The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, 6-1, with strong performances from Chris Capuano and Mark Ellis. The win, the Dodgers' 16th in 19 games, puts them on a five-game winning streak and brings them one game over .500 for the first time since April 13.
Chris Capuano tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts, bringing his season record to 3-6. Since returning from the DL on June 19, Capuano has been the definition of hot and cold.
In three starts against the Yankees, Padres, and Rockies he has been lights out in 17.1 innings pitched, allowing no runs on 13 hits with no walks and 17 strikeouts. In his two other starts, against the Phillies and the Rockies, he has lasted just eight innings, giving up 10 runs on 17 hits with just seven strikeouts.
After Thursday's start, Mattingly was thankful that they got a good outing out of Capuano after Wednesday's 14-inning affair: "(He) gave us just what we needed after the game last night. He kind of got us deep in the game. We definitely didn't need (the bullpen) to cover four or five innings tonight."
The Dodgers had double-digits with hits again with 13, scoring six runs. In the last four games they have 55 hits for 25 runs.
Mark Ellis went 3-4 on Thursday with four RBI. In the fourth and eighth innings he came up in bases-loaded situations and produced big singles to score two runs each time.
Juan Uribe and Jerry Hairston combined to go 4-6 with two walks and four runs scored.
Yasiel Puig was 2-4 on the night, but was removed in the seventh inning after experiencing pain in the left side of his hip. Speculation points to the collision he had with the wall in Coor's Field a week ago.
Mattingly downplayed the injury saying he might get a day off, but since he hit the wall on July 4, Puig is 10-35 with 12 strikeouts and just one RBI.
The Dodgers bullpen was given 2.1 innings to cover on Thursday. Ronald Belisario threw 1.2 innings without giving up a hit and striking out one.
Brandon League, who has made just two appearances in the 11 games prior to Thursday, was given a 6-0 lead to close out in the ninth, but gave up a monstrous solo homer to Carlos Gonzalez to start the inning. He got out of it without any other damage, and struck out two batters.
The Dodgers face the Rockies again on Friday with Clayton Kershaw on the mound to face Juan Nicasio. With a win they will guarantee at least a .500 record at the All Star Break.
