Rockies defeat the Dodgers, 5-0
Rockies: Justin Turner, for some bizarre reason, is pitching for the Dodgers. In a 5-0 game. Might as well stop with the updates, as the Dodgers have given up on this game. Muncy to third. Albert Pujols in at first. Story singled to left. Cron singled to left-center, Story to second. Ruiz flied to left. Hilliard grounded to first. Nunez flied to left.
Dodgers: Right-hander Carlos Estevez now pitching for the Rockies. Seager struck out swinging. Taylor walked on seven pitches. Pujols struck out swinging. J.Turner grounded to short.
Final score: Rockies 5, Dodgers 0
We go to the ninth, 5-0 Rockies
Rockies: Right-hander Kenley Jansen now pitching. Taylor to center. J.Turner to third. Joe grounded to first. Rodgers grounded to the pitcher. Blackmon struck out looking.
Dodgers: Right-hander Tyler Kinley now pitching for the Rockies. Hilliard to left. Garrett Hampson in at center. Barnes lined to center. Betts grounded to third. T.Turner popped to shallow center. No one could find it in the bright sun and it dropped for a single. Turner to second on a wild pitch. Muncy walked on five pitches. The runners moved up on a wild pitch. Pollock struck out swinging.
Score after eight: Rockies 5, Dodgers 0
Rockies take 5-0 lead in the seventh
Rockies: Rodgers struck out swinging. Blackmon walked on four pitches. Story doubled to left, Blackmon to third. Cron was walked intentionally. Ruiz flied to right, scoring Blackmon, Story to third. Hilliard walked on six pitches. Right-hander Shane Greene replaced Kelly. Greene threw a wild pitch, scoring Story. Nunez walked on five pitches. Senzatela grounded to second.
Dodgers: Pollock walked on seven pitches. Seager was hit on the right foot by a pitch. He limped down to first. Taylor fouled to left. Bellinger struck out swinging. Justin Turner, batting for Greene, popped to first.
Score after seven: Rockies 5, Dodgers 0
Rockies lead 3-0 after six innings
Rockies: Left-hander Justin Bruihl now pitching for the Dodgers. Hilliard flied to left. Nunez singled to right. Senzatela sacrificed. Right-hander Joe Kelly now pitching for the Dodgers and Mookie Betts in at right field. Joe lined to center.
Dodgers: Betts grounded to short. T.Turner popped to second. Muncy popped to third.
Score after six: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
Dodgers strand two in the fifth, trail 3-0
Rockies: Story grounded to first. Cron grounded to short. Ruiz grounded to second.
Dodgers: Seager singled to center. Taylor struck out swinging. Bellinger singled to center, Taylor to third. McKinney struck out swinging. Barnes grounded to short.
Score after five: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
It’s 3-0 Rockies after four innings
Rockies: Hilliard singled to right. Hilliard stole second. Nunez walked on seven pitches. Senzatela bunted the runners over and beat the bunt out for a single. Bases loaded, nobody out. Joe struck out swinging. Right-hander Brusdar Graterol now pitching for the Dodgers. Rodgers struck out swinging. Blackmon popped to third.
Dodgers: T.Turner grounded to second. Muncy struck out swinging. Pollock flied to right.
Score after four: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
It’s 3-0 Rockies after three
Rockies: Rodgers doubled to left-center. Blackmon struck out looking. Story walked on four pitches. Cron struck out swinging. Ruiz grounded to short.
Dodgers: Billy McKinney struck out swinging. Austin Barnes grounded to second. Mitch White grounded to short.
Score after three: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
Rockies 3, Dodgers 0 after two innings
Rockies: Sam Hilliard grounded to third. Dom Nunez struck out looking. Antonio Senzatela singled to center. Joe struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Corey Seager grounded to second. Chris Taylor lined to left. Cody Bellinger tried to bunt for a hit but the pitcher threw him out.
Score after two: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
Rockies jump out to 3-0 lead on C.J. Cron’s homer
Rockies: Right-hander Mitch White pitching for the Dodgers. Connor Joe struck out swinging. Brendan Rodgers singled to left. Charlie Blackmon doubled to right, Rodgers to third. Trevor Story flied to right. C.J. Cron homered to left. And just like that, it’s 3-0 Rockies. Rio Ruiz grounded to second.
Dodgers: Right-hander Antonio Senzatela pitching for the Rockies. Trea Turner grounded to third. Max Muncy flied to center. AJ Pollock flied to right.
Score after one: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0
Giving young starting pitchers extra rest remains a priority for Dodgers
By giving their starters an extra day of rest this past week, the Dodgers will have their top three pitchers—Julio Urías, Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer—lined up to start a big three-game series against the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night.
But if the Dodgers had started the trio on regular rest last week, Urías would have pitched against the Colorado Rockies today and Urias, Buehler and Scherzer would have been lined up to start an even bigger three-game series at National League West-leading San Francisco next Friday through Sunday.
Instead, only Urias and Buehler will pitch against the Giants, who have a 2 ½-game lead over the Dodgers entering play Sunday.
But to manager Dave Roberts, it’s more important to give Urías, a 25-year-old left-hander who has already thrown a career-high 144 2/3 innings this season, 65 more than his previous high of 79 2/3 innings in 2019, and Buehler, a 27-year-old right-hander in his fifth full season, extra rest when he can.
“It’s certainly going to be a big series,” Roberts said of the showdown against the Giants, “but I think making sure you take care of the guys, Julio and Walker, namely, as far as giving them an extra day to appreciate and understand what they have in store for them the rest of the season, [is important].
“There’s still plenty of games where we have to take care of our business, and we’ll have two of those guys against the Giants. I think the thought is to make sure our guys are performing optimally and with rest. We’ll bet on that.”
The Dodgers have made a point of giving starters extra rest in recent years, even if that means filling in some days with “bullpen games.” Pitchers have made 50 starts this season on four days’ rest and 67 starts on five days’ rest or more. It seems as if five days between starts is “normal” rest and four days is “short” rest.
“I don’t know about that, but I think coming off [a pandemic-shortened 60-game season] last year, understanding what guys are taking on this year, you give them an extra day here or there, it only seems like there is upside,” Roberts said. “We’ve done that more often in recent years.”
Mitch White is recalled from minor leagues (again) to start series finale against Rockies
Neither Mookie Betts nor Justin Turner is in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies in Chavez Ravine, where Dodgers right-hander Mitch White (1-1, 3.06 ERA) will oppose Colorado right-hander Antonio Senzatela (2-9, 4.42 ERA) in the 1 p.m. game.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it is a scheduled day off for both Betts, who is working his way back from a bone spur in his right hip, and Turner, the 36-year-old veteran who had started the previous six games and played all 16 innings of Wednesday night’s 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
Betts has battled hip inflammation all season and has been on the injured list twice since mid-July. Since returning on Aug. 1, Betts has been a three-games-on, one-off kind of schedule to ease the stress on his hip, and Roberts said the right fielder will get a day off or two during a stretch in which the Dodgers play 13 games in 13 days from Sept. 3-15.
“But there’s going to be a point where we we’re just gonna run him out there every day because he’s the best option,” Roberts said, “and he understands that.”
White, 25, returns after throwing 7 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in an Aug. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made starts in his two previous appearances for the Dodgers, giving up four earned runs in 7 2/3 innings against Arizona and Philadelphia.
To make room on the 26-man active roster for White, right-hander Edwin Uceta was optioned to the minor leagues.
This marks the seventh time this season that White has been recalled from triple-A to pitch for the Dodgers, who have used a franchise-record 37 pitchers this season, third-most in the major leagues. White has pitched well, but he’s also been optioned back to the minor leagues six times.
“It’s managing the roster and what we need for that day and the days coming,” Roberts said of the constant roster churn. “In that sense, they understand it and see what’s sort of happened this year. Having options is part of the flexibility of a player on your roster.
“I understand the frustration of the up and down, and you want to stick. That’s real, and I’m sympathetic to that. But I think the main thing is the guys who have gone up and down are helping us.”
DODGERS LINEUP: 2B Trea Turner, 1B Max Muncy, LF AJ Pollock, SS Corey Seager, 3B Chris Taylor, CF Cody Bellinger, RF Billy McKinney, C Austin Barnes, RHP Mitch White.
ROCKIES LINEUP: LF Connor Joe, 2B Brendan Rodgers, RF Charlie Blackmon, SS Trevor Story, 1B C.J. Cron, 3B Rio Ruiz, CF Sam Hilliard, C Dom Nunez, RHP Antonio Senzatela.
Dodgers finally cash in on free passes, defeat Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies pitchers had been wild all night, walking six Dodgers in the first seven innings Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Yet every runner who walked was left on base.
A single and two more walks loaded the bases in the eighth with none out.
And this time walks became runs.
Will Smith continued his torrid hitting, belting a line-drive single to left field that scored Max Muncy and Mookie Betts to snap a tie. With two out, pinch-hitter AJ Pollock singled to score Justin Turner and give the Dodgers a 5-2 victory that kept them 2½ games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.
Kenley Jansen retired the Rockies in order in the ninth to notch his 314st career save, tying him with Rollie Fingers for 14th on the all-time list.
After employing stalwarts Julio Urias, Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer to sweep the Padres earlier in the week, the Dodgers were forced to utilize the bullpen early two nights in a row against the Rockies.
Kenley Jansen stifles Rockies in the ninth to preserve Dodgers’ victory
Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen replaced Blake Treinen on the mound and promptly got Brandan Rodgers to pop out to second before striking out Trevor Story on a nice looking cut fastball.
Jansen then got C.J. Cron to pop out to shallow center to pick up the save in the Dodgers’ 5-2 win.
The two teams wrap up their three-game series Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PDT.
Dodgers take 5-2 lead into the ninth inning
Will Smith hit a two-run single and AJ Pollock singled in another run to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth inning.
Max Muncy singled to left field, then advanced to third when Bard walked Mookie Betts and Justin Turner to load the bases. Muncy and Betts scored on Smith’s hit, which gave the Dodgers their first lead of the game.
Facing Rockies reliever Robert Stephenson, Cody Bellinger moved Turner from second to third on a deep fly to right field. After Chris Taylor was punched out on a called third strike, Pollock plated Turner on a single to right, but the inning ended moments later when Taylor Motter threw out Smith at third.
Kenley Jansen will pitch the ninth for the Dodgers.
Rockies: Blake Treinen took over on the mound for the Dodgers and got Garrett Hampson to fly out to center field for the first out of the eighth. Charlie Blackmon grounded out to second and Connor Joe popped out to Justin Turner in foul territory.
Dodgers and Rockies remain tied heading into the eighth inning
Rockies: Phil Bickford struck out Elias Diaz on three pitches before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went back to his bullpen. Justin Bruihl completed the inning, getting Ryan McMahon to pop out to short before striking out Taylor Motter.
Dodgers: It took Rockies reliever Jhoulys Chacin 10 pitches to get Billy McKinney to ground out to first before Corey Seager popped out to right field on a first-pitch slider. Trea Turner followed with his third hit of the night on a single to left, but he was picked off at first by Rockies catcher Elias Diaz after failing to get back to the base in time on an aggressive lead out.
End of the seventh: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Rockies reliever Yency Almonte strikes out the side
Rockies: David Price was relieved by Phil Bickford after getting Colorado’s Brendan Rodgers to line out to right field. Trevor Story then flied out to Billy McKinney in deep right before C.J. Cron popped out to Cody Bellinger.
Dodgers: Yency Almonte struck out the side, getting Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger to whiff on well-placed changeups before Chris Taylor watched a 95-mph fastball catch the high outside corner of the zone.
End of sixth: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Dodgers and Rockies tied 2-2 heading into sixth inning
Rockies: David Price got Garrett Hampson to line out to Billy McKinney in right before Rio Ruiz and Connor Joe each grounded out in the 1-2-3 inning.
Dodgers: Trea Turner drew a leadoff walk from reliever Yency Almonte. Max Muncy then hit into a one of the fastest double plays ever when he sent a liner to Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron, who leaned over to tag the bag after making the catch. Mookie Betts struck out to end the inning.
End of the fifth: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Chris Taylor ties up game on solo home run in the fourth
Dodgers: Chris Taylor hit a solo home run off Rockies reliever Tyler Kinney to tie the game 2-2 in the fourth inning.
Taylor’s 19th home run of the season landed just inside the left-field foul pole.
Rockies: Ryan McMahon drove in Trevor Story from third on a groundout to second to give the Colorado Rockies a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers in the fourth inning.
Story drew a leadoff walk from David Price, then advanced to third when Elias Diaz hit a double that went off the tip of Billy McKinney’s glove when the Dodgers right fielder tried to make a leaping catch at the warning track.
Price struck out Taylor Motter to strand Diaz at third.
End of fourth: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Trea Turner’s aggressiveness helps Dodgers tie up game
Justin Turner drove in Trea Turner from third after hitting into a 6-4-3 double play to give the Dodgers their first run and make it 1-1 after three innings.
In the top of the inning, Colorado’s Connor Joe drove in Taylor Motter on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field for the game’s first run.
Motter led off with a single before David Price walked Garrett Hampson. Jon Gray followed with a bunt on the third-base side to advance Motter and Garrett
Hampson to third and second, respectively. Brendan Rodgers grounded out to strand Hampson at third.
In the bottom half, Trea Turner benefited from an error and some aggressive baserunning to quickly get to third base. He hit a broken-bat blooper just beyond third for a single that transformed into an extra base when Joe mishandled the ball and let it roll past him. An alert Turner capitalized on the error and trotted to second. Turner then stole third two pitches later.
Gray then walked Max Muncy on four pitches. After throwing a 95-mph fastball to Mookie Betts in the dirt, Gray left the game with an undisclosed injury. Tyler Kinney took the mound with runners on first and third and no outs, walking Betts before Justin Turner hit into a double play. Kinney then struck out Will Smith to limit the damage.
End of third: Rockies 1, Dodgers 1
Dodgers go down in order in the second inning
Rockies: Corey Knebel’s stint on the mound didn’t last long. After Elias Diaz hit into a 4-3 double play, Knebel gave way to David Price, who got Ryan McMahon to fly out and end the frame.
Dodgers: Colorado pitcher Jon Gray struck out Chris Taylor on three pitches, then got Billy McKinney to bite on a nasty slider for another strikeout. David Price popped out to left to cap Gray’s inning at nine pitches.
End of the second: Rockies 0, Dodgers 0
Cody Bellinger flies out with the bases loaded to end scoreless first
Rockies: Colorado went down in order in the top of the frame. Connor Joe lined out to Justin Turner at third, Brendan Rodgers grounded out to short and Corey Knebel struck out Trevor Story.
Dodgers: Cody Bellinger flied out to right with the bases loaded to deny the Dodgers a prime scoring chance, much to the relief of Rockies starter Jon Gray. Trea Turner led off with a single before Max Muncy drew a walk. Will Smith then walked with two outs before Bellinger’s popup to right.
Gray needed 32 pitches to get through the inning.
End of first: Rockies 0, Dodgers 0
Andre Jackson’s reward for a stellar outing? Optioned to minors
Andre Jackson was outstanding in his four-inning appearance Friday against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed one run over 4-2/3 innings, giving him an ERA of 1.04 after pitching 8-2/3 innings in his first two major league outings.
His reward? Jackson was optioned to the minor leagues.
“Andre was great,” manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers are doing some roster shuffling to maintain enough fresh arms to weather bullpen games. Brusdar Graterol served as an opener Friday and Corey Knebel, another short reliever, will start Saturday night with David Price scheduled to slot in behind him.
Edwin Uceta, who replaces Jackson’s spot on the roster, knows all about shuttling from the minors to the Dodgers. He returns for his seventh stint with the club. He has a 6.64 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20-1/3 innings.
Jackson allowed a home run to C.J. Cron on Friday, the only blemish on his big league resume so far.
Tony Gonsolin threw a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium and is scheduled to face hitters Monday in a simulated game. Gonsolin has been sidelined since July 31 with a recurring right shoulder problem.
How Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz are doing since they were traded by the Dodgers
Everyone knows Max Scherzer and Trea Turner made an immediate positive impact from the day they donned a Dodgers uniform.
But how about the players the Dodgers sent to the Washington Nationals in exchange during that July 30 trade?
Josiah Gray, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, was immediately inserted into the Nationals’ starting rotation and has pitched well, posting a 2.89 ERA over five starts.
Gray has been consistent, going five or six innings in each start while giving up two runs three times, three runs once and one run once. The only blemish is that he’s allowed eight home runs in 28 innings.
Add the four homers he allowed in eight innings over two appearances with the Dodgers and he’s given up an astronomical 12 in 36 innings. He’s only given up 15 earned runs all season, so nearly every run has come via the long ball.
The Dodgers again were stymied by a left-handed pitcher, Kyle Freeland, and lost 4-2 to the Colorado Rockies to remain 2½ games behind San Francisco.
The Nationals have kept catcher Keibert Ruiz, the Dodgers’ top position player prospect before the trade, in triple-A. Ruiz, who turned 23 in July, is batting .314 with 21 home runs and 59 RBIs in 71 games.
Ruiz will battle highly regarded Riley Adams, a University of San Diego product acquired at the trade deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays for closer Brad Hand, for a big league job next spring.
Outfielder Donovan Casey, 26, and starter Gerardo Carillo, 23, also were sent to the Nationals by the Dodgers. Casey is batting .335 in double-A and triple-A since the trade, and Carrillo, a 5-foot-10 right-hander from Mexico, has a 4.33 ERA over 18 starts.
Starting lineup for Dodgers vs. Rockies on Saturday
Here’s the starting lineup for the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday at Dodger Stadium:
Dodgers lose to Rockies, waste chance to gain ground on first-place Giants
The result appeared on the out-of-town scoreboard during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on Friday night: Atlanta Braves 6, San Francisco Giants 5. Final. And, finally, a chance for the Dodgers to gain ground on the first-place Giants in their pursuit of a ninth straight National League West title.
The Dodgers, fresh off a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, had won 16 of 18 games entering Friday, but the Giants had been nearly as good, keeping the Dodgers in second place with the best record in the majors.
To capitalize on San Francisco’s rare lapse, the Dodgers had to topple the Colorado Rockies, an uninspiring club wallowing in fourth place. That didn’t happen. The Dodgers wasted the chance losing 4-2, to remain 2½ games behind the Giants with 33 games remaining in the regular season.
Elias Diaz homers in ninth as Rockies defeat Dodgers 4-2
Colorado’s Elias Diaz hit a solo home run that rolled off the glove of an outstretched AJ Pollock and over the left-field wall to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth inning.
Diaz’s 15 home run of the season came off reliever Alex Vesia, who’s been one of the most reliable arms in the Dodgers’ bullpen over the last month.
Pollock robbed the San Diego Padres of a home run on Tuesday but just missed out on replicating the feat on Diaz’s homer.
Garrett Hampson drew a walk, but he was left stranded at second when Connor Joe popped out to Albert Pujols for the third out.
Dodgers: Mookie Betts lined into left center field to lead off the bottom of the ninth before advancing to second on a wild pitch to Max Muncy by Carlos Estevez.
Estevez then struck out Muncy on a full-count changeup and got Corey Seager on a called third strike outsize the zone.
AJ Pollock was called out on a third strike by first base umpire Jim Wolf, prompting Pollock to slam down his batting helmet in frustration. The outside strike call on Seager and the check-swing call for the final out ends the Dodgers’ three-game winning streak.
Dodgers down a run as game heads into the ninth
Rockies: Dodgers pitchers Shane Greene and Alex Vesia combined to make it a 1-2-3 inning. Greene got Charlie Blackmon to ground out to second before striking out C.J. Cron. Vesia then came on to strike out Ryan McMahon on three pitches.
Dodgers: Will Smith collected his third hit of the game after shortstop Brendan Rodgers struggled to corral a groundball. Rockies reliever Daniel Bard then struck out Cody Bellinger and Trea Turner before Justin Turner hit a grounder to second to force out Smith.
End of the eighth: Rockies 3, Dodgers 2
Dodgers can’t generate anything at the plate in the seventh
Rockies: Shane Greene became the fourth pitcher to take the mound for the Dodgers, striking out Rio Ruiz to lead off seventh. He then hit Connor Joe with a pitch but got out of the inning when Brendan Rodgers hit into a 4-3 double play.
Joe was called out when second base umpire Sam Holbrook ruled Joe ran off the basepath to avoid being tagged by Trea Turner. Despite Rockies manager Bud Black’s efforts, Holbrook didn’t change his mind.
Dodgers: Facing a new pitcher didn’t jumpstart the Dodgers’ offense in the seventh. Rockies reliever Jhoulys Chacin retired the Dodgers in order, getting Corey Seager and AJ Pollock to ground out before Chris Taylor lined out to Joe in left field.
End of the seventh: Rockies 3, Dodgers 2
C.J. Cron homers to put Rockies back into the lead
C.J. Cron led off the sixth inning with a home run off Dodgers reliever Andre Jackson to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
Cron crushed the ball — it traveled 431 feet and landed in the back of the Dodgers’ bullpen. It was his 23rd home run of the season and the first major league run allowed by Jackson.
Three batters later, Jackson’s night ended when Garrett Hampson reached base on a two-out single. Justin Bruihl then took the mound for the Dodgers and struck out Sam Hilliard to end the frame.
Dodgers: Kyle Freeland continued to frustrate Dodgers batters. Justin Turner flied out and Mookie Betts and Albert Pujols each hit into ground outs.
End of the sixth: Rockies 3, Dodgers 2
Dodgers and Rockies tied 2-2 heading into the sixth
Rockies: What started out as a promising inning quickly fizzled for Colorado.
Sam Hilliard drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Freeland. Dodgers pitcher Andre Jackson then walked Connor Joe but got out of a potential jam when Brendan Rodgers popped out into foul territory and Charlie Blackmon grounded out to first.
Dodgers: Will Smith singled to center but was stranded when Trea Turner struck out on a Freeland slider.
End of the fifth: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Andre Jackson puts in another strong inning for Dodgers
Rockies: Another solid inning for Dodgers reliever Andre Jackson. The 25-year-old struck out C.J. Cron and Ryan McMahon. Elias Diaz then singled to right before Jackson got Garrett Hampson to fly out.
Dodgers: Mookie Betts struck out and Albert Pujols grounded out before Corey Seager reached base on a comebacker that ricocheted off the foot of Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland. AJ Pollock popped out in foul territory to cap the inning.
End of the fourth: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Will Smith and Trea Turner tie game on solo home runs
Will Smith and Trea Turner each hit solo home runs for the Dodgers to tie the game at 2-2 in the third inning.
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland retired the first seven batters he faced before Smith hit his 21st home run of the season off the left-field foul pole. Two batters later, Turner socked another Freeland fastball into the left-field corner for his 20th homer of the year.
Rockies: Andre Jackson retired Colorado in order. Connor Joe grounded out to third, Brendan Rodgers flied out to left field and Charlie Blackmon, who hit a two-run home run in the first, grounded out to first.
End of third: Rockies 2, Dodgers 2
Dodgers go down in order in the second inning
Rockies: Andre Jackson took over for opener Brusdar Graterol in the second, and promptly got Elias Diaz and Garrett Hampson to fly out. Sam Hilliard singled on a liner to left, but he was left stranded when Kyle Freeland flied out to AJ Pollock.
Dodgers: Kyle Freeland struck out Albert Pujols and got Corey Seager to ground out to first base. The Rockies starter then struck out AJ Pollock to make it another 1-2-3 inning.
End of second: Rockies 2, Dodgers 0
Charlie Blackmon hits two-run homer to give Rockies early lead
Rockies: Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run home run off Dodgers opener Brusdar Graterol to give Colorado a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Connor Joe led off the game with a single to left before Brendan Rodgers grounded out to second. Blackmon then hit his 10th home run of the season off a 100-mph fastball that he sent just over the wall in right field.
Dodgers: Rockies starter Kyle Freeland retires the Dodgers in order. Trea Turner grounds out and Justin Turner and Mookie Betts each flied out.
End of first: Rockies 2, Dodgers 0
Clayton Kershaw throws another bullpen session Friday
Clayton Kershaw, on the injured list because of forearm inflammation since July 7, threw his second bullpen session of the week Friday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Unlike his first session Tuesday in San Diego, Kershaw mixed in breaking balls. The left-hander is expected to throw a more intense bullpen session Monday if he rebounds well Saturday.
“He’s still not, obviously, ripping it at 100%, but it was a positive day for Clayton,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Kershaw is working to return as a starter, but he might not have enough time to build enough arm strength for a starter’s workload. That opens the possibility of him returning as a reliever — if he returns at all.
Kershaw expected to return earlier but encountered a setback after throwing a bullpen session last month in San Francisco. He was then transferred to the 60-day injured list, making him ineligible to return until early September.
Short hops
Max Muncy wasn’t in the Dodgers’ lineup Friday for the second straight game as he deals with back tightness. Roberts said he expected Muncy would be in the lineup Saturday. … The Dodgers recalled right-hander Andre Jackson and optioned left-hander Darien Núñez to triple-A Oklahoma City before Friday’s game. Jackson was slated to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen.
Mookie Betts might return to second base Saturday
Three Dodgers participated in an optional infield practice before their game against the Colorado Rockies on Friday: Albert Pujols, Trea Turner and Mookie Betts.
Pujols was putting in work at first base ahead of his first start in six days. Turner bounced between second base — a position he’s relearning — and his usual shortstop. And Betts, the team’s starting right field, took groundballs at second base and shortstop.
A former infielder, Betts regularly takes groundballs as part of his pregame routine. It gives his club an emergency option. But Betts’ work wasn’t in preparation for an emergency.
In another sign that Betts’ right hip injury remains a concern, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts would start at second base Saturday to limit the stress on his hip if he emerges from Friday’s game without a setback.
“I think to run out to right field every night, to cover the ground out there on a flyball, ball in the gap, down the line, whatever it might be, to kind of minimize that a little bit,” Roberts said. “If there’s opportunities that we can get him at second base, I’m going to try to do that.”
Pasadena police file a criminal investigation against Trevor Bauer to the L.A. County district attorney, who will determine whether to bring charges.
The revelation contradicted what Roberts said earlier this month, that Betts wouldn’t play the infield when he returned from the injured list, after the Dodgers acquired Turner to play second base. On Sunday, however, he indicated it was a possibility.
“We’ve got the infield covered, but certainly, if there’s a day or a game where we need to get him in there, I’m open to it,” Roberts said. “We want to make sure he gets back. We’ll deal with that at some point but keep that thought open for sure.”
Betts was activated from the injured list Thursday against the San Diego Padres. He started in right field, batted third and went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He’s starting in right field and batting third again Friday. If he plays Saturday, he’s unlikely to play Sunday; Roberts earlier this week said he didn’t foresee Betts playing more than three days in a row.
Betts returned to the lineup after a bone spur was discovered in his hip, an injury that had bothered him since the first week of the season.
Dodger pitcher Trevor Bauer’s paid administrative leave has been extended a seventh time by Major League Baseball, this time to Sept. 3.
He was given a cortisone shot in the hip for the second time in a month and reported that the injection eliminated the pain as he worked through baseball activities. He said he expected to be himself and healthy for the rest of the season. But he also acknowledged he didn’t know if he would need another injection before the end of the season.
“I hope not,” he said last week. “I hope we just get through the season, let it heal and I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
To maximize those chances, Betts will take more time off than usual and spend time at second down the stretch. The goal is to make sure the hip isn’t a problem in October. There’s no guarantee it won’t be.
Brusdar Graterol will open for the Dodgers vs. Rockies
Here’s the starting lineup for the Dodgers tonight against the Colorado Rockies:
Padres hope to stay relevant in NL playoff picture
SAN DIEGO — On the first day of this most anticipated season in the half-century of the San Diego franchise, I asked Padres general manager A.J. Preller how the hype of 2021 compared with the hype of 2015.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Preller said, with a thin laugh. “I’ve kind of blacked out that 2015 season.”
You might remember 2015, even if our friends in San Diego would rather not. The Padres loaded up on veterans — Matt Kemp, Craig Kimbrel, Wil Myers, James Shields, the Upton brothers — and Kemp lauded Preller as a “rock star GM.”
The Padres started unloading veterans in June. Preller fired manager Bud Black, then passed over coach Dave Roberts as the interim replacement, and as the permanent replacement. The Padres finished 18 games out of first place in the National League West.
ICYMI: Max Scherzer’s dominance leaves Padres envious as Dodgers complete the sweep
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
SAN DIEGO — In the hours leading up to the July 30 trade deadline, the San Diego Padres envisioned Max Scherzer delivering the type of dominant outing he delivered Thursday at Petco Park. The right-hander tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings in front of a buzzing sellout crowd. He scowled and he prowled and he overwhelmed hitters.
The Padres just imagined him logging those performances in their uniform, not for the club they’ve so desperately wanted to overtake. But the Dodgers, not the Padres, acquired Scherzer that day, swooping in to steal the biggest pitching prize along with All-Star infielder Trea Turner. And on Thursday, Scherzer shut down the plunging Padres to complete the Dodgers’ three-game series sweep with a 4-0 win.
Scherzer recorded 10 strikeouts to one walk and 104 pitches in his fifth start as a Dodger and first start at Petco Park since he gave up seven runs over 3 2/3 innings as a member of the Washington Nationals on July 8. The 37-year-old right-hander, who’s given up five runs in 29 innings with the Dodgers, lowered his earned-run average to 2.51.
Betting odds and lines for Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies on Friday
The Dodgers are on their best streak of the season with a 12-1 record in their last 13 games as they return to Dodger Stadium to host the Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies have the league’s worst road winning percentage with a 15-47 mark. They’ve averaged 3.2 runs per game and are batting .212 away from Coors Field.
The Rockies will be facing a myriad of different pitchers on Friday as the Dodgers will be using a bullpen game. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been solid as the unit’s 2.21 ERA and 0.65 home runs allowed per nine innings in August both rank in the top three of the league. For the season, the Dodgers are fourth in both ERA (3.33) and home runs allowed per nine innings (0.88).
The Rockies will look to Kyle Freeland to continue his turnaround. He has allowed three runs of fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts after logging a 9.58 ERA with nine home runs allowed in his first five starts.
The Rockies have scored four or more runs in eight of their last nine games, going 6-3 in this span. The Dodgers have allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of their last 10 games.
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