Story leads Rockies as Dodgers' skid hits 9
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LOS ANGELES -- The losing woes for the Dodgers continued Saturday with the Rockies clinching the series vs. the Dodgers via a 6-5 win, behind Trevor Story's homer and a four-run second inning.
"These are three good wins as we get late into September," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "I think we battled hard. We had a couple miscues later in the game, but our guys hung in there and I liked the work of the bullpen. Those guys did a great job."
After barreling toward a 116-win pace, the Dodgers have lost nine in a row for the first time since June 10-21, 1992, and have lost 14 of their last 15 games. The Rockies still hold a three-game advantage over the Brewers and Cardinals for the second National League Wild Card spot, while the Dodgers have a 10-game lead in the NL West, with their magic number at 11.
"I can't explain it," manager Dave Roberts said about the skid. "There's a little bit that seeps in and things keep kind of perpetuating as far as the negativity where at some point like there's nothing you can do to lose a game. And right now it feels like everything sort of goes against us."
Dodgers lefty Alex Wood labored through five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. The Rockies did the majority of their damage in the second, with Story crushing a first-pitch fastball from Wood to center field to put the Rockies up, 2-0. Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado added RBI singles to pad Colorado's lead to 4-0.
• Dodgers' key starters hit rough patch vs. Rox
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"You know that their starters are really good, so we feel like we just wanted to go out there and compete the best we could," Story said. " … I felt like I got a good pitch to hit early and I just put my swing on it."
For the first time since Aug. 19, the Dodgers had their regular 1-4 hitters (Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger) in the lineup. But the Dodgers didn't get a breakthrough on offense until the fourth, when Turner hit an RBI single and Yasiel Puig sneaked a two-run double down the left-field line to cut the Rockies' lead to 4-3.
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But Story added an RBI double in the fifth, giving the Rockies a 5-3 advantage, which they would not relinquish. Andre Ethier hit a pinch-hit homer in the fifth to trim the Colorado lead to 5-4, his first regular-season homer since Sept. 23, 2016. Gerardo Parra contributed an RBI double in the ninth, which proved vital when Greg Holland allowed Logan Forsythe's solo shot before locking down his 39th save of the season.
• Rockies building momentum vs. Dodgers
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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
No double trouble: In the top of the fifth, Mark Reynolds started things off with a single and Parra followed that with a grounder to short that looked like the Dodgers were going to turn two. But shortstop Seager bobbled the ball at second and couldn't make the throw to first to complete a double play. Story came up to hit an RBI double and stretch the Rockies' lead to 5-3.
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Down swinging: The Dodgers looked primed to put together a rally in the sixth. Forsythe hit a two-out double, putting the tying run in scoring position. Joc Pederson battled with Scott Oberg for seven pitches, but Oberg won the battle on his eighth pitch, striking Pederson out to end the inning and the Dodgers rally.
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QUOTABLE
"We're making it a little bit closer than we anticipated. It's as frustrating as all get out. Sometimes you just got to shake your head and laugh because we're doing some unprecedented things right now." -- Roberts, on the Dodgers' division lead and losing streak
"He's had a couple good games right out of the chute coming back. But to get a Major League win -- to get a 'W' behind his name this year -- is really special for Chad and all of us." -- Black, on Chad Bettis picking up his first win since returning from his battle with testicular cancer
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Blackmon drove in his 89th run of the season with a run-scoring single in the second. It was his 88th as a leadoff hitter, tying him with Craig Biggio (1998) for the most RBIs from an NL leadoff hitter in a single season.
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UNDER REVIEW
The Rockies were able to close out the second inning unscathed following a challenge from Black. Reynolds made a diving stop on a ground ball from Yasmani Grandal and fired to Story at second to retire Puig. Grandal was originally ruled safe on the return throw but the call was overturned after a review.
WHAT'S NEXT
Rockies:Tyler Chatwood will take the mound Sunday for the finale of the four-game set at 2:10 p.m. MT at Dodger Stadium. The Rockies will rely heavily on their relievers as Chatwood is expected to throw 60 to 70 pitches before turning to the bullpen. .
Dodgers: The Dodgers close out their homestand Sunday with Rich Hill on the mound. The lefty is 1-3 in his last five outings with a 4.25 ERA. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PT.
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