McMahon does it again, walks off Dodgers

DENVER – Rookie Ryan McMahon came through with the game-winning hit for the second consecutive night. This time it was a walk-off three-run home run in front of 47,633 fans, the eighth largest crowd at Coors Field this season.

Without their closer Kenley Jansen, lost to the disable list due to an irregular heartbeat, the Dodgers looked to their bullpen of unproven relievers during a dramatic ninth inning.

Trevor Story hit a double down the left field line with one out before Bud Black called on an injured Nolan Arenado off the bench to make a pinch hit appearance. The NL MVP candidate was hit by a pitch by the second reliever of the inning, J.T. Chargois, bringing Ian Desmond to the plate.

Brian Dozier nearly made his second impressive defensive play of the game to start a game-ending double play, but Desmond was able to leg out a fielder’s choice, setting the stage for McMahon.

On a 1-0 fastball, McMahon turned on one down-and-in to launch Chargois’ 95-mph offering over the right field scoreboard 391-feet for the game winner.

For most of the game, it appeared the Rockies would waste a special start from Kyle Freeland, but the late victory against NL West rival Dodgers moved Colorado within 1.5 games of first place in the division.

Freeland set a career high with ten strikeouts in his seven innings of work. The Colorado native entered the game with a 4.26 earned run average against Los Angeles and Freeland lowered that mark with only two runs allowed.

The Dodgers got on the board in the first inning with a 417-foot triple by Justin Turner to the farthest part of centerfield to score Manny Machado, who reached base on a double.

In the second, Freeland’s 87-mph slider to Yasiel Puig caught too much of the plate and was deposited in the left field bleachers for 431-foot home run, Puig’s fifteenth of the season.

The Dodgers 2-0 lead would stick throughout most of the ballgame thanks to a strong performance from their 23-year-old rookie starter, Walker Buehler.

Buehler matched Freeland with seven innings, albeit without surrendering a run. He have up four hits, all singles, and walked three while striking out six Colorado batters.

The Rockies best offensive opportunity for much of the night came in the first inning with one out when DJ LeMahieu walked and Carlos Gonzalez singled. Though LeMahieu would reach third base on a Trevor Story fly ball, Gerardo Parra hit a weak grounder to second base for the third out.

LeMahieu would be the only Colorado base runner to reach third base until the ninth.

The Dodgers defense came up big in support of Buehler in the third inning after Charlie Blackmon walked with one out. Brian Dozer made a diving stop on a LeMahieu grounder up the middle and flipped the ball with his glove over to Machado, who made an acrobatic toss to first to complete the 4-5-3 inning ending double play.

In the fourth, Carlos Gonzalez walked and Gerardo Parra singled, giving the Rockies a runner in scoring position for the first time since the opening frame. Ian Desmond hit a fly ball into the right field corner that was easily tracked down by Puig, who fired to first base to double up Parra, who misjudged the play.

During the sixth inning, the Rockies made more noise on the base paths.

LeMahieu reached on an error by first baseman Max Muncy, a play that culminated in an unusual collision between Buehler and Muncy in which both players would be fine. CarGo singled just over the head of Machado, but for the third time in four innings, the Dodgers defense turned a double play to halt the Rockies momentum.

With just four hits in the first eight innings, Colorado seemed to miss the biggest bat in their lineup. Nolan Arenado began game three of the series on the bench due his lingering shoulder issue after exiting early during Friday night’s game.

Though the Rockies offense was lacked any punch on their sixteenth straight day of baseball, their youngest offensive weapon provided the knockout blow to cap off their fifth walk-off win of the season in the biggest series of the season to date.