Dodgers rally for 7 runs in 5th, put chill on Rockies 13-4
Los Angeles Dodgers' J.D. Martinez, right, scores on a triple by James Outman as Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz dives for a throw that was off target during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a night that felt more like Wrigley Field than Dodger Stadium, Jason Heyward made himself right at home.
The former Cubs outfielder slammed a two-run homer — his first in a Dodgers uniform — to cap a seven-run rally with two outs in the fifth inning, and Los Angeles beat the Colorado Rockies 13-4 on Monday.
“Nice to be a part of that inning,” Heyward said. “We put a lot of good ABs together with intention. It just felt like stringing one thing after another and everybody was locked in. I felt like we all did it together.”
The game-time temperature was 55 degrees — well under the Los Angeles average of 73 in April — with a cold, 13 mph wind that gusted through the stadium and blew bits of trash onto the outfield warning track.
“You come here and expect a nice night, and it was cold and windy,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I didn’t expect the home runs with the wind blowing straight in.”
With the Dodgers trailing 4-2 in the fifth, Freddie Freeman doubled and Will Smith and Max Muncy walked to load the bases with two outs, chasing Colorado starter Ryan Feltner (0-1).
“Those are tough. You’ve got to smell the finish line there and we just didn’t do it,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s got to stay on the attack and get them swinging the bats on balls in the strike zone.”
J.D. Martinez singled off Jake Bird, scoring Freeman and Smith to tie it 4-all.
James Outman followed with a triple to right, bringing home Muncy and Martinez for a 6-4 lead. Outman scored on fellow rookie Miguel Vargas’ RBI single, making it 7-4.
Heyward kept it going with his home run, extending the lead to 9-4.
Outman’s second run-scoring triple and Heyward’s sacrifice fly made it 11-4 in the seventh. Smith tacked on a two-run homer in the eighth.
Chris Taylor had a two-run shot in the third for the Dodgers, who rapped out 13 hits.
Yency Almonte (1-0) got the win with one inning of relief.
The wind had the center-field flags snapping straight out and made every popup and foul ball an adventure in the usually placid ballpark.
“It was a tough one,” Heyward said. “A lot of communication pitch to pitch and make sure we caught the ball.”
The chill didn’t appear to bother Dodgers starter Michael Grove, who wore no long-sleeved shirt under his jersey unlike most of his teammates. He struck out the side for the first time in his career on 12 pitches in the second.
Starting in place of injured Ryan Pepiot, Grove gave up an infield hit to Kris Bryant in the first and then retired his next 11 batters in a row.
But Grove came undone in the fifth when Colorado got its first five batters on base and four of them scored.
“Just lost my legs a little bit,” said Grove, who nearly didn’t make the start because of general achiness. “I was feeling OK, just more weak than anything.”
Grove gave up consecutive walks to Ryan McMahon and Mike Moustakas. Elias Diaz followed with a double for Colorado’s first run and Harold Castro singled, scoring Moustakas and Diaz to put the Rockies ahead 3-2.
Jurickson Profar grounded into a double play and Castro scored to make it 4-2.
Feltner gave up five runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked five.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: RHP Daniel Bard will throw Tuesday, three days after he reached 96 mph during a bullpen in San Diego. He began the season on the IL because of anxiety issues that previously put his career on hold.
Dodgers: RHP Tony Gonsolin (left ankle sprain) will face hitters Wednesday at Camelback Ranch in Arizona. His targeted return is the end of the month, but he’ll need multiple rehab starts because of his lack of innings in spring training.
ROOKIE DOINGS
Outman became the first Dodgers player with multiple triples in a game since Yasiel Puig, who had three on July 25, 2014, in San Francisco.
Vargas walked for the ninth time, the most in Dodgers history through the first five games of a season. Vargas got hit in the thumb by a pitch in the seventh but stayed in the game. He’ll be examined Tuesday.
UP NEXT
RHP German Marquez starts for the Rockies against Dodgers LHP Julio Urias on Tuesday. Marquez has limited LA to a .176 batting average in eight career starts at Dodger Stadium. Urias struck out six and didn’t walk anyone in a win over Arizona on opening day.
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