LOS ANGELES — Rockies closer Jordan Romano celebrates with catcher Braxton Fulford after closing out Colorado’s 4-3 win over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Credit: @Rockies
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani made history in the first inning, and for six innings it looked like it might be enough. His leadoff homer off Michael Lorenzen was the 300th of his career, making him the first Japanese-born player in MLB history to reach the mark. Justin Wrobleski backed it up with the best start he’s had in weeks, striking out nine and allowing one run over seven innings. Then two errors in the eighth undid all of it, a 3-1 lead cracking into a 4-3 deficit in the span of four batters, and it stayed that way. Colorado 4, Los Angeles 3, a game that will be remembered, just not for the score.
That’s the headline, but it sells short a game the Dodgers controlled for six innings. Wrobleski was that good. The offense found enough against a shaky Colorado defense to stay ahead the whole way. None of it will show up anywhere except the loss column, because four batters in the eighth wiped it out.
An eighth inning gone sideways
A two-run lead can feel safe for six innings and then evaporate in four batters, and that’s exactly what happened. Will Klein walked the first man he faced. A single moved him to second. Then a ball that should have ended the inning skipped through Miguel Rojas’s glove instead, and the lead was suddenly down to one
Jack Dreyer came in to clean it up and got exactly the play he wanted, a bunt back toward the infield that should have been an easy out. Alex Freeland’s throw to first sailed into right field instead, and two more runs walked home. Nine outs from a much different night, undone by two errors in the span of five batters. Klein took the loss, but this one belonged to the defense.
Ohtani, the walk party and Wrobleski’s gem
Wrobleski set the tone early, and Ohtani made it a night to remember, a 409-foot line drive to center that landed in the record books before the Rockies had recorded a hit. Homer No. 300 came on the third pitch he saw, a sinker from Lorenzen, and it made him the fastest Japanese-born player and the fifth-fastest player in MLB history to reach the milestone. The offense went cold for three innings after that, the kind of lull that makes a one-run lead feel fragile. Then patience took over. Rushing walked. Freeland singled. Ohtani walked. Pages walked with the bases loaded, and the Dodgers had breathing room again without needing to square anything up.
Edman added on in the sixth, reaching on a Lorenzen throwing error, stealing second, and coming around to score. Colorado had an answer of its own that same inning, a Carrigg double that scored on a groundout, but it was the only real crack in Wrobleski all night. He turned away everything else, missing bats when he needed them and trusting his defense to finish the rest, which made the eighth sting even more.
A ninth-inning rally that ran out of outs
The Dodgers gave themselves one more window. Freeland opened the ninth with a single, and pinch-hitter Teoscar Hernández worked a walk to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Freeland stole second for good measure, and for a moment it looked like the kind of finish this team has produced all year. Then Ohtani popped out, Pages flew out, and Freeman struck out swinging, and the inning ended the way the eighth started it, quietly, and not in the Dodgers’ favor.
Up next
The Dodgers and Rockies close out their series Wednesday night, with Roki Sasaki taking the mound against Ryan Feltner. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki will take the mound in the series finale against the Rockies on Wednesday. Credit: @Dodgers