Grandal homers twice to power Dodgers past Rockies
LOS ANGELES -- Yasmani Grandal homered twice, including a go-ahead grand slam, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.
Grandal ripped a slam in the seventh off reliever Boone Logan (2-4), who served up four runs and three walks. Grandal, who is the fifth player to homer from both sides of the plate this season, went 4-for-4 with five RBIs as the first-place Dodgers (87-66) remained five games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.
The Dodgers' magic number to win the division is four games.
The Rockies (73-80) lost for the third time in four games.
Luis Avilan (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. Closer Kenley Jansen struck out two and recorded his 46th save with a perfect ninth.
Dodgers lefty Brett Anderson made his first start in more than a month and allowed four runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk but did not factor into the decision. However, relievers Josh Ravin, Avilan, Joe Blanton and Jansen combined to limit the Rockies to only one hit over the final four innings.
Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood struck out five, walked four and allowed two runs on five hits in six innings.
Josh Reddick's RBI groundout pulled the Dodgers within 4-2 with two outs in the sixth.
In the pivotal seventh, a bases-loaded walk by Logan to Gonzalez made it a one-run game before Grandal, who was a triple shy of the cycle, delivered.
The Rockies scored three runs in the second. Carlos Gonzalez, who led off the inning with a base hit, scored when Reddick mishandled Nick Hundley's double for an error, giving Colorado a 1-0 lead.
A sacrifice fly by Daniel Descalso and a run-scoring infield single by Charlie Blackmon, who pushed his hitting streak to 11 games, made it 3-0.
In the bottom of the second, Grandal launched a solo home run to left to slice the lead. It was his 26th long ball of the season.
DJ LeMahieu went deep in the fifth inning, driving a solo shot to center for a 4-1 Rockies advantage. It was LeMahieu's 11th home run of the season and extended his run of reaching base to 38 consecutive games.
Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley delivered one of the game's outstanding defensive plays in the fourth. Utley booted a grounder by Tyler Chatwood, retrieved the ball and tossed a strike with his back turned to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning.
NOTES: SS Corey Seager is the first Dodger to score 100 runs in a season since Matt Kemp in 2011. Seager is the franchise's first rookie to accomplish the feat since Jim Gilliam in 1953. ... Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson (blister) was reinstated from the disabled list before the game, giving the club 37 active players. ... The Rockies were the only team in the majors with a positive run differential (plus-17) and a losing record entering the game. ... Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda celebrated his 89th birthday. The club honored him with a pregame ceremony. ... Rockies RHP Jon Gray (10-8, 4.42 ERA) faces Dodgers LHP Scott Kazmir (10-6, 4.59) on Friday. Kazmir (neck inflammation) will be making his first appearance in a month.