The Los Angeles Dodgers have essentially spent all six weeks of the 2017 season thus far looking up in the National League West standings. The Arizona Diamondbacks, last year’s preseason darling, and the Colorado Rockies, this season’s NL West dark horse, have predominantly occupied first place in the division.
When the Dodgers rolled into Coors Field last week, they were in the midst of a season-best five-game winning streak. They sat just 1.5 games back of the Rockies. Colorado jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and held on for a 10-7 victory.
The Dodgers secured back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday, behind solid starts by Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood, and a steady bullpen. But that changed on Mother’s Day, with Julio Urias and multiple relievers struggling.
The Rockies held off the Dodgers’ comeback attempt to earn a split in the four-game series and finish 6-4 on their homestand. All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado put a emphasis on Sunday’s victory, via Owen Perkins and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com:
“I think today was an example of — I don’t want to say it was a must-win, because I don’t know about must-wins at this time, but it felt like it was. We don’t want to lose three out of four to the Dodgers at home. That wouldn’t have sat well with us. It was really important for us to win and at least split [the series] like we did.”
Arenado went 5-for-15, with a three-hit game in the series opener and two-hit performance in the finale. He had three doubles, one home run and five RBI against the Dodgers.
The Rockies are 5-4 thus far in meetings against their division counterparts. The clubs will next meet June 23 for the start of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers went 12-7 against the Rockies last season.
