The Colorado Rockies were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, 5-4. It was the second walk-off defeat in as many games for Colorado.
The defeat dropped the Rockies’ record to 40-36 this season.
Ahead are takeaways from the loss.
Bullpen bends and eventually breaks
After the game was extended to extra innings, Wade Davis got the call to pitch the 10th inning and backed into trouble instantly by walking Max Muncy. Davis then fell behind in the count to Chris Taylor who eventually hit a single.
Davis fell behind in the account once again, this time to Matt Beaty, the hero from Friday’s ballgame. Beaty already drove home the tying run in the eighth inning and was set up with another opportunity to play the hero. Davis managed to buckle down and induce a double play, but the Dodgers were able to advance the winning run to third base in the process.
Despite the traffic, Davis escaped the inning unscathed, but it was only a matter of time before the Rockies bullpen folded.
Youngster Jesus Tinoco was called upon for the 11th inning and proceeded to surrender a walk-off home run to Alex Verdugo, solidifying yet another heartbreaking loss for Colorado.
Peter Lambert holds his own
Rockies’ starting pitcher Peter Lambert made the fourth start of his career Saturday versus the Dodgers. It just so happens that Lambert grew up rooting for the Dodgers as he lived in the Los Angeles area.
The California native pitched well against his hometown team, limiting the defending National League champions to just three runs.
Los Angeles put pressure on the 22-year-old in the second after Colorado established an early lead, with Muncy starting the inning with a double to left field. From there, Lambert surrendered back-to-back singles, one of which scored a run to tie the game.
The Dodgers plated another run in the third inning when Justin Turner hit an RBI single that deflected off of the glove of Ryan McMahon, trickling into the outfield to allow a run to score.
Lambert worked a clean fourth inning but wound up surrendering a home run to Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo which tied the game at three runs apiece in the fifth inning.
Lambert departed with a line of five innings pitched, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out a batter.
Rockies route Ryu
The Rockies managed to do something that other clubs around the league have failed to do this season: score runs against Hyun-Jin Ryu at Dodger Stadium.
Ryu is currently the frontrunner to start the All-Star game for the National League and has been borderline unhittable at home this season. Entering Saturday’s game, Ryu had a flawless 6-0 record at Dodger Stadium, pitching to a 0.87 earned run average with 55 punchouts and just two walks.
The Rockies managed to plate three runs off of Ryu, starting in the first inning when Nolan Arenado ripped an RBI single to left field to establish an early lead for Colorado.
Non-shocking or breaking news: Nolan Arenado with a base-hit to give the @Rockies an early lead. pic.twitter.com/T2HJ4ckjAj
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 22, 2019
After Los Angeles tied the game in the second inning, the Rockies punched back by platting two runs in the third inning off the bat’s of veterans Ian Desmond and Daniel Murphy to regain the lead, 3-1.
Ian Desmond continues to improve at the plate
The veteran outfielder has improved his play substantially following a slow start to the season. Desmond has driven in at least one run in seven of the last nine games and has hit .386 (32-for-83) with 10 doubles and five home runs over his last 25 games.
Desmond has seen his batting average creep up towards .280. Considering how poorly he played over the first two seasons of his contract, the growth Desmond has demonstrated, as of late, is extremely encouraging.
The 33-year-old has played to the value of his contract this season, and because of that, the Rockies have received a significant boost from within.
Desmond finished with four hits on the evening which is good for his first four-hit game since 2016.
Additionally, with Trevor Story injured, Manager Bud Black opted to bump Desmond up to second in the lineup for the Rockies’ series opener versus the Dodgers. Desmond has hit safely in 13 of his past 15 games and a difference maker since the start of May, hitting well over .300.