Rockies Second-Half Surge Continues With Win Over LA
DENVER (The Sports Xchange) - Trevor Story was having a special rookie season before tearing a ligament in his left thumb.
Carlos Gonzalez's production is helping the Colorado Rockies to a memorable second-half surge.
Gonzalez drove in four runs and the Rockies continued rolling with a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
Gonzalez had three hits and extended his hitting streak to 14 games as Colorado (53-54) improved to a major league best 13-5 since the All-Star break.
Colorado's latest win occurred hours after it found out Story will miss the balance of the regular season with the injury he sustained sliding into second base during Saturday's win over the New York Mets.
"It's tough to lose him because he was having a special year," Gonzalez said. "But at the same time, you got to dig down inside and we have enough guys here to get the job done."
Gonzalez continued getting the job done by producing run-scoring groundouts in the third and fourth against Brandon McCarthy (2-2) and Luis Avilan. He added a two-run double in the sixth off Jesse Chavez as the Rockies raced out to a 7-0 lead through the first six innings.
Charlie Blackmon, Nick Hundley and Mark Reynolds also drove in runs for the Rockies, who have won six of their last seven games and 10 of their past 12.
The Rockies (53-53) reached .500 for the second time in three games and are within 3 1/2 games of the Miami Marlins for the second wild-card spot in the National League. The Rockies, who are behind St. Louis, New York and Pittsburgh, host the Marlins this weekend.
Jon Gray (8-4) pitched five scoreless innings and won his third straight start. He held the Dodgers hitless until the fourth and allowed two hits but needed 96 pitches.
Gray is 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last five starts but the combination of a 38-minute rain delay and a high pitch count shortened his outing.
Chris Rusin pitched three innings in his first appearances for the Rockies since June 8. He retired the first six batters he faced but gave up a two-out, two-run double in the eighth to Justin Turner.
"It's just one pitch; I was pleased with everything else," Rusin said. "We ended up winning the game, and I gave the bullpen some innings, so they're fresh for the rest of the series."
Yasmani Grandal homered in the ninth for the Dodgers, who activated newly acquired Josh Reddick. Reddick was 0-for-4 in his debut.
McCarthy (2-2) issued a career-high five walks in three shaky innings. He left after walking the first two batters he faced in the fourth, throwing a staggering 85 pitches and just 48 for strikes.
"The feel just wasn't there," McCarthy said. "I tried as much as I could to battle through. It just felt very weird. The first few batters I could just tell right away. I couldn't feel where my hand position was and it was like what you're trying to do with the ball you just could not execute. And you're just sort of at the mercy of wherever it ends up going out your hand I guess."
NOTES: Rockies LF David Dahl singled in the sixth and his hit safely in his first eight career games. ... Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig will be assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he is expected to report by the weekend. ... Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling and RHP Josh Fields, who was acquiredMondayfrom Houston, were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Dodgers RF Josh Reddick, acquiredMondayfrom Oakland, joined the team and batted fourth. ... Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (blister), acquiredMondayfrom Oakland, was transferred to the Dodgers' disabled list. The Dodgers have set a National League record for the most players on the disabled list with 23. Hill played long toss and will throw a bullpen sessionWednesday. ... Dodgers RHP Brock Stewart was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will be added to the roster to start Wednesday. RHP Kenta Maeda, who had been scheduled to start, will be pushed back to Thursday. And LHP Scott Kazmir, the scheduled Thursday starter, will instead pitch Friday. ... Dodgers RHP Bud Norris, who left his start Sunday after 13 pitches with back muscle tightness, remained in Los Angeles to receive treatment but could start Saturday. ... Rockies SS Trevor Story was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and will undergo season-ending surgery. ... Rockies INF Rafael Ynoa, who pinch-hit and struck out in the fifth, was recalled fron Triple-A Albuquerque, where he is hitting .264 with 24 doubles, two homers and 27 RBIs in 94 games. He played in 72 games for the Rockies last year. ... Rockies RHP Chad Qualls (colitis), who last pitched for the Rockies on July 15, threw an 18-pitch bullpen session and is scheduled for another bullpen session Thursday.
