Nolan Arenado homers to beat Dodgers in 16th

LOS ANGELES --  Nolan Arenado homered off Mat Latos in the 16th inning, giving the Rockies a 5-4 win in the longest game of the season at Dodger Stadium.

It was a weird game, one that started with the Rockies bunting successfully for a hit with their first two hitters; one that saw one third baseman deliver a take-out slide to the other, but at second base; one that saw water occasionally and mysteriously falling from the sky somehow.

It was the longest game at Dodger Stadium since a 16-inning game on Aug. 29, 2006.

The Dodgers used 28 players, tying a franchise record previously set on Sept. 13, 1982. The Dodgers used 11 pitchers, setting a new franchise record, set previously on Sept. 16, 2012.

The Rockies used 30 players, including 13 pitchers, both major league records. Well, 14 if you count Jason Gurka, who played right field in the bottom of the 16th inning.

The 58 players and 24 pitchers combined for both teams set new major league records.

"This time of year you don't plan on running out of guys, but we pretty much ran out of guys tonight," manager Don Mattingly said after the game.

Close calls

Down two runs in the seventh inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out, then cut the deficit in half with a sacrifice fly by Chris Heisey. a Pinch-hitter Austin Barnes followed with a high pop into short left field that might have been another sacrifice fly with third baseman Nolan Arenado closing in on a possible play but the ball inexplicably dropped, landing at the feet of left fielder Brandon Barnes, tying the game at 3-3.

The Dodgers rallied in the ninth and had the winning run at third base with one out, forcing the Rockies to use a five-man infield, but he remained stranded at the hot corner.

The Dodgers were in peril in the top of the 10th, with Colorado loading the bases with one out against Jim Johnson, the final hit a double-play ball up the middle that Johnson kicked, allowing everybody to reach safely. But Johnson recovered to strike out Jose Reyes, paving the way for Ian Thomas to face Gonzalez with the bases loaded and two outs.

Thomas got Gonzalez to ground out on one pitch, ending the threat.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Chase Utley had designs on a walk-off home run but his drive just short of the wall was tracked down by Charlie Blackmon, who made a fantastic leaping catch. Justin Turner followed with a single to right field, which gave the Dodgers a woulda-coulda-shoulda lead but in reality did nothing, as Turner was thrown out at second base after Carlos Gonzalez bobbled the ball in right field.

In the 11th, Justin Morneau hit a one-out drive to the wall, but Chris Heisey got turned around and, after the carom off the wall, Morneau ended up at third base with a triple. He scored on a single by DJ LeMahieu on an 0-2 pitch by Juan Nicasio.

The Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the inning with a walk by Scott Schebler, a single by Corey Seager, and a dribbler by Heisey that Nolan Arenado couldn't quite get to with a barehanded attempt.

Leading man

Justin Ruggiano hit first for the Dodgers on Monday, his fourth time batting leadoff since joining the team two weeks ago, and hit his third first-inning extra-base hit with LA. This time it was a double just inside third base and down the left field line. A ground ball and a single brought home Ruggiano, giving the Dodgers a first-inning run for the fifth time in their last seven games.

He finished 1-for-7 on the night.

Anderson grounded

Brett Anderson has said of his league-high 66.5-percent ground ball rate that he sometimes lives by the ground ball and sometimes dies by it. In the fourth inning, he died by it.

Arenado and Justin Morneau each singled to open the inning, with Morneau serving a two-strike pitch with a bloop into left field that looked an awful lot like Rod Carew's 3,000th hit.

He converted.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the next three batters all hit ground balls that were converted into runs for the Rockies. The first was a grounder to the hole at shortstop by LeMahieu. Seager didn't have a play at first base, and probably didn't have a play at third but he tried anyway. Justin Turner was slow to get back to the bag, and Seager's leading throw sailed into foul territory, allowing Arenado to score with the other two moving into scoring position.

A pair of slow ground ball outs brought home runs, giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead, and marring an otherwise effective night for Anderson, who struck out seven and walked none in his six innings. It was his first start in nine days.

"I haven't pitched in a while, but my stuff was pretty good," Anderson said.

Up next

The Dodgers go for the series win on Wednesday night, with Alex Wood facing off against Jorge De La Rosa in another battle of southpaws.

Tuesday particulars

Home run: Nolan Arenado (39)

WP - David Hale (4-5): 1 IP, 1 hit

LP - Mat Latos (4-10): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 2 strikeouts

Sv - Gonzalez Germen (1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout