Tony Gonsolin gives Dodgers a big lift returning to the mound
Los Angeles Dodgers #26 Tony Gonsolin pitched two innings against the Colorado Rockies at Dodgers Stadium. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.
LOS ANGELES, CA -The Colorado Rockies (67-93) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers (110-50) for the second night in a row, with a 2-1 victory, and Tony Gonsolin pitching for the first time since August 23
Gonsolin (16-2) pitched two innings, gave up three hits and one run, and struck out three batters while looking a little rusty, his velocity was good, and the command of his pitches was off just a little.
"I was pretty nervous out there, and I hadn't felt that in a while," Gonsolin said. "I tried to go out there and execute pitches, and I did a little bit of that, but for the most part, I have some things to work on in this next bullpen session.
"Overall, I thought he was good," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "I didn't expect him to be razor-sharp tonight. But I thought the stuff was good, velocity good, and his command was just a tick-off. I think the main thing is we got out of it by having him be healthy.
Gonsolin breezed thru the Rockies’ lineup in the top of the first inning, but the second inning was different. Elias Diaz singled off of him to get on base, got Randal Grichuk to line out, Sean Bouchard doubled, and Alan Trejo hit an RBI single to right field as Diaz crossed home plate to make the score 1-0.
Yency Almonte came in the top of the third inning to replace Gonsolin. Trayce Thompson tied the game 1-1 with a solo home run over the left-field wall.
Despite having the best record in MLB, the Dodgers all season have left a lot of runners in scoring position and were unable to bring them in should be a concern in post-season play, especially run support for their pitchers.
The Rockies got the winning run in the top of the ninth inning when Michael Toglia hit a line drive to left field off of the Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Gratorol (L, 2-4), and Sean Bouchard came home to score, making the final score 2-1.