Live Blogging with Eddie Rivera | Rockies Embarrass Dodgers, 9-6

In a concerted effort to show that last night’s loss to the Giants was not a fluke, the Dodgers managed to waste yet another strong early performance and lose in embarrassing fashion to the 4th place NL West Colorado Rockies, 9-6.

Like too many games before this one, the Dodgers began with strong pitching and hitting in a steady performance that saw them take an early lead, with a series of doubles in the first, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead, and predictably increasing the lead to 4-0 in the second inning.

Come the late hours.

In a spectacularly and ironically bad performance, winning pitcher Daniel Bard loaded the bases twice in the eighth inning, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game.

But that’s all. Given a host of opportunities, the Dodgers failed to move the runners without help from Bard, and ended the inning with bases full of Dodgers.

On to the tenth. With reliever jimmy Shefry on the mound,Story singled to score Hampson, who was on second to start the tenth.

Charlie Blackmon then homered to right. scoring just about everyone on the team for the final score.

The week of painful losses, save one, will be either a wake up call or a pounding of the snooze button for the Dodgers, who have now fallen four games behind the Giants.

The Dodgers will face the Rockies on Saturday and Sunday, then travel to San Francisco for another rematch series with the Giants.

Anything can happen. At this point, it likely won’t.

Here’s how we blogged it:

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Last night was ugly with a capital “Ug.”

The Dodgers failed to preserve another lead in the ninth inning, allowing four runs and losing 5-3 on Thursday night. The Giants put five batters on the base paths, in the ninth inning with two outs, and down 3-1.

Did I say it was ugly?

Kenley Jansen dropped his third straight save opportunity, blowing his fifth save of the season as he allowed a season-high four runs on four hits as he dropped to 1-4 on the year.

With the loss, the Dodgers dropped the series to the first place San Francisco Giants and now trail the front-running Giants by 3.0 games in the NL West standings.

The Dodgers now turn their attention to the Colorado Rockies as they come into town for the first of three tonight, beginning at 7:10 p.m. on Firework Fridays Night.

After the conclusion of their home stand (1-3) on Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers travel North for another showdown with the San Francisco Giants beginning on Tuesday night at Oracle Park. We’ll see you there.

FIRST INNING

Top

I had to go get a charging cable from my car out in the parking lot. I’m back. Sshhh. Rockies go quietly in the top of the first.

Rockies 0, Dodgers coming right up.

Bottom

Chris Taylor doubles off Gonzales (no relation.) Will Smith doubles. (make that two doubles, please) and Taylor comes home.

Bellinger gets to 1-2.  He doubles to deep right and Will Smith flies home, after a fashion.

AJ Pollock takes a walk over to first.

Matt Beatty drops one into the deep left corner, for yet another double. Bellinger decides to come home.

Zach McKinstry is pretty much out.

Dodgers 3, Rockies 0.

SECOND INNING

Top

Charlie Black(no relation)mon flies out to left, per se.

Not to be outdone, C.J. Cron flies out to right.

Ryan McMahon continues the theme, flying out to right.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 0.

Bottom

Pitcher David Price is so out.

Chris Taylor flies out to second.

Billy McKinney is at 1-1. 2-2. He flies out to right.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 0.

THIRD INNING

Elias Diaz (no relation) homers to the left field bleachers, getting no love as he points to the sky while running the bases.

Josh Fuentes flies out to right.

Chi Chi (“Call me Chi Chi!”) Gonzales strikes all the way out.

Raimel Tapia gets his name on the Internet. And a strike. And another. He reaches first when Price inadvertently tosses the ball past Beatty at first, while pirouetting.

Hampson is so way out.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

Bottom

Justin Turner homers to left field. It’s his 18th.

Will Smith flies out to right.

Bellinger is at 2-2. He flies out hard to right.

AJ Pollock is in a full count, and flies out to center.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

FOURTH INNING

Top

Cron singles, Blackmon singles, Trevor Story is out. Hampson hits into a double play.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

Bottom

Matt (“One t”) Beaty flies way out to deep center.

McKinstry is out at first.

Price grounds out to first.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

FIFTH INNING

Top

Diaz pops out to center.

Fuentes fuent to first, where he was promptly thrown out.

Gonzales is strickened out.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

Bottom

Taylor is strucken out.

McKinney is at 1-2. Out.

Turner is hit in the left shoulder. Off he goes to first.

Smith is pretty much out.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 1.

SIXTH INNING

Tapia is, like, 0-2. Never saw that third strike. Out.

Hampson is at 0-1. 0-2. 1-2. He is tagged completely out on his way to first.

Story tells it, sending a 1-1 pitch into the left field bleachers, on the way to its eventual home in Lincoln Heights, Covina, Torrance, Maywood, Cudahy, or Moreno Valley.

Blackmon has a full count. He walks to first. There is a chat show on the mound. Price is done for the evening.

Phil Bickford is pitching for Los Doyers.

C.J. Cron singles, and Blackmon goes to second.

Blackmon is doing the boogaloo at second. Cron is at 1-1. 2-1. Cron singles to an error-prone McKinney, and Blackmon scoots home.

Visions of Thursday begin to dance in the stadium.

McMahon strikes out. Whole new ball game, as one wag once said.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 3.

Bottom

Bellinger mows the air. 0-2, He triples out to right. (The home run lights accidentally flash momentarily.)

Pollock singles to left, and Bellinger gets to come home.

Beaty strikes his self out.

Zach McKinstry is at 2-2. He flies out to right. Right?

Albert Pujols comes up to bat and there is a sudden chat show on the mound starring the Colorado Rockies. He spoils the drama, fouling off a few pitches and sending a pitch banging off the lower wall of the press box, before striking out.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 3.

SEVENTH INNING

Top

Reliever Alex Vesia strikes out Fuentes.

Connor Joe (if that’s his real name) is at 2-2, and flies out to left.

Ramiel Tapia is at 0-1. 1-1. 1-2. 2-2. He flies out.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 3.

Bottom

Taylor is out at first.

McKinneyis at 3-0, 3-1, now 3-2. He flies out to Tapia.

Turner grounds out to first.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 3.

EIGHTH INNING

Top

Brustar Graterol now pitching for the Dodgers.

Hampson singles.

Story flies out.

Blackmon is at 0-2. He hits one into left field, that dances away from Pollock, scoring Hampson.

C.J. Cron is at 3-0. 3-1. He grounds out to first.

There is a new chat show on the mound. Out goes Graterol; in comes Darien Nunez.

McMahon singles on the first pitch, to tie the score. He gets caught trying to steal second, ending the inning.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 5.

Bottom

Will Smith is at 1-2. He grounds out to first.

Sheldon Nuese singles deep to right.

Pollock is at 1-2. Neuse dashes to second on a wild pitch. At 3-2, Pollock strikes all the way out.

Matt Beaty mows the air. 1-1. 2-1. He is walking on sunshine, but you know that.

McKinstry grounds out to end the inning for good.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 5.

Diaz flies out to center.

Fuentes flies out.

Pinch hitter Hilliard homers to right field on a 1-2 pitch. He flips his bat.

Tapia walks.

Hampson is at 2-2. 3-2. He strikes out. Damage is done, for the moment.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 6.

Bottom

Austin Barnes, pinch hitting, is at 1-0. 2-0. 3-0. 3-1. 3-2. He singles to center.

Chris Taylor is at 0-2, with some chin music. 1-2. 2-2. Taylor singles, Barnes scampers to second. Chat show on the mound with pitcher Daniel Bard.

Billy McKinney hops away from a wild pitch, and  the runners move up. It’s 2-1.  McKinney is walked-ed.

Turner walks. Everybody walks. Barnes comes home.

Will Smith is at 0-2. 0-3. He walks back to the dugout.

Nuese is at 1-2. His opportunity to be a hero comes and goes quickly as he strikes out.

Pollock is at 0-2. 1-2. Now it’s a matter of who can end this the worst.

Dodgers 6, Rockies 6.

TENTH INNING

Top

Jimmy Shefry now pitching for the Dodgers.

Hampson is on second to start the tenth.

Story is at 2-1. He singles to score Hampson.

Blackmon homers to right. scoring just about everyone on the team.

Cron is out, pretty much.

McMahon flies out to right.

Diaz grounds out to first.

Rockies 9, Dodgers 6.

Bottom

Pollock starts the inning on second. Beaty flies out on the first pitch.

McKinstry is at 1-2. Out. This is very sad.

Barnes is at 1-0. He grounds out to first.

The game ends in awkward, embarrassed silence, until the announcer tells the fans the fireworks have been cancelled because of the late hour. 

Rockies 9, Dodgers 6. FINAL