DENVER – The forecast called for wind, and runs. Lots of each actually. The Los Angeles Dodgers breezed to a 10-6 win over the Colorado Rockies in the Mile High City. The Rockies dropped to 5-2 on the year, losing once again in the series finale just as they did in Milwaukee.
Tyler Anderson had a rough outing for the home nine and Jordyn Lyles got bounced around by visitors in his inning of work. Corey Seager and Justin Turner both had big games for the Southern California club.
Anderson struggled with his command, walking two runners, giving up two runs on an RBI double to Turner, and taking 30 pitches to get the first three outs of the game.
Things didn’t get any better in the second as a two-out walk to Logan Forsythe (who led off the first with a double) led to a two-out home run off the bat of Seager, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
The Rockies didn’t get a hit off of Dodgers’ starter Kenta Maeda until Tony Wolters hit a single in the third. He came around to score on Charlie Blackmon‘s first home run of the season. It was a laser shot from Blackmon, leaving the bat at 105 mph and traveling 403 feet, landing in the Rockies bullpen.
But the Dodgers got one right back, another two-out run on an RBI single from Forsythe in the fourth.
Anderson battled himself as well as the Los Angeles all day. He wasn’t the best version of himself but showed a ton of fortitude in grinding through five innings. The oft-worked Rockies bullpen can use all the help they can get.
Anderson’s final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K.
He threw 95 pitches, 54 for strikes. That’s not the ratio of walks-to-strikeouts or strikes-to-balls that he is used to. The four walks were a career high and the earned runs tied his career high.
Scott Oberg replaced Anderson and Austin Barnes hit a one-out triple off the auxiliary scoreboard in right field and scored the Dodgers sixth run when Alexi Amarista couldn’t complete a fantastic play, dropping the ball on the transfer after a diving stop.
Then the game got away from the Rockies when Jordan Lyles relieved Oberg and gave up three earned runs on four hits, raising his ERA to 15.00 on the early season. Chris Rusin made his season debut and pitched the final two innings allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out two.
The Dodgers brought their closer, Kenley Jansen, into the game despite having a six-run lead coming into the ninth. Wolters produced a one-out single and DJ LeMahieu hit a triple off the scoreboard in right (reminiscent of Barnes earlier in the game) then came in to score on a sacrifice grounder from Blackmon to make it 10-6. But it was too little, too late.
It was an ugly game at 20th and Blake, and the Rockies took their first home loss of the series but can find some comfort in having won their first two series’ of 2017.
