The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to fight back every time another NL West team gains some steam and hops in to first place. They took care of business themselves on Friday night, earning a 4-2 road win over the Colorado Rockies to pull within a half-game of first place in the division. Clayton Kershaw went six innings and struck out seven to earn his seventh win, as he needed 98 pitches to finish his outing.
The Dodgers had a new look in the ninth inning, as Kenley Jansen has the weekend off, and they went with Kenta Maeda to get the final two outs for his second save of the season. Yasiel Puig went deep and drove in two, including an RBI single, in a rare low-scoring game at Coors Field. These two teams are battling for the top spot in the NL West, along with Arizona Diamondbacks, who also gained a game with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. The D-backs currently sit in third place in the division, 1.5 games back.
Kershaw's victory helped him continue his career success against the Rockies, as he improved to 22-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 39 career starts against them. Although, the Rockies remain in first, as this is the latest in a season that they are alone in first place since 1995. They are still looking for their first division title in franchise history.
After Scott Alexander worked the eighth, Maeda came in for the ninth instead of Jansen, who did not make the trip with the team due to a cardiologist recommending him not to pitch at that altitude in Denver, Colorado. The last time the Dodgers visited the Rockies is when he went down with an irregular heartbeat for the second time in the past two seasons.
Chris Rusin took the loss for the third time this season for the Rockies, who had their five-game winning streak snapped with the loss. These two teams will play two more times this weekend with first place on the line.
The Dodgers had a new look in the ninth inning, as Kenley Jansen has the weekend off, and they went with Kenta Maeda to get the final two outs for his second save of the season. Yasiel Puig went deep and drove in two, including an RBI single, in a rare low-scoring game at Coors Field. These two teams are battling for the top spot in the NL West, along with Arizona Diamondbacks, who also gained a game with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. The D-backs currently sit in third place in the division, 1.5 games back.
Kershaw's victory helped him continue his career success against the Rockies, as he improved to 22-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 39 career starts against them. Although, the Rockies remain in first, as this is the latest in a season that they are alone in first place since 1995. They are still looking for their first division title in franchise history.
After Scott Alexander worked the eighth, Maeda came in for the ninth instead of Jansen, who did not make the trip with the team due to a cardiologist recommending him not to pitch at that altitude in Denver, Colorado. The last time the Dodgers visited the Rockies is when he went down with an irregular heartbeat for the second time in the past two seasons.
Chris Rusin took the loss for the third time this season for the Rockies, who had their five-game winning streak snapped with the loss. These two teams will play two more times this weekend with first place on the line.
