Ronald Belisario gave up the lead in the seventh, but former Dodger Octavio Dotel gave it right back one half inning later, helping the Dodgers a 9-7 win over the Rockies, officially eliminating Colorado from the postseason.
Hiroki Kuroda left the game with one out in the seventh, up 6-4 with a runner on base. Belisario came in and, one out later, allowed a game-tying home run to Dexter Fowler.
The red-hot A.J. Ellis greeted Dotel with a leadoff double in the eighth and, after Trent Oeltjen popped up a bunt, Rafael Furcal drove home Chin-lung Hu, pinch running for Ellis, with his second triple of the night. The last Dodger to hit two triples in a game was Blake DeWitt, who did so earlier this season, on May 17. Furcal himself last had two triples on June 13, 2007.
Andre Ethier drove home Furcal with a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-6.
After a two-out rally against Jonathan Broxton in the eighth, Kenley Jansen was brought in to attempt the four-out save. He walked two batters, forcing in one run, but escaped the eighth with the lead after striking out Ryan Spilborghs. Jansen allowed a leadoff hit to Dexter Fowler in the ninth inning, but Jansen retired the next three batters for the first four-out save of his career, finishing the game with a strikeout of Troy Tulowitzki.
Casey Blake, who homered earlier in the game, added an insurance run with another home run in the ninth inning. Blake had four extra-base hits in 22 games and 86 plate appearances leading into this series, but has four extra-base hits in the last two nights. It must be his new cleats, which he started wearing yesterday.
This win gives the Dodgers their first series win since August 24-26, when they were in Milwaukee. It also makes the Dodgers 10-7 against the Rockies this year, assuring they will win the season series against them for the third straight season.
Notes
- Ellis was 2-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch, and since August 22, he is hitting .531/.625/.625 in 41 plate appearances.
- Matt Kemp and Blake hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning, the fourth time the Dodgers have hit back-to-back home runs this year, and the third time involving Kemp
- The Dodgers hit four home runs -- James Loney hit the other one -- tonight, the first time since August 21, and the third time they have done so this season.
- The nine runs scored by the Dodgers tonight were the most since...well, never mind
- Kuroda, who is starting Sunday, is 3 2/3 innings shy of 200 for the year
Clayton Kershaw, in his final start of the season, goes The Dodgers go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon (literally 10 minutes after noon), against Jhoulys Chacin.
UPDATE: Now that the game isn't meaningful for the Rockies, Carlos Monasterios will start tomorrow for the Dodgers.
WP - Ronald Belisario (3-1): 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 run
LP - Octavio Dotel (3-4): 1/3 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs
Sv - Kenley Jansen (3): 1 1/3 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts