Chris Taylor homered, Mookie Betts had three hits, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 10-4 in Denver on Friday night.
Will Smith had two hits and drove in four runs for the Dodgers, who beat Colorado for the 15th time in 18 games.
C.J. Cron hit a grand slam and Charlie Blackmon and Brendan Rodgers had two hits each for the COVID-19 ravaged Rockies.
Contact tracing issues forced Colorado to play Friday night’s game without manager Bud Black, first base coach Ron Gideon and four players, including pitcher Antonio Senzatela, who was slated to start on the mound.
Pitchers Yency Almonte and Jhoulys Chacin and outfielder Yonathan Daza were added to the COVID-19 injured list.
Colorado pivoted to start Chi Chi Gonzalez in place of Senzatela, and the Dodgers hit him hard in the first inning.
Betts led off with a double, Justin Turner was hit by a pitch and Smith walked to load the bases with one out. Cody Bellinger drove two in with a single to center, and Taylor homered to left field to make it 5-0.
It was his 11th of the season.
The Rockies closed the gap in the third off Julio Urias. Garrett Hampson and Rodgers led off with singles, and one out later Urias hit Blackmon to load the bases.
Cron hit the next pitch from Urias into the seats in left-center field, his 13th homer, to make it 5-4. It was his second grand slam of the year and fourth of his career.
Urias (12-3) allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Los Angeles got two back in the fifth when Urias and Betts led off with singles and came home on Smith’s two-out double to make it 7-4.
Gonzalez (3-6) allowed seven runs on nine hits in four innings.
The Dodgers tacked on three runs in the fifth against reliever Justin Lawrence. A.J. Pollock walked, Gavin Lux singled and both moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Urias.
Betts hit a sacrifice fly and after two walks loaded the bases Smith hit a two-run single.
–Field Level Media