LOS ANGELES >> The Dodgers aren’t firing on all of their offensive cylinders right now.
A two-cylinder engine was enough Sunday.
Chris Taylor hit two solo home runs, and Will Smith hit another to break a 2-2 tie, as the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 before an announced crowd of 42,621 at Dodger Stadium.
Smith’s home run was his fourth in his last seven games. Two of those have come against the Rockies. The latest allowed the Dodgers (61-40) to win two of three games at home against the Rockies (43-56).
Next up: an off day Monday, followed by a critical three-game series in San Francisco against the first-place Giants (62-37).
Taylor started the scoring with a home run in the Dodgers’ first at-bat of the game, taking Rockies starter Jon Gray deep to right field. It was his eighth career leadoff home run and his second this season.
In the fifth inning, Taylor took Gray deep again ― again on a breaking ball that caught too much of the strike zone. His 16th home run of 2021 tied the game 2-2.
Smith was looking for a fastball from Carlos Estevez, and got one on the first pitch he saw from Carlos Estevez (2-2) in the eighth inning.
In addition to his 14th home run of the season, Smith drew a walk as the Dodgers’ cleanup hitter. Taylor went 3 for 4 from the leadoff spot. The rest of the team went 3 for 24 with six strikeouts.
Colorado manufactured a run in the first inning against Dodgers starter Josiah Gray, then got a solo home run from Elias Diaz to take a 2-1 lead in the second.
Gray allowed just the two runs across four innings in his second career start. He walked four batters and struck out six.
Jimmy Nelson, Brusdar Graterol, Phil Bickford and Joe Kelly did not allow a run in five innings. Kelly overcame a swinging-bunt single by C.J. Cron to begin the ninth inning en route to his first save of the season.
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