Daily Clips

May 15, 2017

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

DODGERS.COM McCarthy leads Dodgers into San Francisco - Owen Perkins Double take: Rox stop Dodgers with rare DP - Manny Randhawa McCarthy, Hill set to return from DL for starts - Owen Perkins LA muscles up early, but denied in bid for 1st - Manny Randhawa and Owen Perkins Relievers finally relent after scoreless streak - Owen Perkins LA TIMES Dodgers get knocked around during a 9-6 loss to the Rockies – Andy McCullough Dodgers' reliable bullpen bombs in series finale vs. Rockies - Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Dodgers’ Julio Urias gets knocked around in loss to Rockies – The Associated Press ESPN Rockies' Antonio Senzatela, who lost mom to cancer, gets heartfelt win - Associated Press Power Rankings: Astros on top, NL teams rising - ESPN.com TRUE BLUE LA Trayce Thompson homers in Oklahoma City 14-5 romp - Craig Minami Dodgers squander opportunities in finale with Rockies – Eric Stephen DODGER INSIDER Dodgers leave Colorado with series split - Cary Osborne NBC SPORTS Dodgers Drop Finale to Rockies, 9-6, on Mother's Day - Michael Duarte LA TIMES Dodgers Dugout: Alex Wood has locked himself into the rotation - Houston Mitchell

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

DODGERS.COM

McCarthy leads Dodgers into San Francisco By Owen Perkins Over the last two weeks, no team has been hotter than the Dodgers, who are 12-4 and just missed moving into first place in the National League West for the first time since April 6 after splitting a four-game series in Denver. They begin a three-game set Monday in San Francisco, and though the Giants are nine games under .500 and a game out of the division cellar, the rivalry should produce good baseball. The Dodgers will activate Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 3.10 ERA) from the disabled list to start Monday. McCarthy dislocated his left shoulder, and although the right-hander lobbied to keep pitching, the Dodgers played it safe and gave him a 10-day rest. He last pitched April 29 against the Phillies, allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings. "Mac threw a simulated game a few days ago," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. "Went four [innings] and 60 [pitches]. He's chomping at the bit. We expect him to be sharp and go out there and give us a chance to win." The Giants offer Matt Cain (2-1, 4.54). Cain last faced the Dodgers at home on April 24, pitching six innings of scoreless ball and holding the Dodgers to two hits and a walk to earn his last win. He posted a 2.30 ERA in five April starts, but has struggled in May, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) in two starts spanning 8 1/3 innings for an 11.88 ERA. Things to know about this game • Brandon Crawford is a career .500 hitter (6-for-12) with a double and two triples against McCarthy, and Hunter Pence is 8-for-19 (.421) with two doubles, a triple and a solo homer. • Chase Utley is 11-for-30 (.367) against Cain, with a double, four homers and eight RBIs. He has eight hits in his last 16 at-bats, and has started at first against right-handers for four consecutive games. • McCarthy is 1-1 with a 7.88 ERA in one start and one relief appearance in San Francisco.

Double take: Rox stop Dodgers with rare DP By Manny Randhawa DENVER -- With one out in the top of the first inning at Coors Field during the Rockies' 9-6 win over the Dodgers on Sunday, Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela was in a jam, having already given up two runs and facing a two-on situation with Chris Taylor at the plate. What transpired next was something that hadn't happened in the Major Leagues in nearly 34 years. The Dodgers put the squeeze play on, and Taylor bunted the ball back to the mound. Senzatela gloved it and tossed home to begin a 1-2-5-6 double play, the first to be completed since the Reds did so on Aug. 3, 1983. Justin Turner broke for the plate from third base, but got caught in a rundown. As he was hung up between third and home, Yasmani Grandal broke from second for third. Rockies catcher Dustin Garneau threw to third baseman Nolan Arenado, who quickly tagged out Turner and threw back to third. Shortstop Pat Valaika was there to receive the throw and put the tag on Grandal. "It was funny, right before it happened, [Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu] told me, 'Hey, they might do something crazy here," Valaika said. The Dodgers executed a successful squeeze play in Saturday's game, when pitcher Alex Wood dropped down a bunt that scored a run. "We kind of knew that they liked to do that," Valaika said. "I initially went to second, [and when the rundown happened] I went to third just in case the pitcher doesn't get there or something." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that with Taylor not hitting well of late, he was hoping for a bunt down the first-base line to score the runner from third. "We've got to execute in certain situations," Roberts said. "Yeah, [that changed the momentum in the game]. You have a chance to pad on, add on, and it ends up being a double play." The last team to ground into a 1-2-5-6 double play, back in August of 1983? The Dodgers. In that game against the Reds, Bill Russell hit a pitch back to the mound with runners at first and second in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Reds pitcher Tom Hume fielded it and started the 1-2-5-6 twin-killing. The other defensive players involved were catcher Dann Bilardello, third baseman Nick Esasky and shortstop Dave Concepcion. The Dodgers' runners who were tagged out were Steve Sax and Pat Zachry. "It was kind of crazy," Arenado said of Sunday's play. "Garneau did a good job coming all the way to me -- I hadn't called for it yet. That was actually my game plan, to make sure he gets [Turner] back towards me and see if [Grandal] gets close. So it worked out perfectly."

Now that the Rockies have pulled off the 1-2-5-6 double play, the four players involved become the newest answer to a baseball trivia question. "Really?" Garneau chuckled when learning of how long it had been since that play had been recorded in the score book. "That's awesome, pretty cool." McCarthy, Hill set to return from DL for starts By Owen Perkins DENVER -- Of the seven pitchers to start games for the Dodgers this season, four have served time on the disabled list, with three currently on it. There's been a cyclical pattern to the health of the starting rotation, and the health should approach a peak as two starters are set to come off the DL over the next two days. Brandon McCarthy will be reactivated Monday, the first day he's eligible since going on the DL May 8 (retroactive to May 5) with a dislocated left shoulder. The right-hander will start the same day in San Francisco. "Mac threw a simulated game a few days ago," manager Dave Roberts said before Sunday's series finale in Colorado. "Went four [innings] and 60 [pitches]. He's chomping at the bit. We expect him to be sharp and go out there and give us a chance to win." The sim game and a couple side sessions have been the extent of McCarthy's activity since he last pitched April 29 against Philadelphia. The two starters to return from the DL so far both did so as soon as they were eligible and had issues in their first outing back. Hyun-Jin Ryu came off Thursday after an extended rest without a rehab assignment and was not sharp, giving up a career-high 10 runs (five earned) in four innings. Rich Hill came back April 16 and lasted just three innings before the blister on his left middle finger flared up again and he went right back on the DL. Roberts confirmed that Hill will be reactivated to pitch Tuesday in San Francisco. Kenta Maeda (left hamstring tightness) is the third starter currently out of commission, hitting the DL a day after throwing 8 1/3 innings of two-run ball against the Pirates. Roberts has indicated that Maeda should only miss one start and should be able to come off the DL as soon as he's eligible, without needing a rehab assignment. The depth of strong starting pitching has enabled the Dodgers to cycle starters on and off the roster, and they've carried four starting pitchers and an extra reliever throughout the four-game set in Colorado. "Right now we're at a full bench, but we've gone four," Roberts said of the balancing act with his roster. "We might go four here in the next few days. I'm fine with that. With the four starters on the roster, we've got eight in the 'pen. When Mac comes back, we're going to have to make a move. But we have versatility with the roster as far as position players."

Add in injured position players like outfielders Andrew Toles and Andre Ethier, second baseman Logan Forsythe, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and the Dodgers can feel fairly good about climbing to within a half-game of the first-place Rockies with a chance to surpass them in the series finale. "We're getting the starting pitching that we had hoped to get," Roberts said. "The hitting, the fielding, the timely hitting, the 'pen, kind of feeds off that. You look at the schedule for May, and to come in here for four games then you go into San Francisco after that, this is a tall order, a big ask, for a club. For us now to have a chance to win the series, we're in a good spot." LA muscles up early, but denied in bid for 1st By Manny Randhawa and Owen Perkins DENVER -- The Rockies rode a pair of home runs from Pat Valaika and a season-long blast from Nolan Arenado to defeat the Dodgers, 9-6, on Sunday at Coors Field. Colorado earned a series split and preserved sole possession of first place in the National League West, now 1 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles. Rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela got off to a rough start, surrendering a two-run homer to Corey Seager in the top of the first, but a 1-2-5-6 double play got him out of a two-on, one-out jam later in the frame. Senzatela then gave up a solo home run to Yasiel Puig in the second. "Today was one of those days where we had a lot of opportunities and didn't capitalize," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Against a good club like that, you keep them in the ballgame and they're going to crawl back. We had opportunities to put them away early. We created traffic and baserunners and we were having good at-bats. But they made pitches when they needed to." Overall, Senzatela gave up four runs on seven hits over five innings, earning the win while snapping a streak of six consecutive starts of at least six innings pitched. He was pitching on Mother's Day less than a year after his mother, Nidya, died of cancer on Aug. 24, 2016. "There are too many emotions in my heart right now," Senzatela said after the game. "But I feel good because the team got the win. I didn't do a great job, but I just tried to keep the team in the game." Dodgers starter Julio Urias gave up a career-high six runs on seven hits over four-plus innings. Urias hadn't surrendered more than three runs in a start since July 4 of last season (a span of 10 starts). "He was getting behind and really didn't have anything to go to or command of anything," Roberts said. "Today the velocity was down a little bit, and the command, and the secondaries. Threw some good changeups, and he threw a couple backfoot breaking balls to the right-hander. But overall, he just wasn't sharp." Arenado's homer came off Dodgers reliever Sergio Romo in the fifth, and traveled 456 feet to left-center, his longest of 2017 and tied for his third-longest in the Statcast™ era (beginning in 2015). The Dodgers rallied for two runs in the eighth before Rockies reliever Jake McGee got Yasmani Grandal to ground out to second base with the tying run at third and two outs.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Viva Valaika: With the Rockies trailing, 4-3, in the fourth inning, Valaika launched his third career homer (second this season) with a runner aboard to put Colorado ahead, 5-4. The 416-foot blast to center was the first homer surrendered by Urias in 20 1/3 innings this season, and first since Carlos Gonzalez took him deep on Aug. 3, 2016. "It was just a curveball that I left there," Urias said. "He hit it well. What else can I say?" Valaika wasn't done, however. With Colorado clinging to a one-run advantage in the eighth, he belted his second homer of the game over the wall in left field to pad the lead. It was the first multi-homer performance of his career. Taylor-made double play: The Dodgers were in business in the first inning, having scored two runs off Senzatela and putting two more runners on with one out for Chris Taylor. Taylor tried a squeeze bunt, but it went right back to the mound. Senzatela went home with the ball and the Rockies had Justin Turner hung up. It turned into a 1-2-5-6 double play after Turner was tagged out and Arenado threw to Valaika covering third to tag out Grandal, who tried to advance while Turner was in the rundown. "That was a safety squeeze," Roberts said. "If he gets a bunt to the right side, it's a run, and it's a potential first and second base to get [Chase Utley] up there. Unfortunately, it went back to the pitcher. We've got to execute in certain situations. You have a chance to pad on, add on, and it ends up being a double play. And in the bottom half, they go out there and score three runs. You give these guys extra outs and don't capitalize situationally, it's going to be tough to win a game." The Dodgers had another golden scoring opportunity in the third when, with runners at first and second with two outs, Utley smashed a sharp grounder headed for right field. But Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu speared it with a full-extension dive to his left, throwing Utley out to end the threat. QUOTABLE "I think today was an example of -- I don't want to say it was a must-win, because I don't know about must-wins at this time, but it felt like it was. We don't want to lose three out of four to the Dodgers at home. That wouldn't have sat well with us. It was really important for us to win and at least split [the series] like we did." -- Arenado, on the Rockies' 6-4 homestand "I've been struggling to get into that rhythm and find that feeling where I can stay in that lane consistently. Not knowing exactly what's going on, it is frustrating, but I'm a competitor, and I've always been tried one way or another in every facet of life. At this point, it doesn't seem to be different than the things I've faced before. I just got to stay true to myself, have faith, keep working. I've got good stuff, that's no doubt. It's a matter of just getting it done." -- Romo, on Arenado's homer and his 8.03 ERA with his new team . SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Per the Elias Sports Bureau, prior to Sunday at Coors Field, the last time any team completed a 1-2-5-6 double play was on Aug. 3, 1983, and it was also against the Dodgers. The Reds did so on a play from

pitcher Tom Hume to catcher Dann Bilardello to third baseman Nick Esasky to shortstop Dave Concepcion. UNDER REVIEW In the bottom of the eighth, with the Rockies leading 7-6, catcher Grandal made a pickoff throw to first baseman Utley on a 2-1 count with Carlos Gonzalez hitting and Ian Desmond on first with nobody out. Desmond was initially called safe, but Roberts asked for a replay review. After replay, it was determined that Desmond lost contact with the bag while Utley was maintaining the tag. The call on the field was overturned and Desmond was called out. Gonzalez subsequently singled to right and Valaika followed with his second homer of the day, a 386-foot blast to left to make it 9-6 Rockies. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Brandon McCarthy comes off the 10-day disabled list to start the series in San Francisco on Monday at 7:15 p.m. PT. The right-hander dislocated his left shoulder in the weight room before his last scheduled start. He last pitched April 29, giving up four runs on eight hits in five innings against Philadelphia. Rockies: Colorado hits the road for a season-long 11-day/10-game trip, beginning on Tuesday at Minnesota. Left-hander Kyle Freeland (3-2, 2.93 ERA) is scheduled to take the hill at 6:10 p.m. MT. Relievers finally relent after scoreless streak By Owen Perkins DENVER -- When Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado launched a 456-foot home run into the left-center seats in the fifth inning Sunday, it was the first run given up by the Dodgers' bullpen in 9 1/3 innings pitched in the four-game set at Coors Field -- and the first in 12 innings going back to Tuesday. The Dodgers brought eight relievers to Denver, and used every one of them. In the first three games of the series at Coors Field, the Dodgers 'pen allowed six hits and one walk while striking out 12 over nine innings. "The bullpen's been great," manager Dave Roberts said after losing the finale 9-6 to split the series. "This is obviously a tough park to pitch in, and a very good lineup. These guys, when called upon, answer the bell." Los Angeles relievers entered Sunday leading the National League with a 2.78 ERA, a .219 opponents' batting average, a 3.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 10.88 strikeouts per nine innings. Sergio Romo, playing his first season in L.A. after nine years with the Giants, has probably struggled more than any of the relievers. He opened the season with a career 2.58 ERA, but his 8.03 mark this season reflects his challenges. "It's been tough," Romo said. "This year's been more trying up to this point. I can't sit there and put my finger on one thing like, 'This is exactly what's wrong.' I feel good, I feel fine, I feel strong. The ball's

coming out of my hand well. It just seems to be that one pitch every outing, so I'm just going to try and iron that out." Roberts had no hesitation going to Romo after starter Julio Urias hit Charlie Blackmon to open the fifth inning. The Dodgers were down, 5-4, with a man on first and the heart of the order coming up. "I thought we could try and get through Blackmon, and the next few hitters lined up well for Sergio," Roberts said. "I didn't see the pitch on Arenado, but I know it was a slider. Maybe not down enough. He's a heck of a hitter, and he put a good swing on it." To hear Romo tell it, he didn't see it either -- or at least he doesn't know what happened once it left his hand. "It was a slider," Romo said. "I couldn't tell you [if it did what I wanted]. All I know is he hit it." It was just the seventh home run allowed by the Dodgers' bullpen this season, and their 0.45 home runs per nine innings entering Sunday was the best mark in the NL. Ironically, the last run given up by the Dodgers' bullpen was an eighth-inning solo shot from John Jaso in Tuesday's game against the Pirates. The 'pen put another three scoreless innings together before giving up a run on Pat Valaika's second round-tripper of the game, a 386-foot blast off a slider from Chris Hatcher, who appeared three times during the series and pitched four innings total. "I faced him the other day, so I got to see some of his pitches and I had a little bit of familiarity with him," Valaika said. "I got a good pitch." The Dodgers 'pen has been flush with good pitches -- and a couple to iron out.

LA TIMES

Dodgers get knocked around during a 9-6 loss to the Rockies By Andy McCullough Sergio Romo was sorting through his luggage, preparing to depart Coors Field after a 9-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies, when he noticed a small crowd around his locker. “You guys looking to talk to me?” he asked. Romo stayed composed. But the topic was unpleasant. He had played a pivotal role in the Dodgers’ defeat on Sunday, serving up a two-run homer in the fifth inning. He was not alone in difficulty on the mound. Julio Urias gave up five runs in four innings. Chris Hatcher spoiled a comeback bid by surrendering another two-run shot in the eighth. It was Romo, though, whom the Dodgers signed this past winter as a potential replacement for setup man Joe Blanton. Romo had a championship pedigree in San Francisco and a devastating off-speed pitch

in his slider. Yet the pedigree means little when the pitch does not cooperate. In 16 appearances as a Dodger, Romo owns an 8.03 earned-run average and appears unlikely to perform in high-leverage situations. “I can’t sit there and put my finger on one thing, like, ‘This is exactly what’s wrong,’” Romo said. “I can’t. I feel good. I feel fine. I feel strong. The ball is coming out of my hand well. It just seems to be that one pitch every outing.” On Sunday, the culprit was a 76-mph Frisbee at the knees of Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado. The pitch spun into Arenado’s barrel. It was one of three homers on the day for Colorado, including a pair by former UCLA Bruin Pat Valaika. Valaika took Urias deep in the fourth and punished Hatcher in the eighth. The performance by Urias squashed the excitement from his last outing, when he suppressed the Pirates for six innings without a hit. Urias had survived that night despite faulty control of his changeup and curveball. Even his fastball deserted him Sunday. Twice he coughed up the leads generated by his offense. “He didn’t really have anything to go to,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He didn’t have command of anything.” And so the Dodgers (22-16) split a four-game series and squandered a chance to claim first place in the National League West. Colorado remains atop the division, even if this weekend hinted at the Rockies’ vulnerability. The Dodgers cobbled together six runs on Sunday despite stranding 11 runners and botching situational opportunities, including a disastrous bunt in the first inning. The bunt short-circuited an early rally against Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela. A few hours before the game, the video board in left field flashed “SENZATIONAL”; Senzatela played a sizable role in Colorado’s rise to first place. He posted a 2.86 ERA in his first seven starts. Beneath the surface, though, Senzatela appeared a juicy target. He leaned on his fastball more than 75% of the time. He struck out fewer than five batters per nine innings. “We’re just looking to be aggressive and take that fastball away from him,” Roberts said before the game. The first two batters of the game followed that strategy. Joc Pederson took a walk. Corey Seager ran the count full, then unloaded on a fastball. The two-run homer landed in the Dodgers’ bullpen. The Dodgers kept pestering Senzatela, with singles by Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal. Up came Chris Taylor. Scorching at the plate only a few days ago, Taylor had produced three hits in his last 21 at-bats before Sunday. Roberts called for a safety squeeze, hoping to bring home Turner from third. Disaster struck instead. Taylor pushed the bunt back to Senzatela. Turner got caught in a rundown. Grandal got tagged out trying to reach third. The rally fizzled. “We’ve got to execute in certain situations,” Roberts said.

Even so, the Dodgers still led by two runs. The advantage lasted four batters. Urias gave up a pair of singles to start the bottom of the first. After new first baseman Chase Utley couldn’t secure a popup in foul territory, Arenado stroked an RBI double. Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds followed with a two-run single. The Dodgers reclaimed the lead with a solo homer by Yasiel Puig in the second and an RBI single by Grandal in the third, only to see Urias combust in the fourth. The wounds were self-inflicted. He walked outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Urias tried to compensate for the free pass by picking Gonzalez off. The throw zipped well wide of Utley’s glove, and Gonzalez ran to third. “That was an error that was completely my fault,” Urias said. “It was all my fault. It seemed like after that, the momentum went in their direction.” Gonzalez did not stay at third for long. Urias’ next pitch was a pitiable curveball. Valaika made the ball disappear in the center-field trees for a lead that Colorado never relinquished. It was the first homer Urias had given up in 2017. Urias pitched into the fifth, but left after hitting outfielder Charlie Blackmon with a curveball. Dodgers' reliable bullpen bombs in series finale vs. Rockies By Andy McCullough The irony of Sunday’s loss to Colorado, in which Dodgers relievers Sergio Romo and Chris Hatcher both gave up crushing home runs, is that the bullpen had kept a pristine ledger through the first three days at Coors Field. Four games in this city, which resides a mile above sea level and saps the life out of pitchers, is a sizable assignment. The Dodgers managed to avoid disaster until Sunday, when the team’s two least-reliable relievers succumbed to the long ball. “The bullpen has been great,” manager Dave Roberts said. “This is, obviously, a tough park to pitch in, and a very good lineup. These guys, when called upon, answer the bell.” The Dodgers relievers entered Sunday’s game with a 2.78 ERA. That is the lowest mark in the National League. The team faces a decision on its bullpen composition, as both Brandon McCarthy and Rich Hill return to action this week. The Dodgers are currently carrying eight relievers, and may need to move one off the roster to clear at least one opening. The pitcher most likely to be optioned appears to be Grant Dayton, who has a 4.09 ERA and has been surpassed by Luis Avilan as Roberts’ top left-handed reliever. The team has also shown an affinity for using the 10-day disabled list to shift players around. McCarthy set to start Monday

McCarthy is slated to start against the Giants on Monday in his first outing since April 29. McCarthy dislocated his nonthrowing shoulder earlier this month, which led to stint on the 10-day disabled list. McCarthy threw a simulated game earlier this week. “He’s chomping at the bit,” Roberts said. “We expect him to be sharp and go out there and give us a chance to win.” Hill (blister) is also expected to be activated on Tuesday. Hill has not pitched since April 16.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers’ Julio Urias gets knocked around in loss to Rockies By The Associated Press DENVER — The Dodgers’ Julio Urias’ followed up one of the best outings of his career with one of the worst. Pat Valaika homered twice and drove in four runs, Antonio Senzatela got the win in an emotional Mother’s Day start and the Colorado Rockies beat the Dodgers, 9-6, on Sunday. Urias (0-1) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his previous start Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the Rockies tagged him for a career-high six runs and seven hits in four-plus innings on Sunday. Urias, who had a 1.06 ERA through his first three starts of the season, hadn’t surrendered more than three runs in a start since July 4 of last season (a span of 10 starts). “I felt good,” Urias said. “Unfortunately it was just a bad outing.” Senzatela (6-1) was pitching on Mother’s Day for the first time since his mom died of breast cancer last July. Like many around the league, Senzatela used a pink bat to raise awareness about the disease. The rookie right-hander is tied for the majors’ lead in wins. He allowed four runs in five innings, his shortest outing since his first career start at Milwaukee on April 6. Nolan Arenado also went deep as the Rockies hit their first homers of the series to salvage a four-game split. Their lead in the NL West is back up to 1½ games. The Dodgers led 4-3 before Valaika hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Urias. Arenado, who also had an RBI double, added to Colorado’s lead in the fifth with a two-run shot off veteran reliever Sergio Romo. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger each drove in a run in the eighth to cut the lead to 7-6 before Valaika hit another two-run blast.

Greg Holland struck out the side in the ninth for his MLB-leading 16th save. Holland has converted his first 16 save opportunities for the Rockies, a franchise-best mark to start a season. Senzatela, 22, dealt with traffic on base in every inning except the fourth, but got help from his defense to limit the damage. He gave up seven hits, three walks and two homers while striking out five. The Dodgers scored twice in the first inning and were threatening for more against Senzatela with runners on the corners with one out. Chris Taylor tried a squeeze bunt, but it went right back to the mound. Senzatela threw home and the Rockies had Justin Turner hung up. It turned into a 1-2-5-6 double play after Turner was tagged out and Arenado threw to Valaika covering third to tag out Grandal, who tried to advance while Turner was in the rundown. “Today’s one of those days we had a lot of situational opportunities and didn’t capitalize,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously a good club like that, you keep them in a ball game, they’re going to crawl back.” Senzatela was bailed out of the third by second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who laid out on a sharp two-out grounder and threw out Chase Utley at first to save a run. With two outs in the fifth, Senzatela was struck in the back of the leg by a liner from Yasmani Grandal. He stayed in the game and forced a flyout to end the inning. Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig homered for the Dodgers, who couldn’t protect two early leads. Seager hit a two-run blast in the first and Puig hit a laser to left in the second. LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon both finished with three hits for Colorado, which finished 6-4 on its longest homestand of the season. Now the Rockies will play 22 of their next 29 games on the road, where they’ve gone 11-5 this year. TRAINER’S ROOM Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe, sidelined since April 19 with a fractured right toe, is expected to start in a rehabilitation game as a designated hitter on Tuesday. … Left-hander Rich Hill, who’s been limited to just eight innings this season because of blisters on his throwing hand, will start Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. … On Monday, right-hander Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 3.10 ERA) will make his first start since he was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to May 5, with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. San Francisco’s Matt Cain will oppose him as the Dodgers begin a three-game set at AT&T Park.

ESPN

Rockies' Antonio Senzatela, who lost mom to cancer, gets heartfelt win By Associated Press DENVER -- Colorado's Antonio Senzatela emphatically pointed to the sky as he closed out the fifth inning on Sunday. It had been an emotional Mother's Day for the 22-year-old rookie. Pat Valaika homered twice and drove in four runs, Senzatela got the win and the Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6. Senzatela (6-1) was pitching on Mother's Day for the first time since his mom died of breast cancer last July. Like many around the league, Senzatela used a pink bat to raise awareness about the disease. He also wrote his mother's name, "Nidya," on his pink and white cleats. "I feel good," Senzatela said. "Too many emotions in my heart now." The rookie right-hander is tied for the majors' lead in wins. He allowed four runs in five innings, his shortest outing since his first career start at Milwaukee on April 6. Nolan Arenado also went deep as the Rockies hit their first homers of the series to salvage a four-game split. Their lead in the NL West is back up to 1 1/2 games. Los Angeles led 4-3 before Valaika hit a two-run homer in the fourth off starter Julio Urias (0-1). Arenado, who also had an RBI double, added to Colorado's lead in the fifth with a two-run shot off veteran reliever Sergio Romo. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger each drove in a run in the eighth to cut the lead to 7-6 before Valaika hit another two-run blast. The 24-year-old Valaika has seen an increase in playing time since Trevor Story went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury earlier in the week. Greg Holland struck out the side in the ninth for his majors' best 16th save. Holland has converted his first 16 save opportunities for the Rockies, a franchise-best mark to start a season. Senzatela dealt with traffic on base in every inning except the fourth, but got help from his defense to limit the damage. He gave up seven hits, three walks and two homers while striking out five. The 22-year-old got out of the first with runners on the corners thanks to a fielder's choice double play, and he was bailed out of the third by second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who laid out on a sharp grounder and threw out Chase Utley at first to save a run.

With two outs in the fifth, Senzatela was struck in the back of the leg by a liner from Yasmani Grandal. He stayed in the game and forced a flyout to end the inning. "Without having his best control and command, he was able to navigate through a really good lineup," Colorado manager Bud Black said. Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig homered for the Dodgers, who couldn't protect two early leads. Seager hit a two-run blast in the first and Puig hit a laser to left in the second. "Today's one of those days we had a lot of situational opportunities and didn't capitalize," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously a good club like that, you keep them in a ball game, they're going to crawl back." ROUGH OUTING Urias allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings for the Dodgers. The left-handed pitcher had allowed one hit in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. He had a 1.06 ERA in his first three starts of the year. "I felt good," he said. "Unfortunately it was just a bad outing." TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: 2B Logan Forsythe, sidelined since April 19 with a fractured right toe, is expected to start in a rehabilitation game as a designated hitter on Tuesday. ... LHP Rich Hill, who's been limited to just eight innings this season because of blisters on his throwing hand, will start Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. Rockies: C Tony Wolters, who was put on the 7-day DL with a concussion on May 3, was behind the plate for Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday. "I talked to (Isotopes manager) Glenallen Hill this morning about a number of things and he said Tony looked good the last couple days, both behind the plate and at the plate," Black said. "So Tony's in a good spot." UP NEXT Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 3.10 ERA) will make his first start since he was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to May 5, with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. San Francisco's Matt Cain will oppose him as the Dodgers begin a three-game set at AT&T Park on Monday. Rockies: Rookie LHP Kyle Freeland (3-2, 2.93) will pitch at an American League ballpark for the first time in his career as the Rockies open up a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. In his last start, the Denver native tossed six innings and gave up five runs -- all in the second inning -- in an 8-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

Power Rankings: Astros on top, NL teams rising By ESPN.com After last week's lack of turnover in the top 10, things definitely got shaken up this week -- and not just because we have a new No. 1, with the Houston Astros reclaiming the top seed from the Washington Nationals. The New York Yankees took a slight step back while retaining their edge over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East race, and the Los Angeles Dodgers made their own move into the top five with a 7-2 run. EDITOR'S PICKS Vote: Cubs Confidence Meter The Cubs have fallen under .500. Do fans still feel there's a dynasty in the works at Wrigley? Or is there an outbreak of agita on the North Side? Perhaps the biggest power move within this week's reshuffle was made by the St. Louis Cardinals, with their return to the top 10 while taking over first place in the NL Central and moving past the Cubs in the Power Rankings with their weekend series win over Chicago to drop the Cubs below .500. Among the teams that made a move up in the rankings, nobody soared higher than the Toronto Blue Jays, who moved up eight slots to get back inside the top 20 with their climb back toward .500 and relevance. Not far behind them were the similarly slow-starting Texas Rangers, who moved up six slots apiece. The biggest decline probably isn't a surprise, as the New York Mets tumbled six slots. That caps a week packed with more drama: Matt Harvey's suspension and subsequent shellacking by the Brewers, plus the loss of closer Jeurys Familia for at least three months after surgery to remove a blood clot from his shoulder. Stay tuned for your next dose of Mets mayhem. This week's voters are Bradford Doolittle, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian, David Schoenfield and Mark Simon. 1. Houston Astros Record: 26-12 Week 5 ranking: No. 3 The Astros have won 11 of 14, a run of success that elevated them back atop the rankings. Their one-two punch of Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. has been even better than expected, as those two have combined for a 2.51 ERA and the Astros are 13-3 when one of them starts. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com 2. Washington Nationals Record: 24-13 Week 5 ranking: No. 1 We've officially reached the "run-and-hide" portion of the Nationals' schedule because their next 18 games are against the Pirates, Braves, Mariners, Padres, Giants and Athletics, all teams currently under

.500. The Nats' next game against a team that currently has a winning record is June 5 against the Dodgers, which will be the teams' first meeting since Clayton Kershaw came out of the bullpen to get the save in Game 5 of the 2016 NLDS. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information 3. New York Yankees Record: 22-13 Week 5 ranking: No. 2 The Yankees hadn't lost more than two in a row since they lost three straight April 5-8, but last week they lost three in a row again while scoring three runs or fewer in each of those games. They didn't have more than seven hits in any of those losses after going six straight with at least 10 hits (all wins). Sunday's 11-hit, 11-run explosion to win the first game of their doubleheader was getting back to business as usual. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information 4. Los Angeles Dodgers Record: 22-16 Week 5 ranking: No. 7 In winning seven of their past nine, the Dodgers have basically relied on pitching and Cody Bellinger's power (five of the team's 12 home runs). The Dodgers rank this high before Corey Seager or Yasiel Puig have gotten hot -- though both homered Sunday -- or Rich Hill has gotten healthy. Although the rotation should be reshuffled with Hill due back from the DL, Alex Wood might be tough to take out after he whiffed 29 batters in 16 innings across three turns. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com 5. Baltimore Orioles Record: 22-14 Week 5 ranking: No. 5 Dylan Bundy has a 2.26 ERA, which puts him among the AL's top 10 and best on the Orioles. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2011 draft appears to have finally figured it out, posting a better ERA this season than either of the players taken before him that year who are currently in the majors; Gerrit Cole (No. 1, Pirates) has a 3.06 ERA and Trevor Bauer (No. 3, Diamondbacks) has a 6.92 ERA for the Indians. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information 6. St. Louis Cardinals Record: 21-15 Week 5 ranking: No. 12 After starting the season 3-9, the Cardinals have been the best team in baseball, and it has mostly been because of their pitching. Mike Leake continues to lead the way for the rotation, and Lance Lynn looks like his old self after missing all of last season with Tommy John surgery. Dexter Fowler has shaken off his slow start to get things started at the top of the order. And despite a low batting average, Matt Carpenter has been getting on base and slugging at career-high rates. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Info

7. Chicago Cubs Record: 18-19 Week 5 ranking: 4 The Cubs dropped below .500 after a frustrating 2-4 week that started with a loss in an 18-inning game Sunday night and including playing a doubleheader in Colorado two days later. Joe Maddon noted his team's sleep deprivation, sounded off after the slide rule cost his club a run Saturday and derided the game's safety rules on Sunday. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information 8. Boston Red Sox Record: 19-18 Week 5 ranking: No. 10 With 12 strikeouts in seven innings against the Rays on Saturday, Chris Sale has 10-plus K's in seven straight starts and is one start from tying the major league record held by both Pedro Martinez ... and Chris Sale (he did it in 2015). Sale has fanned 38.8 percent of the batters he has faced, which would be a record; Pedro fanned 37.5 percent of his batters in 1999. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com 9. Colorado Rockies Record: 24-15 Week 5 ranking: No. 8 After getting a weekend split from four games with the Dodgers, what's a team gotta do to get some respect? Winning at Coors Field wasn't what hampered past Rockies contenders; road woes did, and this year's Rockies are off to an 11-5 start outside Denver. If the Rockies romp during their season-high 10-game road trip that starts Tuesday, the Dodgers should worry. One thing they hope to find on the road? Carlos Gonzalez's bat -- CarGo is homerless with a .535 OPS in May. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com 10. Cleveland Indians Record: 19-17 Week 5 ranking: No. 6 The Indians' mediocre start enters another week. Edwin Encarnacion has been in a season-long slump and needs to start hitting if he's going to play as big a role as expected in Cleveland's bid to contend. But a bigger concern might be the starting pitching; the Indians' touted rotation ranks last in the league in ERA after ranking second in the AL last season. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information 11. Arizona Diamondbacks Record: 21-18 Week 5 ranking: No. 9 Although Chase Field slightly mutes their excellent pitching performance, the D-backs' staff ranks among MLB's best in strikeout rate and ERA+. So why aren't the D-backs doing better in the standings? A big

problem is that the offense hasn't been strong since busting out double-digit scores four times in their first 14 games and has dropped to just 22nd in runs per game since. You can bet that the plan to add a humidor at home to keep balls in the yard won't turn that around. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com 12. Minnesota Twins Record: 19-15 Week 5 ranking: No. 15 The Twins are still in first place and have already spent more time there than they did in the previous three seasons combined. Jose Berrios started 2017 looking far readier to deliver on the potential that made him a first-round pick in the 2012 draft. His season debut Saturday was the best start of his young career, 7⅔ innings of two-hit, one-run ball. He never lasted more than six innings in an MLB game last season and posted an 8.02 ERA. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information 13. Cincinnati Reds Record: 19-18 Week 5 ranking: No. 17 Joey Votto continues to swing a hot bat. The notorious slow starter owns the best walk-to-strikeout ratio in the NL (25 walks to 19 K's) and has a hit in 16 of his past 18 games. After their surprising start, the Reds' relevance in the NL Central race is about to get a big test: seven of Cincinnati's next 10 games come against last season's World Series teams, the Cubs and Indians. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information 14. Milwaukee Brewers Record: 21-17 Week 5 ranking: No. 20 The Brewers know their strength, and that's pounding the ball on offense. They lead the league in homers and are second in runs, and that's with Eric Thames predictably cooling off a little bit. Keon Broxton and Travis Shaw have been on fire, and Matt Garza has given the rotation a boost since he came off the DL. Chase Anderson continues to pitch well, allowing two or fewer earned runs in five of his seven starts. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Info 15. Texas Rangers Record: 19-20 Week 5 ranking: No. 21 Despite everything that has gone wrong -- Sam Dyson, no Adrian Beltre, Rougned Odor 's .252 OBP, Mike Napoli 's .225 OBP -- the Rangers are back to one game under .500. Where would they be without Joey Gallo? He's going for maybe the best sub-.200 season ever, as he is batting .195 but slugging .537 and on pace for 50 home runs and 112 RBIs. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com

16. Detroit Tigers Record: 18-18 Week 5 ranking: No. 11 Some things are turning around for the Tigers. They might have a new closer in Justin Wilson after he struck out the side in his first save chance since he took over the role. J.D. Martinez is back from a foot injury and seems to have not missed a beat. The Tigers are back home all week after a 5-4 West Coast road trip, which could set them up for a good run. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information 17. Tampa Bay Rays Record: 19-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 13 Given the pitching they went up against this week, it's not surprising that the Rays dropped below .500. They ran into the pitcher with arguably the best changeup going (Jason Vargas), the now super-nasty curveball of Nathan Karns and the all-around dynamic assortment from Chris Sale. Meanwhile, the Rays have a pitching problem to figure out: how to get Blake Snell right. He was demoted to Triple-A with a 4.71 ERA. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information 18. Toronto Blue Jays Record: 17-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 26 The Jays finally got the strong week they needed to rebound from their slow start by winning seven of eight games. As their fortunes have rebounded, so have Jose Bautista's. After he hit just two home runs in his first 33 games this season, he has hit three in his past five games, boosting his OPS from .553 to .641. He had a 16 percent hard-hit rate in those first 33 games and has a 31 percent mark in his past five. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information 19. Seattle Mariners Record: 17-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 18 For a brief moment, there was hope that the Mariners could overcome all the injuries, as they were 17-17 on Wednesday after winning six of seven, but four straight losses in Toronto sent the season spiraling downward -- with four-fifths of the projected rotation now on the DL. Even the replacements are getting hurt, as Ryan Weber injured his biceps in his first start. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com 20. New York Mets Record: 16-20 Week 5 ranking: No. 14

The Mets filled out their "Make Baseball Unfun Again" bingo card on Saturday night in Milwaukee, with a runner getting picked off second base for the second straight day, a fielder making two errors on one play, a walk to the opposing pitcher and a starting pitcher who averaged more than 20 pitches per inning. Combine that and their injury woes (to their best hitter, pitcher and closer), and the Mets are much closer to being a bad team than a good one. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information 21. Los Angeles Angels Record: 19-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 16 Angels fans breathed a collective sigh of a relief with the news that Mike Trout would not need a DL stint for his hamstring. He hit his 10th homer on Saturday, and it was the fastest he has reached that mark in his career (33 games). Albert Pujols continues to inch closer to the 600-homer plateau (he's at 596 and counting), seeking to become the ninth player to reach the mark. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information 22. Chicago White Sox Record: 17-18 Week 5 ranking: No. 19 The White Sox suffered a six-game losing streak last week behind abysmal starting pitching, getting a 6.82 ERA from their rotation over that span. Should they continue to slide, expect Jose Quintana trade talks to ramp up again. The 28-year-old lefty is under a team-friendly contract that with two club options runs through 2020, which adds to his value. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information 23. Oakland Athletics Record: 16-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 28 Yonder Alonso's hot start continued this week, and it seems legit. He's among the AL leaders in hard-hit percentage, and he has made some real changes to his swing. More than 50 percent of his balls in play this year have been hit in the air; that's after he had a 30 percent fly ball percentage last year. He could be a major trade chip for the A's come July. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information 24. Philadelphia Phillies Record: 14-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 24 The Phillies' schedule got tougher in the past two-plus weeks and they haven't been able to keep up. Their bullpen continues to struggle, and their rotation has been awful. But there are some bright spots in the lineup. Aaron Altherr has been great since he was pressed into regular duty, and Cesar Hernandez continues to be one of the best hitting second basemen in baseball. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information

25. Miami Marlins Record: 14-22 Week 5 ranking: No. 23 The Marlins might have done what they needed to get the most out of Jose Urena, who has made two good starts since he was plugged into the starting rotation due to injury issues. But is this something that can last? There's reason to be skeptical. Urena's ERA is 1.98, but his FIP is 4.28. His changeup has gotten a lot of outs, but batters' miss rate on it has dipped from 33 percent last season to 14 percent in 2017. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information 26. San Francisco Giants Record: 15-24 Week 5 ranking: No. 25 The Giants won three consecutive games for the first time this season by taking their past three games -- including that 17-inning marathon Friday night -- against the Reds. According to Elias, Buster Posey's walk-off home run to win that game was the latest by inning in franchise history. It was also the longest game by innings in MLB history in which the winning team had both leadoff and walk-off home runs. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information 27. Pittsburgh Pirates Record: 16-22 Week 5 ranking: No. 22 After briefly showing signs of life, the Pirates' offense has returned to anemic levels. Only one team has fewer home runs this season. Andrew McCutchen is a major culprit, as he has come off the worst season of his career with an even slower start. Jameson Taillon's injury will hurt; along with Gerrit Cole and Ivan Nova, the Pirates had a very nice top three in the rotation before Taillon went down. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Info 28. Kansas City Royals Record: 16-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 29 The Royals capped a big week with a series sweep of the Orioles -- all three one-run wins. They can thank their surging offense led by Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain. On the pitching side of the ledger, Jason Vargas still leads the majors in ERA. But despite all of that good news, the early hole the Royals dug for themselves might be too big to climb out of. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information 29. Atlanta Braves Record: 13-21 Week 5 ranking: No. 27

At age 31, Tyler Flowers is looking like an all-around catcher, not just a one-dimensional one. He's hitting .353 with a .470 on-base percentage. Flowers also has (maybe) improved upon his biggest issue: an inability to prevent stolen bases. He has thrown out three of 14 base stealers in 2017 after throwing out a woeful 2-for-62 in 2016. His pitch framing is still good; Flowers rates behind only Martin Maldonado for best in the majors in earning extra called strikes so far. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information 30. San Diego Padres Record: 14-25 Week 5 ranking: No. 30 The Padres' implosion is picking up speed, with their current 2-9 tumble capped by Sunday's eight-run eighth inning to blow a save against the White Sox. With just one series against a below-.500 team in their next seven, the bad news isn't about to stop. But GM A.J. Preller's goal of accumulating talent got a boost with the trade for Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur, and the former prospect finally gets a chance to play regularly. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com

TRUE BLUE LA

Trayce Thompson homers in Oklahoma City 14-5 romp By Craig Minami Three for three with Oklahoma City and Tulsa collecting lots of hits while Rancho Cucamonga wins their game on a late home run. Player of the day Trayce Thompson went 3-for-5 with his first home run of the season. Thompson also scored three runs and drove in two. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers had a 5-2 lead and then scored five runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth to go on a beat the Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) 14-5. The Dodgers had 17 hits and 8 walks and went 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Trevor Oaks was the beneficiary of all the runs though he did a solid job himself. Oaks pitched six innings and gave up two runs, six hits and one walk. Oaks also struck out six. However it was the Dodger offense, all nine hitters got on base, eight had hits. Three of them had three hits, Thompson, Max Muncy and Ike Davis. Alex Verdugo, O’Koyea Dickson and Darnell Sweeney each had two hits.

Double-A Tulsa The Drillers were tied 2-2 with NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals) after six but then a five-run seventh, two more in the eighth and one run in the ninth gave them a 10-2 win. Colt Hynes tossed three scoreless innings to get the win. Tulsa had 18 hits and everyone in the lineup had at least one hit. Tim Locastro and Wynston Sawyer each had three hits. Five Drillers, Michael Ahmed, Kyle Farmer, Kyle Garlick, Stetson Allie and Matt Beaty, had two hits on Sunday. The five run seventh began with six straight singles that scored three runs. After a strikeout and a sacrifice fly, Garlick had another single that scored the fifth run of the inning. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes and Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) were in a pitcher’s duel as they were tied 1-1 going to the eighth. Will Smith untied it with a two-run home run and the Quakes held on for a 3-1 win. Adam Bray started for the Quakes and pitched five innings. Bray gave up one run, three hits and Bray struck out four. Lenix Osuna got the win and Ryan Moseley picked up his first save. The Quakes scored their winning runs when In the eighth and with two out, Erick Mejia singled and then Will Smith hit his sixth home run of the season to give the Quakes a two-run lead. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons have Sunday off. They return home to start a series against Lake County Captains (Indians) on Monday. Transactions Class-A: Right-handed pitcher Lenix Osuna assigned to Rancho Cucamonga from Extended Spring Training; right-handed pitcher Shea Spitzbarth assigned to Extended Spring Training from Rancho Cucamonga. Sunday scores Oklahoma City 14, Fresno 5 Tulsa 10, NW Arkansas 2 Rancho Cucamonga 3, Visalia 1 Monday schedule 1:00 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Yadier Alvarez) at Visalia (Justin Donatella) 4:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (Leo Crawford) vs. Lake County Captains [Indians] (Aaron Civale)

4:30 p.m.: Tulsa (Andrew Sopko) at Springfield Cardinals (Dakota Hudson) 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Wilmer Font) vs. Sacramento River Cats [Giants] (Chris Stratton) Dodgers squander opportunities in finale with Rockies By Eric Stephen The Dodgers blew two leads, then nearly came back, but missed opportunities ran rampant in a 9-6 loss to the Rockies on getaway day Sunday at Coors Field. There were runs to be had in this game in Denver, akin to the vintage days of this ballpark, like a slot machine spitting out coins after a jackpot. But early on, both teams took what they could, but seemed to leave some on the table, too. The Dodgers had rookie Antonio Senzatela on the ropes in the first inning. Corey Seager hit a two-run home run, then the Dodgers put two on with one out with Chris Taylor at the plate. Inexplicably, Taylor bunted and not only did it take the Dodgers out of a bigger inning, it ended the threat all together, with Justin Turner tagged out running home, and Yasmani Grandal nailed trying to advance from first to third base. The Rockies returned the favor in the fourth inning, when they had runners on first and second base with one out, only to see trail runner DJ LeMahieu hung out to dry running to second as Charlie Blackmon faked a steal of third. Julio Urias, who allowed two runs in his first three starts combined, allowed three runs in the first inning thanks to four straight Rockies hits to open the frame. The big blow was a double by Nolan Arenado, one pitch after first baseman Chase Utley couldn’t rein in a catchable pop up in foul territory. Up 4-3 in the fourth inning, Urias allowed a two-run home run to Pat Valaika, then didn’t record an out in the fifth inning. After hitting Blackmon to open the inning, Urias was pulled in favor of Sergio Romo, who one out later allowed a two-run shot to Nolan Arenado. The Dodgers stranded two runners on base in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. After the Dodgers finally put a couple runs across in the eighth inning, the Rockies answered right back with another two-run shot from Valaiki, this time off Chris Hatcher. Notes The top of the Rockies order wreaked havoc on the Dodgers, with Blackmon, LeMahieu and Arenado combining for eight hits, five runs, and three RBI. Grandal was 3-for-4 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to eight games. He has 14 hits in his last 23 at-bats.

Up next The Dodgers move on to San Francisco for three games to finish off the road trip. Brandon McCarthy starts the series opener on Monday night, a 7:15 p.m. PT start, facing Matt Cain and the Giants. Sunday particulars Home runs: Corey Seager (6), Yasiel Puig (7); Pat Valaika 2 (3), Nolan Arenado (9) WP - Antonio Senzatela (6-1): 5 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts LP - Julio Urias (0-1): 4+ IP, 7 hits, 6 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout Sv - Greg Holland (16): 1 IP, 3 strikeouts

DODGER INSIDER

Dodgers leave Colorado with series split By Cary Osborne Despite numerous missed opportunities, the Dodgers still put six runs on the board against the Rockies. After Sunday’s 9–6 loss in the series finale in Colorado, they’re now 16–4 when scoring five or more runs. They head to San Francisco, after a series split with the Rockies, a combined 10–13 record against the Rockies, Giants and Diamondbacks. After three with the Giants beginning Monday, they won’t see a National League West ream again until June 23. The Dodgers were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position until Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger had back-to-back RBI singles in the eighth inning, cutting the Rockies lead to 7–6 heading into the top of the ninth. Back to the missed opportunities, they stranded two runners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. After a Corey Seager two-run home run in the top of the first inning and singles from Turner and Grandal put runners on the corner, a squeeze bunt back to starter Antonio Senzatela led to an inning-ending double play. Urías not as sharp After taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his last outing on May 9, Julio Urías was greeted by four consecutive Rockies hits in the first inning. After the Dodgers gave him a 2–0 first-inning lead, they trailed 3–2 going into the top of the second inning.

Urías went four innings, allowed seven hits and a walk, along with six earned runs — including a two-run homer by Pat Valaika, who also homered off Chris Hatcher in the eighth to extend the Rockies’ lead to 9–6. The Dodgers allowed three homers in the game — Sergio Romo gave up a solo shot to Nolan Arenado in the fifth. Prior to those three homers, Dodgers pitchers surrendered two home runs in their previous 57 innings. Grandal still hot Yasmani Grandal went 3-for-4 in the game, reaching base four times. It’s his fourth three-hit game in his last nine starts. He’s 18 for his last 39 and has raised his batting average from .194 to .292. Puig’s laser shot Yasiel Puig hit a solo home run on a line in the second inning — tying Bellinger for the team lead with seven homers. It also tied the score 3–3 at the time. The ball’s 16-degree launch angle was the lowest by any Dodger this season. It was the second lowest in the Majors this season. Toronto’s Justin Smoak hit one on Sunday that had a 15-degree launch angle.

NBC SPORTS

Dodgers Drop Finale to Rockies, 9-6, on Mother's Day By Michael Duarte It was a Mother's Day Mash. The Dodgers and Rockies combined for five homers as Colorado held on to defeat Los Angeles, 9-6, to split the four-game series at Coors Field over Mother's Day weekend. Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig got the home run barrage started in the first and second innings. Seager started the scoring with a two-run bomb off Antonio Senzatela to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. After the Rockies recaptured the lead with three runs in the bottom of the 1st, Puig sent a slider from Senzatela into the seats in left field that tied the game at 3-3. Both teams exchanged power punches throughout the day as Yasmani Grandal gave the Dodgers back the lead with an RBI single in the top of the third. The lead would not last as Pat Valaika hit his first of two homers in the game with a two-run shot off Julio Urias in the bottom of the fourth that put Colorado in front, 5-4.

An inning later, it was Nolan Arenado's turn to tee off as he destroyed a slider from Sergio Romo to give the Rockies two important insurance runs. "This year has been a little bit more trying," said Romo of his struggles to start the season. "It just seems to be that one pitch every outing. I just need to try and iron it out." After Los Angeles got within a run in the bottom of the eighth, Valaika once again hit a two-run shot off Chris Hatcher to extend the Rockies lead back to three runs. Both rookie starters, Urias and Senzatela, struggled on Mother's Day as they surrendered a total of 10 runs combined in just nine total innings. Senzatela (6-1), an early favorite in the National League for Rookie of the Year, earned the win, allowing four runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Urias (0-1) did not favor well in his first recorded decision of the season—a loss. The 20-year-old left-hander allowed six runs on seven hits with one walk and just one strikeout in four short innings of work. "I felt good, but gave up a lot of hits in the first inning," Urias said of his start. "Unfortunately, it was just a really bad outing." Despite the loss, L.A. had plenty of opportunities as they stranded 11 men on base, including two in each inning from the 5th through the 8th. Before RBI singles by Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger in the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. "We've been good in those situations, but today was one of those days that we had a lot of situational opportunities and we didn't capitalize," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts of the runners left on base. "We had opportunities to put them away early, and we couldn't get it done." The top of the Rockies lineup provided most of the offense for Colorado as Charlie Blackmon, D.J. LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado combined to go 8-for-11 with three RBI and five runs scored. Colorado closer Greg Holland recorded his MLB-leading 16th save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Both teams celebrated Mother's Day weekend by wearing pink uniforms including pink accessories like armbands, socks, shoes, gloves, belts, bats, batting gloves, shin and elbow guards. Each jersey and hat had a pink ribbon to help raise awareness for breast cancer research. All proceeds of the sale of the pink merchandise went to breast cancer research charities. Up Next: The Dodgers head back to the Bay to battle the rival San Francisco Giants on Monday. Brandon McCarthy is expected to be activated off the disabled list before the game and will start for the Dodgers opposite RHP Matt Cain for the Giants. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15PM PST.

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: Alex Wood has locked himself into the rotation By Houston Mitchell Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day. Alex Wood On July 30, 2015, as part of a three-team deal, the Dodgers traded Zach Bird, Hector Olivera and Paco Rodriguez to Atlanta and Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, and Kevin Guzman to Miami. In return, they got Alex Wood, Bronson Arroyo, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson, Jose Peraza, Mat Latos and Mike Morse. After Latos went 0-3 with a 6.66 ERA as a starter and Johnson went 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in the bullpen, some genius wrote after the season that it “was one of the worst trades in Dodger history.” I mean really, how dumb do you have to be? Let me look that article up so I can find out who wrote it and ridicule him. Oh, wait a minute. I wrote that. If I remember correctly, that was the day I was abducted by a UFO and an imposter replaced me. That impostor knew nothing about baseball. That's my story and I am sticking to it. Anyway, that now has turned out to be one of the better trades in Dodger history, thanks in great part to one person: Alex Wood. Wood went 5-6 with a 4.35 ERA with L.A. in 2015. In 2016, he was injured a bit and went 1-4 with a 3.73 ERA. Nothing too Earth-shattering there, but a lot of promise for a 25-year-old. This season, he is cashing in on that promise. Not only did he pitch six scoreless innings and strike out 11 in Denver on Saturday, as a starter he is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA, striking out 44 and walking 10 in 30 1/3 innings. Since April 26, he is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 34 strikeouts, 15 hits allowed and four walks in 22 innings. Since April 26, Clayton Kershaw is 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA and 18 strikeouts, 20 hits allowed and five walks in 20 1/3 innings. Obviously, Wood is not Kershaw quite yet, but he has been pitching at that level. The Dodgers basically have seven starting pitchers for five spots right now. Kenta Maeda, Brandon McCarthy and Rich Hill are on the 10-day disabled list. McCarthy is scheduled to be activated and pitch tonight while Hill will be activated and pitch Tuesday. But Alex Wood will not be going anywhere. “We have a large stable of starting pitchers, but always, performance should be rewarded,” Manager Dave Roberts said after Saturday’s game. “For him going forward, it makes sense for him to get another start.” Nice stretch

After losing to the Giants, 4-3, on April 26, the Dodgers were 10-12 and in third place in the NL West. Since then, they have gone 12-4 and are 1 ½ games out of first place. The obscure Dodgers record of the week Which pitcher (minimum 1,000 innings) holds the Dodgers record for fewest strikeouts per nine innings? Sherry Smith, with a 2.20 SO/9IP rate. Curt Davis is second at 2.60 and George Bell is third at 3.12. They all pitched before 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. If we only count Los Angeles Dodgers, then the top three are Claude Osteen(4.36), Jerry Reuss (4.38) and Tommy John (4.88). The pitchers with the highest strikeout rate are Clayton Kershaw (9.79), Sandy Koufax (9.28) and Hideo Nomo (8.87). Dazzy Vance leads those who pitched only in Brooklyn at 6.26. Next series Monday, 7:15 p.m. PDT, Dodgers (Brandon McCarthy) at San Francisco (Matt Cain) Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. PDT, Dodgers (Rich Hill) at San Francisco (Ty Blach) Wednesday, 12:45 p.m. PDT, Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) at San Francisco (Johnny Cueto) KTLA games Sunday, May 21, 1 p.m. PDT, Miami at Dodgers And finally Dodgers hope Logan Forsythe will return during the next home stand.