LOS ANGELES — The result appeared on the out-of-town scoreboard during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on Friday night: Atlanta Braves 6, San Francisco Giants 5. Final. And, finally, a chance for the Los Angeles Dodgers to gain ground on the first-place Giants in the National League West standings.
To capitalize, they had to topple the Colorado Rockies, an uninspiring club wallowing in fourth place. That didn’t happen. The Dodgers wasted the chance with a frustrating 4-2 loss to remain 21/2 games behind the Giants with 33 games remaining in the regular season.
The Dodgers (81-48) were again stymied by a left-handed starting pitcher. Two days after San Diego Padres lefty Blake Snell held them to one run over 7 2/3 innings, they scored two runs and recorded four hits in six innings against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.
The Dodgers chose to have right-hander Brusdar Graterol open the game before inserting Andre Jackson for multiple innings. The plan immediately backfired. Graterol surrendered a two-run home run to Charlie Blackmon in the first inning. It was just Blackmon’s second home run in 215 plate appearances outside of hitter-heaven Coors Field this season.
Jackson replaced Graterol to start the second inning for his second career appearance. He logged four scoreless innings until C.J. Cron blasted a 431-foot leadoff homer in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old Jackson gave up the one run on four hits across 4 2/3 innings before he was pulled.
Cron’s home run gave the Rockies (59-69) the lead after Will Smith and Trea Turner tagged Freeland for solo home runs in the third inning, but that was all they mustered. Elias Diaz padded Colorado’s margin with a solo homer in the ninth inning off Alex Vesia, who didn’t yield a hit in his first in nine appearances this month. That was more than enough to keep the Dodgers from taking advantage of a prime opportunity.
—Max Muncy is not in lineup
Max Muncy wasn’t in the Dodgers’ starting lineup Friday for the second straight game as he deals with back tightness, but he pinch-hit in the ninth inning and struck out. Roberts said he expects Muncy will be in the lineup Saturday. … Left-hander Darien Nunez was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City before Friday’s game to make room on the roster for Jackson.
