Dodgers Sweep Colorado, Give Themselves Some Breathing Room

It’s likely no one was willing to say it out loud, but it was imperative that the Dodgers get out of Colorado with a sweep. Not just a series win. They needed to win all three games. The thought was most assuredly on the minds of everyone in Dodger Blue, even if they did keep it to themselves.

After the way the Dodgers had played coming out of the All-Star break, followed by the recent struggles against Milwaukee, a trip to Colorado presented an opportunity that simply could not be wasted. The Rockies were the last-place team in the National League, and the Dodgers had three games in which they needed to do exactly what a team with postseason aspirations is supposed to do.

They did.

The sweep was completed Wednesday night with a 6-4 victory in 10 innings, giving Los Angeles some much-needed breathing room as it heads into a deserved day off before returning home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Coors Field provided glimpses of what happens when baseball is played a mile above sea level, but for the most part it never completely turned into one of those evenings when outfielders are chasing baseballs that seem to have a mind of their own. That was probably just fine with the Dodgers, who were able to take care of business without having to survive a full-blown Coors Field circus.

Los Angeles built a 4-0 lead before Colorado began working its way back into the game. Mookie Betts opened the fourth inning with a home run, and Kiké Hernández followed later in the inning with a two-run shot after driving in the first Dodgers run with a single in the second.

Hernández has been searching for opportunities to make an impact, and Wednesday provided one.

"Feels good to every once in a while, help the team out," Hernández said.

He did considerably more than that.

The Rockies eventually tied the game when Mickey Moniak hit a two-run homer in the seventh, forcing the Dodgers to navigate another late-inning game in a ballpark where no lead ever feels entirely safe.

They did so without the bullpen completely imploding, which in itself qualifies as progress.

Kyle Hurt handled the ninth, and Tanner Scott came in for the 10th, recording the final three outs for his 18th save. Scott has now stepped back into the closer's role following Edwin Díaz's placement on the injured list, and the Dodgers have already begun getting a look at what the back end of the bullpen can look like without Díaz occupying the ninth inning.

The Dodgers needed one more rally in the 10th, and they got it.

Teoscar Hernández led off with a single against Jimmy Herget, and Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly brought home automatic runner Andy Pages to give Los Angeles the lead. Betts followed with another single, this one up the middle, to score Hernández and provide the insurance run.

It was Betts' third hit of the night.

For a player who has endured his own struggles this season, the timing was particularly welcome.

Kyle Tucker also collected two hits, continuing what has been a more encouraging stretch at the plate. After spending much of the season searching for consistency, Tucker's double Tuesday and two-hit night Wednesday provided at least some evidence that the bat may be starting to emerge.

The Dodgers will take it.

They need all the help they can get.

Roki Sasaki started Wednesday and worked five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one. It wasn't dominant, but he kept the Dodgers in the game long enough for the offense and bullpen to finish the job.

Sasaki's assessment of his own performance was characteristically confident.

"From the technical standpoint, I feel I've been really consistent. I was able to keep us in the game pretty well."

That may be a discussion for another day.

What matters Wednesday is that the Dodgers won.

And that is three straight.

They arrived in Colorado needing to change the direction of a season that had begun to feel increasingly uncomfortable. They leave with a sweep, 24 runs in three games and, perhaps most importantly, a little bit of momentum heading back to Los Angeles.

There were contributions throughout the lineup. Betts finished with three hits. Hernández homered. Tucker had two hits. Freeman delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly. And the bullpen, after spending considerable time lately providing reasons for concern, closed out the final two innings without allowing Colorado to turn another game into an adventure.

Even Shohei Ohtani's 0-for-4 night with two strikeouts couldn't derail them.

That might be one of the better signs of the series.

The Dodgers did not need Ohtani to carry them Wednesday. They didn't need one player to manufacture the offense. They got contributions from the bottom half, the middle of the order and the top.

That's the kind of baseball Roberts has been asking to see.

Now comes the harder part.

The Dodgers have a day off Thursday before returning to Chavez Ravine for a three-game series against Pittsburgh. After that comes Atlanta, followed by Detroit.

There are plenty of miles ahead and plenty of opportunities for the Dodgers to either build on what happened in Colorado or prove that the Rockies were simply a convenient place to get healthy.

Nobody is mistaking a sweep of Colorado for the solution to everything that has been bothering this team.

But it is a start.

And, after what the Dodgers had been putting on the field recently, a start was necessary.

They got the sweep they needed.

Now they get a day to breathe.

Then Pittsburgh comes to town.

And the Dodgers get another chance to keep it going.