Major League Baseball

Dodgers' Pederson homers in 5th straight, but Rockies rally in 9th

Published Jun. 4, 2015 3:03 a.m. ET

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Before the ninth inning even started, a teammate walked up to Nolan Arenado in the dugout and told him he was going win this game.

Arenado, who wasn't seeing the ball very well and didn't have a hit all night, certainly delivered.

Just as Brandon Barnes said he would.

Troy Tulowitzki homered and drove in five runs, Arenado hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth and the Colorado Rockies rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on a rainy Wednesday.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Arenado sent a fly to left-center. Chris Heisey caught it and threw home, but DJ LeMahieu slid in easily. Arenado was mobbed by teammates after the Rockies overcame a two-run deficit in the ninth.

"When the ninth inning started and Barnes said, 'You're winning this game tonight,' that calmed me down," Arenado said. "This means a lot."

Colorado held a team meeting before the game, trying to forget about Tuesday's loss that Tulowitzki said "stings a little extra." That night, Alex Guerrero hit a ninth-inning grand slam with two outs in a 9-8 Dodgers win.

"Lowest points of the season for me," LeMahieu said.

And this?

"To come back and win like that? Feels good," said LeMahieu, whose team entered 1-23 when trailing after the eighth inning. "The game rewarded us for competing as well as we did today."

John Axford (1-0) earned the win following two rain delays that totaled 2 hours, 26 minutes.

Yimi Garcia (2-2) was one of four relievers in the final inning for the Dodgers, but they couldn't hold the lead.

Reliable closer Kenley Jansen wasn't available. When asked why, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly repeatedly said, "He just wasn't available."

Mattingly wouldn't elaborate any further.

Joc Pederson homered in his fifth straight game, becoming the first Dodgers rookie to do so, the team said. He's also the first Dodger to homer in five straight games in a single season since Matt Kemp in 2010, according to STATS.

A storm delayed the first pitch by 2 hours, 10 minutes, and another shower interrupted the game for 16 minutes in the second inning. The game lasted 3:44 and didn't finish until 12:20 a.m.

Tulowitzki had a three-run homer and drove in another run with a single. He also had a walk that brought in a run. It was his first five-RBI game since April 18, 2014.

Andre Ethier lined a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh to give the Dodgers 5-4 lead. Pederson added a solo shot in the eighth.

Things quickly got dicey for the Dodgers in the ninth, when Adam Liberatore gave up two straight hits to start the inning. Garcia took over and walked LeMahieu to load the bases. Garcia then walked Tulowitzki to make it 6-5.

J.P. Howell entered and threw a pitch that got away from catcher Yasmani Grandal for a passed ball, allowing Charlie Blackmon to scamper home with the tying run. After Carlos Gonzalez was intentionally walked, the Dodgers deployed a five-man infield, but Arenado delivered against Chris Hatcher.

"I really thought those guys ran out of steam," Mattingly said of his bullpen. "All those guys out there have been taxed."

Chad Bettis gave up two runs, one earned, in six innings before being pulled for a pinch hitter after throwing 102 pitches. He's been splendid over his last three starts, giving up three earned runs in 22 1/3 innings.

Mike Bolsinger allowed a season-high four runs in five innings for the Dodgers. He hadn't permitted more than two runs in any of his previous five starts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: Mattingly said All-Star outfielder Yasiel Puig (strained left hamstring) will play for Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. Should everything go well, Mattingly believes Puig could be back with the Dodgers sometime next week. Puig has been on the disabled list since April 26.

Rockies: RHP Jordan Lyles will have season-ending surgery to fix a torn ligament in his left big toe. He's scheduled to have the procedure next Wednesday and described it as "Tommy John (surgery) for my big toe."

UP NEXT

Dodgers: RHP Carlos Frias (4-2, 4.29 ERA) faces St. Louis on Thursday night as the Dodgers open a four-game home series against the Cardinals. Frias is 2-0 versus the NL Central this season.

Rockies: Colorado hosts Miami in a three-game series beginning Friday. RHP Eddie Butler (3-5, 4.22) takes the mound fresh off snapping a four-game losing streak.

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