Chad Billingsley picks up his 15th win as the Dodgers beat the Rockies 7-2 in the first game of the set for their third straight win.
The offense was lead by James Loney and Matt Kemp, who each had two hits with Loney notching three RBI and Kemp two. They scored two in the second and regained the lead in the fourth on Kemp’s second RBI hit. Manny chipped in with an RBI-single in the seventh before they added three insurance runs in the ninth. Loney cleared the bases with his double in the ninth after being put in as a defensive replacement for Nomar at first in the seventh.
Billingsley notches his 15th win, and his first career win against the Rockies. He gave up a solo homerun in the first and another run in the second, but then shut out the Rockies for the next four innings. Park, Elbert, Wade, and Proctor all combined for three shutout innings, with Park giving up the only hit in the span.
The Dodgers can clinch the series with a win tonight, with Clayton Kershaw taking the mound to face lefty Jorge De La Rosa. Kershaw shoots for his fourth win, his lasting outing at Coors was a five run, 10-hit pounding and was lifted after three for the loss. De La Rosa is 8-7 and held the Dodgers to one run through six in his last start against them on August 21. The bullpen will also welcome the return of Takashi Saito, who will be activated before tonight’s game. If he is used tonight, it will be his first outing in exactly two months after spending the time on the DL for his torn elbow ligament.
