Dodgers Score Eight in Seventh, Crush the Rockies

The Dodgers are hot. Their bats, even hotter.

Thanks to an eight-run 7th inning, the Dodgers defeated the Rockies 12-4. With the win, LA now sits only two games back of first place.

The Offense

Things got started early on for the boys in blue. Yasiel Puig drove in Matt Kemp with a groundout, and Breyvic Valera brought in Joc Pederson with a single. Their lead was short-lived, as the Rockies put up four in the bottom of the inning.

The lead was cut in half in the fourth, as Joc went opposite-field for his second home run of the season. It was his first home run in 42 days. The wait for his next, wouldn’t be quite that long. About an hour later, Pederson crushed his third homer of the season, tying the game at four. For Joc, it was his fifth multi-homer game of his career, and his first since Sept. 1o, 2016. He also finished the day with four hits, finishing a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

Yung Joc x 2! Joc Pederson blasts his 2nd HR of the game for the @Dodgers, tying the Rockies. pic.twitter.com/KzxYLshV6d

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 3, 2018

Heading into the seventh inning, the game was tied at four a piece. That’s when the flood gates opened. Taylor and Turner got things going, each getting singles. A groundout from Grandal would give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.

That was just the beginning.

Matt Kemp followed with a three-run homer, his second in as many days, putting LA up 8-4.

Matt Kemp just keeps MASHING ?? pic.twitter.com/r4ysrMmg2l

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 3, 2018

On the year, Kemp is hitting .347. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he currently leads the Dodgers in home runs (9), doubles (14), RBI (33), and hits (61). Throwback to when majority of fans didn’t even want him to be on the team.

Three consecutive players reached base, loading the based for Breyvic Valera. Arguably his biggest hit as a Dodger, Valera added some insurance runs, bringing in two on a single to center. For the second time in the inning, the bases would be loaded for LA. This time, Chris Taylor was up at the dish. A wild pitch scored Puig, giving the Dodgers a 10-4 cushion. Chris Taylor hit his national-league leading sixth triple, plating two, and giving the Dodgers an eight-run lead. Over the last month, Taylor has been one of the hottest hitters for the Dodgers. Since May 1, he has an on-base percentage of .405.

The Pitching

Early on, it appeared as if it was going to be a long day for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. Walker Buehler allowed four runs in the second inning. Turns out, these would be the only four Colorado would score all night. After Friday’s bullpen game, it was essential for the rookie to eat as many innings as possible. Buehler would go five innings, but the bullpen was lights out the rest of the way.

Pedro Baez pitched a scoreless inning, thanks to a crucial inning-ending double play with runners on first and third. After starting yesterday’s game, Scott Alexander came in and threw a scoreless inning, striking out one. Daniel Hudson then finished things off, throwing two innings, and helping secure the Dodger victory. This was arguably Hudson’s best performance so far on the year. In two innings, he issued only one hit, to go along with two strikeouts.

Analysis

Overall, this was a great game for the Dodgers. Aside from one inning, the pitching was lights out. If you were to tell Dave Roberts he’d get eight scoreless innings at Coors Field, he would take it in a heart-beat. Every starter had a base-hit, with the exception of Cody Bellinger. Sure, it is Coors Field, but it appears that this Dodgers offense is starting to get hot at just the right time. Speaking of hot, the MVP of this game has to go to Joc Pederson. Though it’s been a rough year so far for Joc, he’s quietly been putting together solid numbers as of late. After a slow start, he’s hitting .265 with an OPS slightly under .800. If he can replicate what he did the first-half of his rookie season, this is an offense that can become scary good.

Another player to give credit to is Yasiel Puig. He had another RBI tonight, and gave some really good at-bats. It’s been a great week for Puig, as he’s hitting .360 over his last eight games. Hopefully this can continue. When Puig is patient at the plate and gives quality at-bats, this is a tough Dodgers team to beat.

LA sits only two games back of first, with a chance to get the sweep tomorrow. In baseball, things can change quickly.

May 16th: #Dodgers 8.5 games out of 1st place
June 2nd: #Dodgers possible two games out of 1st place

Coming on strong…

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 3, 2018

Very quickly.

Dodgers Score Eight in Seven, Crush the RockiesRecap: Top Performers for the Dodgers in May