Bullpen can't stop Rox rally in 1st series loss
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Despite a pair of home runs from Corey Seager and one each from Will Smith and Chris Taylor, the Dodgers lost to the Rockies on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, 7-6, suffering their first series loss of the year on a two-run homer by former Dodger Matt Kemp.
The Dodgers had been 11-0-3 in 14 previous series, one shy of the franchise record to start a season. They hadn’t lost a series to the Rockies since 2018. They won the opener of this one on Friday night with a 10-6 comeback, but lost Saturday, 5-2, and have dropped consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 10-11.
“You’ve got to hand it to the Rockies, they came and got after it,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “You could see their energy. We got beat the last two nights, that’s going to happen. Off-day tomorrow and go to Arizona and we’ve got to play good baseball. I just like the way we’re playing. We’ll be fine.”
Kemp’s homer in the eighth inning came off Caleb Ferguson, two innings after Taylor’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead.
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“I think the ball I hit was a ball,” said Kemp. “Just happy it got us the win.”
Ferguson has allowed home runs in each of his last three games. Roberts said he brought in Ferguson to face a series of right-handed hitters in part because other right-handed relievers (presumably Blake Treinen) were unavailable.
Although the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, all of those short starts last month by their inexperienced rotation seem to have taken a toll this month on a bullpen that has allowed runs in each of the last nine games with a 4.89 ERA. In this series alone, the Dodgers' bullpen allowed 10 runs in 11 innings.
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“I think there’s some bad walks in there,” Roberts said. “There are some situations we could put guys away and we haven’t done that. The overall sum, they’ve been very good. But they’re not going to be perfect. I just want them to execute pitches, eliminate the walks and we’re going to be fine.”
A half-inning before Taylor’s shot, Garrett Hampson’s RBI triple with two out in the sixth inning off Jake McGee broke a 5-5 tie. Kevin Pillar led off the inning against Dylan Floro with one of those bad walks Roberts mentioned.
Once again, one of the Dodgers’ inexperienced starters had a short outing. Julio Urías -- competing with rookies Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin for the third starter role in the best-of-three first round of the postseason -- allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings, the third time in the last four starts he hasn't completed five innings.
“It was another outing that was inconsistent with the pitches,” said Urías, who regressed from his six-inning, one-run previous start. “It was not the result I wanted today but I’ll continue to work and focus. There’s a lot of talent here and I’ll accept whatever role I’m given.”
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After praising the starts of May and Gonsolin in the series, Roberts was less enthusiastic on Sunday.
“His overall command wasn’t there,” he said of Urías. “The fastball at times, the inconsistency of both the curveball and the slider. Didn’t really have the feel for the changeup. He competes every time and I feel good every time he’s out there. It’s just putting it all together. I just love how he competes.”