LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman doubled in the go-ahead run in a four-run seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Monday night in the series opener.
The Dodgers were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position until they broke out late against the Rockies’ bullpen for their 18th comeback win of the season.
Will Smith and Hyeseong Kim drew back-to-back walks against reliever Juan Mejia leading off the seventh. Brennan Bernardino (2-3) came in and hit pitch-hitter Miguel Rojas to load the bases.
Shohei Ohtani grounded into a force out, scoring Smith to trail 3-2 after the Dodgers successfully challenged the out call on Ohtani at first that would have been a double play. Mookie Betts followed with a tying sacrifice fly to left that scored Kim.
Ohtani scored on Freeman’s double to right for a 4-3 lead, the Dodgers’ first since Kiké Hernández’s RBI double in the third in his season debut.
Andy Pages singled off reliever Jaden Hill, scoring Freeman for the Dodgers’ fourth run of the inning.
Ezequiel Tovar had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fourth and a solo homer in the seventh for the last-place Rockies.
Tovar’s second homer of the season came on an 0-1 pitch from reliever Kyle Hurt (1-0), snapping a streak of 38 consecutive scoreless innings by the Dodgers bullpen dating to May 12 against San Francisco. The streak was the longest by the team since 1901.
Blake Treinen got the final out in the ninth for his first save of the season.
Tovar’s 431-foot shot to center ended Hurt’s run of 14 straight appearances without allowing a run and extended Colorado’s lead to 3-1.
The Rockies tied the game 1-1 on Willi Castro’s RBI single and took the lead on Tovar’s sacrifice fly to left off Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan in the fourth.
Both runs came after Sheehan was hit in the right biceps on a comebacker from Troy Johnston, the second batter in the fourth. A trainer and manager Dave Roberts came out to watch Sheehan throw several warmup pitches. The right-hander gave up two runs and five hits in six innings. Sheehan struck out eight and walked one.
Tanner Gordon made his first start of the season for the Rockies after seven relief outings. The right-hander gave up one run and six hits in five innings while striking out three.
Up next
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.04 ERA) starts Tuesday against Dodgers LHP Eric Lauer (1-5, 6.69).
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