The Los Angeles Dodgers just learned a painful lesson about the thin air in Denver. You can have the most expensive roster in baseball history and a rookie playing out of his mind, but if your relief pitching falls apart in the late innings, Coors Field will eat you alive. Sunday’s 9-6 loss to the Rockies wasn't just another game. It was the first time this season the Dodgers have lost two in a row, and it highlighted a shaky reality behind their 15-6 start.
The kid is for real
Ryan Ward waited a long time for this. Seven years in the minors is an eternity in baseball years. At 28, most guys have either made it or started looking for a coaching gig. Ward just kept hitting. He won the Triple-A MVP last year with a monster 36-homer season, and when Freddie Freeman went on the paternity list this weekend, the Dodgers finally made the call.
He didn't waste a second. Ward lined an RBI single in the fourth inning to give L.A. a 3-0 lead. He finished his debut with two hits and looked like he belonged from the first pitch. Honestly, he almost saved the game in the ninth. With two on and two out, he sent a blooper toward right field that looked like a sure hit. Troy Johnston made a ridiculous diving catch to end it, or we’d be talking about a very different outcome. Ward showed a level of composure you don't usually see from guys making their first MLB start.
Roki Sasaki and the altitude factor
Roki Sasaki was the main event before the bullpen became the story. Pitching at altitude is a nightmare for guys who rely on specific movement, and Sasaki felt it. He was cruising early, but Colorado started chipping away in the fourth and fifth. Kyle Karros took him deep for his first homer of the year, which seemed to shake the rhythm.
Sasaki finished his day giving up three runs, which usually is enough to win with this lineup. But the Dodgers are finding out that "good enough" doesn't work when the middle relief is a coin flip.
When the wheels come off
The real disaster started in the seventh. After Alex Freeland drove in a run to put the Dodgers up 4-3, the lead felt safe. It wasn't. Blake Treinen (1-1) came in and the Rockies just pounced. Edouard Julien, who is quietly having a massive series, led off with a double. Then Mickey Moniak absolutely crushed a two-run shot to right-center.
It’s becoming a pattern. The Dodgers' starters are among the best in the league, leading MLB in games of six-plus innings. But when the ball goes to the pen, the game changes. Here is why the bullpen is struggling:
- Velocity drops: Several key relievers are seeing a dip in their average heater speed compared to last season.
- Inconsistent command: Walking the lead-off hitter at Coors is basically asking for a crooked number on the scoreboard.
- High leverage fatigue: Because the Dodgers play so many close games, the top-tier arms are getting leaned on too early in the season.
The Rockies added three more in the eighth, mostly off Julien’s bat again. By the time the Dodgers tried to rally in the ninth, the hill was too steep.
Shohei Ohtani keeps the streak alive
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Shohei Ohtani is still doing things that don't seem humanly possible. He doubled twice on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 51 games. That puts him third in Dodgers history, trailing only Shawn Green (53) and the legendary Duke Snider (58).
Ohtani is the engine of this offense, but even a 51-game streak can't mask a bullpen that surrenders six runs in the final three innings. The Dodgers were 11-2 in their last 13 games before hitting this wall in Denver.
What the Dodgers need to do next
The team has one more game in this wraparound series on Monday. Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12 ERA) takes the mound against Jose Quintana. If the Dodgers want to avoid a three-game skid, they have to find a way to bridge the gap from the starter to the closer without the wheels falling off.
Manager Dave Roberts might need to shuffle the deck. Using Treinen in that spot clearly didn't work today. The Dodgers should consider giving more high-leverage looks to the younger arms who haven't been "Coors-ified" yet. They also need Freddie Freeman back in the lineup to provide that veteran stability, though Ryan Ward’s performance makes that transition a lot easier to swallow.
Get the win on Monday. Get out of Colorado. Forget the thin air ever existed.
