Glasnow, Dodgers stay hot in dominant win over Rockies at frigid Coors Field

DENVER -- The temperature at first pitch of the Dodgers’ 7-1 win in their series opener with the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday was 35 degrees, the lowest temperature for any game the Dodgers have played in this century.

You’ve heard of a “dry heat” in Southern California. But manager Dave Roberts had a play on that phrase for this game.

“It was a dry cold,” Roberts said.

It was under these conditions that Tyler Glasnow made his first career start at Colorado’s hitter haven. And he rose to the challenge.

Glasnow, who Roberts described before the game as “a different guy” as far as having grown in his mindset since this time a year ago, was brilliant for seven innings, yielding just one run on two hits, walking two and striking out seven on 92 pitches.

“With the season, there are just so many things that are unforeseen and you’ve got to be willing to adapt and find ways to get through it,” Roberts said. “I think that in years past, things affected him, and he’ll admit that.”

About this time last year, Glasnow took the mound against the Phillies in a rain-soaked game at Citizens Bank Park, and he seemed visibly bothered by the conditions. He surrendered five runs and walked five over two innings.

Nick Castellanos, at that time with Philadelphia, even said that the Phils “kind of picked up that he was getting flustered.”

But on this night in Denver, Glasnow was anything but. In fact, it was no sweat.

“I didn’t feel super cold or anything like that,” Glasnow said. “ … I’m usually, like, super hot and sweaty. So it’s almost nice -- my body temperature is always so high, to where I went out there and didn’t feel cold.

“I didn’t sweat a ton. It was almost kind of nice.”

It was nice for Roberts and the Dodgers, who have seen growth in Glasnow so far in 2026.

Glasnow said that trying to make certain mechanical changes last season complicated matters.

“I definitely feel different, I think, this year compared to last year,” he said. “As far as making all those changes, I didn’t really feel like myself. I think if you pitch a certain way for so long and then you switch up so many things, you just feel [like you're in] unfamiliar territory.

“So I think just being able to go back to what I was doing throughout my career … I think it’s a little bit freer.”

Though he didn’t need much, the big right-hander got plenty of help from his lineup -- particularly Max Muncy, who smashed a pair of home runs to go along with a double for his second multihomer performance in the span of a week.

After homering once over his first 37 at-bats of the season, Muncy erupted for a three-homer game against the Rangers on April 10 at Dodger Stadium. That included a walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth.

But entering Friday’s game, he was in a 1-for-17 slump.

“It feels close,” Muncy said of his swing. “Obviously, tonight was great results. The idea of what we’re trying to do is there. We just have to keep tinkering each day to get it to take hold. I really, really like the things I’m working on and I just need it to take hold in the game.

“Once that happens, I feel like things are really gonna start taking off.”

Shohei Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 49 games with a double to right field to open the contest, and he added a single to right in the second. Will Smith had a pair of singles and drove in two runs.

With their 15th win, the Dodgers are tied with the 1906 Giants, the 1922 Giants and the 1928 Yankees for the most wins through the first 19 games of a season by a reigning World Series champion.

As the club rolls on with its early season success, Glasnow has turned in his finest start of the young 2026 campaign. And with the Dodgers eyeing a three-peat, it’s all about the process of being ready to perform at their best when October rolls around.

Glasnow is instrumental in that endeavor, and Roberts was pleased with what he saw on this frigid Friday night.

“I think that right now, where he's at,” Roberts said, “he's just put the blinders on and he's performed. And for us, that’s really good to see.”