Max Scherzer was unable to solve his career struggles at Coors Field but the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied late to earn a 7-5 win in 10 innings to take the rubber match from the Colorado Rockies.
Albeit only in five starts at the Rockies’ home ballpark, Scherzer entered the day a lifetime 0-3 with a 5.88 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. He had last pitched there in 2016 and returning five years later brought about more trouble.
After being staked a 3-0 lead in the second inning behind an RBI single from Austin Barnes and Corey Seager’s two-run blooper, Scherzer immediately allowed the Rockies to pull even.
Similar to an onslaught Walker Buehler faced the night prior, Colorado opened the bottom of the third with three consecutive hits. The first two were seeing-eyeing grounders that beat the shift, and Sam Hilliard took advantage by following those with an RBI double.
The earned run was the first Scherzer allowed since a start against the New York Mets on Aug. 21, a span of 36.2 innings pitched.
Scherzer nearly managed to keep the damage to a minimum but Kyle Freeland tied the game with a two-run double. It marked a second consecutive game in which a Rockies starting pitcher drove in a pair of runs with two outs.
Freeland again was a thorn in Scherzer’s side when he drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth inning. It then was compounded as Raimel Tapia hit a two-run homer.
Tapia’s blast came after Seager and Trea Turner opened the fifth with back-to-back singles but were stranded.
Scherzer had given up a combined six runs over 58 innings through his first nine starts with L.A. The five runs allowed to the Rockies were his most in a single outing since the San Diego Padres pushed across seven during a July 8 start for the Washington Nationals.
Scherzer was on the verge of suffering his first loss with the Dodgers but Mookie Betts started a two-out rally in the ninth inning with a base hit. Seager followed with a grounder that went off Carlos Estevez for an infield single, and Turner tied the game with an RBI base hit.
Max Muncy then fully lifted the Dodgers off the mat with a leadoff home run in the 10th inning that held as a game-winning blast.
Dodgers still fighting in NL West
As of the final out at Coors Field, the Dodgers were receiving some assistance from the Padres against the San Francisco Giants. Their back and forth affair was tied in the seventh inning, and a Padres win would pull the Dodgers to one game back of the Giants for first place in the NL West.
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