MLB
Dodgers Gaining Playoff Momentum With Rockies Sweep
Last night, in one of the most crucial series of the year for Los Angeles, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Going into the series, The Dodgers were in second place, trailing the Rockies by a .5 game. After completing the three-game sweep, the Dodgers now have a 2.5 game lead over Colorado and a six-game lead over Arizona. Before talking about the N.L. West race, let’s recap last night’s game.
Buehler Dealt
Before yesterday’s game, Oral Hershiser stated that Walker Buehler was the current Dodger’s ace. A big compliment coming from someone Buehler has often been compared to, but just “better.” Whatever your opinion, Buehler did not disappoint last night. Although, the first inning started out a little rocky with the Rockies, as a couple of errors made Buehler give up two unearned runs, the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Buehler pitched six innings and struck out 12, giving up only three hits and one walk and improved his ERA to 2.74. The two unearned runs in the first would be all the runs the Rockies would score last night. To relieve Buehler, Baez, Ferguson, Maeda, Alexander, and Jansen all combined for only allowing one hit, no walks, and no runs, with four strikeouts.
Puig Delivers Late
Offensively, in the bottom of the second, Matt Kemp hit an absolute bomb into the left field bleachers, so much so that the Rockies left fielder Gerardo Parra didn’t even move or look back. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Kike Hernandez smoked a ball into left field for a single. A couple of batters later, Brian Dozier drilled a ball to deep left field. Hernandez flew around the bases and went from first to home to just beat the throw and score with a headfirst slide, to tie the game.
The game would stay tied until the bottom of the 7th. First, Max Muncy drew a one-out walk. Next, Yasmani Grandal laced a double down the right-field line. Then, Dave Roberts sent the red-hot Yasiel Puig to the plate to pinch hit for Dozier. Well, Puig made Roberts look very smart and showed that he’s still on fire when he drilled a 3-run homer into straight-away center field to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead, which is where the score would stay for the rest of the game.
Puig’s reward was a kiss on the cheek from hitting coach Turner Ward. It used to be just Puig giving out the kisses to a reluctant Ward, but since Puig has been so locked in and dominating the past two series, Ward has been willingly puckering up to show his love! With six homers in his last 19 at-bats, what Dodger fan wouldn’t be lining up to kiss Puig?
What’s Next in the N.L. West Race?
Today, all three teams have the night off, but tomorrow important series’ will resume. The Dodgers take on San Diego in their last homestand. Los Angeles has beaten San Diego in 12 out of 16 games this season. Although the Dodgers have pretty much owned the Padres this year, anything is possible, so L.A. needs to come out focused and make a statement early. Meanwhile, tomorrow night starts the series with Colorado at Arizona. This is a huge series for both teams. With Arizona sliding farther and farther back, if they don’t do well here, then their season is pretty much done.
Both Arizona and Colorado have sub .500 records in their last ten games. The D-Backs improving themselves to 3-7 and the Rockies slipping to just 4-6. While the Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 and continue to have the momentum swinging in the right direction. After the Padre series, the Dodgers will face the D-Backs in Arizona and will finish out with the Giants in San Fransisco. If the Dodgers keep playing how they’ve been playing as of late, then they are in prime position to win the division.
Photo Credit: Mr. Littlehand via Flickr
