After a 16-run attack for a win on Monday, the Dodgers lost Tuesday 1-10 and Wednesday 3-5 to lose their series to the Rockies.
Maybe the offense was tired after Monday’s powerhouse of runs, because the Dodgers could only muster four hits and a lone run in the ninth to take the loss. Rockies’ starter Ubaldo Jimenez threw a complete game and gave the Dodgers just four hits, including a ninth inning Matt Kemp solo shot to extend his hit streak to 10 games and for an attempt at a come-from-behind win.
Clayton Kershaw was just plain off for the night, lasting only three innings and giving up five runs on ten hits. He gave the Rockies their first run in the second off a solo homerun to Brad Hawpe before allowing the Rockies to rally for four in the third. Kershaw again fails to get his first big-league win and was pulled after loading the bases with no outs in the fourth. Original starter Jason Johnson came out of the pen to and got out of the mess that Kershaw left him and went on to pitch four innings, giving up just one run (a solo homerun) on two hits. Ramon Troncoso wasn’t as effective, though, giving the Rockies four more runs in the eighth.
The Dodgers had a chance to gain some ground in the division in Wednesday’s rubber match, but ineffective starting pitching a lack of offense handed the Dodgers the series loss.
The Dodgers matched the Rockies with 11 hits, but could only score three runs off Rockies’ starter Glendon Rusch. James Loney was 3 for 4 and Andruw Jones, Andy LaRoche, and Ardoin all had an RBI. The team left eight on base though, including the tying runs on second and third with one out in the eighth before Jones and LaRoche struck out to end the inning and leave the tying and go-ahead runs on base.
The Dodgers again failed to get a quality outing from a starter. Hiroki Kuroda allowed the Rockies five runs on nine hits through six innings. In between Kuroda’s two-run first and three-run third was a scoreless inning followed by two more before Chan Ho Park finished with two scoreless innings.
The Dodgers are now 3 games under .500 and 1 1/2 back in the division. A off day should re-charge the offense and, more importantly, the starting rotation, with Chad Billingsley making the start Friday at home against the Nationals.
