COL@LAD: Dodgers turn two to escape bases-loaded jam
LOS ANGELES — With a chance to climb back in the driver’s seat in the National League West and pull ahead of the Giants by a half-game, the Dodgers came up empty Monday night and lost, 2-0, to Colorado.
Los Angeles was unable to carry over the momentum from its sweep against the Cubs to capitalize on San Francisco’s loss to St. Louis as the team delivered a lackluster performance against a Colorado team coming off a 1-8 homestand.
The Dodgers went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and managed just three hits in four innings off starter Drew Pomeranz, who entered the game 1-6 with a 5.13 ERA, and two more against a bullpen that sported a 4.42 ERA.
On the pitching end, Chris Capuano wasn’t perfect, but he limited the Rockies to only two runs. He gave up nine hits in seven innings, but he kept the scoring to a minimum thanks to six strikeouts and two double plays.
The Rockies’ first run came in the first inning when Eric Young scored on a sacrifice fly from Carlos Gonzalez with one out. The speedy right fielder scored again in the third when he, Dexter Fowler and Jordan Pacheco hit three straight singles off Capuano.
The Dodgers had chances in the bottom of both those innings, but squandered perfect opportunities to answer back.
Shane Victorino and Mark Ellis led off the first inning with a pair of singles and then led off the third with a pair of walks, but Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez failed both times to bring them home.
L.A had another chance in the seventh on a controversial sequence of events that featured arguments from both managers. With A.J. Ellis on first and two outs, Victorino hit a sinking liner to center that was initially ruled a catch by Dexter Fowler on a ball that looked like it might have been trapped.
Manager Don Mattingly came out to question the call and it was ruled a hit after an umpire meeting on the field.
After a lengthy argument by manager Jim Tracy and his ensuing ejection, reliever Adam Ottavino and the rest of the Colorado defense came back on the field to continue the inning with runners on first and second.
Two pitches later, Mark Ellis flied out to the warning track to Gonzalez in left field. L.A. stranded another two baserunners in the eighth.
With Monday’s loss, Capuano has now gone 1-6 since June 28 in eight starts. In his previous two outings, the lefty had given up 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings.
Alex Angert is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
