The Dodgers got exactly what they needed at Coors Field: a loud offensive night and another sharp outing from Blake Snell.
After a weekend that went sideways and a stretch that’s been ugly by their standards for more than 10 weeks, Los Angeles walked into one of baseball’s friendliest hitting environments and finally looked like itself again in an 11-5 win over the Rockies. The Dodgers piled up 10 runs on 12 hits, launched three homers, and snapped out of the kind of funk that had been hanging over the lineup since early June.
Shohei Ohtani was right in the middle of it. He went 4-for-5, scored four times and drove in three runs, including two home runs.
Freddie Freeman also chipped in with a multi-hit night, and his first extra-base hit since the start of the month ended an 18-game drought that was the longest of his career. Andy Pages and Max Muncy each had big nights too, with Muncy’s three-run blast turning an early lead into a runaway.
The scoring started in the second when Muncy drew a leadoff walk and Mookie Betts followed with an RBI double. The third inning is where the game started to break open. Ohtani, Freeman and Pages strung together consecutive singles to make it 2-0, and then Muncy unloaded with the three-run homer that pushed the Dodgers in front 5-0.
Los Angeles kept layering on runs from there. Ohtani went deep for the first time in the fifth, Pages doubled and came around on a Betts groundout to make it 7-1, and Tommy Edman’s single set up Ohtani’s second homer in the sixth for a 9-1 cushion. Pages later singled home Freeman, who had doubled, and Freeman answered with another double in the eighth to score Ohtani again.
It was the kind of game the Dodgers have been waiting to see for a while. Their offense has been among the worst in baseball since the start of June, and the skid only deepened in July and August. One night at Coors doesn’t erase that, but it did offer a clear reminder of what this lineup can do when it starts stacking quality at-bats.
The Dodgers have had plenty of success against Colorado, too. They entered the night with the best road record in baseball at 37-25 (.597), and since the start of the 2023 season they are 38-11 (.776) against the Rockies, including a 17-8 mark (.680) at Coors Field.
Colorado hasn’t won a series against Los Angeles since June 27-29, 2022, and the Dodgers had taken six of the last seven this season. They were also 7-3 against the Rockies this year and 23-17 (.575) in 40 games against the NL West.
Snell gave the offense room to breathe. Making his second start since coming off the injured list, the left-hander worked six innings and allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts. He had to escape a couple of self-inflicted messes, but he did what good pitchers do when they lose the strike zone for a moment: he limited the damage.
Snell cruised through his first two innings before walking the first three batters he saw in the third, loading the bases. Colorado got a run on a force out, but that was all it managed.
In the fourth, he gave up two one-out singles, then shut the door with a strikeout and a pop out. After two straight starts of six innings with one earned run allowed, Snell lowered his season ERA to 3.60 in 15 innings.
The Dodgers did have one rough note late. Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth and allowed three runs to score.
Kyle Tucker’s night also stood out for the wrong reasons. He went 0-for-5 and dropped a routine fly ball in right field.
In Other News...
Dave Roberts Just Sent A Concerning Message About The Dodgers Lineup
The Dodgers offense has spent the past several weeks looking far too ordinary for a group built to be one of baseballs most dangerous lineups, and the numbers have reflected it. Since June, Los Angeles has lagged in runs scored, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, a stretch that has left manager Dave Roberts searching for cleaner at-bats and a sharper overall approach from his club.
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
Kyle Tuckers first season-long stretch of discomfort in a Dodgers uniform has started to look bigger than a simple slump. Offensively, he has been stuck at .230, and the defensive numbers have been just as uneasy, a combination that has left his overall value in an awkward spot for a team that expected steadier production from a player of his caliber.
The recent look on the field has only sharpened the concern, with Tucker carrying a hitless run and the gloveside mistakes piling up at the worst possible time. Even the conversation around him has moved beyond patience and into possible fixes, which says plenty about how unusual this phase has become for a player the Dodgers were counting on to settle things down. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Are Walking A Fine Line With Shohei Ohtani Right Now
Shohei Ohtanis role with the Dodgers has already become a balancing act, and the latest twist only sharpens it. Los Angeles is treating his two-way workload with extra care after a recent stretch in which the club has made it clear it values both his pitching and his hitting, with president Andrew Friedman saying the team will keep adjusting based on how he is feeling.
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 🡒]