Corey Dickerson, Rockies will try to stall Dodgers' attempt at clinching NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers will attempt to become the second team this week to clinch a postseason berth at Coors Field when they take on the Colorado Rockies on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. MT.

L.A. needs a little help; the San Francisco Giants have to lose to Oakland (they trailed, 8-4, after five innings) before the Dodgers take the field in Denver. If the Athletics hold on, the Dodgers' destiny will be in their own hands.

How much resistance the Dodgers will face while trying to reach their goal of becoming champions of the National League West remains to be seen. On one hand, the Rockies are sending Kyle Kendrick and his 7.35 home ERA to the mound against a team with a collective 105 OPS+. On the other hand, Colorado is fielding a formidable lineup against the Dodgers and starter Brett Anderson, who owns a 3.52 ERA this season and has produced positive results at Coors Field (2.84 ERA in 25⅓ innings) in his career despite middling peripherals.

That lineup includes Corey Dickerson, who went 3-for-4 in the Rockies' victory over the Dodgers in the series opener on Friday. Dickerson swinging an impressive bat isn't much of a surprise, but it does to some degree make the Rockies and their manager Walt Weiss wonder what could have been.

"Yeah, I’m sure most teams probably have their own version as it relates to injuries," Weiss said before the game. "But he's definitely an impact bat. When he's in the lineup, it changes things."

Dickerson finished #ATripleShy en route to raising his batting line to .320/.353/.536 in 204 plate appearances this season. Like so many of the Rockies' players, Dickerson is an aggressive hitter who could probably use a bit more patience at the plate but remains extremely productive despite being somewhat of a work in progress.

"He's like a pitcher who's effectively wild," Weiss quipped. "He can go outside the strike zone and still do damage. He's at his best when he's only chasing in one area, but I think that's part of his growth."

Dickerson has two or more hits in three consecutive games and is hitting .333/.373/.625 since returning from the disabled list on Sept. 8.