On Monday night, the never-say-die Colorado Rockies put on a show in the ninth inning against Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott. That, though, wasn’t enough to keep this game within the normal nine innings.
Oh no, Rockies fans, this one turned into a late-night street fight. Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, though, put an end to it all with an 11th-inning single off of Rockies reliever Jimmy Herget as Los Angeles won 8-7. It was a tough loss for Colorado, who fought back gallantly late in the game.
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The win gave Los Angeles its 60th win this season and put even more space between the Dodgers and Rockies in the National League West Division standings.
The Dodgers, at one point, led Colorado 6-1. This game was about ready to go into the win column for the back-to-back defending World Series champions. Colorado, though, had some fight left in them.
Cole Carrigg slid home with a go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, giving the Rockies a 7-6 lead over the Dodgers. Jake McCarthy grounded out to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who then fired the ball to home plate.
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After Carrigg slid into Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, Rushing wasn’t pleased with the play. Carrigg and Rushing started yelling at one another, bringing some players off both benches. It did not escalate, though, beyond some jawing.
But the Dodgers came back in their half of the 10th inning and, after Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman grounded out to first base, designated runner Andy Pages moved along to third base.
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Mookie Betts stepped into the plate against Rockies reliever Brennan Bernardino and smoked a pitch right at Rockies second baseman Edouard Julien. Julien, who was playing in at second, wasn’t able to snag Betts’ smash and Pages scored, tying the game again at 7-7. Julien’s play was ruled as an error.
After giving up a single to Los Angeles’ Kyle Tucker, moving Betts up to second base with one out, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer came out and removed Bernardino. Jimmy Herget became the fifth pitcher for the Rockies, including starter Kyle Freeland, on Monday night.
Herget coaxed Teoscar Hernandez to line the ball right back to him, and Herget then threw to first base and Tucker was in no man’s land. That double play shut down the Los Angeles threat. This game, which went into Tuesday morning Eastern time, headed to the 11th.
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Colorado entered the ninth inning down 6-3 with the Dodgers fully in command of what looked like a win in the first game of this three-game series at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. This one, though, went into extra innings thanks to a furious ninth-inning rally by the Rockies.
After Ezequiel Tovar walked with one out, Willi Castro singled to right field. Kyle Karros hit his 17th double this season to center field, bringing home Tovar and Castro going to third base. Scott intentionally walked Hunter Goodman to load the bases. Scott did strike out TJ Rumfield to bring it down to a final out.
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The score was now 6-4 Dodgers.
Carrigg stepped into the batter’s box and said “not so fast” to Scott and the Dodgers.
He roped a double to the right-center field gap, bringing home Castro and Sullivan. Goodman made a whale of a play to reach home plate. Rushing, though, tagged Goodman at the plate. Initially, the home plate umpire ruled that Goodman was safe.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged the call at home plate. After it was reviewed, Goodman was called out. That led Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer to challenge that call for Rushing not allowing a safe path to home plate. Another review kept the call on the field.
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Now, it was 6-6 Dodgers. Colorado reliever Antonio Senzatela came on in the bottom of the ninth. After intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani, he took first base and Max Muncy, who opened the Dodgers’ half of the inning with a single, took second base. Senzatela then struck out Andy Pages, sending the game to extra innings.
Freeland opened Monday night’s game and, well, he kind of flopped. Freeland worked five innings, giving up nine hits and six earned runs. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two.
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Just what did Ohtani do against Freeland? He totaled four RBIs and a two-run home run in the third inning. Muncy and second baseman Miguel Rojas also had RBIs for Los Angeles.
Tovar hit a solo home run off Dodgers starter Eric Lauer. Lauer worked six innings, giving up three earned runs, walked two, and struck out three.
Colorado got on the board in the top of the second as Carrigg led off with a single, and Tyler Freeman also followed with another single. Carrigg reached third base on Freeman’s hit. Jake McCarthy was hit by a pitch, loading up the bases.
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Then, with one out, Tovar hit a sacrifice fly. The Rockies went up 1-0.
The Dodgers went in front 2-1 in the bottom of the third on Ohtani’s 19th home run. They added four runs in the bottom of the fourth off of Freeland. Muncy’s single scored Kyle Tucker, Rojas hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly, Rushing then doubled, and Ohtani hit a two-run single.
That gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead at that point.
The Rockies, though, did not go down without a fight. Tovar hit his solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, getting Colorado within 6-2. In the sixth, McCarthy’s single scored Carrigg and pushed the Rockies to 6-3.
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And, of course, the ninth-inning comeback followed which, in turn, led to some 10th-inning magic off of Dodgers reliever Enrique Hernandez. The magic ended in the 11th inning, though.
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