David Price atoned for a shaky 2020 debut and the Los Angeles Dodgers again poured on plenty of offense against the Colorado Rockies for a 7-1 win. L.A. outscored Colorado 21-3 in their two Cactus League meetings this year.
Price admitted to pitching through nerves and having shaky legs in his first game with the Dodgers, but didn’t appear to be suffering from any of the sort on Sunday. He carved his way through a Rockies lineup that included Garrett Hampson, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado at the top for seven strikeouts over three hitless innings.
Although strikeouts can tend to drive a pitch count up, Price threw just 45 pitches. He punctuated his day by striking out the side in the third inning. The lone baserunner Price allowed was walking Arenado with two outs in the first.
Elias Diaz’s two-out single in the fourth inning represented the Rockies’ first hit. Arenado’s line drive off Scott Alexander that just cleared the fence in left field for a solo home run got them on the scoreboard in the sixth.
Veteran Ubaldo Jiménez didn’t fare nearly as well as Price, beginning his day with a leadoff walk of Gavin Lux. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, took third as Tony Wolters’ throw got away, and scored when Cody Bellinger struck out on a passed ball.
Singles by Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes loaded the bases, and the Dodgers scored a run when Matt Beaty was hit by a pitch. Luke Raley drove in another on a fielder’s choice and Zach Reks’ sacrifice fly capped off the five-run inning.
Max Muncy clubbed a leadoff home run in the second and two batters after Taylor’s second single of the day, Beaty extended the Dodgers’ lead to 7-0 with an RBI triple. It was an encouraging afternoon for Taylor, who has missed separate stretches this spring because of forearm and biceps irritation and more recently a sore left shoulder.
Blake Treinen walked a batter but otherwise completed a scoreless inning in his Dodgers debut.
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