Rockies Report, Game 144:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Hitless until the ninth inning, the Rockies saw starting pitcher Chase Dollander, first baseman Warming Bernabel and second baseman Ryan Ritter all leave early due to injuries in a 3-1 series-opening defeat at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.

With that, the Rockies suffered their 104th defeat, guaranteeing that this will be the worst season in club history. The Rox went 59-103 in 2023.

Bernabel departed early with a head injury, crashing into a pole on the fencing while chasing a Mookie Betts foul ball in the bottom of the first inning. Blood trickled down his face.

Dollander left after a four-pitch walk to Ben Rortvedt to lead off the sixth; the rookie pitcher moved about the mound in discomfort after the four balls — only one of which was anywhere close to the strike zone. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer later described it as “knee discomfort.”

“It’s not worth the risk at that point,” Schaeffer told media after the game.

Finally, Ritter — who averted what would have been the fourth no-hitter absorbed by the Rockies in club history with a line-drive double to the left-field wall — was forced from the game two pitches thereafter. He appeared to tweak his ankle when getting back to second base after Tyler Freeman’s line-drive out to shortstop.

Orlando Arcia pinch-ran for Ritter, but advanced no farther and the Rockies’ attempt to rally ended.

Los Angeles starter Tyler Glasnow handled the first seven innings before Blake Treinen worked a perfect eighth inning. But Tanner Scott — who surrendered a walk-off homer at Baltimore last Friday — saw Ritter dig deep for a low slider and drive it to the left-field wall, ending the combined no-hitter.

Nevertheless, the Rockies led from the second inning until the bottom of the sixth.

That’s because they eked out a run in classic work-’em-around fashion, as Jordan Beck drew a leadoff walk, stole second, then advanced to third on an Ezequiel Tovar fly ball to right field. One pitch later, Kyle Farmer drove him home with a sacrifice fly on a line drive to the left-field warning track.

But the chances of pulling off an odd 1-0 win despite being no-hit evaporated because the Rockies’ bullpen continued its recent frustrating pattern. Juan Mejia came in for Dollander and walked Shohei Ohtani before giving up a one-out double to Freddie Freeman, a run that was charged to Dollander and tied the score.

Angel Chivilli entered in the seventh, and it was then that saw the knockout punch. With two on and two out, a slider to Mookie Betts lingered in the zone, and Betts punished it, delivering the RBI single that put the Dodgers in front to stay.

Mookie for the lead! pic.twitter.com/yFV38KKcJ1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 9, 2025

Colorado is 40-104.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Once again, Dollander delivered on the road, and if not for the apparent knee issue that clearly affected him on the four-pitch walk that led to the only run charged to his record Monday night, he might have left without allowing a run for the first time in his career.

Dollander was perfect in the first two innings, with three of the first six outs he recorded catching the Dodgers looking. He allowed a pair of baserunners when he walked Hyesong Kim and plunked Rortvedt, but retired the next five batters before allowing his first hit in the bottom of the fifth on a single by Michael Conforto.

Extreme divergence in home-road splits is something to which one is quite accustomed with the Rockies, but Dollander is taking them to new levels. His road ERA and WHIP are 3.46 and 1.173, respectively; at home those figures are 9.98 and 1.978.

“Chase, I thought was fantastic,” Schaeffer told media after the game. ” … He was throwing his heater when he needed to, he was climbing the ladder when he needed to.”

Arguably Dollander’s best start at Coors Field came against the Dodgers on June 25, so there may be something to this matchup; only extraordinary bad luck in the form of a baffling refusal to stop the game despite pelting rain led to the runs charged to his name.

But there’s no doubt Dollander was done a solid by the adjustment of the rotation that followed Kyle Freeland’s Friday start in the wake of his ejection last Tuesday.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Hunter Goodman lined out to third base for the final out of the night.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 1.69 — Dollander’s road ERA since returning from a month-long stint at AAA Albuquerque. His home ERA in that span is 11.48.

WHAT’S NEXT: Germán Márquez gets the ball for the Rockies. Emmet Sheehan starts for the Dodgers in a game that will begin at 8:10 p.m. MDT.