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From left to right, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner, Trayce Thompson and Chris Taylor celebrate Thompson’s three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trayce Thompson gestures toward the stands after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Colorado Rockies’ Jose Iglesias, left, is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts reacts after hitting an RBI-single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his three-run home run against starting pitcher Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts hits an RBI-single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Colorado Rockies third baseman Garrett Hampson throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Colorado Rockies’ Jose Iglesias hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Chris Taylor cannot catch a home run by Colorado Rockies’ Jose Iglesias during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trayce Thompson, center, rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Colorado Rockies’ Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias (11) celebrates his solo home run with third base coach Stu Cole (39) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trayce Thompson tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts turns a double play over Colorado Rockies’ Connor Joe during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. Rockies’ Yonathan Daza was out at first. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his three run home run against starting pitcher Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies with Justin Turner and Chris Taylor in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his three-run home run against starting pitcher Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a three-run home run against starting pitcher Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies gets a new ball after giving up a three-run home run to Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Independence Day cleats and socks of catcher Elias Diaz of the Colorado Rockies and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers are shown during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 04: Members of the U.S. military stretch a large U.S. flag across the field during the national anthem in celebration of Independence Day prior to the game between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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A U.S. Air Force large military transport plane makes a flyover in celebration of Independence Day during the national anthem prior to the game between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — Like your Wi-Fi router, whatever spell the Colorado Rockies had cast over the Dodgers has limited range.
The Dodgers lost four of their first six games against the Rockies this season, all at Coors Field, before hosting them at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Trayce Thompson broke the spell with a three-run home run in a four-run fifth inning and the Dodgers went on to a 5-3 victory.
Whatever difficulties the Dodgers have had in Denver, they have beaten the Rockies 26 of the past 35 times at Dodger Stadium.
They were slow to come online Monday. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland retired the first 13 Dodgers batters in order. Only one ball left the infield in that time – a fly out to left field by Will Smith in the second inning.
“Freeland early on was really good. We couldn’t square him up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Our guys were joking in the dugout that they forgot it was a 6:10 start today.”
Freeland toggled through his five-pitch mix, getting at least one swing-and-miss with four of the five, the Dodgers opting to take 10 of the first 12 changeups he threw. It had the look of the three-hit shutout spun by Chad Kuhl against the Dodgers at Coors Field just a week ago.
But Justin Turner ended the perfect game with one out in the fifth, shooting a single to right field (the first of three hits in the game for him). Chris Taylor drew a walk bringing up Thompson.
In his first at-bat against Freeland, Thompson had crushed a long fly ball down the left field line that curved foul into the upper deck. He eventually popped out to end that seven-pitch at-bat.
The second time, Thompson again worked a full count and jumped all over a full-count slider, driving it into the left field seats as well – this time on the fair side of the foul pole.
“I feel like he threw me so many, by the time he threw me that 3-2 one – he left it over the middle of the plate – I felt pretty comfortable with it,” said Thompson, who saw seven sliders in 13 pitches from Freeland over those two at-bats.
“The more you see a pitcher, the more it’s going to benefit a hitter in my opinion.”
Familiarity is certainly benefitting Thompson – whose previous home run at Dodger Stadium had come almost six years to the day earlier, July 3, 2016 also against the Rockies. In his return to the Dodgers. In 13 games since rejoining the Dodgers in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, Thompson has gone 10 for 35 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs.
“I feel like I’ve been in a really good spot all year. Triple-A is obviously different than the big leagues. I think there’s a lot more in the tank,” he said.
“I’ve had some good conversations with Freddie (Freeman) and honestly with this guy (pointing to Clayton Kershaw’s locker). If you want an honest assessment of how you are, ask 22. He’ll tell you.”
The advice he received from Kershaw – “I swing at too many balls,” Thompson said – wasn’t exactly fresh insight. But it hit home with Thompson.
“I mean, I knew that,” Thompson said. “But it’s good to hear that, especially from him. His word in here carries a lot of weight. It carries a lot of weight in this sport.”
Thompson has provided “a spark” since joining the Dodgers, Roberts said.
“He’s come in and immediately made an impact,” Roberts said. “It’s been big.”
Cody Bellinger followed Thompson’s homer with a ground-rule double down the right-field line and scored two batters later on a two-out RBI single by Mookie Betts (3 for 7 since his return from the injured list).
That gave Julio Urias some cushion while he worked through some early inconsistencies with his mechanics. The Dodgers left-hander went six strong innings, making just one costly mistake. Jose Iglesias golfed a down-and-in curveball just over the left-field wall for a solo home run.
“It was one of those days where you’re fighting your mechanics,” Urias said in Spanish. “Obviously they saw me last week. … I didn’t feel that comfortable at first, but I was still able to get through six innings.”
Over his past six starts, Urias has a 2.08 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .177 average – burnishing his All-Star worthy credentials.
“I thought Julio was fantastic tonight,” Roberts said. “You could see a little bit early on he was fighting his mechanics and just didn’t feel comfortable with the breaking ball. The changeup wasn’t in the zone. The fastball was good all night. But he settled in there in the fifth and sixth innings.”
The Dodgers scored again in the seventh when Bellinger led off with a walk and scored from first on Trea Turner’s two-out double. But the Rockies scored twice in the ninth (one on a C.J. Cron homer) before the Dodgers could close it out without Craig Kimbrel, still recovering from the line drive to his back in Sunday’s loss.
Taylor left the game after six innings with left ankle swelling, a byproduct of the ball he fouled off his foot on Saturday. He will get a CT scan on the area Tuesday.
“It’s something that it was feeling better before the game and I thought it wasn’t going to be an issue and I was going to be able to play through it,” said Taylor, who did not play Sunday. “But every inning it got worse and worse and it got to a point where it wasn’t worth continuing to try and push it.”
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