The Colorado Rockies won their second straight game thanks to a strong pitching performance from Jon Gray and a three-run sixth inning against Clayton Kershaw, beating the Dodgers 5-3. It was the second straight win for the Rockies after a dozen consecutive losses to LA, and secured at least a split of the four-game series at Coors Field.
Down 3-2 in the sixth, the Rockies rallied against Kershaw for three runs as five straight hitters reached base. It all got started when Charlie Blackmon reached on a Max Muncy error, which was followed by four straight singles, with Nolan Arenado bringing home Blackmon and Mark Reynolds driving in a pair to give the Rockies a 5-3 lead.
Gray tames Coors
After a stretch of games that saw Coors Field playing like it did in the pre-humidor days, Jon Gray helped bring things back to Earth with a strong outing, holding a powerful Dodgers lineup to just three runs, two earned, on seven hits in 6 2⁄3 innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Gray’s ERA dropped to 3.84 on the season after Saturday’s performance.
Chuck goes deep
Charlie Blackmon got the Rockies on the board against Kershaw in the bottom of the third. With the Rockies down 1-0, Blackmon took a 2-2 curveball from Kershaw deep to the back wall of the bullpen, giving his team a 2-1 lead, making some history in the process:
Charlie Blackmon did something very special. He took Clayton Kershaw's curveball deep for a HR. That's the first left-handed home run Kershaw has given up in the regular season in his career.
— Inside Edge (@InsideEdgeScout) June 30, 2019
Matt Adams is the only other left-handed batter to take that pitch deep.#Rockies pic.twitter.com/4sUee9iy4j
Patty Barrels is back?
After breaking an 0-for-30 slide with a two-run home run last night, Pat Valaika had another strong performance tonight, going 2-for-3 and scoring a run, with both hits coming against Kershaw. Getting Valaika back to his 2017 self could be a big development for the Rockies bench going forward.
Looking ahead
The Rockies will go for the series win tomorrow at Coors Field with Chi Chi Gonzalez taking the mound against Kenta Maeda. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Mountain time.