DODGERS RALLY PAST ROX IN COORS FIELD SPECIAL
Kemp Hits Slam, Drives in 6; Puig Brings Home Game-Winnner in 9th
DENVER, Sept. 15 (AP) – The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for seven runs over the final three innings, capping an epic comeback as they defeated the Colorado Rockies 14-13 at Coors Field. It was only the tenth time this major league season that two teams combined to score at least 25 runs in a single game and it’s the first time in such a game that the margin of victory was less than four runs. The six-run deficit the Dodgers faced entering the seventh inning matches the largest late-inning margin overcome by a winning team this season.
The game was a classic Coors Field affair: 27 runs on 37 hits, including 16 of the extra base variety, and the clubs combined to use 13 different pitchers in a nine-inning game. Matt Kemp had a big game, with a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, and driving in a season-high six runs. It was Kemp’s first multi-homer game of the season. For the Rockies, Justin Morneau banged out four hits, including two doubles and a home run, and drove in a season-best five.
The tone of the game was established immediately. The Dodgers pushed a pair of runs across in the top of the first inning off Rockies starter Christian Bergman when Yasiel Puig doubled with one out and trotted home on Kemp’s first home run of the game. The Rockies responded with three in the bottom of the frame. Charlie Blackmon doubled to lead off the bottom of the first and, one out later, scored on Morneau’s first double of the contest. After Michael Cuddyer grounded out, Corey Dickerson belted his 21st home run of the season and Colorado led 3-2.
The Rockies added to the lead in the bottom of the third, with an extended two-out rally off Dodgers starter Roberto Hernandez. Cuddyer’s double to right-center got things started. Hernandez fell behind Dickerson 3-0 and issued an intentional fourth ball to put runners on first and second with two outs, but a wild pitch during the ensuing plate appearance moved the runners to second and third and a seemingly rattled Hernandez went on to walk Wilin Rosario to fill the bases. Rafael Ynoa then bounced a single through the middle, scoring Cuddyer and Dickerson to give Colorado a 5-2 lead.
But Los Angeles promptly tied the game in the top of the fourth. Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford led off the inning with consecutive singles and a third straight base hit, this one off the bat of Juan Uribe, plated Ramirez and left runners on first and second. A.J. Ellis followed with the fourth straight single for the Dodgers, scoring Crawford and advancing Uribe to third. It was now 5-4 and there was still no one out. Hernandez helped himself with a sacrifice fly to center, tying the game at five, before Dee Gordon grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Rockies regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when, again with two outs, Jason Rutledge singled to left, stole second base and scored on Morneau’s second two-bagger of the contest. That was it for Hernandez, who was replaced by Kevin Correia, who retired Cuddyer on a fly ball to end the inning.
The Dodgers took their first lead since the opening inning in the top of the fifth. Adrian Gonzalez drew a two-out walk, moved to second on Kemp’s ground out, and scored on Ramirez’s double to left-center. Crawford followed with a double to right, scoring Ramirez to make the score 7-6, and send Bergman to the showers. Yohan Flande replaced him on the mound and, after walking Uribe, retired Ellis to end the inning.
Undaunted, the Rockies scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth to take a 13-7 advantage. With Correia still in the game, Dickerson led off with a base hit and took second on a wild pitch. Rosario grounded to second for the first out but Ynoa gave Colorado the lead with a home run into the lower seats in right field. D.J. LeMahieu grounded out for the second out of the inning but pinch hitter Ben Paulsen lined a base hit to center and Blackmon followed with a grounder through the middle for another single, putting runners on first and second. Rutledge singled to left, scoring Paulsen and advancing Blackmon to second. Morneau then belted a home run to straight away center field. The three-run shot put the Rockies on top 12-7. Cuddyer followed with a triple into right-center and that finally ended Correia’s day, but he was charged with yet another run when Dickerson greeted new pitcher Jamey Wright with a double to left-center to make it 13-7. Rosario, the 11th man to hit in the inning, finally grounded out to end the rally.
Neither team, mercifully, scored in the sixth, but the Dodgers began their comeback in the seventh. Matt Belisle was on the hill for Colorado and walked Kemp and Ramirez, on a total of nine pitches, to start the inning, then gave up a single to Crawford to load the bases. But Belisle regrouped, inducing Uribe to ground into a double play, with Kemp scoring to make it 13-8, and then getting Ellis to roll out to end the inning. The Rockies still led by five.
But after Paco Rodriguez tossed his second scoreless inning Los Angeles in the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers made it a game in the top of the eighth. With Tommy Kahnle on the mound for Colorado, pinch hitter Roger Bernadina was hit with an 0-2 pitch to open the frame—a bad omen for the Rockies. Gordon popped out but Puig followed with a base hit to right-again on an 0-2 pitch—putting runners on first and second. Gonzalez then lined a base hit to right, loading the bases. That set the stage for Kemp, who crushed a 3-1 pitch deep into the left field bleachers for a grand slam, cutting the lead to 13-12. When Ramirez followed with another base hit, Rockies manager Walt Weiss had seen enough and replaced Kahnle with Adam Ottavino, who worked out of the inning without any further damage being done.
Yimi Garcia pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers, setting the table for the top of the ninth. With Rockies closer LaTroy Hawkins on the mound, Uribe grounded out to open the inning, but pinch hitter Justin Turner lined a single to right, and was replaced on first base by pinch runner Erisbel Arruebarrena. Bernadina, who had remained in the game defensively after his pinch hitting stint earlier, followed with a base hit to right of his own, putting runners on first and second. Gordon grounded out to first, moving both runners into scoring position, but with two outs. That set the stage for Puig, who cracked a 1-0 offering from Hawkins into the left-center field gap for a double, scoring both baserunners and improbably putting Los Angeles on top 13-12. Gonzalez grounded out to end the inning.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen came on in the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door shut, retiring Drew Stubbs, Blackmon and Rutledge in order to earn his 44th save of the season. The last four Los Angeles pitchers combined to toss 4-1/3 innings of shutout ball, no small feat in a game such as this.
9/15/2014, LAN14-Col14, Coors Field
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Dodgers 2 0 0 3 2 0 1 4 2 14 18 0 7 2
2014 Rockies 3 0 2 1 7 0 0 0 0 13 19 1 7 2
Dodgers AB R H BI AVG Rockies AB R H BI AVG
Gordon,D 2b 6 0 1 0 .267 Blackmon cf 6 2 2 0 .271
Puig cf 6 2 4 2 .288 Rutledge ss 6 2 2 1 .238
Gonzalez,Ad 1b 5 2 1 0 .277 Morneau 1b 5 2 4 5 .316
Kemp rf 4 3 2 6 .263 Cuddyer rf 5 2 2 0 .288
Ramirez,H ss 4 2 3 1 .260 Kahnle p 0 0 0 0 .333
Rojas pr 0 0 0 0 .107 Ottavino p 0 0 0 0 .000
Crawford,C lf 5 1 3 1 .313 Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 .000
Garcia,Y p 0 0 0 0 .000 Dickerson,Co lf 3 3 3 3 .336
Federowicz c 0 0 0 0 .133 Rosario c 4 0 1 0 .249
Uribe 3b 3 1 1 1 .345 Ynoa 3b 4 1 3 4 .350
Ellis,A c 4 0 1 1 .169 LeMahieu 2b 5 0 0 0 .239
Turner,Ju ph 1 0 1 0 .341 Bergman p 2 0 1 0 .056
Arruebarrena pr 0 1 0 0 .172 Flande p 0 0 0 0 .133
Jansen p 0 0 0 0 .000 Paulsen ph 1 1 1 0 .264
Hernandez,R p 0 0 0 1 .104 Masset p 0 0 0 0 .000
Correia p 0 0 0 0 .333 Barnes,B ph 1 0 0 0 .251
Wright,J p 0 0 0 0 .200 Belisle p 0 0 0 0 .000
Pederson ph 1 0 0 0 .067 Stubbs cf 1 0 0 0 .261
Rodriguez,P p 0 0 0 0 .000 43 13 19 13
Bernadina ph 1 2 1 0 .097
40 14 18 13
Dodgers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Hernandez,R 3.2 9 6 6 2 2 57 32 5.04
Correia 1.0 7 7 7 0 0 31 20 5.69
Wright,J 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 5 3 3.58
Rodriguez,P 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 22 14 0.82
Garcia,Y W 1-0 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 17 9 0.00
Jansen S 44 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 7 6 1.71
9.0 19 13 13 4 4 139 84
Rockies INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Bergman 4.2 9 7 7 2 3 78 50 4.37
Flande 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 8 2 4.20
Masset H 9 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 10 6 3.45
Belisle H 14 1.0 1 1 1 2 0 17 8 6.64
Kahnle 0.1 4 4 4 0 0 22 13 4.43
Ottavino H 17 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 11 6 2.39
Hawkins BS 8, L 4-3 1.0 3 2 2 0 0 17 11 2.44
9.0 18 14 14 5 4 163 96
LAN: Pederson batted for Wright,J in the 6th
Bernadina batted for Rodriguez,P in the 8th
Rojas ran for Ramirez,H in the 8th
Rojas moved to ss in the 8th
Bernadina moved to lf in the 8th
Turner,Ju batted for Ellis,A in the 9th
Arruebarrena ran for Turner,Ju in the 9th
Federowicz inserted at c in the 9th
Col: Paulsen batted for Flande in the 5th
Barnes,B batted for Masset in the 6th
Blackmon moved to rf in the 8th
Stubbs inserted at cf in the 8th
E-Morneau. 2B-Puig 2(33), Ramirez,H(22), Crawford,C(11), Blackmon(20),
Morneau 2(39), Cuddyer(14), Dickerson,Co(24). 3B-Cuddyer(1), Ynoa(1).
HR-Kemp 2(19), Morneau(14), Dickerson,Co(21), Ynoa(1). RBI-Puig 2(73),
Kemp 6(67), Ramirez,H(67), Crawford,C(44), Uribe(49), Ellis,A(20),
Hernandez,R(4), Rutledge(30), Morneau 5(61), Dickerson,Co 3(62), Ynoa 4(4).
SB-Rutledge(2). CS-Gordon,D, Dickerson,Co. K-Puig, Kemp, Crawford,C 2,
Rutledge 2, Cuddyer, Stubbs. BB-Gonzalez,Ad, Kemp, Ramirez,H, Uribe 2,
Dickerson,Co 2, Rosario, Ynoa. SH-Hernandez,R. SF-Hernandez,R. HBP-Bernadina.
HB-Kahnle. WP-Hernandez,R, Correia, Ottavino.
GWRBI: Puig
Temperature: 73, Sky: cloudy, Wind: in from right at 9 MPH.
Attendance: 15,570
Game Time: 3:15