Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig lift Dodgers over Rockies, 8-0
DENVER — Yasiel Puig isn’t slowing down. The Dodgers aren’t, either.
The most expensive team in baseball history won for the ninth time in 10 games, rolling over the Colorado Rockies, 8-0, Tuesday night and ending their two-month stay in last place. The Dodgers, who have made up seven games in the last 10 days on the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, are only 2 1/2 games out of first place.
The Dodgers completely dominated the Rockies, as Clayton Kershaw pitched a four-hitter, Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run home run and Hanley Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
BOX SCORE: Dodgers 8, Colorado 0
But conversation inevitably turned to Puig, who was a triple short of the cycle.
“Puig’s on another planet,” Kershaw said.
Kershaw’s thoughts on Puig were unsolicited. He was responding to a general question about the lineup, which pounded out 14 hits.
“You keep thinking he can’t keep this up,” Kershaw said. “I’ve been really, really impressed.”
Manager Don Mattingly has been, too. So much so that when Carl Crawford makes his anticipated return from the disabled list, Mattingly said Puig is the one outfielder he envisions playing every day. The three former All-Stars — Crawford, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier — will share the other two positions.
Puig’s three-hit game was his team-leading eighth. But his most memorable moment probably wasn’t his home run to center field — 430 to 451 feet, depending on the estimate — but a fourth-inning catch he made in foul territory in right field on the warning track.
“He made it look really easy,” Mattingly said.
Puig didn’t sound or look impressed by any of this. While the Dodgers are campaigning for their fans to write in Puig to the All-Star game, the rookie said playing in the game wasn’t important to him.
“What matters to me is that the team wins,” Puig said.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez was making a case for Kershaw to start for the NL in the All-Star game.
Kershaw began the game with a 5.68 career earned-run average at Coors Field.
Asked what he has learned about pitching in Denver, Kershaw replied, “Don’t walk guys. You never want to walks guys, but when you give guys free bases here, they’re going to score. You have to go right at guys.”
Kershaw (7-5) did that, walking none, striking out eight and lowering his season ERA to 1.93. He also held Michael Cuddyer hitless in four at-bats, stopping his hitting streak at 27 games.
The Dodgers pulled into a tie for third place with the San Diego Padres.
With only one team in the NL West above .500 — Arizona (42-41) — only three games separate the top from the bottom.
“Am I surprised?” Mattingly said. “No, not at all. I think from the beginning, we knew there were going to be a lot of good teams.”
Good teams? Aren’t there a lot of bad ones?
Mattingly smiled.
“However you want to look at it, it’s close,” he said.
Twitter: @dylanohernandez
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