Field Level Media
Sep 7, 2020
Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run against his former team to give the Colorado Rockies a 7-6 victory over the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night.
Josh Fuentes also hit a home run as the Rockies took the lead on four different occasions Sunday while handing the Dodgers their first series loss of the season.
Colorado improved to 2-1 to start a six-game road trip that figures to be key for their postseason chances. The Rockies (20-20), who are toiling at the bottom of playoff-eligible teams in the National League, now head to San Diego for a three-game series.
Corey Seager hit two home runs for the Dodgers, while Will Smith and Chris Taylor also went deep. AJ Pollock had three hits for Los Angeles, which is 10-1-3 in its 14 series this season, but still has the best record in baseball at 30-12.
With the Rockies trailing 6-5 in the eighth inning, Kemp hit a home run to left field, his fourth, with Kevin Pillar aboard. It came against Dodgers left-hander Caleb Ferguson (2-1), who has given up four home runs in 18 outings, but three have come in his last three appearances.
Kemp now has 285 home runs in his career, with 117 of those at Dodger Stadium, fourth most all-time in the ballpark. He played his first nine seasons in Los Angeles (2006-14) and returned for one more season in 2018.
Seager started the back-and-forth affair with a home run in the first inning before Fuentes gave the Rockies the lead with a two-run shot in the second, his first of the season. Smith's home run tied the game 2-2 before the Rockies took a 4-2 lead on RBI singles from Raimel Tapia and Nolan Arenado.
Seager's second home run, and 11th on the season, was a two-run shot that tied the score 4-4, before a Garrett Hampson RBI triple gave Colorado a 5-4 lead. Taylor's two-run shot in the sixth, his third of the season, gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead.
Kemp's shot over the wall in left field came on an 0-1 cutter from Ferguson, who has given up five runs and eight hits over his last two innings over three outings.
Rockies right-hander Yency Almonte (3-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the victory. Daniel Bard pitched the ninth inning for his sixth save, getting Seager to ground out to end it with two aboard.
--Field Level Media