DENVER -- The Rockies will have to wait another year to try and win their first NL West title and will play in the NL Wild Card game Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in the Windy City after losing 5-2 in a four-hit loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday in the division tiebreaker game.
Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler did not give up a hit until Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon singled to right field in the sixth. He allowed just one hit, struck out three and walked three in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
After some stellar pitching from both teams early on kept the game scoreless, Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger broke the tie open in the bottom of the 4th inning with a two-run home run to right.
His shot scored 1B Max Muncy, who reached on a passed ball by Rockies catcher Tony Wolters after he struck out swinging. Wolters and Marquez appeared to have mixed up their signs, as Marquez threw a high fastball and Wolters appeared to be expecting a breaking ball.
Muncy widened the Dodgers lead to 4-0 an inning later, lining a fastball to left field to score Joc Pederson.
After Marquez got Manny Machado to fly out to center, his day was over as manager Bud Black brought in Harrison Musgrave in relief. Marquez finished the day with nine strikeouts and two walks, giving up two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings.
Blackmon finally broke up Buehler’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning, but D.J. LeMahieu and David Dahl quickly grounded out to end the inning.
Buehler helped his own cause in the bottom half of the inning. After Kike Hernandez doubled to right field, Buehler drove him in with a single to right field, widening the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0.
After getting Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado to fly out to deep right for the first two outs of the sixth, Buehler was pulled after walking Carlos Gonzalez. Buehler finished the day with one hit, no runs, three walks and three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
Reliever Pedro Baez walked Ian Desmond before getting Matt Holliday to pop out to shortstop to end the inning.
Rockies reliever Scott Oberg turned a double play after Justin Turner and Muncy singled to lead off the inning. He was able to hold Turner at third, and Jake McGee came in and got a strikeout to end the seventh inning.
After Blackmon singled through the shift to left field in the 8th, the Dodgers brought in Kenta Maeda, who got LeMahieu to ground out and got out of the inning by striking out Dahl. Rockies relievers McGee and D.J. Johnson got through a clean bottom of the eighth.
Arenado hit his NL-leading 38th home run in the top of the 9th inning off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to break up the Dodgers’ shutout. Arenado will win the NL home run title, finishing the regular season with one more than Story, who followed Arenado’s home run with one of his own to narrow the score to 5-2. It was Story’s 37th home run of the year, putting Arenado and him at Nos. 1 and 2 in the NL with home runs this season.
After the ninth-inning home runs, Gonzalez grounded out to first, Desmond struck out swinging and Gerardo Parra followed suit to end the game.
The Cubs fell 3-1 to the Brewers Monday in a similar tiebreaker game that determined who would win the NL Central. The Brewers will host the winner of Tuesday’s NL Wild Card game in the best-of-five NLDS starting on Thursday, while the Dodgers will host the Atlanta Braves.
The Cubs are expected to start Jon Lester on the mound Tuesday, while the Rockies will likely put either Antonio Senzatela on the mound or pitch ace Kyle Freeland on short rest for the single-elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.
