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Dodgers get the message? They roll over slumping Rockies, 7-2

Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched five shutout innings against the Rockies on Friday, before giving up two runs in the sixth. He allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out two in six innings.
(Joe Mahoney / Associated Press)
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Maybe the Dodgers got their irate manager’s message, maybe they were simply due or, just maybe, they met a team in even worse disarray.

In their first game since Manager Don Mattingly publicly criticized his team’s play, the Dodgers responded Friday with a 7-2 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field.

It was hardly a perfect endeavor, but behind the pitching of Hyun-Jin Ryu and the hitting of Dee Gordon, the Dodgers jumped to a 6-0 lead over the Rockies, who have now lost eight consecutive games.

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Mattingly lamented his team’s selfish play before the Dodgers finished a 4-6 homestand, and he said after they managed only two hits in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, “Basically, we’re [expletive]. We’re just not that good.”

Ryu (7-2) wasn’t at his best but got the Dodgers’ trip off to a good start, going six innings and holding the Rockies scoreless until giving up a pair of runs in the sixth. He gave up eight hits and two walks, and struck out two.

The bullpen, inconsistent much of the year, held the Rockies scoreless the rest of the way. Brandon League, Brian Wilson and Chris Perez each pitched one scoreless inning.

The Dodgers came in having lost six of eight, prompting Mattingly’s public expression of frustration Wednesday.

But on Friday, Gordon sparked the offense with three hits (including two triples), three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base (on a pitchout). Hanley Ramirez had two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

The Dodgers managed 12 hits, 10 coming against rookie right-hander Eddie Butler, who was only making his major league debut.

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Gordon opened the game with a triple and scored on a Ramirez groundout. Andre Ethier singled and scored on a Drew Butera double in the second inning. The Dodgers scored twice in the fifth on a Ryu double, Gordon triple and Ramirez single.

Gordon’s second triple drove in two more in the sixth inning, and in the ninth, Yasiel Puig singled, stole second base, took third on catcher Michael McKenry’s throwing error and scored on a Matt Kemp sacrifice fly.

Kemp suffered a Puig-like moment in the seventh when he thought he’d hit a home run and broke into a trot, high-fiving first base coach Dave Lopes along the way … until he realized the drive had bounced off the wall some 415 feet away. He broke into a sprint and would have been safe with a double, but he did a pop-up slide and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki held his tag. He was initially ruled safe, but the call was reversed on review.

There was also shortstop Miguel Rojas, making his Dodgers debut after being called up Friday, muffing his first ball for an error.

Still, it was a win, and a much-needed one at that. And for a day, no tirades.

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