Dodgers-Rockies preview

DENVER -- After a stunningly successful debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers, veteran left-hander Rich Hill will make his second start for them Tuesday. Hill pitches off his highly effective overhand curveball. He will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, where the mile-high altitude poses a challenge to any breaking pitch.

However, Hill, 36, has experience at Coors Field. He's 0-2 with an 8.80 ERA in three starts there, one each in 2006, 2007 and 2008 with the Chicago Cubs. The most recent and best start was April 23, 2008, and Hill allowed two runs on three hits in five innings with three strikeouts and four walks. He didn't figure in the decision in the Cubs' 7-6 win.

The Dodgers acquired Hill from Oakland on Aug. 1. The A's had placed him on the disabled list July 20 with a left middle finger blister. Hill went 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts for the A's this season while limiting the opposition to a .201 average.

In his Dodgers debut Wednesday, Hill outdueled the Giants' Johnny Cueto and was the winning pitcher in the Dodgers' 1-0 victory. Hill allowed five singles with no walks and three strikeouts while throwing 81 pitches, 63 strikes, in six scoreless innings. He went to a three-ball count once.

"Everything felt solid. Mentally, I felt great, body feels good," Hill said. "Something that I've emphasized throughout the entire season in Oakland and carried over here into L.A. is just stay within the moment, a pitch-to-pitch approach and really just making sure you execute each pitch."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hill, "The command wasn't perfect, but he willed himself to six innings. As seen on video, he has such good feel for the curveball. It wasn't right on point, but he was very good."

Left-hander Tyler Anderson will oppose Hill. Overall, Anderson is 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In his only previous game against the Dodgers, he held them to two runs and six hits in seven innings Aug. 3 and was the winning pitcher in Colorado's 12-2 romp. That was the last win for Anderson, who is 1/3 with a 4.91 ERA in his past four starts.

In his last game at Milwaukee on Wednesday, Anderson gave up three hits and two runs in five innings with two walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts, giving Anderson 77 strikeouts in 83 innings or an average of 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

"I think when he has his best changeup, he's going to miss bats," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said, "Typically he may get weak contact with that pitch. But it's good enough he can get swings and misses, too. I think it was real good that last start. He commanded the fastball with it, and he would speed guys up to get to that changeup. Once you speed them up, they're going to miss the changeup when you pull the string on them. I think that's what you saw in his last start."