Dodgers aren’t in the charging mood in 7-4 loss to Rockies
Dodgers starter Mike Bolsinger waits for Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez to round the bases after giving up one of three home runs in the fourth inning Friday night in Denver.
Pssst. Get excited and then let all the air out.
It was no way to charge after a division title, falling behind by six runs after four innings and then doing almost nothing with a pitcher who came into the game with a bloated 6.32 earned-run average.
But those were the Dodgers on Friday night, close to the finish line and then looking all disinterested during their 7-4 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field.
Their magic number for clinching the NL West remained stuck at three, and there was more bad news. The Mets won to pull within one game of the Dodgers in the loss column in the battle for home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Dodgers have nine regular-season games left to play, and if things don’t fall right the next two days in Denver, they will be looking at trying to clinch during a four-game series in San Francisco that starts Monday.
The Dodgers did take an early 1-0 lead against David Hale when Jimmy Rollins tripled and scored on a groundout in the first inning, but Mike Bolsinger was almost bad enough to make you long for Mat Latos.
Bolsinger lasted only four innings, his once-revered curveball now a home-run invite. The Rockies hit three homers off him in the fourth inning. That inspired a visit from trainer Stan Conte, but Bolsinger remained in to finish the inning.
Bolsinger (6-5) gave up all seven runs (four earned) in his four innings, allowing seven hits and three walks. In his four games since rejoining the Dodgers this month, Bolsinger has a 6.88 ERA.
Hale went only five innings himself but gave up just one run, allowing five hits and two walks. The Rockies bullpen -- the majors’ worst judged by ERA (4.77) -- wobbled a bit but the Dodgers could not pull off one of those legendary Coors comebacks.
Singles by Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford and a pair of wild pitches led to one run in the sixth. Howie Kendrick’s bases-loaded single in the seventh inning scored two more, but that was it for the big rally.
Ian Thomas and Joel Peralta at least continued the bullpen’s recent strong work, each throwing two scoreless innings.
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