Dodgers win big to start second half of season

DENVER — And away we go! After a four-day break for the All-Star game, the Dodgers got the second half of the season off to a good start on Friday night, with a solid, relatively stress-free win over the Colorado Rockies. They rode a five-run top of the first and coasted the rest of the way to a 10-4 victory.

Taylor blast highlights five-run first

The Dodgers wasted no time getting back into the groove on Friday. Red-hot Mookie Betts led off the game with a double to left. It was the start of a very good night for the resurgent Betts, who would figure in the scoring more later in the game. Starter Chi Chi Gonzalez, moved up in the rotation because of some Covid protocols among the Rockies was not sharp in the first. After a Max Muncy pop-out, he hit Justin Turner in the elbow and walked Will Smith and just like that, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with just one out. Next up, Cody Bellinger got a big single up the middle to score two runs. It wasn’t a hard-hit ball, but it did the job, and for Bellinger, he’ll take them any way he can get them.

All-Star Chris Taylor was the next batter. And, although he made a couple of nifty plays in the field in the ASG, he went hitless in the big game. He put an end to that dry spell in Colorado real fast. On a 1-1 pitch, Taylor crushed a cutter from Gonzalez and deposited it into the left field seats for a three-run jack. It was 5-0, and the Dodgers hadn’t even taken the field yet.

Urias dinged by a grand slam, but otherwise solid

Staked to a big lead, Dodgers started Julio Urias had a solid outing for his twelfth win of the season. He went into the sixth inning on 89 pitches, and the only blemish on the evening was a CJ Cron grand slam after he’d given up a couple of singles and HBP to load up the bases. So, it was a four-spot on his record, but he actually pitched much better than that. His final line for the night: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3K.

Dodgers add on throughout the middle innings

When Cron hit the grand slam, it tightened the margin to 5-4, and it looked for a bit like there might be a tight one at Coors Field on Friday. However, the Dodgers did what championship teams do– they added some insurance in the middle innings. They scored two in the fourth on a Will Smith double, and then three in the fifth on a Betts sacrifice fly and another two-run hit from Will Smith.

It was a good night for the two Dodgers who were absent from the All-Star game. Betts, who opted out, was 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Smith, who was overlooked in the opinion of some, got four RBI and was 2-for4 on the night. In fact, every Dodger who had an at-bat on Friday got a hit, including Julio Urias and (believe it or not) Phil Bickford, who got his first career knock.

Buehler back on the bump on Saturday

The Dodgers (57-35) have two more games in the Rocky Mountain State before they head home for a crucial series with the Giants. Both the Giants and the Padres had easy wins to start their second half runs, so it looks like it’s going to be a while before we do too much scoreboard watching. This thing is going to go on a bit. Walker Buehler gets the ball on Saturday, and David Price will get the bullpen day start on Sunday.