Updated Sep 16, 2015 at 4:26a ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to move closer to an NL West title, while the only race the Colorado Rockies are involved in features Nolan Arenado's homers.
After showing off that power in the clutch, Arenado attempts to become the first member of the Rockies to hit 40 homers in 14 years Wednesday night against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles (83-61) leads the division by 7 1/2 games on second-place San Francisco with 18 left.
While the Dodgers were widely expected to reach a team-record third straight postseason, Colorado (61-84) is living down to its lowly expectations while sitting at the bottom of the West.
Arenado, however, is giving the Rockies hope for the future, batting .285 with a career-high 111 RBIs. The All-Star third baseman's 39 homers tie Bryce Harper for the NL lead and are the most for the club since Todd Helton hit 49 in 2001, tying Larry Walker's franchise record set in 1997.
Arenado is tied with the New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes for the most homers this month with nine, adding a .358 average and 16 RBIs in 16 games.
His 16th-inning solo blast proved to be the difference in Tuesday's 5-4 win at Los Angeles. He's batting .244 with three homers and six RBIs in 22 games there.
Despite falling Tuesday, the Dodgers have won 15 of their last 19 home games and are looking for Alex Wood (10-10, 3.81 ERA) to get them back on track.
Wood, though, is 3-4 with a 4.53 ERA in eight starts since coming over from Atlanta on July 30. The left-hander is coming off his worst effort since the deal, as he surrendered eight runs and two homers before being lifted with two outs in the second of Friday's 12-4 loss at Arizona.
Manager Don Mattingly isn't concerned.
"He's been pitching pretty solidly for us, kept us in most of the games he's pitched," Mattingly told MLB's official website.
Wood was hammered at Colorado to the tune of seven runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of an 11-3 loss with the Braves on July 12, three days after a long rain delay ended his outing after two pitches.
Arenado is 2 for 4 with a homer off him.
The Rockies hand the ball to Jorge De La Rosa (9-6, 4.28), who is 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA over his last five starts against the Dodgers. The left-hander won his only visit to Chavez Ravine over that span, yielding two hits in 7 1-3 innings of a 7-1 victory May 16.
De Le Rosa wasn't very sharp Thursday, giving up three runs with six strikeouts and three walks in five innings while not figuring in the decision of a 4-3 win at San Diego. It was a departure from his two previous starts, which he won while allowing one run and fanning 14 in 13 innings.
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