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Dodgers down Rockies in extras

Jun 1, 2013 - 5:51 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Luis Cruz's go-ahead, RBI groundout in the Dodgers' two-run 10th lifted Los Angeles to a 7-5 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game set.

The Dodgers held a 5-2 lead after seven, but Colorado pushed across a run in the eighth on a Wilin Rosario groundout and tied the game in the ninth when Todd Helton smacked a towering two-run homer into the second deck in right on the 11th pitch of his at-bat against Los Angeles closer Brandon League (1-2).

"It would be easy to lay down there," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "The boys kind of bounced right back up."

Ramon Hernandez singled against Rafael Betancourt (1-3) to begin the 10th before Scott Van Slyke struck out. Skip Schumaker's base hit put runners on the corners and pinch-runner Carl Crawford, who replaced Hernandez, scored when Cruz smoked a comebacker off the foot of Betancourt. Betancourt was able to retrieve the ball and throw out Cruz at first, but Juan Uribe singled to center to bring home Schumaker.

Ronald Belisario tossed a scoreless bottom half for his first save of the season.

Clayton Kershaw fanned five and surrendered three runs on eight hits and two walks over seven-plus innings for the Dodgers, who snapped a brief two-game skid.

Dexter Fowler tallied three hits and two runs scored for Colorado, which has dropped three straight and six of its last seven.

"We've played a lot of tight games this year and sometimes the reward for competing like that is getting punched in the gut. I like the way our guys fought back against a really good pitcher," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

The Dodgers plated three in the third and two more in the fourth to jump out to a 5-0 advantage.

Cruz was hit by a pitch to begin the third and came home when Uribe doubled down the left-field line. Uribe scampered to third on Kershaw's sacrifice bunt and scored on Mark Ellis' single to center. Andre Ethier worked a walk and Ellis was pushed across when Adrian Gonzalez grounded a base hit through the hole on the right side.

With two outs in the fourth, Jon Garland intentionally walked Uribe to put runners on the corners for Kershaw, who made Colorado pay with a two-run double to left-center.

Colorado got a pair of runs back in the home half when Michael Cuddyer hit a one-out, run-scoring single and Rosario registered an RBI groundout.

Game Notes

The Dodgers were 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base ... The Rockies' starter Garland allowed five runs on seven hits and three walk over five frames.