Editorials

Recap: Nolan Arenado’s Home Run In 16th Adds To Mat Latos’ Troubles

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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Turner’s hard slide upended Arenado at second base, which led to the Dodgers’ third baseman and Rockies manager Walt Weiss exchanging words between innings. Anderson bookended the top of the fifth with strikeouts, keeping Los Angeles within two runs of Colorado.



With Arenado back at his position for the bottom of the fifth, he appeared to exchange words with Turner or someone in the Dodgers’ dugout. Third base umpire John Hirschbeck intervened by holding a conversation with Dodgers manager Don Mattingly before play resumed.

The minor delay did nothing to disrupt Rusin and his borderline quick-pitching as he retired the side in order. Arenado led off the sixth inning with a base hit to left, but a double play and groundout prevented the Rockies from adding to their lead.

Alex Guerrero pinch-hit for Anderson in the bottom half of the sixth and flied out. Utley hit a sinking liner to center that Blackmon was a half step short and only managed to trap. The two-out single didn’t amount to anything as Turner flied out on Rusin’s first offering.

J.P. Howell took over for the Dodgers in the seventh and needed only seven pitches to retired the side in order, collecting one strikeout in the process. After allowing a leadoff double to Gonzalez, Rusin walked Ellis and it marked the end of the line for the left-hander.

Boone Logan entered and promptly walked Seager to load the bases. Chris Heisey’s sacrifice fly cut the Dodgers’ deficit to 3-2. Austin Barnes pinch-hit for Joc Pederson and dropped a bloop single between a trio of Rockies in shallow left field; the RBI tied the game and was Barnes’ first in the Majors.

The Rockies failed to get a man on in the eighth against Luis Avilan, and in the ninth with Chris Hatcher on the mound. Both Dodger relievers retired the side in order. Scott Schebler pinch-hit for Hatcher and drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth. Reyes robbed Seager of a base hit with a terrific a diving stop, but his throw was dropped at second base by LeMahieu.

Scott Oberg replaced Rex Brothers and immediately benefitted from a Dodger blunder. Heisey missed on a bunt attempt and Schebler was picked off second base, though Seager alertly took second while the Rockies had his teammate in a run down. Seager then advanced to third base on a wild pitch and Heisey wound up drawing a walk.

Yasmani Grandal pinch-hit for Barnes and faced a five-man infield behind Oberg. It didn’t make a difference as Grandal fouled out. Christian Friedrich came on to face Ethier and sent the game into extras by getting a fly ball out.

With Jim Johnson on the mound in the 10th, the Rockies loaded the bases with one out. Johnson struck out Reyes on a check-swing, and handed the ball over to Ian Thomas, who needed all of one pitch to get Gonzalez to ground out.

Turner hit a two-out single in the bottom of the 10th, but was thrown out attempting to stretch it to a double. With the rain again falling, Heisey slipped on the warning track in center field, resulting in a one-out triple for Morneau. LeMahieu immediately cashed it in by following with an RBI single to give the Rockies a 4-3 lead.

John Axford walked Schebler with one out and gave up a base hit to Seager that put runners on the corners. Schebler’s hustle to go first to third paid off as Heisey’s RBI infield single tied the game. An Utley error with two outs in the 12th didn’t hurt the Dodgers as Yimi Garcia struck out pinch-hitter Kyle Parker to end the inning.

Joel Peralta retired the heart of the Rockies’ lineup in the 13th, though the Dodgers were unable to take advantage in the bottom half of the inning, despite Schebler’s two-out single. After Pedro Baez set the Rockies down in order in the 14th, Simon Castro walked Ronald Torreyes with two outs in the bottom half of the inning.

Ruggiano was unable to drive in the winning run, and the Dodgers went to the 15th inning for the first time since 2009 and first at Dodger Stadium since 2006. Baez gave the Dodgers another strong inning of relief, striking out the side in the 15th.

Turner hit a one-out single off David Hale, only for Gonzalez to follow by grounding into an inning-ending double play. The scoreless drought came to an end in the 16th as Arenado hit a solo home run off Mat Latos.

After Schebler flied out to the warning track in left-center field, Seager singled to get the tying run on base. Heisey worked a full count and drew a walk to put more pressure on Gonzalez Germen as the winning run was now on base.

Grandal hit a taylor-made double play ball to second base, but the Rockies only managed to get a force out at second base. The Dodgers couldn’t do anything with the extra bit of life and lost, 5-4.

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