until we knock this door down and finish them off. We want to get to the point where we go ahead and kick it in and move on."

Colorado won two of three against the Dodgers last weekend, but still has a bad taste in its mouth. Last year, the Rockies went 8-11 against the Dodgers, with eight of the losses occurring by two runs or less.

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STANDINGS: Rockies - 5th place, 6½ GB, NL West. Dodgers - 2nd place, ½ GB, NL West.

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ROCKIES PROBABLE STARTER: Jason Jennings (1-2, 4.21 ERA). Jennings went the distance on Friday, scattering 10 hits in a 9-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.

COL: RHP Jason Jenningshttp://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_407298.jpg
• 1-2, 4.21 ERA in 2005
• 1-0, 1.00 ERA vs. LA in 2005

LA: LHP Odalis Perezhttp://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/136602.jpg
• 3-1, 4.37 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 12.60 ERA vs. COL in 2005


DODGERS PROBABLE STARTER: Odalis Perez (3-1, 4.37 ERA). Perez was superb in winning his first three starts, allowing four earned runs over 17 2-3 innings. However, on Saturday, the left-hander lasted just five innings, giving up eight runs and 10 hits in an 8-6 loss at Colorado. He is 5-6 with a 3.88 ERA in 16 career games, including 15 starts, against the Rockies.

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OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Rockies - Barmes, .421 avg. and 19 runs; Barmes and Preston Wilson, 4 HRs and 15 RBIs; Barmes, Matt Holliday and Wilson, 2 SBs. Dodgers - Milton Bradley, .362 avg.; Jeff Kent, 5 HRs, 18 RBIs and 23 runs; Kent, Jose Valentin and Jason Repko, 2 SBs.

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SEASON SERIES: Rockies, 2-1.

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STREAKS AND NOTES: Rockies - . ... The Rockies were busy making roster moves Thursday. They purchased the contract of RHP Jay Witasick from Colorado Springs, optioned RHP Scott Dohmann and RHP Ryan Speier to their Triple-A farm team and activated OF Dustan Mohr from the DL. ... 1B Todd Helton is hitting .474 (18-for-38) with five home runs and 12 RBIs in his career against LHP Perez. Dodgers - SS Cesar Izturis is hitting .385 10-for-26) in his career against RHP Jennings. ... Perez has yet to issue a walk to a left-handed batter this season. ... 2B Kent is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with three home runs and six RBIs in his career against Jennings.

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ROAD/HOME RECORDS:Rockies - on the road. Dodgers - 5-2 at home.

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On television
• COL: FSN Rocky Mountain
• LA: FSN2

On radio
• COL: KOA 850 AM
• LA: KFWB 980 AM; KWKW 1330 AM (Español)