Dodgers left-handers Ryan Yarbrough, Caleb Ferguson roughed up by Rockies

Ryan Yarbrough had a rare clunker of a game since joining the Dodgers, and his start turned into simply soaking up innings in a 14-5 loss to the Rockies on Thursday night at Coors Field.

Staked to leads of 2-0 and 3-1, Yarbrough allowed runs in all four of his innings, including three home runs, after allowing only five homers in his first 34⅔ innings and 10 games with Los Angeles. In all, Yarbrough gave up a career-high 11 hits and his nine runs allowed tied his career worst.

He allowed 12 total runs in those first 10 games with Los Angeles.

A Dodgers pitcher has allowed seven or more runs 13 times this season, tied for sixth-most in the majors. Los Angeles had only 12 such games from 2018-22.

Yarbrough wasn’t the only Dodgers left-hander with a rough night. Caleb Ferguson got a low-leverage assignment down 9-4 in the seventh inning and allowed four runs on five hits, including a triple and double, and got only one out in his 29 pitches. He wasn’t helped by fielding miscues by Kiké Hernández at first base and Kolten Wong at second, but Ferguson wasn’t sharp nonetheless.

Ferguson also got roughed up as the opener in the first game of Tuesday, and in the series allowed seven runs on eight hits, three of the hits for extra bases, while recording three hits outs.

Outside of Yarbrough and Ferguson, the rest of the Dodgers pitching staff in this series at Coors Field — all right-handers except for one scoreless inning by Alex Vesia — allowed five runs in 28 innings.

That does not include the lone run Colorado scored off shortstop Miguel Rojas in the ninth inning, pressed into his third pitching appearance of the season.

Century city

J.D. Martinez has been blazing hot since returning from the injured list, including winning the National League player of the week last week. He continued his romp with a two-run home run in the first inning Thursday against Chris Flexen, cashing in a two-out walk by Max Muncy.

Martinez got to 100 RBI in only 110 games, and will end up as just the 18th player in National League/American League history to drive in 100 while playing no more than 113 games. In doing so, Martinez joined the three players batting ahead of him in Thursday’s lineup.

Freddie Freeman reached 101 RBI with a three-run home run on Wednesday night in Denver. Muncy reached 100 RBI for the first time with his go-ahead single in the 11th inning of the Dodgers’ division-clinching game in Seattle on September 16. Mookie Betts got his 100th RBI this season on September 11, and his 106 RBI are the most ever in a season out of the leadoff spot in MLB history.

That quartet of run producers gave the Dodgers four players with 100 RBI for the first time in the 140-year history of the franchise. The Dodgers are just the second MLB team in the last 20 seasons with four players with 100 RBI, joining the 2021 Blue Jays.

Thursday particulars

Home runs: J.D. Martinez (32), Kiké Hernández (10); Charlie Blackmon (8), Elehuris Montero (9), Sean Bouchard (2)

WP — Chris Flexen (2-8): 6 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

LP — Ryan Yarbrough (8-7): 4 IP, 11 hits, 9 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers head west to San Francisco for the final series of the season. Lance Lynn starts the opener on Friday night (7:15 p.m., SportsNet LA). Keaton Winn starts for the Giants.