Blame it on the rain

Dodgers scored three pivotal runs in the sixth inning, with an hour and a half rain delay sandwiched in between.

The Dodgers have now won five straight games against the Colorado Rockies this season and have captured five consecutive series wins after defeating Colorado 8-1 on Wednesday.

The Dodgers turned to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday to end his month on a high note, as he looked to pick up his first win in the month of June. That task proved difficult as Yamamoto’s counterpart, rookie Chase Dollander, went toe for toe with him through the first half of Wednesday’s contest.

The Rockies were once again able to retire the Dodgers’ big three at the top of the lineup in the top of the first inning, while Yamamoto returned the favor against Colorado in the bottom half.

The Dodgers tallied the game’s first hit with a slicing double down the left field line from Tommy Edman. Rockies shortstop Orlando Arcia fielded a ground ball from Michael Conforto perfectly to nab Edman at third base before Dollander recovered after walking Shohei Ohtani to leave two runners on base.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s chance at perfection was spoiled by a two-out single from Sam Hilliard in the bottom of the third inning, but that was the only damage Colorado did against him. Although Yamamoto’s start was cut short due to the rain delay, he ended his night with his first scoreless start since June 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals, registering at least six strikeouts for the first time since that start.

While Dollander only recorded one strikeout on the night, he kept the ball on the ground, as the Dodgers grounded out a total of 10 times against him. When the clouds gloomed over the Denver skies, and the rain began to pour heavily, the Dodgers took advantage.

It appeared that Dollander would leave two men on base to complete six shutout innings as he induced a shallow pop up from Max Muncy, but neither Thairo Estrada nor Michael Toglia could locate the ball as it fell next to Toglia, allowing both base runners to score before the grounds crew called for an official rain delay.

Both teams would wait an hour and 27 minutes before play resumed, and the Dodgers got right back to scoring with an RBI single from Teoscar Hernández to push the lead to three.

The Rockies took advantage of an errant throw from Andy Pages that sailed into the Dodger dugout that brought home their first run. The Dodgers called on Alex Vesia to record a much needed final out of the sixth inning against a left-handed hitter, and he did just that by striking out Ryan McMahon with the potential tying run on base.

Max Muncy didn’t need Mother Nature’s help on a towering grand slam he clobbered in the seventh inning. Muncy finished the game with six RBI and now has 13 RBI over his past three games.

Michael Conforto now has five hits over his last three games, including multiple hits in two straight. He has also hit home runs in back-to-back games for the first time as a Dodger, as he demolished a ball 431 feet to extend the lead to seven.

The Dodgers are the first National League team to reach 50 wins on the season, and with the Detroit Tigers losing on Wednesday, now find themselves tied for the best record in baseball.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Max Muncy (12), Michael Conforto (6)
• WP— Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-6): 5 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
• LP— Chase Dollander (2-8): 5 ²⁄₃ IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers will go for another sweep of the Rockies on Thursday (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading back to the Midwest to take on the Kansas City Royals. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers, while Austin Gomber starts for Colorado.