The Dodgers complete the sweep of the Colorado Rockies as they didn’t even have their full lineup out on Thursday.
The Dodgers got the victory on Thursday with most of their starters pulled out mostly just because it was their regular days off. Even with Seager and Betts not the lineup, the other Dodgers regulars like Justin Turner and Max Muncy kept the Dodgers offense alive and well. There were some fielding issues during the top of the 6th inning as Chris Taylor cost the Dodgers a run with a throwing error which made it look like a play out of the little league, but the Dodgers were able to recover from it.
On the pitching side of things, Julio Urias pitched well despite running into some trouble the first few innings of the game with solo home runs in the 1st and 3rd inning. Overall, Urias went 6 innings while giving up 4 earned runs on 7 hits with 6 strikeouts. The biggest issue came on a called ball by the home plate umpire which would’ve actually prevented the throwing error from Taylor in the first place. Nonetheless, it was a decent start for the left-hander as he was able to get out of that inning and not make it worse.
Justin Turner Carrying A Hot Bat
Turner has been swinging a great bat since the start of the regular season, but especially these couple of games against the Rockies. He went 3-for-3 on Thursday as he homered in back-to-back games with a three-run blast in the bottom of the 3rd. He was only a triple shy of the cycle on Thursday as Turner is hitting to a .432 batting average, .480 OBP, and a 1.321 OPS for a great regular season so far. Turner is certainly proving his worth to the team as he signed that deal to stay with the Dodgers in the off-season and is already a great leader in the clubhouse which is a great intangible for the team to have.
Oh hey, NBD. it's just JT's FOURTH dinger of the season…and we're only halfway through April! #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/UbolCsICM0
— Dodgers-LowDown (@DodgersLowDown) April 16, 2021
In the bottom of the 7th, Max Muncy decided to get in on the action as he hit a three-run home run of his own which gave the Dodgers the lead. It came at an opportune moment as the Dodgers were down going into the bottom of the 7th and Muncy charged life into the stadium with a huge home run. That would be all the Dodgers score as the two three-run shots proved to be enough for a former All-Star starter now converted to a reliever.
Needless to say, this chased the pitcher.
Two three-run homers from the #Dodgers tonight. Both of them took them from down 2 to up 1. WHAT?!
Check out the Muncy Mash! pic.twitter.com/bDU5W7yZ4j
— Dodgers-LowDown (@DodgersLowDown) April 16, 2021
David Price Closes It Out
Yes, you read that right, David Price came out for the 9th inning to get the save which certainly raised some eyebrows. He got into some trouble early with back-to-back hits to get Dodgers fans on the edge of their seats. Luckily, Price was able to settle down after that and record the 3 outs he needed along with a pair of strikeouts. This was Price’s first career regular-season save as he’s gotten a save before back in the postseason with the Rays.
Looking Ahead
The Dodgers will be taking on the San Diego Padres next as it’s going to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend. The last time these two teams faced each other was in the postseason in 2020, with the Dodgers getting the last laugh. The Dodgers will send Walker Buehler to the mound as he dominated in his last start against the Nationals. He went 6 solid innings while giving up no runs with 4 strikeouts to get his first win of the season. The Padres will counter with Ryan Weathers, who has been seen exclusively out of the bullpen, so it might just be a bullpen game for the Padres as it shouldn’t be expected for him to go deep into the game. The game time is at 7:10 pm PST.
Jacob Cisneros is a writer for Dodgers-LowDown. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @_JacobCisneros.
