 earned their ninth victory in 10 games and became the first team in the majors to win 20 this season. Every player in the Los Angeles lineup got a hit except Austin Barnes, although the catcher had an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.''We have so much talent. Kersh was pretty impressive and dominant, a hard guy to follow up,'' Buehler said. ''Any game he pitches, there's stuff that all of us younger guys can pick up on. Reminding yourself, `Oh, that's how it's supposed to be done' is a big thing.'' Buehler (1-0) gave up four hits on 92 pitches in his fifth start of the season and didn't issue a walk in going past five innings for the first time. The right-hander was coming off his worst outing of the year. He gave up five runs (four earned) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Angels last weekend.''Each outing was getting better and this one just seemed like he was primed,'' Roberts said.Buehler turned a corner, challenging hitters and putting the ball in good spots. He retired the first 11 batters he faced. Charlie Blackmon, the majors' leading hitter at .420, ripped a two-out single to center field in the fourth for the Rockies' first hit.''I felt better and felt more confident and locked in,'' Buehler said. ''I felt like myself.'' Buehler gave up three consecutive singles to right by Drew Butera, Raimel Tapia and Trevor Story in the sixth. Story's shallow hit scored Butera for the Rockies' lone run. Buehler then got Blackmon on a swinging strikeout before Joc Pederson's running catch into the lower wall in right ended the inning and prevented the potential tying runs from scoring.After an impressive start, the Rockies have lost a season-high five straight and 10 of 12 while dropping to .500. Jon Gray (1-3) gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander had two walks and no strikeouts.''There's a lot of damage they can do throughout the lineup,'' Gray said. ''They did a really good job of just batting the ball. There were a lot of gappers. If you're not getting to that spot where you can really put them away, it's going to be a long night.'' Cody Bellinger's RBI double in the first gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.Los Angeles added three runs in the fourth on Matt Beaty's RBI single and Corey Seager's two-run double down the right-field line.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: RHP Joe Harvey went on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow sprain.Dodgers: C Will Smith (neck inflammation) had four at-bats and did some catching at the team's alternate training site. He'll do more of the same on Saturday and if all goes well return to the lineup Sunday.ACING THE ROCKIESBuehler had his third career double-digit strikeout game versus Colorado. His others came in September 2018 and June 2019. He improved to 5-2 with a 4.07 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 16 career games (12 starts) against the Rockies.REMEMBERING KOBEThe Dodgers will honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant during pregame ceremonies Sunday, which would have been Bryant's 42nd birthday. He and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash in January. Fans aren't allowed at Dodger Stadium, but they can watch on the team's SportsNet LA channel.UP NEXTRockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (2-1, 2.56 ERA) has recorded a quality start in each of his first five starts, tied for the second-longest streak to begin a season in franchise history.Dodgers: RHP Dustin May (1-1, 3.00) has faced the Rockies once. He threw a scoreless inning of relief last September.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Skidding Rockies visit surging DodgersThe best team in baseball will get back on its own turf Friday when the Los Angeles Dodgers open a three-game series against the struggling Colorado Rockies.Less than two weeks ago, the Rockies-Dodgers series was lining up as a matchup between National League titans, with that perception taking a hit due to Colorado's recent losing stretch.While the Dodgers enter the series with a 19-8 record and fresh off a 6-1 road victory against the Seattle Mariners, the Rockies arrive after a 10-8 loss to the Astros that completed a four-game, home-and-home Houston sweep.After a red-hot start, the Rockies are just 2-9 since Aug. 9, while the Dodgers come back to Los Angeles, where they are 8-5 this season. The Rockies are riding their longest losing streak of the season, four games.As expected, the Dodgers have shown an exceptional balance of offense and pitching. Los Angeles leads the majors in home runs (50), runs scored (151) and run differential (plus-66). They also are the NL leaders in team ERA (2.72) and WHIP (1.06).Even with all of that offense, expected Dodgers run producers such as Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Joc Pederson are off to slower-than-expected starts. Bellinger, though, is starting to emerge, homering in each of the past two games, and all three lefty bats went deep in a defeat to the Mariners on Wednesday."We're going to start seeing considerably more right-handed pitching than left-handed pitching, and those are guys we're counting on," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday. "Muncy, I think, has been trending in the right direction for the last week. ... (Bellinger) has to continue to trust that things are trending in the right way." Friday's game will be a duel between right-handers looking to turn a corner. The Rockies' Jon Gray is 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA in five starts, while the Dodgers' Walker Buehler is 0-0 with a 5.21 ERA in four outings."There is a part of my mind that knows this is a very important game," Gray said. "This series is not only worth three (games), but it's the same division so there is a lot behind this (first) game. Nothing will change about that. I will still compete just as hard as any other game, if not more. I just want to attack my game plan." Gray is coming off his longest outing of the season, when he gave up three runs on three hits in seven innings of an eventual 10-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday. He is 5-5 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 4.36 ERA over 14 starts. In five outings at Dodger Stadium, he is 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA.Buehler will enter off his worst outing of the season. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits over 4 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He is 4-2 lifetime against the Rockies with a 4.28 ERA over 15 appearances (11 starts).Despite losing Wednesday, the Rockies had their offense going. Ryan McMahon had the fifth multi-homer game of his career, Sam Hilliard had a career-high four hits, and Raimel Tapia reached base five times (four walks). Charlie Blackmon went 2-for-5 and is batting .424.The Rockies will be without infielder/outfielder Chris Owings, who was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. The Dodgers placed right-hander Pedro Baez on the IL because of a right groin strain.--Field Level Media
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