Colorado Rockies come back, then blow lead late in 12-10 loss to Los Angeles Dodgers

The Colorado Rockies lost what was probably their oddest game of the season to date, 12-10, to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. They trailed by as many as six and led by as many as three as the two teams walked a total of 19 in the game.

After walking the bases loaded in the first inning, Nolan Arenado bailed Rockies' starter Jordan Lyles out with a great barehanded play to get him out of the inning unscathed. In the second, the wildness continued as Lyles walked two more. That, paired with a par of doubles from Trayce Thompson and Yasiel Puig and an error on Trevor Story led to four runs for the Dodgers.

The Rockies feebly punched back in the bottom of the second with a Gerardo Parra RBI single, but the Dodgers' barrage continued in the third. After Joc Pederson homered, opposing starter Alex Wood hit a long single off the wall, and Chase Utley hit a line drive single, Lyles was mercifully pulled from the game. When all was said and done, Lyles allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits with five walks and no strikeouts. His ERA is now at 7.64 on the season and his days in the rotation may be numbered.

Luckily, not even a 7-1 lead is safe after only three innings at Coors Field. The Rockies began chipping away in their half of the fourth. Parra began the scoring with a double that got caught up in the swirling wind and was misplayed by Thompson in left field. After DJ LeMahieu walked, Parra was driven in by Dustin Garneau's run scoring single and Chris Rusin -- who was on in relief of Lyles -- drove in LeMahieu with a perfect bunt down the third base line. Just like that, the lead was cut in half.

After a scoreless fifth, the Rockies looked primed to complete the comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning when LeMahieu's successful squeeze bunt brought in a run and was compounded by Dodgers' reliever Pedro Baez's error which left the bases loaded with nobody out in a 7-5 game. Unfortunately, that one run is all they would get. Pinch-hitter Ben Paulsen struck out, Brandon Barnes popped up to shallow right field, and Story flew out after a lengthy at-bat to end the inning.

In the eighth inning, the flood gates finally opened. Garneau started things off with a double and was singled home by pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn. Three batters later, the Rockies finally took the lead after two runs scored on Carlos Gonzalez's single and the subsequent error on Puig when he overran the ball in right field. But they weren't done! After Arenado and Mark Reynolds walked (Arenado intentionally), Parra drove in two more with his fourth hit of the game, a line drive single to center that put the Rockies ahead, 10-7.

You knew the drama couldn't end there, right? After two singles and a walk off closer Jake McGee loaded the bases, Story struggled to get the ball out of his glove on what would have been a game-ending double play. The play instead became a fielder's choice that allowed Yasmani Grandal to score. A.J. Ellis then singled home Howie Kendrick to bring the Dodgers back within one and a wild pitch with Chase Utley at the plate allowed Thompson to score and tie the game. Utley would then double in the go-ahead run as the Dodgers took an 11-10 lead. Corey Seager doubled home Utley to make it 12-10.

With the loss, the Rockies drop to 9-9 on the season. They're back at it tomorrow night as they begin a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jeff Locke will toe the rubber for the Pirates against a pitcher who is of yet undetermined.

Game Notes:

- Today was the first three walk game of Nolan Arenado's 419 game career and just the sixth time he had two unintentional walks in the same game. The Rockies are now 1-5 in those games.

- Left-handed hitters are now 2-for-19 with nine strikeouts against Boone Logan.

- Dustin Garneau reached base three times for the first time in his Major League career.

- Jake McGee's five earned runs allowed tied a career-high.

- Gerardo Parra had four hits and four RBI in the same game for the first time of his career.