Tony Gonsolin set a career high with 10 strikeouts but took a tough-luck loss as the Los Angeles Dodgers fell the Colorado Rockies, 6-3, snapping a five-game winning streak. They settle for taking three of four at Coors Field and await clinching an eighth consecutive National League West title.
The Dodgers went into the day needing a win and for the San Diego Padres to lose in order to wrap up the division. L.A. and San Diego are both off Monday.
Gonsolin did his part to help the Dodgers possibly get there in the series finale, striking out the first six batters faced. Elias Diaz’s line-drive out to start the bottom of the third was the first ball the Rockies put in play.
Gonsolin fell two short of tying the MLB record for consecutive strikeouts to begin a game, shared by Jim Deshaies (1986) and Jacob deGrom (2014). In August of last year, Clayton Kershaw started a game with seven consecutive strikeouts.
The Rockies adjusted their strategy in the fourth inning, resulting in Raimel Tapia and Kevin Pillar each hitting a single on the first pitch they saw. They were the first hits Gonsolin allowed. Charlie Blackmon also swung at his first offering, but flied out to right field.
After Trevor Story’s walk loaded the bases, Josh Fuentes’ line drive went by Gonsolin’s stabbing attempt for a two-run single. Soft contact and well-placed balls hurt Blake Treinen in the sixth inning, allowing the Rockies to extend their lead to 3-0.
Colorado scored two more runs in similar fashion with Victor Gonzalez on the mound before the Dodgers could get out of the inning.
While Antonio Senzatela wasn’t as dominant, he scattered three hits over 6.1 innings. Cody Bellinger doubled off the left-field wall in the second inning but was thrown out attempting to stretch it to a triple.
Zach McKinstry collected his first career with a double to the left-center field gap in the third inning, only to be stranded by AJ Pollock. McKinstry, Pollock and Corey Seager then failed to pick up Gavin Lux after he led off the sixth with a base hit.
Senzatela was removed after issuing back-to-back walks with one out in the seventh inning. That led to the Dodgers scoring their only run as Edwin Rios hit a flare single into shallow center field.
L.A. had a golden opportunity to further cut into their deficit but couldn’t capitalize on loading the bases in the eighth inning. That loomed particularly large as Pollock’s two-run single in the ninth only pulled the Dodgers to within 6-3.
Josh Bard continued to labor, walking Seager to bring the tying run to the plate. It forced the to Rockies turn to Mychal Givens to record the final out on just one pitch.
Despite the loss, the Dodgers avoided their first shutout of the season.
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