Denver, CO – Josh Beckett got a rude welcome back to the National League Monday night from the team with the worst record in the NL West.
Tyler Colvin hit Beckett's second pitch of the game over the wall in right field and the Colorado Rockies posted a 10-0 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field.
Beckett (0-1), who was traded from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster deal on Saturday, gave up seven hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings. The right- hander, who is just 5-12 in 22 starts this season, came over to the Dodgers along with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, outfielder Carl Crawford and infielder Nick Punto.
Colvin knocked in three runs for the Rockies, who blew the game open by scoring seven times in the eighth inning.
Jeff Francis (5-4) surrendered three hits and fanned six over five innings, as Colorado won for the seventh time in nine games.
"It's a great game. You have to play good baseball against this team, dealing with this lineup," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "You cannot afford to give them unnecessary opportunities. Jeff Francis did a great job of not allowing any of this to happen."
The Dodgers, who had four hits, have lost two in a row and five of their last seven games. They fell 2 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants.
Beckett, a three-time All-Star and World Series MVP with the Florida Marlins in 2003, was behind right away when Colvin smashed an 0-1, 91 mph fastball over the fence.
"I was the second-best pitcher out there," Beckett said. "Jeff kept us off balance and he made some pitches when he needed to."
DJ LeMahieu's single to center scored Chris Nelson in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers failed to capitalize with two men on base in the fifth as Beckett and Shane Victorino struck out.
Pinch-hitter Josh Rutledge singled in Nelson in the sixth inning.
Victorino tripled to left-center field in the eighth, but with men on first and third, Matt Belisle induced Matt Kemp to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Nelson scored on LeMahieu's base hit in the eighth inning, a frame in which the Dodgers completely collapsed. Colvin laced a two-run triple and Jordan Pacheco cracked an RBI double. Carlos Gonzalez fanned, but catcher A.J. Ellis dropped the third strike, and Pacheco scored before Wilin Rosario capped the rally with a two-run homer off Josh Wall.
Game Notes
The Rockies lead the season series, 7-6. The Dodgers have not lost a season series to the Rockies since going 6-12 versus Colorado in 2007. This was the Rockies' first shutout at Coors Field since July 15, 2011 against Milwaukee.
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