DENVER _ For the Los Angeles Dodgers to continue their big-brother bully act and extend their winning streak over the Colorado Rockies to 12 games Thursday night, they were going to have to score and score and score some more. That became apparent as the Rockies lined baseballs off Walker Buehler through the balmy, thin air throughout Coors Field, making Buehler look nothing like the man who had arguably been the best pitcher in baseball in June.
The Dodgers, already the highest-scoring unit in baseball without the video-game confines a mile above sea, did not wilt from the challenge. They capped off an offensive outburst with a four-run ninth inning to seize the lead en route to a 12-8 victory to begin a four-game series against the club in a distant second place behind them in the National League West.
Chris Taylor finished off a four-hit effort with a go-ahead bloop single against Rockies closer Wade Davis. Two batters later, Enrique Hernandez hammered a pinch-hit, three-run home run to straightaway center field to supply some breathing room. The Dodgers (56-27) clubbed five home runs in total _ twice going back-to-back _ and 17 hits overall. Their lead in the division grew to 13 games.
Buehler and Peter Lambert encountered a challenge that starting pitchers occasionally confront over the course of a season: facing the same team two starts in a row. Lambert allowed three runs over five innings at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Buehler, meanwhile, was coming off the best start of his career when he tossed his first career shutout with a career-high 16 strikeouts and no walks against the Rockies last Friday. The recent clash complicated the pitchers' game plans.
"The team tells you. The at-bats, the swings," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the approach in those circumstances. "The game tells you the hitters' approach. They'll tell you how to react."
The Rockies (42-39) reacted with a vengeance. After allowing three runs in his first 31 innings in June, Buehler gave up four in his first 2 1/3 innings Thursday. The number was up to seven when Buehler walked off the mound with two outs in the sixth inning, the most he's given up in his young career. He also surrendered a career-high 13 hits _ the most any pitcher has allowed in the majors this season. He collected four strikeouts and issued one walk.
Two of the 13 hits were two-run triples. Garrett Hampson smacked one over center fielder Alex Verdugo's head in the second inning and Charlie Blackmon lashed one down the right-field line in the sixth. None of the 13 hits were home runs.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, capitalized on the conditions to bang six balls over the fence. Cody Bellinger tallied the first home run with a boost; his fly ball in the second inning bounced off David Dahl's glove and over the wall to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Max Muncy homered on the next pitch and added a two-run homer in the seventh inning with a line drive that carried over the left-field wall. Verdugo launched a two-run home run in the fifth and Justin Turner followed with his second homer in two games after hitting one in his previous 34.
The sixth blast traveled 430 feet off Hernandez's bat. He raised his right arm in excitement when he saw the ball creep over the wall. The Dodgers' dugout exploded in jubilation. They were sure they had scored enough.
