Dodgers Salvage Series with 4-2 win against Rockies

Phew.

Corey Seager hit a solo home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided the three-game sweep with a 4-2 victory against the Colorado Rockies in the finale of the series on Thursday night at Coors Field. 

"You don't ever want to get swept or lose a series," Seager said after the game. "We had to win tonight."

Seager tied an LA Dodgers' record when he launched a towering 449-foot blast into the right field seats that tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning.

The home run was Seager's 19^th of the season, and tied him with Hanley Ramirez (2013) for the most homers by a Dodgers' shortstop in a single season.

"My apprach has stayed the same," said Seager. "My brother gave me some advice, he said 'don't take too many more swings than you need to.' So I try not to do too much in the cage and I try and save some of it for the game."

Josh Reddick scored his first run in a Dodger uniform when he scored from third on an RBI single by Howie Kendrick in the fourth inning.

The Rockies would respond in the bottom half of the inning as David Dahl gave Colorado the lead with a two-run bomb to centerfield.

Yasmani Grandal broke the game open for the boys in blue when he found the gap in right-center for a two-run, two-out triple that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.

Kenta Maeada steadied the Dodgers' ship as it had been rough-sailing for the team's starting pitchers in Colorado so far. 

"I'm aware that the reputation here is that the ball flies further," Maeda said of the high-altitude at Coors Field. "But it's something I don't think about during the game."

Brandon McCarthy couldn't find his feel on Tuesday, allowing four runs in three innings. Rookie Brock Stewart was badgered by the Rockies on Wednesday to the tune of nine runs in just four innings. In total, the team's last three starters went a total of 7 and 1/3 innings.

"It's a grind here, but for him [Maeda] to give us 5 and 2/3, I don't think we could have scripted it any better," Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts told reporters. "For us to salvage the series was huge."

Maeda (10-7) became the first pitcher in four days to record an out in the fifth inning or later as the Japanese right-hander allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts in a much-needed victory for the Dodgers.

"I have been sticking to what I do the best and trust Yaz [Grandal] with the pitches he calls," Maeda said through a translator. "I've been really blessed."

Tyler Chatwood pitched well enough to win but the Colorado offense went missing in action on Thursday. Chatwood (10-7) allowed four runs on nine hits with six strikeouts in six strong innings.

Kenley Jansen worked a perfect ninth inning for his 32nd save of the season.

The Dodgers salvaged the series, but were unable to gain any ground on the San Francisco Giants who defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2, in extra-innings earlier in the day. 

Players of the Game:

Yasmani Grandal: Game-winning two-run triple.
Corey Seager: Solo home run.
David Dahl: Two-run home run.

Takeaways: 

1. Short Haul: Corey Seager belted his 19^th home run of the season with a solo shot in the fifth inning. The long ball tied the LA Dodgers record for most home runs hit by a shortstop in a single season, tying Hanley Ramirez in 2013. Seager now has the rest of the season to try and catch Colorado Rockies' rookie Trevor Story for the most home runs by a rookie shortstop (27), after Story was lost for the season with a torn muscle in his thumb.

Dodgers rookie Corey Seager hit his 19th home run, tying the record for most HRs from a Dodgers shortstop. Seager... https://t.co/aCiM9q37Bl — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 5, 2016

2. Catchers are People too: Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run triple to the gap in right-center in the top of the fifth inning. Grandal became just the fourth Dodgers' catcher in franchise history to hit a triple and steal a base in the same season, joining Paul Lo Duca, Russell Martin, and Matt Treanor.

Dodger catchers w/3B and SB in same year since 2000:
P. Lo Duca (2002, 2004)
R. Martin (2006, 2007)
M. Treanor (2012)
Y. Grandal (2016) — Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) August 5, 2016

3. This Silver Bullet: Kenta Maeda has pitched well at Coors Field and against the Rockies this season. In three career starts against Colorado, Maeda is 2-1 with just three runs allowed in 18 and 2/3 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Kenta Maeda in 3 starts against the Rockies this season (2 in Coors): 18 2/3 IP, 3 runs, 2 walks, 22 strikeouts — Eric Stephen (@truebluela) August 5, 2016

Up Next:

Dodgers (60-48): LA returns home where they host the Boston Red Sox for a fun three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Scott Kazmir gets the start at 7:10 PM PST.

Rockies (54-54): Colorado will host the Miami Marlins for a three-game series starting on Friday.

All quotes courtesy of TWC's SportsNetLA.