The Dodgers didn’t waste any time turning Coors Field into a showcase, jumping on Tomoyuki Sugano early and never letting the Rockies breathe in an 11-5 win.
It started quietly enough with three straight groundouts, but that was just the opening act. The Dodgers erupted for seven runs against Sugano, with Max Muncy and Shohei Ohtani supplying the thunder.
Muncy launched a 461-foot shot into the second deck in right field, and Ohtani followed by taking Sugano deep in the big leagues for the fourth time in still a rather small sample size. Mookie Betts and Andy Pages each drove in a run in the first three innings, and Muncy added even more damage in the third with a three-run homer that blew the game wide open.
By the time Sugano was out of the game, Los Angeles was up 7-1 and already looking like it had the night in hand.
Ohtani kept the power show rolling in the sixth, punishing a middle-middle sweeper for a 452-foot home run. He finished with a team-high four hits and wasn’t settling for anything cheap.
Freddie Freeman, meanwhile, finally got himself in the extra-base-hit column after a rough stretch. Entering the game with a .240 SLG in August and no extra-base hit since the end of July, he snapped out of it with a classic opposite-field double in the sixth and finished with a pair of two-baggers in the blowout.
Blake Snell made sure the mound side of the story matched the bats. He had to work through a messy third inning, but for most of the night he looked in control.
Snell retired the first six hitters he faced, then ran into trouble when he walked the bottom three hitters in the Rockies order to load the bases with no outs. Even then, the damage stayed small.
The Rockies managed only one run before Snell got the next three outs in order.
Colorado picked up a couple of soft hits in the fourth, but Snell escaped again and finished six innings without much real stress outside that one inning. The Dodgers also backed him with strong defense in the sixth, when Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts made standout plays to help him get through the frame with a comfortable lead.
There were a couple of rough notes for Los Angeles. Kyle Tucker misplayed a routine fly ball in the seventh, which opened the door for the Rockies’ second run, unearned against Alex Vesia.
Tucker also went 0 for 5 at the plate, dropping his season OPS to .692. Edwin Díaz had a tough ninth as well, giving up four hits and three runs before getting through the inning.
Six days after throwing a season-high 112 pitches in a win over the Royals at home, Eric Lauer is set to take his 6-1 record with the Dodgers into Coors Field against Ryan Feltner. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. (PT).
In Other News...
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Roberts has pointed to a breakdown in plate discipline and focus, along with an inability to adjust as opposing pitchers have leaned more heavily on fastballs. Even with the team trying to create a greater sense of urgency, the slump has lingered, and the bigger concern is that the Dodgers still have not shown the kind of consistent offensive rhythm that usually separates their lineup from the rest of the league. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Tucker's Dodgers Struggles Have Reached An Uncomfortable New Level
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Dodgers Are Walking A Fine Line With Shohei Ohtani Right Now
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Manager Dave Roberts has framed the situation as one built on communication and trust, which is part of why the Dodgers have resisted a more formal roster move. For now, the team is waiting on Ohtani to tell them when he needs a break, a setup that works fine when he is healthy and gets a lot trickier when any discomfort lingers. [Read more 🡒]