Max Muncy rallies Dodgers to 10th-inning victory over Rockies

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Highlights from the Dodgers’ 7-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

DENVER — For 30 minutes Thursday afternoon, before the Dodgers roared back for a 7-5 win over the Colorado Rockies, their hopes of a ninth consecutive National League West title appeared dead.

They were flat, trailing the Rockies by two runs with six outs remaining at Coors Field, on their way to dropping two of three games to the inferior club for the second time in four weeks. The San Francisco Giants meanwhile were working more magic 1,000 miles away at Petco Park, taking a lead over the San Diego Padres on a pinch-hit, three-run home run.

It was scoreboard watching to the nth degree.

“A little bit of a seesaw,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

If the results held, the Dodgers would’ve fallen three games behind the Giants in the standings with nine games left. Catching them would’ve been nearly impossible. But the results didn’t hold.

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Dodgers: Diaz catching. Blackmon in right. Hampson at second. Hilliard to center. Left-hander Lucas Gilbreath now pitching for the Rockies. J.Turner the runner at second. Muncy homered to center, estimated at 440 feet. Pollock flied to center. Smith grounded to short. Lux walked on five pitches. Chris Taylor, batting for Jansen, grounded to third.

Rockies: Right-hander Blake Treinen now pitching for the Dodgers. Betts to center. Luke Raley in right. Lux to left. Tapia the runner at second. McMahon lined to center, Tapia to third. Story walked on four pitches. Cron grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Final score: Dodgers 7, Rockies 5

Dodgers: Right-hander Carlos Estevez now pitching for the Rockies. Lux struck out looking. Albert Pujols, batting for Bruihl, grounded to short. Betts singled to right-center. Seager singled to left, Betts to second. T.Turner singled to left, scoring Betts, Seager to second. J.Turner lined to short.

Rockies: Right-hander Kenley Jansen now pitching for the Dodgers. Charlie Blackmon, batting for Nunez, singled to center. Elias Diaz, batting for Estevez, struck out swinging. Tapia grounded to short, Blackmon to second. Rodgers struck out swinging.

Score after nine: Dodgers 5, Rockies 5

Dodgers: Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin now pitching for the Rockies. T.Turner singled to center. J.Turner fouled to first. T.Turner stole second. Muncy flied to left. Pollock doubled to right, T.Turner scoring. Will Smith, batting for Barnes, flied to center.

Rockies: Right-hander Phil Bickford now pitching for the Dodgers. Smith in at catcher. McMahon fouled to left. Story grounded to short. Cron singled to left. Left-hander Justin Bruihl replaced Bickford. Hilliard singled to left, Cron to third. Hampson struck out swinging.

Score after eight: Rockies 5, Dodgers 4

Dodgers: Right-hander Josh Bard now pitching for the Rockies. Matt Beaty, batting for Kelly, struck out swinging. Betts struck out swinging. Seager flied to center.

Rockies: Left-hander David Price now pitching for the Dodgers. Nunez popped to third. Colton Welker, batting for Bard, walked on six pitches. Ryan Vilade ran for Welker. Tapia grounded to second, forcing Vilade. Rodgers grounded to short.

Score after seven: Rockies 5, Dodgers 3

Dodgers: Pollock lined to second. Barnes grounded to short. Lux grounded to first.

Rockies: Right-hander Joe Kelly now pitching for the Dodgers. Cron struck out swinging. Hilliard struck out swinging. Hampson grounded to first.

Score after six: Rockies 5, Dodgers 3

Dodgers: Seager singled to center. T.Turner singled to right-center, Seager to second. J.Turner flied to right. Muncy grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Rockies: Freeland walked on seven pitches. Tapia homered to right. Rodgers grounded to third. McMahon struck out swinging. Story struck out swinging.

Score after five: Rockies 5, Dodgers 3

Dodgers: Barnes struck out looking. Lux singled to shallow center, with the second baseman making the play but unable to throw him out. Scherzer struck out attempting to bunt. Betts grounded to third.

Rockies: Cron fouled to first. Hilliard singled to left-center. Hampson struck out swinging. Nunez grounded to short.

Score after four: Dodgers 3, Rockies 3

Dodgers: J.Turner grounded to third. Muncy grounded to first. Pollock struck out looking.

Rockies: Rodgers flied to right. McMahon struck out swinging. Story fouled to first.

Score after three: Dodgers 3, Rockies 3

Dodgers: AJ Pollock doubled to left. Austin Barnes singled to center, scoring Pollock. Gavin Lux singled to right, Barnes to second. Lux stole second and Barnes stole third. Max Scherzer struck out swinging. Betts struck out swinging. Seager singled to right, Lux and Barnes scoring. T.Turner grounded to third.

Rockies: Trevor Story singled to second. C.J. Cron singled to right-center, Story to third. Sam Hilliard doubled to right-center, Story scoring, Cron to third. Garrett Hampson struck out swinging. Dom Nunez flied to left. Kyle Freeland singled to left, scoring Hilliard and Cron. Tapia grounded to first.

Score after two: Dodgers 3, Rockies 3

Protester Edin Enamorado, holding a banner with the name of the La Loma neighborhood, one of the three destroyed to make room for Dodger Stadium, is tackled by security Sept. 15.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

It was the top of the seventh inning, and the three would-be Latino ghosts from the Dodgers’ past sat near the right and left field foul poles.

Suddenly, Edin Enamorado, Wendy Lujan and Panchebel Manahuiatlakatl ran onto the field, holding banners with the names of the barrios that once stood on present-day Dodger Stadium: Bishop. La Loma. Palo Verde. From the right field top deck, someone dropped a banner that read #notchavezravine.

The crowd at first cheered, then looked on quizzically as security chased after the three. Seven alone piled on Enamorado. Then, the fans got angry.

“Raza didn’t want to see the game interrupted,” said Panchebel’s father, Jaguar, who was at the game. “They didn’t want history getting in the way.”

In a city that is almost half Latino, in a packed stadium packed with diehard Latino Dodgers fans, on Fernando Valenzuela Bobblehead Night at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, the dredging up of a famously dark moment in L.A’s history of displacing Latinos played about as well as a game-winning home run by a San Francisco Giant.

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Dodgers: Left-hander Kyle Freeland pitching for the Rockies. Mookie Betts flied to right. Corey Seager singled to right. Trea Turner walked on five pitches. Justin Turner popped to second. Max Muncy popped to short.

Rockies: Right-hander Max Scherzer pitching for the Dodgers. Raimel Tapia grounded to the pitcher. Brendan Rodgers struck out swinging. Ryan McMahon lined to left.

Score after one: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux stretches before a game against the Colorado Rockies in July.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

DENVER — Gavin Lux, exclusively a middle infielder until he began a transition to the outfield three weeks ago, will start in center field for the Dodgers in Thursday’s series finale against the Rockies.

It will be Lux’s second time playing center field in a game in his life, going back to his youth days. He made his debut in center field for triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 5. He was recalled to the Dodgers on Sept. 10 and has made all 10 of his starts before Thursday in left field.

The 23-year-old Lux’s inexperience on the grass has been evident during the midseason transition — he also played left field just once for Oklahoma City. Most notably, his collision with Cody Bellinger fractured one of Bellinger’s ribs.

But his offensive value has masked the growing pains in the outfield. The former top prospect is 14 for 32 (.438) with a 1.170 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in his 10 games since returning.

Playing center field at Coors Field, however, is a different test. The ballpark has the biggest outfield in the majors, giving outfielders more space to cover than anywhere else.

Mookie Betts, an elite defender, will play right field Thursday after starting in center field the previous two days. AJ Pollock will play left field in his first start since suffering a Grade 2 right hamstring strain Sept. 4. Pollock came off the injured list in Wednesday’s loss and grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance.

Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Dodgers, who begin the day two games behind the Giants in the National League West after the Giants won Wednesday. The Dodgers are 9-0 in his starts since he was acquired at the July 30 trade deadline.

DODGERS (97-55)

Mookie Betts RF

Corey Seager SS

T. Turner 2B

J. Turner 3B

Muncy 1B

Pollock LF

Barnes C

Lux CF

Scherzer P

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Highlights from the Dodgers’ 10-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

DENVER — The expectation was the Dodgers, when Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin came off the injured list earlier this month to make their rotation finally whole again, would benefit from quality starts almost every day as they chased the San Francisco Giants down the stretch.

Kershaw and Gonsolin’s health were questions but Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urías had become Cy Young Award candidates. Scripted bullpen games were in the past. The quintet would spell the relief corps and the team’s elite run prevention would continue with a slightly different formula.

But the rollout hasn’t gone as smoothly as anticipated. A night after Urías’ velocity dropped again for his second consecutive abbreviated outing, Buehler didn’t survive the fourth inning and the Dodgers’ pitching staff absorbed a rare letdown in the team’s 10-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday.

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Dodgers: Left-hander Lucas Gilbreath now pitching for the Rockies. Austin Barnes, batting for Raley, lined to right. Albert Pujols, batting for Phillips, flied to right. Betts singled to left. Seager struck out looking.

Final score: Rockies 10, Dodgers 5

Dodgers: Right-hander Josh Bard now pitching for the Rockies. Muncy grounded to second. J.Turner grounded to second. Smith was hit by a pitch. Lux lined to left.

Rockies: Rodgers struck out swinging. Blackmon was hit by a pitch. Story struck out swinging. Cron lined to center.

Score after eight: Rockies 10, Dodgers 5

Dodgers: Right-hander Tyler Kinley now pitching for the Rockies. Betts grounded to short. Seager grounded to first. T.Turner grounded to third.

Rockies: Left-hander Alex Vesia now pitching for the Dodgers. Blackmon reached first on an error by Vesia. Story popped to second. Cron doubled to right, scoring Blackmon. McMahon grounded to short, Cron to third. Hilliard homered to center. It’s 10-5 Rockies. Yonathan Daza, batting for Kinley, walked on eight pitches. And that’s it for Vesia. Right-hander Evan Phillips now pitching for the Dodgers. Tapia grounded to first.

Score after seven: Rockies 10, Dodgers 5

Dodgers: Right-hander Jordan Sheffield now pitching for the Rockies. Lux struck out looking. Raley grounded out. AJ Pollock, batting for Graterol, grounded to third.

Rockies: Right-hander Corey Knebel now pitching for the Rockies. Rio Ruiz, batting for Sheffield, flied to left. Tapia grounded to short. Rodgers struck out swinging.

Score after six: Rockies 6, Dodgers 5

Dodgers: Betts walked on seven pitches. Seager singled to left, Betts to second. T.Turner walked on five pitches. Muncy walked on four pitches, scoring Betts. And that’s it for Marquez. Right-hander Robert Stephenson now pitching for the Rockies. I hope he knows how much I loved reading “Treasure Island.” J.Turner lined to right, scoring Seager, T.Turner thrown out trying to advance to third. Man on first. two out. Smith struck out swinging.

Rockies: Rodgers singled to left. Blackmon was hit by a pitch. That’s it for Bruihl. Right-hander Brusdar Graterol now pitching for the Dodgers. Story singled to center, Rodgers scoring, Blackmon to second. Cron singled to first, loading the bases with nobody out. McMahon lined to short. Diaz struck out swinging. Hilliard struck out looking.

Score after five: Rockies 6, Dodgers 5

Dodgers: Muncy grounded to short. J.Turner singled to left. Smith flied to center. Turner took second on a wild pitch. Lux doubled to left-center, Turner scoring. Raley homered to DEEP center, estimated at 472 feet. Buehler struck out looking.

Rockies: Rodgers homered to left. Blackmon singled to left. Story singled to right, Blackmon to second. Cron singled to center, loading the bases with none out. McMahon singled to left, Blackmon and Story scoring, Cron to second. Diaz flied to right, Cron to third. Marquez doubled to left-center, Cron and McMahon scoring. Left-hander Justin Bruihl replaced Buehler. Tapia grounded to the pitcher.

Score after four: Rockies 5, Dodgers 3

Dodgers: Betts grounded to short. Seager walked on six pitches. T.Turner grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Rockies: Sam Hilliard grounded to the pitcher. German Marquez struck out looking. Tapia grounded to short.

Score after three: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

Dodgers: Justin Turner lined to right. Will Smith singled to left. Gavin Lux reached first on an error by Cron, Smith to second. Luke Raley struck out swinging. Walker Buehler struck out swinging.

Rockies: Trevor Story flied to right. C.J. Cron doubled to right-center. Ryan McMahon flied to right, Cron to third. Elias Diaz grounded to third.

Score after two: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

Dodgers: Right-hander German Marquez pitching for the Rockies. Mookie Betts lined to left. Corey Seager grounded to first. Trea Turner singled to center. Max Muncy struck out looking.

Rockies: Right-hander Walker Buehler pitching for the Dodgers. Raimel Tapia grounded to third. Brendan Rodgers grounded to second. Charlie Blackmon grounded to short.

Score after one: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

DENVER — Dodgers play-by-play television broadcaster Joe Davis tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the organization announced.

The club said Davis is fully vaccinated and is isolating at home.

Orel Hershiser, the SportsNet LA broadcast’s color analyst, is also quarantining as a close contact. The team did not disclose the 63-year-old Hershiser’s vaccination status.

Tim Neverett will handle play-by-play duties Wednesday with Ned Colletti, the team’s former general manager, as the color analyst.

AJ Pollock

(Associated Press)

DENVER — The Dodgers activated outfielder AJ Pollock from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Reliever Shane Greene was designated for assignment to make room on the roster.

Pollock was placed on the injured list Sept. 5 with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. He had been one of the most productive hitters in the majors over the previous two months, slashing .353/.406/.594 in 47 games.

He returned Wednesday with the Dodgers’ outfield corps in flux. Cody Bellinger was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a left rib fracture. Chris Taylor has been in and out of the lineup over the last week because of a nagging neck injury that could land him on the injured list.

The injuries have forced the Dodgers to play Gavin Lux, a middle infielder, in left field. He’ll be back there Wednesday with Luke Raley in right field. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Pollock will start in left field and Lux will start in center field for the first time as a major leaguer Thursday.

DODGERS (97-54)

Mookie Betts CF

Corey Seager SS

Trea Turner 2B

Max Muncy 1B

Justin Turner 3B

Will Smith C

Gavin Lux LF

Luke Raley RF

Walker Buehler P

ROCKIES (70-80)

Raimel Tapia LF

Brendan Rodgers 2B

Charlie Blackmon RF

Trevor Story SS

C.J. Cron 1B

Ryan McMahon 3B

Elias DĂ­az C

Sam Hilliard CF

Germán Márquez P

DENVER — For all talented players in their primes throughout the Dodgers’ lineup, a relentless barrage of firepower when the machine is rolling, there was nobody better for the most important at-bat Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies than the hulking, 41-year-old man who dawdled off the bench in the 10th inning.

Gavin Lux, the go-ahead run, stood at second base when Albert Pujols stepped into the batter’s box to face Jhoulys Chacín. The matchup wasn’t ideal — right-handed hitter against right-hander — but that was irrelevant. Pujols, nearing the end of his 21st major-league season, understood the assignment as a pinch-hitter in the thick of his first pennant race in seven years. Find a hole, anywhere, for his 2,150th career RBI and 38th in 78 games as a Dodger.

The future Hall of Famer needed two pitches. Pujols took the first, a curveball, for a strike. He cracked the second one, a slider, up the middle. The groundball squeaked through the infield, allowing Lux to race around to score in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win at Coors Field.

“In that situation, sometimes you think you have to hit the ball out of the ballpark and you don’t,” Pujols said. “You just have to have a good at-bat and just put the ball in play and hopefully get a base hit. And that’s it.”

Dodgers: Right-hander Carlos Estevez now pitching for the Rockies. J.Turner lined to right. Blackmon appeared to tweak a hamstring making a sliding catch, but he’s staying in the game. Smith grounded to short. Lux singled to left-center. Lux was thrown out trying to take second on a wild pitch. The ball caromed off the backstop right back to the catcher. Tough break.

Rockies: Right-hander Kenley Jansen now pitching for the Dodgers. Hilliard walked on five pitches. Hilliard took second on a wild pitch. Hampson struck out swinging. Rodgers flied to center. Story walked on six pitches. Blackmon flied to right.

Score after nine: Dodgers 4, Rockies 4

Dodgers: Hilliard in left. Right-hander Tyler Kinley now pitching for the Rockies. Seager grounded to first. T.Turner grounded to the pitcher. Muncy struck out looking.

Rockies: Cron singled to center. Diaz lined to first. McMahon struck out swinging. Yonathan Daza, batting for Kinley, struck out looking.

Score after eight: Dodgers 4, Rockies 4

Dodgers: Right-hander Robert Stephenson now pitching for the Rockies. Raley struck out swinging. Matt Beaty, batting for UrĂ­as, grounded to first. Betts struck out swinging.

Rockies: Right-hander Joe Kelly now pitching for the Dodgers. Raimel Tapia, batting for Vilade, walked on six pitches. Sam Hilliard, batting for Stephenson, singled to center, Tapia to second. Hampson struck out swinging. Rodgers popped to second. Story walked on seven pitches. And that’s it for Kelly. Right-hander Blake Treinen now pitching for the Dodgers. Blackmon struck out swinging.

Score after seven: Dodgers 4, Rockies 4

Dodgers: T.Turner singled to first. Muncy doubled to left-center, Turner scoring with his cool slide. J.Turner flied to right, Muncy to third. Smith flied to right, scoring Muncy. Lux grounded to short.

Rockies: Rodgers reached on an infield single. Story grounded to second, Rodgers to second. Blackmon struck out swinging. Cron doubled to right, Rodgers scoring. Diaz doubled to left, scoring Cron. McMahon grounded to first.

Score after six: Dodgers 4, Rockies 4

Dodgers: J.Turner struck out swinging. Smith struck out looking. Lux singled to left. Raley singled to center, Lux to third. UrĂ­as singled to right, Lux scoring, Raley to third. Betts singled to third, Ralye scoring, UrĂ­as to second. Seager flied to center.

Rockies: McMahon doubled to left. McMahon took third on a balk. Vilade grounded to second. Senzatela struck out swinging. Hampson flied to right.

Score after five: Dodgers 2, Rockies 2

Dodgers: Betts flied to right. Seager grounded to second. T.Turner singled. Muncy grounded to third.

Rockies: Hampson reached on an infield single. Rodgers grounded to third, Hampson to second. Story flied to left. Blackmon doubled to right-center, scoring Hampson. Cron doubled to right, Blackmon scoring. Diaz grounded to second.

Score after four: Rockies 2, Dodgers 0

Dodgers: Gavin Lux grounded to short. Luke Raley flied to right. Julio UrĂ­as grounded to third.

Rockies: Ryan McMahon grounded to the pitcher. Ryan Vilade struck out looking. Antonio Senzatela grounded to first.

Score after three: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

Dodgers: Max Muncy grounded to the pitcher. Justin Turner grounded to short. Will Smith flied to right.

Rockies: Charlie Blackmon struck out swinging. C.J. Cron popped to short. Elias Diaz struck out swinging.

Score after two: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

Dodgers: Right-hander Antonio Senzatela pitching for the Rockies. Mookie Betts struck out swinging. Corey Seager flied to left. Trea Turner grounded to first.

Rockies: Left-hander Julio UrĂ­as pitching for the Dodgers. Garrett Hampson flied to center. Brendan Rodgers grounded to short. Trevor Story popped to third.

Score after one: Dodgers 0, Rockies 0

AJ Pollock

(Associated Press)

DENVER — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday outfielder AJ Pollock is scheduled to join the club Wednesday and come off the injured list Thursday to play against the Rockies.

Pollock was placed on the injured list Sept. 5 with a strained right hamstring. The veteran had been one of the most productive hitters in the majors over the previous two months, posting a .353/.406/.594 slash line since July 7.

His absence, coupled with Cody Bellinger’s dismal production, prompted the Dodgers to call up Gavin Lux, a middle infielder, to play left field. Lux had never played a game in the outfield, at any level, before playing a game in center field and another in left field with triple-A Oklahoma City this month.

Lux has provided an offensive spark with the opportunity, perhaps earning playing time even with Pollock available. The former top prospect entered Tuesday 11 for 24 (.458) with a 1.260 OPS in eight games since rejoining the team.

Cody Bellinger

(Associated Press)

DENVER — Cody Bellinger’s misfortune continued Tuesday when he was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup Tuesday against the Rockies and placed on the 10-day injured list with a left rib fracture. Luke Raley was recalled from triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the active roster.

Bellinger suffered the fracture Sept. 13 when he collided with Gavin Lux in left-center field converging for a flyball. The incident didn’t generate immediate concern. Bellinger stayed the game and played in the Dodgers’ next three games.

But the discomfort became unbearable Friday in Cincinnati, prompting tests Saturday, which revealed the fracture. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Saturday said it was a non-displaced fracture. He described it as “benign” and said he expected Bellinger to play Sunday.

Bellinger didn’t play Sunday. Two days later, he’s on the injured list for the third time this season dealing with his fourth significant injury since last postseason.

Belllinger dislocated his shoulder smashing forearms with then-teammate Kiké Hernández in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. He played through the injury but underwent surgery in November and wasn’t cleared to play in spring training games until mid-March.

Then Bellinger sustained a fractured fibula when a pitcher stepped on his leg in the Dodgers’ fifth game of the season on April 5. He missed nearly two months. He missed another two weeks in June with a hamstring injury.

All the while, Bellinger has been, by most statistical measures, the worst hitter in the majors this season. The 2019 National League MVP is batting .150 with nine home runs and a .529 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 89 games.

He ranks last in the majors in batting average and on-base percentage amongst players with at least 300 plate appearances. His OPS is the second lowest.

Without Bellinger, Mookie Betts will move to center field and Raley will play right field Tuesday. It’ll be Raley’s first appearance in the majors since July 27.

DODGERS (96-54)

Mookie Betts CF

Corey Seager SS

Trea Turner 2B

Max Muncy 1B

Justin Turner 3B

Will Smith C

Gavin Lux LF

Luke Raley RF

Julio UrĂ­as P

ROCKIES (70-79)

Garrett Hampson CF

Brendan Rodgers 2B

Trevor Story SS

Charlie Blackmon RF

C.J. Cron 1B

Elias DĂ­az C

Ryan McMahon 3B

Ryan Vilade LF

Antonio Senzatela P

Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen, left, celebrates with catcher Austin Barnes after a win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

(Aaron Doster / Associated Press)

The final two weeks of baseball’s regular season are upon us, with the Dodgers trailing the San Francisco Giants by one game in the National League West. The division title is up for grabs, and with it home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

The Giants (97-53) and Dodgers (96-54) boast the best records in Major League Baseball, but the team that finishes second in the NL West will be a wild-card team. If that team is the Dodgers, the NL wild-card game — the first game of the NL playoffs — would take place at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 6.

That would be the only time in the NL playoffs the Dodgers would have home-field advantage. If the Dodgers won, they would advance to the division series, where a wild-card team is not permitted to have home-field advantage. No matter: The Giants would have a better record.

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