Denver, CO (Sports Network) – James Loney hit a grand slam, Matt Kemp and Rod Barajas belted solo homers and the Dodgers outslugged the Rockies again for a 10-8 win in the finale of a four-game series.
The Dodgers banged out 17 hits after getting 18 in an 11-7 victory on Saturday. They split the series after dropping the first two games and finished 5-5 on a road trip.
“To be able to get these last two was huge for us,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.
Rubby De La Rosa (3-0) settled down after giving up a three-run homer to Seth Smith in the first inning, but left with a right forearm injury after throwing one pitch in the sixth.
The rookie right-hander, making his second career start, gave up just three hits and three walks while striking out six.
Loney was one of four Dodgers with three hits, scoring twice, and also made a nice grab on Smith’s grounder down the line in the ninth inning to end the game with a runner on base.
Smith, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton all homered for the Rockies, but struggling starter Ubaldo Jimenez was unable to keep LA off the basepaths.
Jimenez (1-7) was knocked around for 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs — even though only two of them were earned. He struck out two, walked one and served up three homers.
The Rockies committed three errors, including a costly fielding mistake by third baseman Ty Wigginton in the third inning, which erased their three-run edge.
Wigginton couldn’t come up with Jamey Carroll’s bouncer, missing a chance to turn a double play after De La Rosa led off with a single. The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs and Loney deposited his grand slam into the right- field seats for a 4-3 lead.
“It was a pitch up, I just put a pretty good swing on it. Fortunately, it got out,” said Loney.
The Dodgers tacked on one more run in the inning — Barajas had an RBI single — then Kemp and Barajas hit their homers off Jimenez in the fifth inning for a 7-3 lead.
Colorado manager Jim Tracy was OK with the solo homers given up by Jimenez — every pitcher does that, he said. What’s hurting the Rockies, Tracy said, are sloppy plays that lead to things like Loney’s grand slam.
“Those are damaging,” he said.
Jimenez left with runners at first and third in the sixth inning and Rex Brothers escaped a bases-loaded jam. But Brothers was charged with both runs in LA’s two-run seventh, when Barajas scored on Helton’s throwing error and Carroll hit an RBI single to make it 9-3.
The Rockies rallied within 9-7 on two-run homers by Gonzalez and Tulowitzki in the bottom of the seventh. The blasts knocked reliever Ramon Troncoso out of the game after 1 2/3 innings.
Juan Uribe scored Loney with an RBI single in the eighth for LA, while Helton belted his solo homer with two outs in the ninth. Blake Hawksworth surrendered the shot, then a single to Tulowitzki. Scott Elbert came in to get the last out and earn his first career save.
Game Notes
The 22-year-old De La Rosa’s earned run average climbed from 1.80 to 3.00…The Rockies are 2-2 on a 10-game homestand that continues with a three- game series against the Padres starting Monday…Jimenez was 12-1 at this time last season.
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