Carlos Frias Gets Rocked by Rockies in First Inning Disaster

The Dodgers dropped the series versus the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon after Carlos Frias served up 8 runs on 10 hits to Colorado in the first inning of the series finale at Coors Field. It was historically bad. It was the first time in Major League history that a pitcher allowed 10 hits and recorded fewer than three outs. I cannot even blame Coors Field for this disaster. It was all Frias. The Dodgers were looking to Frias as a backend rotation option after Hyun-jin Ryu succumbed to a shoulder injury and Roberto Hernandez and Dan Haren are typically mediocre. Frias couldn’t even get out of the first inning, and he blew the game within minutes in a spectacular showing of bad pitching.

Kevin Correia was almost as equally bad. By the time the two pitchers left the scene, the score looked like a football game tally.

Justin Morneau collected 6 RBIs and Blackmon had 5 hits. The grizzly details are below.

The Dodgers scored two measly runs. Darwin Barney hit his third homerun of the year, and the Dodgers scored on a Rojas groundout in the ninth. The game was essentially over before the top of the first was even over. Although I was disgusted by the game, I was happy to see the Dodgers leave Denver never to return this season.

The D-backs rolled over against the Giants, so they now trail the Dodgers by just 2 games in the standings.

Dodgers 2 6 2

Rockies 16 21 1

WP- De La Rosa (14-11)

LP- Frias (0-1)

HR- Morneau (16), Blackmon (18), Barney (3), Barnes (8)

Frias got blasted on five Colorado hits in a row to start off the bottom half of the first. After Charlie Blackmon and Josh Rutledge hit back-to-back singles, Justin Morneau hit a huge three-run homerun to right field. Michael Cuddyer followed with a ground-rule double over the right-center field fence, and Corey Dickerson singled. Rick Honeycutt went out to the mound to try to settle Frias down, but no such luck. The first out of the inning was finally recorded when Tim Federowicz mowed down Dickerson trying to steal second.

The hit parade continued. Wilin Rosario and Rafael Ynoa hit consecutive singles. DJ LeMahieu reached on a fielder’s choice when Frias threw home to get Rosario out at the plate. Jorge De La Rosa even joined the Colorado offense party, and the opposing pitcher collected a RBI single. Charlie Blackmon singled in LeMahieu, and Josh Rutledge singled. Don Mattingly had enough finally, and he brought in Scott Elbert to replace the battered Frias. Two more runs came in when Elbert allowed a RBI single to Morneau. The final out mercifully came on a Cuddyer fly out to Matt Kemp in right field. Once the smoke cleared, the Rockies were up 8-0.

Carlos Frias was shockingly bad on Wednesday’s loss to the Rockies. Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers finally got a hit off Jorge De La Rosa in the top of the third inning. Darwin Barney, who was playing second base in the day game, singled with two outs. The Dodgers could not do much else in the scoreless frame.

Scott Elbert allowed one hit through 1 1/3 innings of work, and Kevin Correia took over in the bottom of the third for the Dodgers. The Rockies weren’t about to call it a day. Charlie Blackmon hit a solo homerun off Correia with two outs, and the Rox took a 9-0 lead.

Gonzalez led off the fourth with a double, but Gonzo was erased between second and third base after Jorge De La Rosa handled Juan Uribe‘s grounder.

More Colorado runs. Correia continued to fan the flames of the dumpster fire in the bottom of the fourth. Three more runs came in for the Rockies off a Morneau double, a walk to Cuddyer, a RBI double from Rosario, and a RBI single by Ynoa. 12-0.

Two more Colorado runs in the fifth. Blackmon singled, Rutledge tripled, and a Morneau sacrifice fly made it 14-0. Kevin Correia allowed 6 runs on 7 hits over 3 fruitless innings of relief.

Daniel Coulombe allowed another run in the bottom of the sixth. Brandon Barnes reached on a throwing error by Miguel Rojas, Blackmon came up with his fifth base hit of the game, and Barnes scored on an error by Drew Butera who was laughingly playing first base. 15-0.

Jorge De La Rosa pitched 6 shutout innings and allowed only 2 hits with 3 strikeouts and 2 walks on 89 pitches.

After allowing runs to the Rockies in every inning except the second, the Dodgers finally etched a scoreless frame again against them in the bottom of the seventh. Who pitched the scoreless inning? Why Chris Perez of course.

Sep 17, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau (33) celebrates his three run home run with right fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) and shortstop Josh Rutledge (14) in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgersat Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers finally got on the board in the top of the eighth. Darwin Barney, the slugger that he is, hit a solo homerun to left field to fend off the shutout. Barney had two of the Dodgers’ six hits of the game.

The Rockies had to collect one more run just to rub it in. Yimi Garcia was the sixth Dodger pitcher of the day. Brandon Barnes hit a solo homerun against Garcia, and that was the Rockies’ sixteenth run of the drubbing.

The Dodgers scored another meaningless run in the top of the ninth off  Rob Scahill. Scott Van Slyke singled, Joc Pederson walked, and SVS scored on a subsequent groundout by Miguel Rojas.

That was ugly and torturous to watch. So long, Coors Field!

The Dodgers drop to 86-66 on the year. They will head over to Chicago to begin a four-game series at Wrigley Field beginning Thursday evening. After the ivy series, the Dodgers return home for the final homestand of the year. They will play the Giants and Rockies at Dodger Stadium for the final six games of the regular season.