Wood 8-0 as LA rolls Rox for 8th straight W

LOS ANGELES -- Despite losing Julio Urías before the game to shoulder surgery and Corey Seager during the game with a hamstring cramp, the first-place Dodgers kept on winning Friday night, 6-1 over the Rockies, their eighth consecutive victory, ninth straight at Dodger Stadium and 14th in their last 15 games overall.
Dodgers All-Star candidate Alex Wood allowed three hits and struck out seven in six innings. At 8-0 with a 1.86 ERA, Wood is the first Dodgers starter since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to start a season 8-0, and he's the first Dodgers starter since Orel Hershiser in 1985 to remain unbeaten 11 starts into a season.
"Alex has just been really aggressive," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "These guys just weren't getting good swings. When he can change eye levels and change speeds, he's tough. He's got such feel and command on the mound."
• Unbeaten Wood joins greats in Dodgers lore

The only clean hit of three off Wood was Tom Murphy's RBI double in the second inning, although left fielder Franklin Gutierrez was unable to cut off what should have been a single, allowing the run to score. Gutierrez left the game after five innings. Gutierrez left the game after five innings for defensive purposes.
"We're rolling right now. I think it's going to be tough for anybody to come in here the way we've been playing, especially the offense," said Wood. "We're hitting on all cylinders. It's been fun."
The Dodgers had run up a 4-1 lead on seven hits by the time Seager was lifted to start the third inning. Cody Bellinger had two of the RBIs off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (8-5), with a sacrifice fly and double, while Seager and Justin Turner drove in one run each. Turner went 3-for-4 and is batting .395. Rockies starters have allowed 23 runs in the last three games. Austin Barnes walked twice and tripled, after walking three times Thursday night.

"On a night in and night out basis, we're trying to be aggressive and scare guys out of the strike zone," said Roberts.
Freeland, who allowed five runs on 10 hits in six innings, has combined with fellow Rockies rookie starters Jeff Hoffman and Antonio Senzatela to allow 23 runs in the last three games. Freeland had started in two wins vs. the Dodgers and had a 1.80 ERA against them before Friday.
"They figured out how I was planning on pitching them, coming off my two previous starts against them," Freeland said. "I'm a sinker pitcher, and they hit my sinkers. They hit some mistakes when I threw them, and they hit them hard."
• Rockies aren't about to hit the panic button
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Don't start, still homer:Yasiel Puig, who entered the game when Seager exited, blasted a homer in the fourth inning estimated by Statcast™ at 445 feet. It was Puig's 14th this year and first off a left-hander. That gave the Dodgers a home run in 15 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in franchise history and longest since 1977. They've slugged 35 in those 15 games. Puig ended the game limping, but Roberts said he expected Puig to play on Saturday.
"He's resilient," said Roberts.

Damage control: Wood thought he struck out Charlie Blackmon leading off the game, but didn't get the call. Then he thought Blackmon lined out, but center fielder Chris Taylor broke slow and the ball fell for a single. Then Wood walked DJ LeMahieu on four pitches. No problem for Wood, who got Nolan Arenado on a grounder to first base and struck out Mark Reynolds and Ian Desmond to escape the jam.
"He just does a good job of keeping his head and keeping his composure," said Roberts. "Every pitcher that throws 100 pitches a night, there are things that don't go your way. Hits that shouldn't be hits or calls or check-swings. But Alex does a very good job of staying within himself and getting on to the next pitch."
Desmond said, "He's got a little bit of a funky delivery, and he's been hitting his spots."

QUOTABLE
"I don't see him in the lineup tomorrow, but I hope we got ahead of it." -- Roberts, on Seager
"We're aware what's going on. They're aware also of what's going on with us. They outpitched us, and they outhit us tonight." -- Rockies manager Bud Black, whose team has lost three straight and hasn't dropped four in a row this season

NOW HEAR THIS
The Rockies trailed, 4-1, with one out in the third inning when an already-struggling Freeland missed with a full count against Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, who also walked to lead off the second. Black visited the mound with no one up in the bullpen. The pitching coach usually takes that one, but Black had something to say. It couldn't be called a conversation, since Black did the speaking and asked no questions.
Black said during an in-game television interview that his message was strategic and mental.
Freeland said, "We just talked about the plan going forward, to execute pitches at the plate."
From there, catcher Murphy fielded a Wood bunt and started a 2-5-3 double play to rescue the inning. After that, Puig's homer was the only run off Freeland, and he didn't walk anyone else until Puig in the sixth.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Dodgers' eight-game win streak is their longest since they won 10 straight in August 2013. They've also scored six or more runs in seven consecutive games, tied for the longest such streak (in 2001) since the club moved to Los Angeles.
WHAT'S NEXT
Rockies: After three straight rough starts by rookies, the team's most experienced starter -- righty Tyler Chatwood (6-7, 4.08 ERA) -- takes his shot at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 8:10 p.m. MT. Chatwood is 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA in eight road starts. Over his last four outings, he is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA, with three of those on the road.
Dodgers:Clayton Kershaw has six consecutive wins, but when he takes the ball for Saturday's 7:10 p.m. PT game against Colorado, he will be coming off his first start in which he allowed four home runs. He is 2-1 against the Rockies this year and 20-6 in his career.
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