Colorado Rockies @ Los Angeles Dodgers (9/6/20) — Final: COL 7, LAD 6

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The Colorado Rockies out-score the Los Angeles Dodgers in a very exciting back-and-fourth game to take the series.

Julio Urías got things started with book-end strike-outs, working around a walk in the top of the first. Corey Seager took Ryan Castellani deep in the bottom half, giving the Dodgers an early lead. Matt Kemp singled off of Urías before Josh Fuentes’ 2-run home run put Colorado in front in the second. Will Smith quickly tied the game at 2 with a solo shot in the home half. Castellani proceeded to erase a walk with a double-play, and Urías did the same to start the third. Castellani walked Seager and Max Muncy, but Cody Bellinger lined into an unlucky double-play to end the inning. Urías pitched a perfect frame in the fourth, and AJ Pollock was thrown out at 2nd trying to extend a single in LA’s half. Smith also singled, but he was left stranded. Garrett Hampson led-off the fifth with a bunt base hit, and after stealing 2nd, he scored on Raimel Tapia’s knock that gave the Rockies a 3-2 advantage. Urías was pulled, and Nolan Arenado ripped an RBI single off of Dylan Floro, making it 4-2. Floro completed the frame, and the book closed on Urías’ subpar start: 4.1IP, 4ER, 5H, 2BB, 6K. Kiké Hernàndez doubled to begin the home half, and Seager promptly tied the game with a 2-run homer — his second long-ball of the night. Floro walked Kevin Pillar in the sixth and was relieved by Jake McGee with 2-outs. Hampson smashed a ball into the gap that ricocheted off the bottom of the wall, allowing him to easily triple and give Colorado the lead right back, 5-4. Facing Carlos Estevez, Pollock hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning. Chris Taylor took the first pitch he saw to the opposite field, crushing a go-ahead 2-run shot that put the Dodgers in front, 6-5. Brusdar Graterol entered for the seventh, and Tapia reached on an infield single to start things. Graterol answered with a pair of outs and was replaced by Adam Kolarek with the tying run on 3rd. Kolarek got a ground-out to strand the runner, but LA went down in order, unable to add insurance in their half. Caleb Ferguson was given the eighth, but he struggled greatly. After Pillar hit a single on the first pitch of the inning, old-friend and former-Dodger Matt Kemp flipped the script with a 2-run homer, giving the Rockies a 7-6 lead. Ferguson was able to mitigate the damage after two more runners reached against him. Pollock hit a bloop single but was caught trying to steal 2nd in a quiet half for LA offensively, failing to get anything going in hopes of tying the game. Dennis Santana struck-out Kemp to complete a scoreless frame in the ninth, and the Dodgers went to work offensively, looking for the necessary run. Daniel Bard breezed his way through Taylor and Matt Beaty, but the pinch-hitting Edwin Ríos walked with 2-outs. Gavin Lux battled in a very impressive at-bat, walking on the 10th pitch he saw. Bard, however, got Seager to roll over, earning the save and ending the ballgame.

It was bound to happen eventually, but the boys in blue drop their first series of the season, losing the rubber match against the Rockies. After an off-day tomorrow, the Dodgers will head to Arizona to open a 3-game set with the Diamondbacks, starting Tuesday. Walker Buehler, 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, will be on the mound, coming off of a sharp performance his last time out to continue his very good stretch. The D-Backs are yet to announce their starters; however, it seems likely that Madison Bumgarner will face LA at some point next week for the first time since leaving San Francisco. 6:40pm start time on Tuesday. Go Dodgers!