LOS ANGELES — Modest by recent standards, the Dodgers’ most recent no-hit bid merely leaked into the sixth inning on Tuesday.
There was no ninth-inning drama like Saturday in Baltimore, when Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the bullpen fumbled away a chance at a victory. Tyler Glasnow built on the no-hit mania on Monday against the Colorado Rockies before Tanner Scott gave up the first hit in relief in the ninth.
Right-hander Emmet Sheehan was the latest to get in on the craze by opening taking a perfect game into the sixth inning on Tuesday on the way to the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over the Rockies.
One day, and possibly soon, the Dodgers will close the deal. Tuesday seemed like an appropriate time on the 60th anniversary of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. The effort stands as the only perfect game in Dodgers history.
Sheehan’s effort, along with four home runs from the offense, allowed the Dodgers (81-64) to move two games up on the second-place San Diego Padres (79-66) in the National League West with 17 games left in the regular season.
Widely believed to be one of two starters the Dodgers will jettison once the playoffs arrive, Sheehan (6-3) at least wants to make the decision a tough one. He did not allow an earned run in two of his four August starts and gave up just two runs last week in Pittsburgh but still was left with the loss.
He struck out nine and did not walk a batter on Tuesday, while going seven innings for the second time in his career. Both efforts have come in his past three outings.
“It seems like every night with the probables, the starting pitchers, we’ve got a good one going,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “… I just like the fight from our guys. And ultimately, it just doesn’t matter how we get it done. We just got to get a win. And I think that there’s 26 guys that understand that.
“We’re just trying to continue to build wins. I think that’s kind of the goal regardless of how we get there.”
The offense showed some urgency with two home runs from Teoscar Hernandez and one each from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers had five runs over the first five innings, including home runs from Betts and Hernandez. A rejuvenated Betts has three of his 17 home runs over the past six games.
Freeman and Hernandez added home runs in the ninth. The multi-homer night gave Hernandez 23 on the season as he went deep for the first time since Aug. 22.
The Rockies finally came away with their first hit of the game and their second of the series when Kyle Karros ripped a single to left field, just over the head of third baseman Max Muncy in the sixth.
The son of Los Angeles Dodgers career home run leader Eric Karros was playing in his 28th career major league game.
Karros ended up scoring the lone run off of Sheehan when Tyler Freeman singled.
Left-hander Alex Vesia pitched the eighth inning in his first outing since going on the injured list with oblique discomfort. Vesia retired all three batters he faced, including strikeouts against Braxton Fulford and Michael Toglia.
In the ninth inning, right-hander Kirby Yates gave up a home run to Hunter Goodman, the catcher’s 30th of the season.
More to come on this story.
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