Rodgers has four-hit night to continue strong play 

DENVER -- Rockies fans knew to come to Thursday’s game at Coors Field prepared for wild weather, but nobody expected the deluge of Dodgers hits raining over the expansive green of the outfield grass and the flood of runs hammering home plate.

The 13-0 loss was emblematic of the Dodgers’ reign over the Rockies, marking Colorado’s fifth consecutive loss to its division rivals. The fact that former Rockie Tyler Anderson put up seven scoreless innings in his old stomping grounds made it even tougher.

Colorado misfired in the opener of the four-game set, giving up 13 runs on 14 hits, getting shut out for the sixth time this season (second time at home, and the second time blanked with a double-digit run differential) all while committing three errors.

But there was at least one bright light shining for the Rockies (not counting catcher Brian Serven’s debut as a ninth-inning reliever, getting out of the inning on eight pitchers to three batters): Brendan Rodgers had a career-high-tying four-hit night, including three of the four hits Anderson allowed.

“Tyler’s a good pitcher, he mixes well, he’s in and out, he’s up and down,” Rodgers said of his success against the southpaw. “He does a good job. I've faced him a couple times in the past, and when he was with the Rockies as well. He had us off balance.”

Rodgers was perfect at the plate, hitting four singles in four trips to the batter’s box, driving two to right, pulling one to left and lacing an infield single up the middle off Anderson to shortstop Trea Turner.

“It's not like I drove the ball over the field,” Rodgers said. “I kind of inside-outed one up the middle, kind of hit off his arm, and then one through the six-hole. He made pitches all night, he got ahead of guys. We'll be back tomorrow.”

Rockies starter Jose Urena was at the center of the gloom, a rough game he’d like to establish as an anomaly. Hopes were high in the Mile High City after Urena posted a 1.45 ERA over his first three starts with Colorado -- all quality starts. And though he may not have pitched himself out of the rotation after his subsequent two outings, he certainly didn’t cement his standing. He’s allowed 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings against Milwaukee last Saturday and the Dodgers on Thursday, posting a 14.04 ERA over the span.

“He couldn't command any of his pitches,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It was a struggle for him from the start. He was behind in the count, not many first-pitch strikes, battling to 3-1 counts a lot. And against this lineup, it's tough. A lot of deep counts, the ball-strike ratio wasn't great. It was a tough night for him.”

Over the course of the season, the Rockies have had their struggles in every phase of the game, but it was rare to have all the wheels fall off at once.

“It doesn't happen too often this year, to be honest, three errors in a game,” Rodgers said, perhaps unaware that it was the fourth time this season the Rockies had a hat trick of errors. “They were swinging it early, and obviously, a couple errors didn't help, but it's just one of those games where we have to flush it, come back tomorrow and be ready to go.”

Rodgers has been increasingly dependable as a good-to-go anchor in the lineup and an increasingly competent glove man up the middle. It was the second four-hit game of his career -- both this season -- with the previous coming June 23 at Miami. He’s got a nine-game home hitting streak and has hit safely in 16 of his past 18 games, with multihit games in six of his past nine.

“He's capable of getting hits at any point in the game,” Black said. “Today, there were a couple opposite-field hits, and he put the ball in the hole. He's playing great. He made a great play in the hole, diving play. And a nice play there in the ninth, with [Mookie] Betts there, the awareness that nobody's there, we're in the shift, touch the bag and throw Betts out. Brendan had a good game, but it was it was tough for us all around, tough game for us.”

Having a big night when the rest of the team couldn’t buy a break can make for a bittersweet highlight reel, but considering his .078 April (4-for-51), Rodgers can be forgiven for taking some pride on a rough night.

“From where I started in April, it feels good to kind of be in a flow and a rhythm,” he said. “I’m starting to feel good. It's summer, it's getting hot, my body’s feeling good. So it's definitely something for me to ride out and capitalize on.”