Roger Arrieta
LOS ANGELES—They just keep winning – and winning – and winning. The Dodgers overcame an enthusiastic Colorado team on Friday to cement their legacy as one of the top MLB teams since 1947 after the first 40 games of a season. Los Angeles pounded out a season-high 15 hits, cranked out five more home runs and rallied past the over-exuberant Rockies to record their 30th win of the year.
The Dodgers are an impressive 30-10 after the first 40 games of 2020 which ties a club record for the best start after 40 games. LA is now one of only six teams in all of MLB since 1947 to win at least 30 of their first 40 games. Imagine how much fun this team would be in a full 162-game schedule?
After watching the pitching staff limit the Dodgers’ opponents to less than four runs in each of the last four game, it was the offense’s turn to grab the baton. Los Angeles had all nine hitters in the order record one hit, had five players post multiple-hit games as they came from behind on three separate occasions to beat the Rockies for the fourth straight time this season. The Dodgers’ biggest offensive showcase came in the eighth inning after the Rockies got a little too excited about taking a 6-5 on a grand slam in the top of the inning. LA promptly regained the lead on the second at-bat of the eighth, put up five total runs in the inning and completely silenced the Rockies.
GAME RECAP: The teams started the game by trading solo homers in the first inning. Colorado took a 1-0 lead on Raimel Tapia’s first HR of the season and then Max Muncy returned the favor with a solo blast of his own on a 3-2 fastball. His 10th homer of the year came off the bat at 104.6 mph and traveled 397 feet into the right field seats.
The Dodgers’ bats would go silent until the sixth inning. The Rockies grabbed their second 1-run lead of the game when Sam Hillard hit the third solo long ball of the game in the fifth. LA, who had only two hits between the second and sixth frames, tied the game when red-hot Corey Seager singled home Mookie Betts from second after Betts led off the inning with a single and moved up to second on an error by center fielder Kevin Pillar.
Los Angeles appeared to break the game open in the bottom of the seventh when they put up three to grab a 5-2 lead. Will Smith hit a 2-run homer to left that traveled 418 feet and was clocked at 104.8 mph off the bat. It was Smith’s fifth homer of the year. Gavin Lux came around to score the third run of the inning when he walked in the at-bat after Smith’s long ball. He took second on a wild pitch and moved up to third on a long fly out from Betts. Seager then plated Lux with a fly ball to center.
The Rockies thought they had taken control of the game in the top of the eighth. Pillar hit a grand slam and the bench proceeded to celebrate like they had just clinched a spot in the playoffs. Colorado’s coaching staff forgot to tell the players that they were playing at Chavez Ravine and facing a team that already had 12 comeback wins on the year.
Colorado fell silent after the second at-bat of the bottom of the eighth. Bellinger ripped a leadoff single to right and then AJ Pollock came through with the game-winning homer when he pounded a 1-1 fastball over the fence in right center. Pollock’s eighth dinger of the year was measured at 387 feet and came off the bat at 100.7 mph. Joc Pederson and Betts proceeded to pour a whole lot of lemon juice in the Rockies’ open bullpen wound when they followed with home runs of their own. Losing pitcher Carlos Estévez tried to sneak a 97-mph fastball by Pederson but that backfired in a big way. Pederson teed off on the waist-high pitch and crushed it 414 feet into the right field stands. Betts capped off the 5-spot with a 2-run homer that scored Lux from second.
Jansen came on in the ninth and gave up a freak infield single and beaned Tapia but got out of the 1st-and-2nd jam by getting Trevor Story to pop out to Taylor at shortstop.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
HOME OR AWAY – IT DOESN’T MATTER: The Dodgers have now won 11 consecutive games at Chavez Ravine. They also upped their home record in 2020 to 15-5. That mark is the identical record they have on the road. Their 15 home wins are the most of any team in the NL. Their 15 away victories are the most of any team in MLB.
OBSCURE STATS OF THE NIGHT: The Dodgers are now 9-6 in the first game of a series in 2020. They are also 13-1 when they put up a double-digit hit total.
HE MAY-BE REALLY GOOD: 22-year-old Dustin May continued to show off his impressive array of pitches which is turning him into one of the elite starters in the game. May lasted 5.2 innings but only gave up three hits and struck out five. May continued his streak of not allowing more than two runs in a start. He gave up solo homers in the first and fifth and retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. May has not allowed more than two runs in eight consecutive starts to begin the season. He tied legendary Dodgers’ lefty Fernando Valenzuela for the No.2 spot on the all-time list of pitchers 22-years-old or younger to start a season without allowing more than two runs. Former Padres righty Jake Peavy holds the record when he went his first nine starts of the 2004 season without allowing more than two runs.
HE SAID IT: “That was the biggest step forward I’ve had with my breaking ball. It was probably in the second or third inning when I thought, wow it is really going where I want it to go.”—Dustin May on his ability to command the breaking ball on Friday.
HE SAID IT 2: “We call it a slurve. It just depends on the way it comes out of my hand. It can be more of a curve or more of a slider.”—May on whether he calls his pitch a breaking ball or a curve.
AND YOU GET A HIT, AND YOU GET A HIT, AND…: All nine starters in the Dodgers’ batting order had at least one hit on Friday and five players had multiple-hit games. LA held a 15-7 edge in hits on the night. The 15 base knocks better the previous season high of 13 which was set on three different occasions.
POLLOCK UNDER PRESSURE: Pollock came through with the game-winning homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. Now that Pollock is healthy, he is returning to his All-Star form from his days in Arizona. Pollock has eight homers and has a slash line of .270/.311/.532. Polllock’s numbers get even better when the game is late or the score is close. He leads the team in hitting with a .411 average in the “late/close” stat category. He also has a .941 slugging percentage which is sixth best in MLB and his 1.386 OPS is 10th best.
ONE MORE MOOKIE MILESTONE: Betts led all LA hitters with three hits in the opener. He went 3-for-5 and came through with two RBI. The pair of runs driven in pushes Betts’ career total to 500. The three hits move his batting average over the .300 average mark for the season. He is second on the Dodgers with a .309 average which is .007 points above his career average.
BETTS AIN’T BAD: Betts drove in his team-leading 30th run of the year and upped his HR total to 13. Betts is fourth in the NL in RBI and second in HR. His 1.009 OPS is third in the NL. Betts has a 7-game game hit streak and has reached safely in 13 of the past 14 games.
SEAGER SWAG: Make it a 7-game hitting streak and a 13-game on-base streak for Seager. He was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the series opener. Seager continues to lead the team in hitting with a .328 average which is seventh best in MLB and fourth in the NL.
A TERRIBLY TOUGH 1 AND 2: Betts and Seager give the Dodgers one of the top 1-2 order combos in the game. The two are hitting a combined .318 and have hit safely in 30 of the 32 games in which both players posted at-bats.
ON DECK: The Dodgers will be hoping to extend their unbeaten series streak to 14 when they host Arizona on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. It will be an official “Caturday” as Tony Gonsolin is scheduled to start for the Dodgers. Gonsolin finally gave up an earned run in his last start but owns a 0.51 ERA and a 0.792 WHIP in 2020. Despite the success in his first four starts, he is still looking for his first decision of the year. Gosolin has only pitched 4.0 innings in his career against the Rockies and has allowed one earned run, three hits and struck out three. Gonsolin will face German Marquez in Game 2 of the series. Marquez is 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.375 WHIP in his eighth starts this season. The 5-year veteran has started eight games against LA in his career and owns a 2-1 record with a 2.54 ERA and a 0.926 WHIP in 49.2 innings pitched.
