The Los Angeles Dodgers looked to bounce back from a loss on Saturday, but were unable to do so after dropping their second-straight game to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
The Dodgers will now try to split the four-game series on Sunday, while the Rockies will attempt to clinch a series win over their divisional rival.
Rockies 9, Dodgers 6: key takeaways
Roki Sasaki remains inconsistent
Roki Sasaki was back on the mound for a start in Coors Field, which is a notoriously difficult place to pitch. Given the environment and Sasaki’s struggles, the Dodgers weren’t sure what to expect from the right-hander.
“Umm… I don’t,” Roberts answered when asked if he had expectations for Sasaki heading into the game. “Umm… I don’t. I don’t.”
Sasaki started out the game looking like the best form of himself as he only faced one over the minimum for the first three innings and kept his pitch count low.
But things started to spiral a bit for him from there. After throwing no more than 11 pitches in either of the first three innings, he threw 25 in the fourth and 27 while recording only two outs in the fifth before exiting.
In the fourth, he allowed two singles and hit a batter to put the Rockies on the board, and in the fifth, he allowed a leadoff homer, followed by a double and a game-tying single. Hr walked another batter to put two runners on base before exiting for Alex Vesia, who recorded the final out.
Sasaki finished his outing going 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
Blake Treinen and Edwin Díaz struggle
After being hit on the head by a ball during batting practice yesterday, Blake Treinen got into the game today and had an outing to forget. He recorded no outs while allowing three runs on four hits.
He entered with a 4-3 lead and exited with a 6-3 Rockies lead.
Edwin Díaz pitched for the first time since April 10 after dealing with a knee issue, and things did not go well for the right-hander. He allowed three runs on three singles and a walk without recording an out.
Díaz’s average fastball velocity was 95.4 mph, down from the 95.8 mph he’s averaged this season. Last year, he averaged 97.2 mph.
Velocity concerns originally led to the Dodgers being cautious with Díaz and him undergoing testing after his blown save.
Shohei Ohtani extends on-base streak
Shohei Ohtani smacked an RBI-double in the third inning of the game to put the Dodgers up 2-0. With that, Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 51 games, passing Willie Keller (1900-01) for the third-longest streak in Dodgers franchise history.
Ohtani trails Shawn Green (53 games, 2000) for the longest streak in L.A. history, and Duke Snider (58, 1954) for the longest streak in franchise history.
Ohtani was dangerously close to seeing his streak end on Saturday night, but he picked up a two-out single in the ninth inning to extend it.
Ryan Ward makes MLB debut
After seven years in the Minor Leagues, Ryan Ward was called up to the Majors for the first time with Freddie Freeman landing on the paternity list. Ward was given the start at first base, rather than Dalton Rushing, to give him the opportunity to start after his long journey to get here.
Ward ended up picking up an RBI single for his first hit, and later added another single to finish his day going 2-for-5.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
