Steve Webb
Game 62, 6/2/2024: Dodgers 4, Rockies 0
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Well, it was an extremely short homestand this time around, but at least it was a successful one. After dropping the opening game on Friday night, the team came back and shut down the Rockies, allowing just one earned run over the last two games. In Sunday’s finale, the Dodgers rode a couple of early homers from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and a great start from Gavin Stone to win the game 4-0.
Stone’s pitching plan today was to have an abbreviated outing of only five innings to preserve this young arm for later in the season. But, he made the most of the time he had on the mound, shutting down the Rockies hitters and keeping zeroes on the scoreboard. He only went 75 pitches in this one, but had a great day: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. When Bobby Miller returns from the IL later this month, it’s going to be very hard to remove him and his 2.90 ERA from the rotation.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ offense got going early and coasted to the victory. Mookie Betts wasted no time, busting out of his slump in the loudest way possible, with the 52nd leadoff home run of his career. Mookie barrelled up the third pitch he saw, a low-and-inside slider from Colorado starter Austin Gomber. It was his first long fly in a couple of weeks, and a very welcome sight indeed.
After a strikeout by the slumping Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman doubled the Dodgers’ lead with a solo home run of his own. This one, to straightaway centerfield, was in doubt for a hot second when outfielder Brendan Doyle made a valiant effort to keep the ball in the yard. But, the ball glanced off his glove and dropped just beyond the fence for Freeman’s seventh homer of the year.
In the third, the Dodgers tacked on one more when Miguel Rojas ripped a one-out single into center field to score Freddie Freeman from second with the Dodgers’ third run of the afternoon. Rojas, who struggled mightily at the plate last season as the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop, has thrived in a more limited role in 2024. At the day’s end, Rojas had himself a .279 batting average and a .782 OPS. We like. We like a lot.
Things got quiet during the middle of the game, but the Dodgers were able to add a little insurance in the bottom of the eighth. Jason Heyward and Austin Barnes led off the inning with back-to-back singles (yes, you read that sentence correctly). Then, a Mookie pop foul ended up tangling first baseman Kris Bryant in the netting after the catch, allowing Heyward and Barnes to tag up and take an extra ninety feet. That led to an intentional pass to Shohei Ohtani. It was a smart baseball move, but Freddie Freeman made the Rockies pay for their decision by promptly banging a flyball to center field that scored Heyward from third. With that, it was 4-0 in favor of the Dodgers and there the score would stay for the rest of the game.
In relief of Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, Alex Vesia, and Daniel Hudson were all excellent in keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard for the rest of the afternoon.
With the win, the Dodgers (38-23) now head BACK to the East Coast after having just returned from there. Thanks, MLB schedulers! Anyway, it’ll be two good series against two clubs in opposite positions in the standings. First, it’ll be the fourth place Pirates and their rookie phenom Paul Skenes (who’s slated to start on Wednesday). And then, a real test: the bashing New York Yankees. Judge, Soto, and Stanton are all hitting bombs this season, so it’s going to be a great weekend series in the Bronx. The road trip gets underway on Tuesday with a matchup of Tyler Glasnow against young righty Jared Jones. First pitch will be 3:40 PDT. See you then!
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
