Dodgers Need To Sweep Rockies For Chance At Home-Field Advantage Throughout Playoffs

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their division with another impressive offensive showing.

They enter Friday night likely needing a sweep of the visiting Colorado Rockies in their final series for a chance at home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

The Dodgers (91-68) clinched their second straight NL West title with a 9-1 win over San Francisco on Wednesday night. They've averaged 7.5 runs while winning eight of 12.

"You can't take lightly what we did," said Clayton Kershaw, who struck out 11 over eight innings in his 21st win. "You got to celebrate accomplishments and that's what we did. It's really fun to celebrate with these guys."

Los Angeles is one win shy of matching last year's total and 2 1/2 games back of Washington for the NL's best record, though the Nationals have one game in hand. Washington, which won the season series with the Dodgers 4-2, could clinch home-field advantage as early as Friday.

Whether the Dodgers have home-field advantage or not, expectations are higher after they fell to St. Louis in last year's NL championship series - their first playoff appearance in four seasons.

"We want to win a world championship but the first step in that is winning your division," manager Don Mattingly said.

Mattingly's club is batting .310 since Sept. 8 as Matt Kemp has keyed the offense with five homers and 17 RBIs over his last 12 games. He's hit .362 against the Rockies this year, Juan Uribe has batted .414 in the clubs' past two series and the Dodgers have won 10 of 16 meetings in 2014.

Colorado (66-93) comes off Wednesday's 4-3 loss at San Diego and finished 4 for 21 with runners in scoring position while dropping two of three in the series. The Rockies had hit .403 in those situations while winning their previous six, including two of three versus Los Angeles.

"I felt like we had a lot of chances to drive in the runs that we needed and they made good pitches," said Charlie Blackmon, who hit his 19th homer.

The Rockies are 6-36 on the road since June 16 and suffering a sweep would see them finish 21-60, tying them for the 14th-most road losses since at least 1914.

Roberto Hernandez (8-11, 4.08 ERA) starts for Los Angeles after struggling with a 6.60 ERA in his last four outings, pitching fewer than 4 2-3 innings each time. He had been 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in his first four turns after being acquired from Philadelphia on Aug. 7.

The right-hander threw 88 pitches in four-plus innings of an 8-7 loss to the Cubs on Saturday, not getting a decision.

He gave up two runs and six hits in that game, as he did five days earlier at Colorado, going 3 2-3 innings in an 11-3 win. Hernandez is 0-1 with an 8.50 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies.

Justin Morneau, who has hit .385 over his last 14 games, has homered three times in his last 15 at-bats off Hernandez while batting .400.

Jordan Lyles (7-3, 4.15) takes the mound touting a 3.00 ERA in his last three games. He notched his first victory in eight starts last Friday, holding Arizona to two runs over six innings in a 15-3 win.

Lyles' only start against the Dodgers in the past three years came April 25, giving up two runs in seven innings of a 5-4, 11-inning victory at Los Angeles.

Hanley Ramirez, batting an NL-leading .424 in 18 games since Sept. 5, is 4 for 6 with a home run against Lyles.