Dodgers split with Rockies, head to San Diego for another showdown series

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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, at Coors Field in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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DENVER — This is what it’s supposed to look like when you collect the free square on the NL West bingo card.

But the Dodgers’ needed their 12-hit afternoon to hand the Colorado Rockies a 9-5 defeat on Thursday afternoon in order to salvage a split in the four-game series and send the Dodgers to San Diego still in sole possession of first place in the division.

“You want to win every game you play obviously,” said Clayton Kershaw, Thursday’s winning pitcher. “But at the end of the day, I think, depending on what happens in their game (the Padres) we’re two up going in, right? Feel good about that.”

Maybe Kershaw and the rest of the Dodgers should feel … less good.

The Padres beat the San Francisco Giants three out of four in their series (including Thursday afternoon) and are just one game back in the division heading into the weekend. The Dodgers’ division lead didn’t disappear in thin air, but it also didn’t expand as they would have hoped.

“I think it is what it is. Yeah, it is (disappointing to split with the last-place Rockies),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted. “But it’s where we’re at right now. I can’t change it. I feel good about our club going into San Diego. We’ve got to go out there and play good baseball.

“Certainly – I wish we’d have won all four. It just didn’t happen. They beat us two games pretty handily. That’s just the way baseball is. We’ve got to go out there and regardless of the standings we’ve got to beat those guys.”

They certainly had a split personality in the series at Coors Field. The Dodgers scored 20 runs on 30 hits in the two wins but topped out at three runs in each of the two losses. They were 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position, 12 for 27 in the two wins.

“I mean, I think we definitely could’ve produced more. But you know what, we’re gonna take this win today and take this momentum into San Diego,” Freeland said with the optimistic outlook of a rookie who just went 3 for 5 with a single, double and triple.

The Dodgers scored in each of the first five innings Thursday, got home runs from Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages and five extra-base hits in all, including those two from Freeland.

Thursday’s split-saver will have to suffice as momentum heading into their latest (and last of this regular season) showdown series against the Padres. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are lined up to start for the Dodgers – and will meet them in San Diego well-rested and untainted by the lackluster effort at Coors Field. Snell and Glasnow did not even travel with the team to Colorado. Yamamoto left after his seven-inning effort on Monday.

“Today was good because the offense came to life,” Roberts said. “We got some big hits, took some really good at-bats. To come out of this one with a split, get into the San Diego series in good shape, I feel good about it.

“We’ve obviously played well against those guys this year. They’re going to give us everything they have this weekend and we’ve got to be ready for it.”

With Shohei Ohtani out of the lineup, nursing the thigh contusion he suffered Wednesday, and Teoscar Hernandez also getting the day off, the Dodgers were without their top two RBI men. Seven of the nine starters stepped up to fill the void.

Freeman started it with a 451-foot, two-run home run in the first inning. Miguel Rojas took the short route, bunting in a run in the second inning and Will Smith drove in another by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Freeland led off the third with his triple and scored on a single by Alex Call. Mookie Betts and Freeman led off the fourth with singles. Betts scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Conforto and Freeland doubled Freeman home.

“Just showing up every day. It’s still the same game. Just everybody’s a little better. Just show up, put the work in and results will come,” said Freeland, who was hitting .167 in the big leagues before going 5 for 13 at Coors Field.

“I think it’s just that I’m building confidence now. I’ve spent a little time here (in the big leagues) now and I’m getting comfortable.”

Coors Field has never been a comfortable place for Clayton Kershaw. His 4.53 ERA in 29 starts there is his highest at any stadium where he has pitched more than twice.

He persevered into the sixth inning, buoyed by the Dodgers’ steady stream of run support on a hot afternoon at altitude when temperatures easily exceeded Kershaw’s average fastball velocity. He gave up single runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings before heading to the air-conditioned comfort of the clubhouse.

He might have shed a little more sweat watching the Dodgers’ bullpen give up a two-run home run to Brenton Doyle in the eighth before his 220th career victory became official.

“Can’t take anything for granted in Colorado obviously,” Kershaw said. “Bullpen came in, got the job done, shut everybody down (except Doyle). Offense had a lot of early runs which was awesome. Made some great plays defensively.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Dodgers split with Rockies, head to San Diego for another showdown series – Orange County Register

BySoCal Chronicle

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