Oh where, oh where, has the Dodgers offense gone, oh where, oh where, could it be?
Los Angeles showed they still can't hit left-handed pitching as their offense disappeared for the second straight game as the Colorado Rockies shut out the Dodgers, 7-0 at Coors Field for the first time since 2012.
The Dodgers dropped the opener of the Wednesday doubleheader after Tuesday's game was rained out.
Stephen Cardullo hit his first career home run and Nolan Arenado knocked in his 113th RBI as the Rockies dominated the Dodgers for the second time in three days.
Tyler Anderson (5-5) allowed no runs on six hits in 6 and 1/3 innings as the left-hander exploited the Achille's Heel of the first place Dodgers.
Ross Stripling made the start in game one, after Tuesday's original starter, Rich Hill, was scratched with what Dave Roberts called "a little heat and tenderness" in the blister that sidelined him for six weeks.
Stripling (3-6) surrendered three runs on nine hits with two strikeouts in six innings, but the bullpen failed to keep the game close as Casey Fien and J.P. Howell allowed four runs over two innings.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Cardullo celebrated his 29th birthday with a pinch-hit home run off Fien in the bottom of the seventh. It was his first big league homer and punctuated a wild journey to the Major Leagues after Cardullo has spent the last three seasons playing for independent teams in New York.
Los Angeles leads the NL West by 1.5 games as they head into the nightcap on Wednesday. If the Dodgers are swept by the Rockies and the San Francisco Giants win, their lead can shrink to 0.5 games at the end of the day.
Players of the Game:
Tyler Anderson: 6.1 innings of shutout ball and an RBI single.
Nolan Arenado: RBI Double
Stephen Cardullo: First career home run.
Three Takeaways:
1. Rocky Mountain Shutout: The Los Angeles Dodgers were shutout at Coors Field—the highest scoring stadium in baseball—for the first time since August 27, 2012. The last time L.A. was shutout at Coors Field during a day game was Sept. 14, 2008.
Last time Dodgers were shutout at Coors Field was August 27, 2012
Last time they were shutout in a day game at Coors was September 14, 2008 — Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonSBN) August 31, 2016
2. Nolan is Rollin': Colorado Rockies third baseman, Nolan Arenado, hit an RBI double, his 34th of the month and 113th of the season. The 34 RBIs in August are the most by any player in Colorado Rockies history, surpassing Andres Galarraga (33) in 1996.
#Rockies Nolan Arenado records his 34th RBI of Aug. in the first. That is a new franchise record for Aug. (prev: Andres Galarraga, 1996). — Rockies PR (@RockiesPR) August 31, 2016
3. David Takes Down Goliath: The Colorado Rockies have defeated the Dodgers in the firs two games of the series, the second consecutive series they have taken from Los Angeles since the All-Star Break and fifth series the Rockies have won over a first place team in August overall.
Another series win over a division leader. As habits go, the Rockies have worse ones. — Dan Lucero (@danluceroshow) August 31, 2016
Up Next:
Dodgers (73-59): Los Angeles will play musical chairs as Bud Norris not Rich Hill starts in the night game at 5:10PM PST.
Rockies (64-68): Right-hander Jeff Hoffman will look to record his first career win as he heads to the mound for Colorado as they look for the sweep.
