Steve Webb
DENVER, CO — How many times have we seen this kind of game out of Denver? Answer: a lot (which makes Kershaw’s one-hit wonder the night before even more impressive). But no, there would be no shutout in this one at Coors Field on Wednesday night. Quite the opposite. The Dodgers fell behind early, but clawed their way back into the ballgame on two separate occasions, but ended up a day late and a dollar short on this one, losing to the Rockies, 9-8.
Michael Grove started for the Dodgers in this one, and he was looking okay, but was beset by a series of bloops and doinks that led to an early 4-0 Rockies lead. However, the Dodgers exploded with two outs in the fourth and put together a six-run inning to take the lead. Key hits off starter Kyle Freeland were a two-run single for new call-up Yonny Hernandez and a three-run blast off the bat of Mookie Betts.
But no lead is safe at Coors Field as the Dodgers know all too well. After a nice string of games from the bullpen, the relievers just couldn’t get it done in this one. Pitching with the lead Victor Gonzalez allowed the Rockies to load up the bases before being removed from the game in favor of Nick Robertson (many of the high-leverage guys were down for the night). Robertson’s outing did not go well. He walked one guy home and then gave up a bases-clearing double to young shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. The Rockies would take on a fifth run in the inning before the final out was recorded, giving them a 9-6 lead.
The Dodgers would score two more in the top of the eighth, but that is as close as they would get, going quietly in the ninth against Rockies closer Justin Lawrence. Even scoring eight runs though, the Dodgers left a lot of meat on the bone in this one, leaving eight runners on base, included leaving the bases loaded on two separate occasions. Not to mention one ill-advised send of David Peralta home in which he was gunned down at the plate by outfielder Nolan Jones to end the 6th inning. Ah well.
“There’s a lot of hits out there,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the game. “And when you hit guys, walk guys, give them free bases, you know, big numbers are gonna happen like they did.
“You’re shorthanded with some guys, some leverage guys,” he continued. “But you still got to go out there with the guys you have and make pitches and tonight we just couldn’t do that.”
