Nolan Arenado hits game-winning homer in Rockies' testy 5-4 victory over Dodgers

Next time you think about going to bed instead of staying up well past midnight to watch a team that is 24 games under .500, think again.

Nolan Arenado smacked an opposite-field home run off of Mat Latos in the top of the 16th inning to lift the Colorado Rockies to a wild 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. The game, capped off by the Rockies using rookie reliever Jason Gurka in right field following Arenado's go-ahead blast, featured 58 total players and 24 pitchers used, both MLB records.

Arenado's blast served as revenge for a controversial slide by Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, to which the Rockies' young star took exception, earlier in the game. Turner came in late, hard and away from second base while Arenado was turning a double play on a shift against Adrian Gonzalez in the fourth inning. Arenado barked at Turner and the Dodgers' dugout, and Rockies manager Walt Weiss was none too happy, either.

But the Rockies got the last laugh, keeping the Dodgers off the board in the final inning despite Gurka's presence in right field, a spot vacated by Carlos Gonzalez after he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts and injured his foot on a foul ball. Gonzalez Germen, who made his Rockies debut earlier this season as a starter, finished the game by retiring Yasmani Grandal and Ronald Torreyes with runners on first and third to earn his second career save, and first since 2013.

Chris Rusin started for the Rockies and pitched admirably, exiting in the seventh inning with a 3-1 lead after allowing just five hits and a pair of walks. But reliever Boone Logan promptly allowed both runners he inherited to score, resulting in a tie game and a worse line for Rusin than he probably deserved.

Jairo Diaz had arguably the best individual pitching performance of the night for the Rockies, striking out two -- including Adrian Gonzalez on three pitches -- in a perfect eighth inning.

Arenado finished 3-for-7 with a couple of singles and the game-winning homer. Charlie Blackmon, Jose Reyes, DJ LeMahieu and Justin Morneau added two hits apiece.

Source: FanGraphs