Rockies pour nine on Dodgers pitching staff; Win season opening series 2-1
A late-inning let down sent the thousands of Los Angeles Dodgers fans in Colorado home disappointed, after the Rockies Connor Joe roped a 440+ foot homer for the go-ahead and eventually game-winning homer.
The Dodgers chances to recover from that disappointing loss, and escape Coors Field with a series win seemed good - especially with 2021's winningest pitcher Julio Urias set to take the mound.
However, a very rocky start, which saw Urias allow six runs - three of which were earned - over 2.0 innings pitch, striking out none and walking two.
An unfortunate series of events saw the Boys in Blue fall behind almost immediately, when a rare error from Chris Taylor allowed two runs to score. The very next batter, Randal Grichuk, would make it 3-0 with an RBI single.
Urias rebounded with a clean second inning, but the third inning would eventually be his downfall, as he walked the first man he saw, allowed a two-run homer to C.J. Cron, plunked the next batter, walked one more and then allowed a run-scoring single to Rockies catcher Elias Diaz, putting the Dodgers in a 6-0 hole in just the third inning.
To lead off the fourth inning the Dodgers got a little of their own luck, when three runs scored on an error from Colorado left fielder Kris Bryant, bringing them within two, after Chris Taylor drove in one on a sacrifice fly earlier in the inning.
However that would be it for the Dodgers, who promptly allowed another run in the bottom of the inning, making it 7-4. The sacrifice fly ended up being the first Major League Baseball RBI in young second baseman Brendan Rodgers career.
As the game continued the Rockies kept tacking it on, adding another pair of runs when Diaz roped his own homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, making it 9-4 heading into the final innings. The homer was preceded by an error from the Dodgers brand new first baseman Freddie Freeman.
With the pair of errors, only four of the Rockies nine runs were earned on the day.
The Dodgers will still able to tally 10 hits for the contest, driving Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela from the game after just 3.1 innings pitched. He finished the day allowing four runs - one earned - and walking one.
It's worth noting that neither starting pitcher was able to notch a strikeout.
Rockies reliever Ty Blach earned his first save of the season and career, as he pitched four shutout innings, striking out three and walking just one.
It was the first time since 2018 that the visiting Dodgers have lost a series at Coors Field.
The Dodgers will have Monday off before heading to Minnesota for a two game interleague series. On the other hand, the Rockies, who are now tied for second place in the NL West, albeit very early in the season, will hit the road for a two-game series against former Dodger Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers.
