In the shadow of the Hollywood sign, the Rockies play the same old, tired script.
With Los Angeles starter Walker Buehler tying them in knots and beating 11 fighters over six innings, the Rockies lost 5-1 Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The most telling statistic of the night: Dodgers pitchers find 14; Rockies pitchers knocked one out.
The Colorados dropped their fifth straight game and lost for the 10th time in 12 games, putting them back at .500 at 13-13. That might not have been so terrible if they hadn’t opened the 11-3 season.
The Dodgers, who improved to 20-8 and appear to be striving for their eighth consecutive National League West crown, have defeated Colorado 21 times in the last 25 meetings. The Rockies have now lost 14 of 15 games in LA since July 1, 2018.
But both manager Bud Black and all-star shortstop Trevor Story ignore the theory that the Dodgers are in the Rockies’ heads.
“I do not think so,” said Black. “They are a good team. Every night we think we can play with them. I do not think they are completely in our heads. ”
Story added: “We feel like we can play and compete with someone, but we have not shown that, especially against the Dodgers. But it is not that we go out there and think, ‘Ah (crud) we will lose.’ “That has never been the case in the clubhouse or in the dugout. We always go out with the intention and the belief that we will win.”
Buehler put down the first 11 batters he faced until Charlie Blackmon ripped a two-out single in the fourth inning. Buehler entered the gamed with a pedestrian 5.21 ERA over his first four starts, but he was excellent Friday night.
“I’m not sure if it was the extra rest of the day he had or not, but the fastball was live tonight and it had that bearing and speed,” Black said. “From my point of view, it looked like a location. His ball-to-strike ratio was great. His curveball was sharp. … He was at his game. That was premium stuff last night. ”
Colorado’s best chance against Buehler fizzled in the sixth when Nolan Arenado flew with two out and after two to end the mini-rally. Story’s RBI single to the right scored Drew Butera, but Buehler fouled Charlie Blackmon on an evil curveball. Up came Arenado, who worked the score to 3-2 and gave Buehler’s 96.7 mph fastball a ride, but Joc Pederson flagged it down at the base of the right field wall.
Arenado, usually one of the producers of the best run in the match, is with 2-for-28 (.071) with runners in scoring position and .067 (1-for-15) with two outs and runners in score position this season.
With Buehler dealing like an ace for the first five innings, Rockies starter Jon Gray needed to step up his game. Lacking command over his fastball or his change, he could not do so.
“There were times that a pitcher could sort bob and weave through an exit and hang in there by five or six innings, but that just didn’t happen tonight for Jon,” Black said.
Gray went to 3 2/3 innings, his last pitch driven into the right corner for a two-run duel by Corey Seager.
Gray, whose ERA has been raised to 6.23 after two subpar outings in his last three starts, was charged with four runs on seven hits. He ran two, hit a batter and, most disappointingly, he did not hit any butter.
Gray said his biggest problem was his inability to get forwards, something the Dodgers benefited from early on.
‘It’s very frustrating. I can’t describe how frustrating it is, especially with how important this game was, “said Gray.
The Dodgers jumped on the Gray for a run in the first, combining a leadoff double from Pederson, a single from Justin Turner and an RBI double from Cody Bellinger.
LA hammered Gray into the decisive fourth start with AJ Pollock’s leadoff double, followed by a single by Matt Beaty, an RBI single by Chris Taylor and, finally, Seager’s double.
“We’re apparently sitting at the moment, and I saw (this game) as an opportunity,” Gray said. ‘Now it’s at the turn. So now we’re looking forward to tomorrow and that’s the best thing you can do. ”
The Colorado highlight of the evening was delivered by Story in the eighth of the Dodgers when he stopped a dive on Taylor’s hot shot at second base and the ball went to Ryan McMahon for the power in second place.
The Rockies sent left-hander Kyle Freeland to the mound on Saturday night against Dodgers referee Dustin May.
