Fresh off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers were in position to match their longest home winning streak — eight games, set in April 2015. The Colorado Rockies entered Monday’s game losers in seven of their last 10 games.
Mike Bolsinger retired the first two batters faced in the first inning, then gave up a base hit to Nolan Arenado. Nothing came of it as Bolsinger got Carlos Gonzalez swinging for his second strikeout.
Tyler Chatwood set the Dodgers down in order in the bottom of the first, matching Bolsinger’s two strikeouts by getting Corey Seager swinging and Trayce Thompson looking.
Gerardo Parra put the Rockies ahead in the second inning with a solo home run that nearly went halfway up the pavilion in right field. Adrian Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second and went first to third base on a Howie Kendrick single.
That proved key as Kiké Hernandez’s hit into an RBI force out at second base to tie the game at 1-1. Chatwood intentionally walked A.J. Ellis with two outs and retired Bolsinger to end the inning, but needed eight pitches to do so.
A Charlie Blackmond one-out single in the third was erased on a DJ LeMahieu inning-ending double play. Similarly, Chatwood got Thompson to ground into a double play in the bottom of the inning after walking Seager.
CONTINUE READING: Tyler Chatwood quites Dodgers’ bats after second inning
Bolsinger worked his way through the heart of the Rockies’ lineup in the fourth, retiring Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story in order. Colorado got the better of the right-hander in the fifth, beginning with a Mark Reynolds one-out double.
Nick Hundley followed with a sharply hit ball that got by a diving Turner for an RBI single to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead. Chatwood hit Scott Van Slyke with a pitch to put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the fifth.
However, Ellis lined into a double play, and Bolsinger was called out on strikes, and Chatwood was out of the inning on just six pitches. After Blackmon drew a leadoff walk and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt, he scored on Arenado’s flare single into center field.
Gonzalez was intentionally walked in a decision that cost the Dodgers as Story clubbed a three-run homer to push the Rockies’ lead to 6-1. Adam Liberatore came on in relief and got through the inning after a Parra bunt single.
Casey Fien threw a scoreless inning of relief in the seventh, and Chris Hatcher did the same in the eighth, but the Dodgers continued to struggle and trailed 6-1 heading to the ninth. J.P. Howell threw a perfect inning, but Gonzalez Germen finished off the Rockies’ victory.
The Dodgers’ loss snapped their overall three-game winning streak and seven-game home winning streak.