Hyun-Jin Ryu completed more than 4.2 innings for the first time this season, but his start against the Colorado Rockies wasn’t without its share of lumps. Ryu surrendered three home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers lost a third straight game.
Their streak of consecutive wins over the Rockies at Dodger Stadium was snapped at seven, which is the second-longest in franchise history. Los Angeles won nine in a row at home over the Rockies from June 2014-April 2015.
Nolan Arenado opened the scoring in the first inning with a towering two-run homer to left field. Kyle Freeland inflicted further pain on the Dodgers in the bottom of the first, hitting Logan Forsythe with a pitch on his right foot.
Forsythe remained in the game but was eventually removed in the bottom of the third with a contusion of his right big toe. Corey Seager went down swinging, his fifth strikeout in as many at-bats, and Justin Turner grounded into a double play.
Ryu bounced back in the second inning, collecting back-to-back strikeouts en route to retiring the side in order. He then struck out Carlos Gonzalez to end the third, after Arenado doubled with two outs.
Joc Pederson led off the bottom of the third with a walk. After Ryu’s sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position, Scott Van Slyke pinch-hit for Forsythe and drew a walk. Keeping with the seasons’s theme, the Dodgers spun their wheels with runners in scoring position.
Seager again struck out, Turner grounded into a force out, and the Rockies’ lead remained 2-0 through three innings. But that changed in the fourth when Trevor Story launched a solo home run halfway up the pavilion in left field.
Kiké Hernandez walked with one out in the bottom half of the inning and went first to third base on Adrian Gonzalez’s single to right field. Pederson hit a slow chopper that Arenado made a terrific effort on but his barehanded attempt was late, and Pederson’s RBI infield single got the Dodgers on the board.
Ryu kept the inning alive by slapping a single into right field, only for Van Slyke to ground out. Arenado tagged Ryu for his second home run of the game, extending the Rockies’ lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning.
Freeland walked Seager to start the bottom of the fifth, then hit Turner on his left hand. Turner was checked on before remaining in the game. Scott Oberg entered in relief and retired Puig and Hernandez. Rockies manager Bud Black then used Chris Rusin to retire Gonzalez.
Ryu worked around a pair of singles in the sixth to complete another scoreless inning. He joined Clayton Kershaw (three times) and Brandon McCarthy (twice) as the only Dodgers starters to go six innings in a start.
Adam Ottavino allowed a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Andrew Toles in the seventh, and later a two-out base hit to Puig. But Ottavino threw a steady dose of sliders to Hernandez and struck him out to escape the threat.
Pedro Baez contributed two shutout innings, and newly-recalled Josh Fields retired the side in order in the ninth. Chase Utley walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Seager reached on a flare single with one out, though the Dodgers needed to challenge the out call.
After Turner snuck an RBI single by Mark Reyonlds at first base, Puig nearly delivered a walk-off home run but his fly ball was caught at the warning track in left field.
Greg Holland then Gonzalez to thwart the comeback attempt and wrap up the Rockies’ 4-3 victory. Colorado improved to 9-0 this season when leading after innings.
