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Dodgers can’t answer back after letting early lead slip away to Rockies

April 19, 2026

DENVER — The sun was out all day in Denver on Saturday and the temperature was 24 degrees higher at first pitch than it was for the coldest recorded game in Dodgers history on Friday (35 degrees).

But a chill settled on the Dodgers’ bats instead.

Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing hit home runs in the first two innings, but the Dodgers had just five more hits over the next seven innings and an early lead melted away like Friday’s snow as they lost to the Colorado Rockies, 4-3. That snapped a four-game winning streak for the Dodgers (15-5).

They needed just two pitches to take the lead Saturday.

Shohei Ohtani bounced the first pitch to first baseman Troy Johnston who fielded it and flipped the ball over the head of pitcher Ryan Feltner, covering first base. Ohtani reached base on the error.

Feltner was out of sorts after jumping to try and corral Johnston’s throw. When he settled back on the mound, he started Kyle Tucker off with a high fastball. Tucker clubbed it 435 feet into the seats for a two-run home run.

Dalton Rushing added a solo home run in the second inning – his fifth home run in his first 16 at-bats this month (to go with two doubles and two singles).

But the Rockies stayed one step behind.

Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan continues to search for his groove this season. His fastball velocity was down again (93.8 mph on Saturday) and he struggled to command it. Twelve of the first 20 fastballs he threw missed the strike zone and he got zero swings-and-misses on it in his five innings of work.

Still, he kept the Rockies from landing the big blow. They scored just single runs in the first and second innings off Sheehan.

The Dodgers’ lead disappeared in the sixth when Will Klein took over. He gave up three consecutive hits to start the inning – a double by Hunter Goodman, a single off Klein’s leg by Ezequiel Tovar and a two-run double by Johnston.

Trailing for the first time since their Sunday loss to the Texas Rangers, the Dodgers stranded Freddie Freeman after his one-out triple in the sixth inning.

In the eighth, they wasted another chance to score. Ohtani led off the inning and reached base on a catcher’s interference. Tucker followed with his third hit of the game, a single. But Andy Pages was called out on strikes when the Rockies challenged a ball call and it was overturned by ABS. Freeman flew out to deep center field, allowing Ohtani and Tucker to advance.

Teoscar Hernandez drew a walk to load the bases with two outs for Max Muncy. He grounded out softly to second base.

A pinch-hit single by Will Smith brought Ohtani to the plate with two outs in the ninth. He singled to right field, extending his on-base streak to 50 consecutive games and putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base for Tucker. He flew out to left and the Dodgers finished the game 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

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Dodgers can’t answer back after letting early lead slip away to Rockies

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