DENVER -- Scoring is a struggle for the Rockies. Unless you’re David Dahl, who can homer when he ignores his own advice.

Dahl’s fourth-inning homer and his eighth-inning RBI single accounted for all the Rockies’ scoring in their sixth loss in the last seven games, 7-2 to the Dodgers at Coors Field on Saturday night.

Two were down in the fourth. Dodgers righty Walker Buehler -- who weaved through five innings and held the Rox to three hits -- was ahead, 1-2. Dahl, who had the Rockies’ first hit off Buehler, braced for Buehler’s high fastball.

“Actually, I told myself, ‘Don’t swing at a high fastball,’” said Dahl, whose homer on a high, 96.2 mph fastball went a Statcast-projected 445 feet into the upper deck in right field. “And I happened to swing at it and just got lucky.”

Poor at-bats and even worse luck -- with Daniel Murphy (fractured left index finger) and, after being hurt in Friday’s 10-6 loss, Ryan McMahon (left elbow strain) on the injured list -- have left the Rockies 3-6 and needing a win on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball to avoid being swept by the Dodgers, whom they must overcome to win a National League West title for the first time.

Dahl, who has homered in both games against the Dodgers and eight of his last nine at Coors dating to last season, has a .353 batting average. With manager Bud Black filling holes and trying to generate offense, Dahl found himself in the cleanup spot, with regular four-hole hitter Trevor Story moving to No. 2 on Saturday.

It’s no surprise, given the Rockies’ trust level.

After missing 54 games with a broken right foot last season, Dahl returned on Aug. 5 and hit .272 with 12 home runs and a .897 OPS the rest of the way. The surge included nine September home runs, which solidified the decision to move on from three-time All-Star Carlos Gonzalez in the outfield.

“Going into this year, we felt very strongly about him being a major cog in our lineup from the get-go,” Black said. “With David, the challenge is to stay on point, be ready every night to play, let his talent show and we’ll go from there.”

Dahl’s homer occurred when the game was tight.

Rockies starter Jon Gray minimized a second-and-third, one-out jam in the fourth to two runs, before Dahl’s homer cut the difference to 2-1.

But when Charlie Blackmon struck out to end the fifth with two on -- Tony Wolters had walked, Gray had singled -- the momentum died. The Dodgers bled Gray for two runs in the sixth, and Alex Verdugo took Gray deep in the seventh for his second homer and the Dodgers’ 22nd in just nine games.

Dahl’s RBI single came with two down in the eighth, but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen fanned Ian Desmond to end the inning.

“I’m just trying to have good at-bats, and, hopefully, we can keep carrying it throughout the lineup,” Dahl said. “Right now it’s not happening, but it definitely will here soon.”

Welcome, Cuz

Josh Fuentes, called up from Triple-A Albuquerque for his Major League debut to replace McMahon, led off the eighth with a single to left off Yimi Garcia. Fuentes, cousin of Arenado and a corner infielder by trade, received a lengthy ovation.

“Nolan is very serious -- game time, very serious,” Fuentes said. “But he came up, gave me a hug, said, ‘I’m proud of you.’ But he was about to hit, so I wasn’t worried about it.”

Arenado spoke with frustration, saying, “There are games to win, but bad at-bats.” Still, he could acknowledge the moment for his cousin.

“Honestly, it was a rough night, but it feels good knowing your family did something good today, and he’s a part of the group,” Arenado said. “I guess that’s one thing to go home in a good mood about.”

Laugh and cry

Early last season, Gray was considered the top Rockies starter, and at times he looked it Saturday night. Inning-ending double-play grounders from Cody Bellinger in the first and Verdugo in the second, and a strikeout of Joc Pederson on a curveball (becoming a weapon against lefty hitters) to end the fifth with a runner at second were highlights.

But Bellinger’s one-out, one-on triple in the sixth muddied Gray’s line, and Verdugo’s homer left him 0-2.

“Knowing it was going to be a tough lineup and a grinder like that, I knew I was going to have to be on point today and whatever I had I was going to have to use,” Gray said. “But I’m still frustrated. There were a few pitches that came out of my hand that I wasn’t really happy about. The homer was one of them.”