The Los Angeles Dodgers concluded their six-game homestand Wednesday night with the rubber match against the Colorado Rockies. The contest marked the third of a nine-game stretch where the Dodgers face a National League West opponent.
Facing the Rockies for the second time in his career, Kenta Maeda fired his way through the first inning by striking out the side. Kiké Hernandez swung at a 2-0 pitch from Chris Rusin and hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the first.
Hernandez aggressively took third base on an Adrian Gonzalez tapper back to the mound with two outs, where he was stranded as Trayce Thompson grounded out to end the inning.
Nolan Arenado went down swinging in the second to run Maeda’s string of strikeouts to four. Gerardo Parra snapped it with a fly out, and Austin Barnes made a nice sliding stop and throw to end the inning.
The Dodgers didn’t manage any offense in the bottom of the second, with Scott Van Slyke, Howie Kendrick and A.J. Ellis going down in order. Rusin ended Maeda’s no-hitter with a two-out flare that dropped in shallow left field.
Charlie Blacmon followed with a fly out to center to end another scoreless inning. Rusin induced a pair of grounders and a fly out in the bottom of the third, getting the three outs on just nine pitches.
CONTINUE READING: Dodgers struggle to get runners on base, squander opportunities
After DJ LeMahieu led off the fourth inning with a base hit, Carlos Gonzalez and Arenado went down swinging. Parra then grounded out to end the inning. Rusin hit Adrian Gonzalez with a pitch to with one out in the bottom of the fourth to end a stretch of 10 consecutive batters retired.
It was but a blip on the radar for Rusin, as Thompson flied out and Van Slyke grounded out. Maeda matched his season high of eight strikeouts — set against the Rockies on April 23 — as he got Nick Hundley swinging to start the fifth.
Daniel Descalso drew a walk, but was erased on an inning-ending double play. Following an Ellis base hit, Barnes walked to put two on with one out in the bottom of the fifth.
The Rockies then botched Maeda’s sacrifice bunt, with two players covering first base, but LeMahieu wasn’t on the bag when he received the throw from Arenado.
The Dodgers continued to spin their wheels, however, as Hernandez struck out and Justin Turner grounded out on a full count. Thompson was unable to make play on ball, resulting in a one-out double for Blackmon in the sixth.
Maeda got out of the inning unscathed on a lineout and strikeout to give him a season-high nine punchouts. Gonzalez led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, only to be stranded by Thompson, Van Slyke and Kendrick.
Parra doubled to left with one out in the seventh and after Maeda retired Hundley, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went out to the mound. Roberts turned to signal for Maeda’s interpreter, but Adam Liberatore thought it was his call and began to come out of the bullpen.
He retreated upon realizing what Roberts’ was motioning for and Maeda remained the game. That decision hurt the Dodgers, with the right-hander’s first pitch to Descalso dropping in center field for an RBI single that gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead.
That knocked Maeda out of the game and Liberatore came on to record the third out. Chase Utley pinch-hit for Ellis in the bottom of the seventh and lined out. Joc Pederson hit for Barnes and grounded, while pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal (for Liberatore) extended the inning with a walk.
But again, the Dodgers left a runner on base and trailed 1-0 after seven innings. Casey Fien and Pedro Baez each turned in a scoreless inning of relief, but it was to no avail as the bats never got going and the Dodgers suffered a 1-0 loss.