(My Sportsbook) - Los Angeles was winning despite a lack of power out of Manny Ramirez. Who knows what will happen if the slugger has found his stroke.

Ramirez and the Dodgers will try to win their eighth straight contest this afternoon and sweep a three-game series from the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers were doing just fine despite Ramirez having not homered yet this season. They entered Saturday's game tied for first in the NL West with San Diego and were riding a six-game win streak. They extended that run thanks to Ramirez and Andre Ethier, who each hit two homers in a 9-5 victory on Saturday over the Rockies.

Both of Ramirez's homers were solo shots while Ethier had a three-run blast and solo one. Ramirez notched his 54th career multi-homer game to tie Frank Robinson for ninth on the all-time list. The two long balls were also his first in 14 career games versus the Rockies.

Chad Billingsley (3-0) gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in six innings to pick up the win. Matt Kemp went 1-for-3 with an RBI and has now hit safely in all 12 games so far this season, hitting .357 on the year.

The Dodgers last won eight straight from August 30-September 7 of last season.

Colorado starter Aaron Cook (0-1) was pulled after allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in four innings. Brad Hawpe tripled and drove in two runs, while Ian Stewart homered and also drove in a pair for the Rockies, who have lost five of six.

Hawpe has posted two RBI contests in back-to-back games, giving him 65 RBI in 73 career games versus the Dodgers.

Colorado was also swept in three games by the Dodgers in Los Angeles in their first meeting of the season in 2008 on April 25-27. The Rockies went on to lose 10 of their 18 meetings with the Dodgers last year.

Right-hander James McDonald will make the second start of his career this afternoon versus the Rockies, who he has never faced before. McDonald began the game on the hill versus Arizona on April 10 but lasted only 2 1/3 innings after yielding five runs on a pair of hits and three walks in taking his first big-league loss.

The 24-year-old then pitched an inning of relief versus the Giants on Thursday, giving up just a hit in the outing.

Coming off his first setback of the season, Ubaldo Jimenez will try to remain perfect in his career versus the Dodgers this afternoon. Jimenez has faced his division rivals seven times, six as a starter, and is 4-0 despite a 5.35 earned run average.

The right-hander hurled seven innings of shutout ball to down Arizona on April 7, but took a loss in Chicago Monday after allowing three runs on four hits and six walks in 3 2/3 innings.