Steve Webb
Game 154, 9/20/2024: Dodgers 6, Rockies 4
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — The MLB schedulers didn’t do the Dodgers any favors on Friday night. These “jet lag” games–a Friday night game after a Thursday night game on the East Coast–are killers. So, it was only natural that the Dodgers’ bats seemed a little sleepy in the early going. However, after spotting the Colorado Rockies a couple of runs, the Dodgers came alive in the back half of the game, beating the Rox by a score of 6-4. And oh yeah, this guy named Ohtani? Yep, it’s 52/52 now.
First the jet-lag portion of the evening. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland pitched four scoreless innings as the Dodgers couldn’t seem to get anything going for the first hour or so of the contest. Meanwhile, the Dodgers went with a bullpen game in this one, and there were mixed results. Ryan Brasier had a sharp first inning and put up a zero. Then, we went total Joe Kelly experience in the second, and it went about as you might expect. Lots of walks, lots of pitches kissing triple digits, and lots of traffic on the base paths. But somehow, Mariachi Joe managed to limit the damage to just one run, scored on a bases-loaded groundball to left side of the infield.
Next up was Brusdar Graterol, and he looked spectacular. He got through two scoreless innings on fewer than 20 pitches, getting his optimal mix of weak contact and strikeouts. If the Dodgers can get this version of Graterol in the postseason, things would be very cool indeed.
Daniel Hudson came out of the bullpen for the fifth, and it looked like things might go very well for him, as he retired the first two Rockies hitters in short order. However, his luck didn’t hold out as he surrendered yet another home run ball, this one to Chuck Nazty himself, Charlie Blackmon, and Colorado was up 2-0.
The offense finally rolled out of bed in the bottom of the fifth. The rally started with an Andy Pages solo home run to the left field pavilion. Pages continues to look good since his September call up, posting a .808 OPS in his last fifteen games.
Then, you guessed it, it was Sho Time again. Max Muncy doubled, and after a Kike Hernandez pop out for the second out of the inning, the Japanese Bambino headed to the plate. Freeland, a lefty, worked Ohtani to a full count, and then through him a high four seamer a couple of inches out of the zone. Instead of taking ball four and passing the baton to Mookie, Shohei decided to climb the ladder and drill the ball into the batter’s eye in center field. The Dodgers were on top by a score of 3-2.
That lead didn’t last long as Sam Hilliard took Alex Vesia deep in the next inning and put the Rockies back into a tie. However, Teoscar Hernandez wanted to get in on the homer party, and went yard in the bottom of the frame to put the Dodgers on top for good. It was Teo’s 30th home run of the year, as the slugger continues to pay the Dodgers back tenfold on their offseason investment in him.
The Dodgers added a couple more insurance runs in the seventh, runs that would come in handy when closer Michael Kopech would give up a solo shot to first baseman Michael Toglia in the top of the ninth before retiring the next three batters to secure the win. The lone troublesome spot in this game was the fact that Daniel Hudson, Alex Vesia, and Kopech all got stung by the long ball. Something to keep an eye on as the Dodgers get ready for the postseason.
Having started the home stand on a positive note, the Dodgers look to maintain their momentum on Saturday, when Walker Buehler takes the mound, hoping to build on his very nice start in Atlanta. Then on Sunday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the ball in the finale. With any luck, the Dodgers should be in a very good spot by the time the San Diego Padres make the drive up the 5 Freeway to start their final series againts the Good Guys on Tuesday. The Padres walked off the hapless White Sox on Friday, so the Dodgers’ magic number shrinks only to five. Time to shave a game or two more off that figure before the Friars show up in town. First pitch on Saturday 6:10. See you there!
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