Dodgers buoyed by late rally against Rox
DENVER -- You could be forgiven for believing the Dodgers were done after four innings of baseball Thursday night.With the Dodgers down, 10-0, in the opening game of a four-game series against the Rockies, the prognosis appeared grim. But the combination of the unpredictability of Coors Field and the reliability
DENVER -- You could be forgiven for believing the Dodgers were done after four innings of baseball Thursday night.
With the Dodgers down, 10-0, in the opening game of a four-game series against the Rockies, the prognosis appeared grim. But the combination of the unpredictability of Coors Field and the reliability of the Dodgers made in a 10-7 loss was an encouraging sign headed into Friday's game.
"We had some late-inning wins in Pittsburgh, too," said
Manager Dave Roberts was smart with his scorecard, inserting players and double-switching with an eye toward a comeback even when down by double-digits. He used two pinch-hitters in the game --
"You're never out of it here," Roberts said. "It's just a credit to our guys. For us to get [Rockies closer Greg] Holland in the game was a good thing for us when you're looking at a four-game series. Our guys keep fighting."
The Dodgers started building momentum in the fifth and sixth innings, hitting starting pitcher
"You see a guy twice [in a game] and you start getting a little comfortable," said
One good thing was the chance to see three more Rockies pitchers, building familiarity that can come in to play into the weekend while keeping the Rockies relievers from getting too well rested.
"Keep at it and try to dig deep into their bullpen as much as you can after a game like that," Bellinger said. "Even when we're down 10-0, we know where we're playing, so we never gave up and we made it close."
Among the bright lights offensively was
"He's going to continue to try and figure things out and compete," Roberts said. "He's worked really hard with the hitting guys and himself, and he's finding the barrel."
The Dodgers scored six runs on eight hits off the Rockies' bullpen -- a source of strength in Colorado's surprise first-place run in the National League West.
"It's just a testament to them over there," Hoffman said of the comeback. "They're swinging the bat really well right now, and it showed in the late innings. They weren't going to give up. They were going to fight to the last out."
"They put a good rally together at the end, but the damage was done earlier," added
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLB.com based in Denver.