BY KYLE GLASER
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If nothing else, the Colorado Rockies are still showing some fight at the end of a lost season.
The Rockies rallied from a three-run deficit to force extra innings, but fell 6-5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night when Scott Van Slyke scored the winning run on Franklin Morales’ wild pitch in the 12th inning.
Colorado’s bullpen retired 18 straight, a stretch that spanned from the sixth inning until the 12th.
Van Slyke started that inning with a one-out single. He advanced to second when Tim Federowicz was hit by pitch, stole third, and came home on Morales’ wild pitch.
“Scott Van Slyke single-handedly won the game for us right there,” catcher A.J. Ellis said. “That was a big base hit. We hadn’t had a baserunner in quite some time. Then for him to show off not just his speed but his baseball savvy.
“Give him a lot of credit for baseball IQ and knowing what was needed for us to get off that field.”
The Rockies trailed 5-2 after five innings but chipped away against the Dodgers bullpen.
Charlie Culberson singled home Michael McKenry in the sixth, and McKenry cut the deficit to 5-4 with a solo homer in the eighth.
Ben Paulsen tied it in the ninth, sending Paco Rodriguez’s first pitch down the right field line, just inside the foul pole, and into the seats.
“Paulsen’s made quite an impression,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “Good hitter. Really pretty swing. He’s done a nice job.”
Morales (6-9) took the loss for the Rockies (66-95), who have dropped three straight.
Colorado took a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning, but the Dodgers erased it with a four-run spurt that knocked starter Eddie Butler from the game.
“(Butler) looked pretty sharp early, but it got away from him in the fifth,” Weiss said. “I felt like he threw some good sinkers, but I think he started to catch a lot of the plate in the fifth inning and he got nicked up there.”
Los Angeles rapped out four hits in the inning, including Van Slyke’s tying RBI single and Matt Kemp’s go-ahead RBI double.
Butler, making his third career start, was charged with five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“I think he’s shown some promise here and something to look forward,” Weiss said. “Got some things to build on. Overall, I think he threw the ball pretty well.”
The Dodgers (93-68) have won four straight, including an NL West-clinching victory over San Francisco on Wednesday. They are locked into the league’s No. 2 playoff seed.
Rookie Carlos Frias (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings for Los Angeles for his first major league win.
TRAINERS ROOM:
Dodgers: 2B Dee Gordon was removed in the second inning due to right hip irritation. His removal was characterized as a precaution by team staff and he is day to day. … LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left shoulder inflammation) didn’t report any pain after throwing off a mound on Friday. He will throw a full bullpen session on Sunday.
Rockies: 2B DJ LeMahieu (sprained left knee) will have an MRI on Monday. He was injured while diving for a ball in the series opener.
UP NEXT:
Dodgers: RHP Zack Greinke (16-8, 2.74) looks to remain unbeaten since Aug. 9. He is 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA in his last seven starts.
Rockies: RHP Christian Bergman (3-4, 5.29) wraps up his rookie season. Bergman, 26, has won three of his last four decisions.
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