Norris prevails in Dodgers debut
LOS ANGELES -- Bud Norris and four relievers combined on a three-hit shutout to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday before 43,644 at Dodger Stadium.
Norris (4-7) amassed eight strikeouts while permitting two hits, a walk and a hit batsman in earning his third consecutive victory in his team debut. The Dodgers acquired the right-hander Thursday from the Atlanta Braves in a five-player trade after putting Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list.
Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (5-5) watched his four-game winning streak end despite recording his third successive quality start. In seven innings, De La Rosa conceded two runs on five hits, four walks and a balk while striking out four.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning and almost added a second run against left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, who conceded just one walk while facing the minimum nine batters in the first three innings.
After Chase Utley walked, Corey Seager got the Dodgers' first hit, a single through De La Rosa's legs and into center field. Utley took third base on the play and scored one out later on Adrian Gonzalez's single.
Howie Kendrick's groundout moved Seager and Gonzalez into scoring position. After Yasiel Puig walked to load the bases, Trace Thompson hit an apparent infield single to bring Seager home.
Rockies manager Walt Weiss appealed first-base umpire Jim Wolf's call, which video review overturned. The replay showed that shortstop Cristhian Adames' throw barely beat Thompson.
Colorado put the potential tying run in scoring position in the sixth, when Charlie Blackmon lined a double to right field with one out. But Adames and Nolan Arenado each flied out to end the threat.
The Dodgers combined two hits, a passed ball and a balk in the seventh to extend their lead to 2-0. Kendrick and Puig began the inning with singles, advanced one base on a passed ball and advanced another 90 feet on a balk, with Kendrick scoring. Puig tried to come home on Thompson's fly out but left fielder Brandon Barnes threw Puig out at the plate.
Los Angeles ended the scoring by combining four hits, including two doubles, and a sacrifice fly into three runs in the eighth. Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI single, Kendrick hit a run-scoring double and Scott Van Slyke contributed the sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Colorado 2B DJ LeMahieu and SS Trevor Story were not in the starting lineup for the third time in four games. LeMahieu has a bruised left knee while Story has a bruised finger. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa entered Friday needing two victories for 100 in his career. ... Los Angeles placed OF Joc Pederson on the disabled list and purchased the contract of OF Will Venable from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers have had a major league-most 19 players on the disabled list this year. ... Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told MLB Network Radio that he expects LHP Clayton Kershaw to miss more than two weeks. Kershaw went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a herniated disc.