DENVER – Kenta Maeda took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Coors Field.
"Coming into this environment, first time ever in Colorado, just the way he was able to compete," catcher A.J. Ellis told Alanna Rizzo of SportsNetLA. "His ability to command his pitches and keep an amazing offensive team off balance."
Maeda had a no-hitter through five innings thanks to some defensive help from super-utility player Kiké Hernandez in left field. Maeda got the first out in the sixth, but then allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases before working his way out of the jam.
"Kiké is a tremendous talent. He's not an infielder, he's not an outfielder, he's a baseball player," Ellis said of Hernandez. "Our defensive efficiency has been off the charts, it gives you a chance to win games."
Corey Seager started the game with a single and advanced to third on a double by Yasiel Puig. One batter later, Adrian Gonzalez knocked in his 14th RBI of the season on soft groundout to the shortstop.
Ellis put the Dodgers further out in front in the top of the second inning when he launched his first home run of the season into the left field pavilion. Joc Pederson was running on the play, and Ellis hit a 3-2 fastball into the seats to give L.A. a 3-0 lead.
"That's the way you dream it up," Ellis said of his home run. "I've been working on some things on some inside pitches and it feels great to contribute to the team tonight."
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Chase Utley continued his hot start to the season when he doubled off Rockies reliever Christian Bergman scoring Ellis. Utley is batting .351 with 7 HR at Coors Field in his career.
Meanwhile, Maeda (3-0) had another scoreless start as he pitched 6.1 innings of shutout ball. Maeda allowed no runs on just three hits with a career-high eight strikeouts, lowering his NL-leading ERA to 0.36 through four starts.
"He came out an set a tone, we got some runs and he was able to put some zeros up there," Ellis finished.
Tyler Chatwood (2-2) got the loss allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts in just four innings for Colorado.
Colorado scored their only run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Dodgers bullpen. Luis Avilan allowed a single to Ben Paulsen, and after a pitching change brought in Joe Blanton, Brandon Barnes hit an RBI double off the wall in left-center to put the Rockies on the board.
Kenley Jansen recorded his MLB-leading eighth save with a scoreless ninth inning. Jansen is now a perfect eight for eight in save opportunities on the season and has 150 saves in his career.
Players of the Game:
Kenta Maeda: no runs, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, 6.1 IP.
AJ Ellis: 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored.
Three Takeaways:
1. Keepin' it Low: Kenta Maeda is the first pitcher in Dodgers' franchise history to post an ERA below 1.00 in his first three MLB starts, and the first starting pitcher in MLB history to allow one-run or lower in his first four games. Maeda lowered his ERA to 0.36 on Saturday with 6.1 scoreless innings in Colorado.
Kenta Maeda is first starting pitcher in MLB history to allow only one run in first four games (min 20 IP). Credit @Thecaryoz for that stat — Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) April 24, 2016
2. Welcome Back, Zach Lee: The Dodgers called up right-hander Zach Lee from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day and placed Yimi Garcia on the 15-day disabled list.
Dodgers call up Zach Lee as Yimi Garcia goes on DL https://t.co/5pN2Y0PRAD — ESPNLosAngeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) April 24, 2016
3. Preemptive Attack: The Dodgers have scored 17 first inning runs this season and have a MLB-best +11 run differential in the first inning.
#Dodgers strike first and lead, 1-0 after half an inning. #BeatTheRockies — OCDodgerFans (@OCDodgerFans) April 24, 2016
Up Next:
Dodgers (11-7): Alex Wood gets the nod on Sunday afternoon as Los Angeles looks to win the three-game series.
Rockies (9-8): Jordan Lyles is on the mound for Colorado at 1:10 PM PST.
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