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Dodgers And Zack Greinke Credit Jorge De La Rosa For Strong Outing

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

When the Los Angles Dodgers first faced Colorado Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa this season it was Mother’s Day and a chilly afternoon at Coors Field, hours after overnight show had been cleared so the game could start on time.

De La Rosa gave up a run in the second inning and lost control in the fifth, walking three consecutive batters to load the bases with no outs. Adrian Gonzalez promptly cleared them with a three-run double that tied the game and knocked De La Rosa out. He finished with a final line of four innings pitched, five earned runs allowed on five hits, four strikeouts and six walks.



To say De La Rosa redeemed himself against the Dodgers Saturday night would be an understatement. The 34-year-old left-hander allowed just two hits in 7.1 scoreless innings and had three strikeouts while issuing zero walks.

De La Rosa at one point retired 18 consecutive batters as a Dodgers lineup loaded with right-handed hitters struggled mightily. Their inability to generate any offense played a large role in Zack Greinke suffering his first loss in 2015, despite throwing six innings and allowing just one run.

Following the loss, Greinke credited his counterpart for putting together a better outing than his. “De La Rosa pitched better, it seemed like,” Greinke said. “He’s usually really good,” Greinke said of De La Rosa, who entered the game winless on the year.

“I thought he pitched really well and there’s not much you can do about that.” Kiké Hernandez hit a leadoff double in the first inning only to be stranded, which was indicative of the kind of night the Dodgers went on to have.

“He was throwing all his pitches for strikes and he was mixing them well,” Hernandez answered when asked what worked for De La Rosa. “He did a good job and we couldn’t make the adjustments.”

Hernandez added he “got lucky” on his double as De La Rosa left a changeup over the plate after throwing three fastballs. Manager Don Mattingly was also complimentary of the Rockies starter for improving on his last start against the Dodgers.

“He threw a lot more strikes,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, he gave us a lot of opportunities when he walked some guys last week. He’s a tough guy to get ready for because he’s wild in the strike zone and has a good changeup.”

De La Rosa has issued 12 walks over five starts this season, though with half of the total coming in the May 10 outing against the Dodgers. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is now at 2.17, which would be his best clip since 2012.

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