Adrian Medina
Game 74, 6/17/2024: Dodgers 9, Rockies 5
DENVER, CO — After a tough weekend at home that saw two key players on the Dodgers roster go down with injuries (Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a right rotator cuff strain and Mookie Betts with a fractured hand), LA and its fans needed a reset. Monday’s performance against the Colorado Rockies was a great step in the right direction with a 9-5 victory in the Mile High City.
The Dodgers struck first in Colorado. A Freddie Freeman walk set the stage for Teoscar Hernandez, the RBI leader for the Dodgers, who belted an RBI double to right field, putting LA on the board in the 1st inning.
Shohei Ohtani, now the leadoff man, had a productive day at the plate (3-for-5). His contribution started in the 2nd inning with a single that drove in a run past a diving Rockies second baseman Adael Amador. Will Smith, who slid into the two hole in the batting order, followed up with his first triple of the year, scoring Ohtani, and the Dodgers’ offense was looking lively after a lackluster game on Sunday.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Rockies managed their lone run off James Paxton when Jacob Stallings hit a solo shot on a hanging curveball, one of the few poor pitches Big Maple would make all night. Other than that one dinger, Paxton delivered a solid performance in this one, pitching seven innings of one-run ball and striking out eight Rockies. It was his first career outing at Coors Field, where he commanded the strike zone all evening with a significantly reduced walk rate, allowing only one free pass.
The 7th inning saw the Dodgers add on what would turn out to be much-needed insurance to their lead. Miguel Rojas hit his third knock of the game, a double, allowing Jason Heyward to score from first. Dodgers newcomer Cavan Biggio drove in his first Dodger RBI with a single that brought Rojas home to score, putting the Dodgers up 5-1.
LA’s offense continued to add runs in the 8th and 9th innings. In the top of the eighth, walks to Ohtani and Freeman (his 5th of the day, tying a modern NL record for a nine inning game) and Teoscar Hernandez loaded the bases for Jason Heyward. He delivered with a single that brought home two runs, extending LA’s lead to six. In the 9th inning, a leadoff walk by Biggio set the stage for Gavin Lux to hit a double to center, which, aided by a bobble from the Rockies’ centerfielder Brenton Doyle, allowed Biggio to score. Smith capped off the offensive output with a sacrifice fly, securing the ninth run of the game.
J.P. Feyereisen entered the game in the 8th inning but had a shaky 9th, giving up 4 runs. Nevertheless, he managed to close out the Rockies and secure the series-opening win. Congratulations to Rockies rookie Greg Jones for hitting his first major league home run in the 9th inning, which was also his first big league hit.
Overall, it was a great team win for the Boys in Blue! The offense came through in crucial moments, and James Paxton shined on the mound. And more importantly, both of the replacements for Mookie Betts delivered big time in the first game without him in the lineup. New leadoff man Shohei was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base, and he pushed his OPS to .989. Betts’ replacement in the field, Miguel Rojas, played his usual stellar defense and went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Bo Bichette, Schmo Bichette!
This victory provides a much-needed morale boost for the team, and they’ll aim to build on this momentum in game two of the four-game series Tuesday at 5:40 PM PT. Walker Buehler will be on the mound seeking a bounce-back performance. Great job, Dodgers fans! Let’s keep the momentum rolling!
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