LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers didn't need their pitching staff to be perfect. All their talented lineup needed was an opportunity.
L.A. got just that in the bottom of the seventh, one half-inning after the bullpen's 38-inning scoreless streak came to an end when right-hander Kyle Hurt surrendered a solo homer to Ezequiel Tovar to put his team down by two runs. But the deficit was short-lived, as the Dodgers capitalized on the free bases they got from Rockies relievers to rally for four runs and secure a 5-3 series-opening victory on Monday night.
Will Smith and Hyeseong Kim drew back-to-back walks from right-hander Juan Mejia to lead off the seventh. Dalton Rushing was announced as the pinch-hitter for Kiké Hernández, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and played third base in his season debut. But the Rockies countered by lifting Mejia for left-hander Brennan Bernardino, so manager Dave Roberts opted to have Miguel Rojas hit in place of Rushing.
Rojas was hit on the left foot by Bernardino, loading the bases with no outs as the order turned over. Then the big bats at the top got the job done: Shohei Ohtani brought in one run on a fielder's choice that was initially ruled a double play before being overturned on a Dodgers challenge. Mookie Betts tied it up on a sacrifice fly. Freddie Freeman knocked in the go-ahead run on an RBI double, and Andy Pages tacked on an insurance run with a base hit.
After being hit on the foot, Rojas was moving around in clear discomfort, but he was seemingly the last available infielder on the Dodgers' bench because the team is staying away from Max Muncy, who was hit by a pitch on the right hand on Friday. Muncy was shown on the SportsNet LA broadcast with a first-base glove in his hand, but Rojas was able to play third base for the eighth and ninth innings.