The Los Angeles Dodgers fell 5-0 on Sunday and lost a series to the Colorado Rockies, which proved all the more painful considering the San Francisco Giants also dropped two games during the same span.
Mitch White put L.A. in a early deficit as he surrendered a three-run home run to C.J. Cron in the first inning. White, who was recalled Sunday morning for the start, only managed to pitch 3.1 innings.
It was regression from going 7.1 innings after an opener his last time out and thrust the Dodgers into yet another bullpen game. A run of relief pitchers did their part to keep the game close but the Dodgers’ offense failed to generate much of anything.
Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela entered 0-6 with a 5.24 ERA on the road this season and a career 7.48 ERA at Dodger Stadium. Yet all of that was in the past as he carried a perfect game into the fifth inning.
Corey Seager broke it up with a leadoff single, and Cody Bellinger’s base hit put runners at the corners with one out. The Dodgers’ threat stalled from there as Senzatela struck out Billy McKinney and retired Austin Barnes.
Not pinch-hitting for McKinney became an even more peculiar decision when Mookie Betts entered as part of a double-switch with two outs in the sixth inning.
After the Rockies increased their lead to 5-0 in the top of the seventh, the Dodgers put the first two runners on in the bottom half of the inning and had a pair reach with two outs in the eighth but nothing came of either instance.
“Building innings, I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that the last five, six games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “But just finishing the inning, to push a couple runs across at different points in the game.
“I think we have one push, but if we can continue to build innings and finish innings, we’ll have more crooked numbers. I think offensively, the process of taking good at-bats, one through eight has been pretty good.”
Having previously entered the game as a pinch-hitter, Justin Turner took the mound in the ninth inning and worked around a back-to-back singles.
Next for Dodgers
The Dodgers continue their homestand by welcoming the Atlanta Braves, who are atop the National League East and just took two of three from the Giants.
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