Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Casey Blake hit two home runs, as the Los Angeles Dodgers out-slugged Colorado, 9-7, to officially eliminate the Rockies from playoff contention.
Because the Braves beat Florida earlier Tuesday, Colorado was eliminated from wild card contention with the loss. Additionally, the Rockies were eliminated from the NL West race, because they cannot vault in front of both San Francisco and San Diego.
Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer and James Loney added a solo shot for Los Angeles, which has won the first two games of this three-game set. Rafael Furcal tripled twice and drove in two in the victory.
Todd Helton and Dexter Fowler each hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to tie the game, but Los Angeles pulled back ahead to send Colorado to its eighth loss in the last nine games.
Colorado got on the scoreboard first, thanks to Carlos Gonzalez's run-scoring single in the opening inning, but the Dodgers took control with a five-run third.
After Hiroki Kuroda began the frame with a base hit, Furcal tripled to left, then scored when Melvin Mora committed a throwing error during the next at- bat. Later, Jeff Francis left an 0-1 sinker over the heart of the plate, and Kemp blasted it to right-center field.
Francis left another pitch over the plate to the next batter, Blake, who put it over the left field wall to give the Dodgers a 5-1 lead.
The big inning forced Colorado to play catchup, and the Rockies got one of the runs back in the home third. Fowler tripled with one out, and Gonzalez's two- out single chased him home.
The score remained that way until the seventh, when Loney stepped into the batter's box against Esmil Rogers with two outs. Rogers threw an 0-1 fastball up and in, and Loney got around on the pitch to send it to right field for his 10th home run.
However, the Rockies used a pair of homers in the bottom half to even the game. Mora began the inning with a single, then scored when Helton got a 2-0 sinker in the zone and slugged it to right-center field.
That got Colorado within 6-4, and Kuroda was removed after walking Chris Iannetta with one out. Ronald Belisario (3-1) came in and retired one batter, but gave up a two-run homer to Fowler during the next at-bat.
But as quickly as the Rockies tied the game, the Dodgers re-gained the lead. A.J. Ellis opened the top of the eighth with a double off Octavio Dotel (3-4) before scoring on Furcal's one-out triple. Andre Ethier later hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Furcal for an 8-6 edge.
The Rockies staged another rally in the home half, loading the bases with two away. Kenley Jansen forced one run in when he walked Iannetta, but rebounded to strike out pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs to keep LA in front.
Blake restored the two-run cushion with a leadoff homer off Huston Street in the ninth. Colorado had one last chance in the bottom half, which Fowler began with a single. But Jansen retired the next three batters, striking out Troy Tulowitzki to end the game.
Francis lasted three innings in his start, allowing the five runs (four earned) on six hits...Rogers gave up one run in four innings in relief of Francis...Jansen got his third save...Kuroda allowed five runs on six hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings, and struck out six...With the victory, LA clinched the season series win. The Dodgers hold a 10-7 advantage with only Wednesday's series finale left.