Bauer, Dodgers bats overpower Rockies
LOS ANGELES » The difference between the haves and the have-nots in the National League West truly is a mile high.
The Dodgers outhit the Colorado Rockies 10-2 while launching four home runs in their latest thumping of the Rockies 7-0 Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
It was the fourth time in five games this season the Dodgers have beaten the Rockies and the 25th time since the start of the 2019 season — the most victories for any NL team over a single opponent in that time.
But it’s even worse than that.
Since the start of Sept. 2018 — a month that began with the Dodgers, Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks all within 1 ½ games of each other and ended with the Dodgers and Rockies deadlocked after 162 games — the Dodgers have beaten the Rockies 32 times in 41 meetings by a combined score of 282178.
The difference starts with the starters — the Dodgers annually have some of the best, the Rockies perennially ... do not.
In the first five games between the two teams this year, the Dodgers’ starting pitchers have allowed 13 runs over 32 innings.
Only Clayton Kershaw on Opening Day in Colorado failed to make it into the sixth inning — and he fell just one out short.
By contrast, the Rockies starters in those five games have thrown 390 pitches to record 54 outs. Only one (Jon Gray) managed to complete five innings.
Right-hander Antonio Senzatella took his second turn in the shooting gallery and no doubt went to bed Tuesday night with a ringing in his ears — from the crack of the bat on Corey Seager’s home run (107.5 mph off the bat), Chris Taylor’s home run two pitches later (100.9), Mookie Betts’ towering drive to lead off the third inning (104.7), Seager’s double that same inning (105) and an assortment of other hard-hit balls during his brief time on the mound.
It’s a familiar soundtrack for Senzatella’s visits to Los Angeles. Tuesday was his sixth career start at Dodger Stadium. He has allowed 24 runs (and 10 home runs) in 26 2/3 innings there.
Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer (who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his start at Coors Field on opening weekend) allowed just one hit over seven innings in his first start for the home team at Dodger Stadium.
After some minor turbulence early in the game — he walked Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron to start the second inning and threw 57 pitches through the first three — Bauer set it to cruise control and didn’t need more than 13 pitches to retire the Rockies in any inning.
He retired 18 of 19 after those back-to-back walks (the latter aided by a questionable call on ball four) including the last 14 batters he faced.
The Rockies’ only hit off Bauer came in the third inning when Garrett Hampson chopped a swinging bunt onto the grass to the left of the mound. Bauer fielded it and fired to first but his throw was high and Hampson was safe. A ground out and a passed ball got Hampson to third base but Bauer struck out Trevor Story to end the inning.