DENVER _ The Los Angeles Dodgers arrived at Coors Field on Tuesday in an unfamiliar spot, seeking to rebound from two routs the previous two days. They were outscored 20-5 in the two games. They hit one home run and played shoddy defense. The defeats _ against the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies _ were the ugliest this season for the club with baseball's best record.
They responded to the brief tumult Tuesday with a complete and resounding 9-4 victory. A night after accumulating just four hits in baseball's most hitter-friendly ballpark, Los Angeles clubbed four home runs, constructed a 7-0 lead by the third inning, and scored at least nine runs for the 24th time this season after reaching the total in 22 games all last season.
On the mound, three pitchers, starting with Julio Urias, pieced together the nine innings. Tony Gonsolin, the organization's second-ranked pitching prospect, tallied a four-inning save in his second career outing. They were crisp, but not perfect in the field. Left fielder Alex Verdugo, usually sure-handed, committed an error in the third inning that to an unearned run, but that was the Dodgers' only glaring miscue. The performance constitutes an improvement over their recent vast defensive struggles.
About an hour before the game's scheduled first pitch, fans were advised to seek cover as a thunderstorm passed through. Rain poured and continued pounding the ballpark as game time approached. But the clubs took the field as normal anyway. The conditions did not hinder the visitors.
Two pitches into the game, A.J. Pollock whacked a home run off left-hander Kyle Freeland to spark a three-run first inning. Their second stab at Freeland began with consecutive home runs from Kristopher Negron and Russell Martin. It was Negron's first at-bat as a Dodger after being acquired Sunday. Martin hadn't homered since May 19. They were an unlikely pairing for the ninth time the Dodgers slammed back-to-back home runs this season.
The outburst gave Urias some breathing room in his first start since June 20. The Dodgers (70-39) chose to have Urias start in Ross Stripling's place late Monday night after the left-hander went unused in their blowout loss. Tony Gonsolin likely would have gotten the start if Urias wasn't available. Gonsolin was activated Tuesday anyway to pitch multiple innings behind Urias if necessary.
Urias was not crisp. He wiggled free for two scoreless innings but encountered trouble he didn't pitch through in the third. David Dahl lined a one-out triple. Nolan Arenado smacked a two-out RBI double. Daniel Murphy plated Arenado with a single and advanced to third base on Verdugo's error in left field as the Rockies (50-57) wound up with three runs in the frame.
Urias's night concluded with that miscue. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and threw 61 pitches. Casey Sadler replaced him and logged 2 1/3 scoreless innings. The Dodgers, in the meantime, expanded their lead on Justin Turner's two-run home run off right-hander Chad Bettis in the fourth inning.
Gonsolin entered the game in the sixth inning for his second career appearance. He made his major-league debut in a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 26. He allowed six runs _ four earned _ in that outing, but the Dodgers were encouraged by how he handled some misfortune, particularly in the first inning, and recovered.
Gonsolin was optioned to triple-A Oklahoma City the next day, but officials came away convinced he was ready to pitch at the major-league level. The Dodgers envision the 25-year-old right-hander _ the organization's reigning minor league pitcher of the year _ as an option to bolster the bullpen down the stretch and in October. Tuesday provided the first opportunity for the team to evaluate him in the role at the big-league level.
Boasting a fastball that sat between 95 and 96 mph to complement a wicked splitter, Gonsolin excelled for three innings. He needed six pitches to induce three groundouts in the sixth and retired the first 11 batters he faced until Raimel Tapia lined a two-out single in the ninth inning. Chris Iannetta singled before Garrett Hampson hit an RBI double to prompt a mound visit. Gonsolin recovered to strike out Dahl to end the game as the Dodgers recovered from two duds to get back on track.
