Rockies fall short against Clayton Kershaw but earn series split against Dodgers
The Rockies are ready to be free of Clayton Kershaw They ve been ensnared by his arching curveball and deft precision for the better part of two decades The end is certainly near the head-to-head matchups numbered whether the future Hall of Famer retires after this season or waits another year But his latest showing at Coors Field was a reminder that even when he s imperfect he can usually command a competition just long enough to lead the Dodgers across the finish line against their lesser division opponent That s how it s been almost his entire -year career and that s how it was Thursday afternoon in Colorado s - loss Kershaw gave up three earned runs in innings earning his th career win vs the Rockies his preponderance against any opponent in starts He has only pitched more games and innings against the Giants With a walk and a two-run homer from Freddie Freeman Los Angeles took a - lead two batters into the battle and never relinquished it Rockies starter Chase Dollander in his third start since returning from a mid-season demotion to the minors struggled opposite Kershaw He allowed seven runs on nine hits failing to pitch a scoreless inning and failing to finish the fourth Even with the loss Colorado managed to split the four-game set with the defending World Series champs who are clawing for first-place status in the National League West The Rockies - will depart on a six-game road trip having won seven of their last They re still five wins away from eluding the dreaded worst gang in modern baseball history label Kershaw who entered play with a ERA in his last five starts against Colorado recorded the first two outs in the sixth inning with an - lead before the Rockies applied selected pressure Brenton Doyle s RBI single convinced Dave Roberts to go to his bullpen eliciting a standing ovation from the partisan Dodgers crowd as Kershaw walked to the dugout Soon the Rockies had the promising tying run in the on-deck circle down - But Kyle Farmer popped out to center field to strand the bases loaded and end the threat Doyle s impressive afternoon also included a home run a run-scoring sacrifice fly and a run-saving catch in center field After powering their way to their first two runs the Dodgers dinked and dunked Dollander for another pair in the second Miguel Rojas drove in a run with a beautifully placed bunt single down the first-base line Then Dollander got within a strike of escaping the inning without further damage only to plunk Will Smith with the bases loaded Related Articles Rockies rip Shohei Ohtani beat Dodgers - Dodgers blast Austin Gomber get revenge on Rockies for walk-off in series opener Red-hot Rockies come back again knock off Dodgers with walk-off win Rockies fan who caught Shohei Ohtani s th home run ball earns in auction Rockies rally again beat Diamondbacks for fifth win in six games Los Angeles scored one more in the third two in the fourth and one in the fifth an Andy Pages home run on the first pitch of the inning from Rockies reliever Nick Anderson Three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani took the day off after a line drive struck him in the leg Wednesday night during his pitching appearance Instead Dodger role players were often the offensive stars of the matinee In addition to the highlights from Pages and Rojas rookie second basemen Alex Freeland came within a home run of hitting for the cycle Rockies first basemen Warming Bernabel was a last-minute scratch from the lineup for precautionary reasons the band explained after he was hit in the face by a throw during pregame infield drills Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis
