Down two runs in the seventh inning on Monday night, the Dodgers needed only two hits to flip the game.

In a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers turned what had been a frustrating night at the plate into a fruitful one late, taking advantage of some wild Rockies pitching with a three-run go-ahead rally that gave them a third-straight victory.

The seventh inning began with back-to-back walks from Rockies right-hander Juan Mejia. Lefty Brennan Bernardino then came in and plunked Miguel Rojas with an 0-2 curveball.

Just like that, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with no outs. The top of their order was due up. And though they had gone 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position to that point of the night, their string of missed chances wouldn’t last any longer.

Instead, Shohei Ohtani got one run home by beating out a potential double-play grounder at first. Mookie Betts tied the score with a sacrifice fly to left field, hit just deep enough for speedy Hyeseong Kim to sprint to the plate. 

After that, at long last, the team got some big hits to drop in. Freddie Freeman roped a double off the wall in right to give the Dodgers their first lead at 4-3. Andy Pages extended it in the next at-bat with an RBI single to shallow right.

The two-run advantage wouldn’t be threatened again.

All night, the Dodgers had been desperate for such an inning.

Without it, contributions from two of the night’s other stars would have gone to waste.

Kiké Hernández went 2-for-2 in his first game back from offseason elbow surgery, getting a loud ovation before his first at-bat –– then an even louder one when he lined an RBI double down the line in the third to put the Dodgers on the board.

Starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan gutted through a six-inning, two-run start. He gave up the 1-0 lead by allowing two runs in the fourth, an inning that included a 103.8 mph comebacker that drilled his right shoulder.

However, despite two separate visits from manager Dave Roberts and head athletic trainer Thomas Albert, Sheehan lobbied to stay in the game, then retired eight of the final nine batters he faced.

That kept the Dodgers in striking distance just long enough.

Eventually, their offense came awake.

What it means

The Dodgers are still hot.

Fresh off an impressive 7-2 road trip, and having won nine of their previous 11 games overall, the club stayed in the win column Monday by picking up their 18th come-from-behind win this season –– representing more than half of their 34 total wins. 

During this stretch, the Dodgers’ offense has continued to find ways to consistently produce runs. Monday was their eighth time in the last 12 games scoring at least five; all of which have been wins.

Who’s hot

Hernández had waited two long months to reach Monday night, after opening the season on the 60-day injured list while recovering from his offseason surgery.

He didn’t wait long to make an impact, jumping on the second pitch he saw from Rockies’ right-hander Tanner Gordon for his RBI double in the third.

Hernández would get only one more at-bat, chopping an infield single in the fifth that was misplayed by Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros. 

After that, the Dodgers did some strategic pinch-hitting in his spot in the seventh, initially inserting Dalton Rushing to get the left-handed Bernardino in the game, before pivoting to Rojas in the at-bat for the platoon advantage.

The hit-by-pitch probably wasn’t what they had in mind. But it worked just fine all the same.

Who’s not

The Dodgers’ bullpen, but only barely.

After setting a franchise record by combining for 38 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to May 12, the team’s relief corps finally faltered on Monday.

In the top of the seventh, the first man out of the bullpen, right-hander Kyle Hurt, gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.

With that, the Dodgers’ bullpen streak ended 7 ⅔ innings shy of the all-time MLB record. It went down as the longest such run by a team since Cleveland in 2017.

Still, the unit delivered when it mattered. Hurt got through the rest of the seventh unscathed. Will Klein protected the sudden 5-3 lead with a 1-2-3 eighth, which ended on a 100.5 mph fastball. Then Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen combined for a scoreless ninth, with Treinen collecting the final out to record his first save this year.

Up next

The series continues on Tuesday, when Eric Lauer will make his Dodgers debut after being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays last week. He’ll face off against fellow left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.04 ERA).