Ryan Ward has solid Dodgers debut, bullpen blows

DENVER — What have you learnt? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.

With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions misplaced back-to-back video games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t maintain a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.

Nor might the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some stress on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new man, Ryan Ward, made the ultimate out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a likelihood to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in proper area.

Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 conferences all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the sport in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included nearer Edwin Díaz, who got here on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a stroll and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.

He and Blake Treinen mixed to face eight batters without getting an out.

“They both weren’t sharp,” said supervisor Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many solutions — though he did have real concern, particularly about Díaz, who lately had his proper knee checked out by the medical workers.

Roberts said the nearer needed to pitch after 9 days off, even though it wasn’t a save state of affairs. But his velocity was barely down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the supervisor said.

“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”

And shedding for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in hazard of shedding their four-game collection, after arriving in Denver without having misplaced to a National League opponent, against a membership that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?

It’s nicely below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter observe to Ward’s in any other case candy debut.

Ward punched a big league clock for the first time carrying No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to proper area for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and received the 20-some members of Ward’s social gathering up, leaping in place, hugging and high-fiving.

“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”

He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.

The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and prolonged his career-best on-base streak to 51 video games, transferring past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers historical past.

Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, putting out two and strolling two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.

The Dodgers fell behind 6-4 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the top by a batted ball during batting apply — gave up 4 consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.

The consequence seemingly might be a minor element when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was positioned on the paternity checklist.

The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging proportion for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and 4 homers this 12 months.

Ward made it a level to improve his chase charge, draw more walks and get on base more regularly, the whole lot the Dodgers requested of him. He also handed the broadest endurance check.

“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”

If something, Ward said, the ready made him better.

“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’

“I used it as fire to keep working.”

That would be the Dodgers’ project too.

In the finale of the four-game collection Monday, the Dodgers are anticipated to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).