Dodgers Take Opening Series Against The Colorado Rockies

Posted by: Corey Goldman in Los Angeles Dodgers, Santa Clarita Latest News, Santa Clarita Sports April 5, 2021 - 9:56 am 0 689 Views

After dropping the first game of the season, the Dodgers bounced back and won three straight en route to their first series win of the year.

The Dodgers struck first on Opening Day with a Cody Bellinger single that helped score Justin Turner. The Rockies struck back quickly, a consistent theme in the game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third inning, to take a 2-1 lead. Bellinger tied the game on a Gavin Lux single in the fifth, but once again the Rockies scored right after, putting up two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Again the Dodgers tied the game 4-4 in the next inning, and again the Rockies responded with two runs of their own. The Rockies pulled away for good in the bottom of the seventh when they scored two runs on wild pitches with a final score of 8-5. The Dodgers offense was good, racking up 15 hits and 8 walks, but they were unable to capitalize and score runs. Clayton Kershaw had an off day giving up 10 hits and five earned runs in 5.2 innings of work.

In game two of the series, the Dodgers jumped out to an early lead scoring two runs in the first and never looked back. They were able to add two more in the second and three in the fourth before eventually growing the lead to 10-0. The Rockies attempted to mount a comeback by scoring six runs in the seventh inning, but could not overcome the 10-0 deficit and ultimately fell 11-6. The star of the day was Hart High School Alumni Trevor Bauer who had a no-hitter going through six innings before finally giving up a hit in the seventh inning. Bauer launched “K’s for a Cause” this season where he is set to donate $1,000 to a local charity for every strikeout he has this season. His 10 strikeout performance on Friday helped give $10,000 to “Think Together”. The Dodgers offense was led by a strong performance from their top three hitters. Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, and Justin Turner combined for eight hits, four RBIs, and six runs scored.

Related Article: Hart High School Alumni Trevor Bauer Delivers In First Start With Dodgers

On Saturday, the Dodgers were able to overcome an early deficit and held off the Rockies late to take control of the series. Going into the sixth inning the Dodgers found themselves down 2-0. A Corey Seager double kicked things off and then a two out hit by Max Muncy got the scoring started. Muncy’s single was followed by a single from AJ Pollock. Edwin Rios was then hit by a pitch before Austin Barnes drove in two runs with another single to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Lux tripled to lead off the seventh inning and was driven in by Seager, extending the Dodgers lead to 4-2. Much like in the first game, the Rockies battled back, scoring two runs in the seventh to tie things up. Dodgers rookie, Zach McKinstry, recorded his first career homerun with an inside the park homerun that gave the Dodgers the lead once again in the eighth. Later in the inning Chris Taylor doubled scored Lux and the Dodgers ended up hanging on and winning 6-5. Starting pitcher Walker Buehler had a solid day. He pitched six innings, gave up two runs, and also struck out four Rockies batters.

In the series finale, the Dodgers used a three run first inning to outlast the Rockies 4-2 and win the series. The Dodgers managed to score those three first inning runs without getting a hit. Five Dodgers reached base, four via walk and one via an error. Betts scored the first run on a wild pitch. Pollock scored the second on a Taylor walk and Turner scored the third run on a Lux sacrifice. The Dodgers managed just four hits in Sunday’s game, but were able to capitalize on nine walks and a strong pitching performance from young star Julio Urias. In the one game where the Dodgers couldn’t get things going on offense, Urias stepped up and pitched seven innings, with six strikeouts, giving up just one run.

Next up for the Dodgers is a series in Oakland against the Athletics. Games will take place on Monday and Tuesday at 6:40 PM and Wednesday at 12:37 PM. Dodger fans will have to wait until Friday, April 9 to see their team play at home when they take on the Washington Nationals at 1:10 PM.

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