• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Dodgers break out bats against Rockies

Aug 20, 2011 - 6:05 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Rod Barajas hit a three-run homer and knocked in four, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled to an 8-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday to open a three-game series.

The Dodgers, who started their 10-game road trip by dropping three of four in Milwaukee, banged out 10 hits and gave Hiroki Kuroda some solid run support for a second straight start.

Kuroda (9-14) earned his first career win against the Rockies after allowing two runs on four hits in six innings, striking out five and walking three.

Jason Hammel (7-12) was foiled by LA again, taking the loss after giving up six runs and six hits in just three innings. He fell to 1-3 in four starts against the Dodgers this season.

Carlos Gonzalez had an RBI single and Troy Tulowitzki doubled twice for the Rockies, who are 3-6 in their last nine.

Although Kuroda is just 4-11 in his last 16 starts since May 17, the Dodgers have scored 15 runs for him in his last two outings, both wins. The righty had a stretch of 13 outings where they scored just 2.77 runs a game for him.

"He's been the guy this year that hasn't gotten a whole lot of runs, but tonight he got some early," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "He stayed aggressive and made them put the ball in play."

The Dodgers scored seven runs in the first four innings to take control, including RBI singles from Aaron Miles and Rod Barajas in the first and second.

They blew it open with a four-run third, getting an RBI single from James Loney and a three-run blast from Barajas, his 12th homer of the season, to make it 6-0.

"It's tough (to make up that deficit) especially with Kuroda, a guy who challenges the strike zone," said Tulowitzki. "You don't want to be first- pitch swinging or make easy outs. You want to work counts and try to get to their bullpen."

Gonzalez knocked in Colorado's first run in the third, but Tony Gwynn Jr. smacked a solo homer in the fourth, his second of the season.

In the sixth, Gonzalez walked and Tulowitzki doubled before Todd Helton grounded out to score a run. Matt Kemp hit an RBI single in the seventh to cap the scoring for LA.

Game Notes

Entering the game, Kuroda was 0-5 in nine previous starts against Colorado, including a loss on July 27 when he gave up just one run in six innings...The Rockies are 2-2 on a nine-game homestand.