Clayton Kershaw didn\u2019t reach his magic number, but he sure had the Rockies\u2019 number.<\/p>\n
The veteran left-hander perplexed the Rockies for six innings, leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory and tidy finish to their three-game sweep at Coors Field. Los Angeles beat Colorado for the 10th straight time.<\/p>\n
Colorado, which managed just five baserunners (two hits, three walks) in the game, has been swept 12 times this season.<\/p>\n
Kershaw (4-0, 3.03 ERA) allowed one run on two hits, walked one, and struck out five. The five Ks left him just three shy of 3,000 strikeouts for his career. When the 37-year-old Dodgers icon does get his 3,000th K, he\u2019ll become just the 20th major league pitcher to reach that lofty plateau.<\/p>\n
\u201cKershaw was really good,\u201d Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after Kershaw made the 14th quality start of his career at Coors Field, his first since June 27, 2023. \u201cHe was throwing in, early in the game, tying up our right-handers with some cut. We chased down (against) him, and then later on, his slider came into play and he kept us on the ground. He did a nice job against us. We didn\u2019t have an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kershaw induced Colorado into nine outs via groundballs.<\/p>\n
The Rockies slid to 8-32 at home and 18-63 at the midway point of the season. At this pace, they\u2019ll finish 36-126, establishing a dubious record for the most losses in a season during the modern era. The Chicago White Sox lost a record 121 games last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like progress is being made on a consistent basis,\u201d said Schaeffer, who is 11-30 since taking over for Bud Black. \u201cWe just got done playing the world champs and we gave them a fight. We didn\u2019t get any wins out of it, no doubt, but we are playing better baseball. I think everybody in that (clubhouse) knows it and feels it. It\u2019s just a matter of keep pushing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s lone run came on Brenton Doyle\u2019s two-out, solo homer off Kershaw in the second. It was Doyle\u2019s sixth home run but his first since May 27. Doyle was out of the lineup Wednesday as he worked on his swing in the batting cage. He made some minor adjustments, but believes that lately, he\u2019s been hitting the ball hard only to have it hit right at defenders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always want the back of your baseball card to look pretty, and hard-hit baseballs don\u2019t show on the card,\u201d said Doyle, who\u2019s batting .195. \u201cBut at the end of the day, I have to be happy with hard-hit balls. It\u2019s a very hard game. If I can stay consistently hitting balls 100 mph, I\u2019m pretty confident they will start falling more and more for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much to the delight of the Dodgers fans, who once again turned Coors into Dodger Stadium East, Shohei Ohtani\u2019s two-out solo home run off Tyler Kinley in the seventh sealed the deal. It was Ohtani\u2019s 28th homer, the most in the National League.<\/p>\n
Ohtani is slashing .391\/.451\/.781 with six home runs, five doubles, one triple and 17 RBIs over 17 career games at Coors.<\/p>\n
Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber, making his third start since coming off the injured list with a sore shoulder, pitched five excellent innings. He allowed one run on four hits, walked one, and struck out one. He was lifted after just 77 pitches, but said he was OK with Schaeffer\u2019s decision to pull him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019m getting stronger every day, but that\u2019s a tough lineup, they grind you down,\u201d Gomber said. \u201cI thought I emptied the tank, right there, in the fifth. It was a little bit hotter day. It was pedal to the metal all day against them \u2014 from pitch one. And getting Ohtani there in the fifth (for the final out), I kind of emptied the tank. So I thought that was probably the right move, especially with the middle of their order coming up for the third time.\u201d<\/p>\n
L.A.\u2019s only run against Gomber came in the third. Miguel Rojas hit a one-out double to left-center, Ohtani drew a walk, and both baserunners advanced on Gomber\u2019s wild pitch. Mookie Betts\u2019 infield single to first baseman Michael Toglia scored Rojas.<\/p>\n
Once Gomber departed, the Dodgers immediately took the lead against Angel Chivilli. Betts led off the sixth with a double, Will Smith walked, and Freddie Freeman singled to right, driving in Betts to give L.A. a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n
The Rockies head to Milwaukee to open a three-game series against the Brewers on Friday.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s pitching matchup<\/p>\n
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-8, 5.13 ERA) at Brewers LHP Jose Quintana (5-2, 2.98)<\/p>\n
6:10 p.m. Friday, American Family Field<\/p>\n
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast\/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).<\/p>\n
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM<\/p>\n
Trending: Right fielder Tyler Freeman, who\u2019s taken over Colorado\u2019s leadoff spot, is slashing .389\/.477\/.528 in 23 games in June. He\u2019s among the majors\u2019 leaders this month, ranking second in batting average and on-base percentage, and tied for sixth in stolen bases (six). Freeman\u2019s career-best 12-game hitting streak ended Thursday, but he still drew a walk. <\/p>\n
Pitching probables<\/p>\n
Saturday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-10, 6.48) at Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (5-2, 3.68), 2:10 p.m.<\/p>\n
Sunday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-9, 5.79) at Brewers RHP Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.72), 12:10 p.m.<\/p>\n