Dodgers’ no-hit bid falls short in 9th, but they finish off Rockies

LOS ANGELES — Undaunted, the Dodgers jumped back into the no-hit fray on Monday and came up short yet again.

Three days after Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from a no-hitter in Baltimore, only for the game to get away in spectacular fashion, they again were on the brink of the 24th no-no in franchise history against the Colorado Rockies.

This time the no-hit effort ended when left-hander Tanner Scott gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Ritter to lead off the ninth. The combined no-hit attempt started with seven strong innings from Tyler Glasnow and one in relief from right-hander Blake Treinen.

While Saturday’s bid ended in a 4-3 defeat, Scott finished off his 21st save in a 3-1 victory over the Rockies that allowed the Dodgers (80-64) to maintain their one-game lead over the San Diego Padres (79-65) in the National League West with 18 games left in the regular season.

Instead of disappointment at seeing a pair of bids at history go by the wayside, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was more optimistic for the road ahead with a starting staff that appears to be roaring toward October.

“With Yamamoto, I felt good about him going into the ninth,” Roberts said. “And I think (with Glasnow), with just kind of everything that’s gone on recently, I think it was kind of (an) easy (decision) for me. But I was more excited that these guys are throwing the baseball.”

The recent development was a back injury that forced Glasnow to be scratched from his start Friday in Baltimore. The injury was concerning enough to send him back to Los Angeles, meaning he was not in attendance for Yamamoto’s gem on Saturday.

Further examinations by team doctors showed nothing serious and Glasow was cleared to pitch Monday.

“I mean, obviously, when you get taken out of a game, like I want to stay in, no matter what my pitch count is,” Glasnow said. “And I think just given my track record, I kind of understand why. If I was healthy every single season, it’d maybe be a different story. But I respect the decision.

“They wanted to take me out, and we ended up winning, so we’re good.”

Scott was poised for redemption after he gave up game-ending hits to the Baltimore Orioles both Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, he was tagged for a walk-off home run from Samuel Basallo. On Saturday, he gave up a game-ending two-run single by Emmanuel Rivera.

When Ritter doubled off the left-field wall, audible groans could be heard from the crowd of 48,433.

This time, Scott had a chance to recover, ending the game by getting Tyler Freeman on a line out, Brenton Doyle on a ground out and Hunter Goodman on a liner to third baseman Max Muncy.

Roberts was asked if the Ritter double had him flashing to the pair of late-game losses to the Orioles.

“I try to not think like that,” Roberts said. “I’ve got to show faith with my players. I really do. Yeah, I believe in them, and I’ve got to continue to show that, but they’ve got to do their jobs too. It was a good night.”

With Will Smith dealing with a hand injury and Dalton Rushing on the injured list with a lower leg injury, Ben Rortvedt was behind the plate for both gems from Yamamoto and Glasnow.  He has played in just four games with the Dodgers, all in a span of four days.

Smith could be back behind the plate as early as Tuesday.

“First, I’m just grateful to help out,” Rortvedt said. “You can’t replace what Will Smith does on this team. He’s the glue that holds the team together, so I’m just grateful to help out. I’ve learned a lot from this week. Today was a lot of fun. … When (Glasnow) is filling up the zone with four pitches, it’s not a fun day (for hitters). He did that today.”

Unilke Yamamoto, who gave up his first hit and run near the end of the game on a home run from the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday, Glasnow tried the opposite tactic.

The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the second inning without the aid of a hit. Jordan Beck walked against Glasnow and stole second base. Beck scored on consecutive fly balls from Ezequiel Tovar and former Dodger Kyle Farmer.

The Dodgers had their own issues against Rockies rookie right-hander Chase Dollander, who didn’t give up a hit through his first four innings. Michael Conforto ended Dollander’s no-hit bid with a single in the fifth.

Dollander departed with a sore left knee following a walk to Ben Rortvedt to open the bottom of the sixth. Shohei Ohtani walked against Juan Mejia before Freddie Freeman chopped a double over the head of Farmer at first base.

The Dodgers added a two-run single from Mookie Betts in the seventh inning for a 3-1 lead.

Glasnow had 11 strikeouts with two walks while throwing 105 pitches through seven innings. It was Glasnow’s second game of at least 10 strikeouts this season and the 21st in his career.

“Everything felt good. I think my timing was good,” Glasnow said. “I was a little off on the four-seam and slider, and then just yanking off everything. Just got with (assistant pitching coach) Connor (McGuiness). He told me to just keep my shoulder in a little longer, and after he told me that, everything just kind of found its timing and just kind of clicked after the third or fourth inning.”

As if struggling to get a hit wasn’t enough, the Rockies set a franchise record with their 104th loss and saw three players leave the game.

Not only did Dollander depart, Rockies first baseman Warming Bernabel left in the first inning after crashing into the netting between the field and the stands while chasing a foul ball. Ritter left the game in the ninth after diving back to second base following his double.

Originally Published:

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