LOS ANGELES -- Since starting the season 3-12, the Rockies have posted the second-best winning percentage in the National League, behind only the Dodgers.

It’s also the Dodgers that they’ve yet to figure out.

On Saturday, for the second game in a row, the Rockies lost at Dodger Stadium on a walk-off home run. The second Alex Verdugo homer of the game, this one off Jesus Tinoco in the 11th inning, handed Colorado a 5-4 defeat. The Rockies have lost all five games they’ve played against Los Angeles this year, and they’ve dropped the last 10 meetings dating to Sept. 8, 2018.

• Box score

“It’s a pretty good team over there, and they came in with a good game plan, I think,” Rockies starter Peter Lambert said. “They took some quality pitches, I thought, and worked me deep into the count, got my pitch count up.”

The Dodgers won Friday on Matt Beaty’s ninth-inning walk-off homer, and on Saturday they became the first team to win consecutive games on a rookie’s walk-off homer. Which means the Rockies are the first time to lose in such fashion. But that also means both games were highly competitive, and there were certainly bright spots for Colorado.

The Rockies’ offense also did something Saturday no other team had done this season by scoring three runs against Hyun-Jin Ryu (though only one was earned). Raimel Tapia’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh stood out as something the team can build upon, in manager Bud Black’s eyes.

“These are great moments for these guys, playing in these types of games against intradivisional rivals, a great team in a great baseball environment,” said Black. “Tapia’s home run, oppo against a tough lefty. These are great for these guys. And they will benefit. … I know everything’s in the moment, but long term, these are good moments. I just hope the long term becomes a lot quicker. But this is a process for these players.”

With 13 games to go until the All-Star break, the Rockies find themselves 12 games out of first place behind the Dodgers. Although there’s still time for the Rockies to reverse course for a run at the NL West title, that’s going to require figuring out a way to beat L.A. -- and quickly.

“They seem to be the team to beat as we sit here right now,” Charlie Blackmon, whose 31-game on-base streak was snapped Saturday, said following Friday’s loss. “We wanna go to the playoffs, so the best way for us to do that is to beat them heads up, absolutely. I wanna beat them heads up. I wanna beat everybody heads up, but if you’re gonna try to win the division, the easiest path is to beat the team that’s in first place.”

Successful homecoming for Lambert

Lambert grew up in San Dimas, Calif., about 30 miles east of Dodger Stadium. He estimated that about 20 family members and friends were in the stands as he made his first start in Los Angeles as a Major Leaguer. The rookie right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out one over five innings.

“I was pretty excited coming into it,” said Lambert, who would come to Dodger Stadium around six to 10 times a season growing up. “It was awesome. The atmosphere, this crowd was pretty big, and they got loud. Wish we came out with a better outcome, but it was fun.”

The start was a solid bounce-back performance for Lambert, who surrendered eight runs to the Padres in his previous outing after allowing just one run in each of his first two Major League starts.

Lambert, the Rockies’ No. 4 prospect at the time of his callup, per MLB Pipeline, pitched in and out of trouble against the Dodgers for most of the afternoon and did not record a single 1-2-3 inning. But he showed some impressive composure. After working around a leadoff walk in the first, he limited the damage in the second to one run despite giving up three straight hits to open the frame.

“He competed. I think that’s part of his constitution -- he competes,” said Black. “He’s a young, competitive-spirited player. And he’s gonna battle. I’m sure it was a great experience for him and his family -- probably more for his family than him, right? Because they get to see young Peter compete. And how about he gets two hits?”

Indeed, Lambert helped his own cause both on defense and with his bat. In the bottom of the fourth, he recorded his first Major League pickoff by nabbing Beaty at second base.

At the plate, Lambert picked up hits in his first two at-bats. It was the second multi-hit game of his young career, making him 5-for-8 as a Major Leaguer.