Dodgers 11, Rockies 3: Thank goodness for that 8-run inning

That could have been a lot more stressful/worse/terrible. Instead, it was a relatively easy 11-3 Dodger victory on Monday night in Colorado.

With Roberto Hernandez starting, the chances he wouldn’t last long were high — and that’s what happened. But, he limited the damage: 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. Paco Rodriguez relieved him and was able to escape a bases-loaded jam by getting Mike’s favorite Rockie Charlie Blackmon to ground out.

With the score tied at three, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the sixth inning. That’s usually the last thing they want. But, Justin Turner came through with a 2-run double to start an 8-run inning that was more than enough for the Dodgers at Coors Field.

Matt Kemp, being a really good hitter and all, got the scoring started with a no-doubt 2-run home run to right-center field in the first inning. He’s now up to 21 home runs on the season. I mean, people actually wanted to see this guy traded?! Adrian Gonzalez finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs to give him a National League-leading 106 (one behind Mike Trout for the MLB lead), if you’re into that sort of thing.

Yasiel Puig — the guy who should be benched or something, went 2-for-5 with a double and a walk. He’s been on base 10 times in the last four games, amassing a .412/.500/.529 triple slash in that time. He might be rediscovering his swing. Hanley Ramirez, who was hitting .263 eight days ago, went 2-for-4 with a double to raise his average to .278. I’ve been saying it’d be something if the, for lack of a better term, big four could get going at the same time, the offense could be quite formidable. Oh, and Juan Uribe went 3-for-4 with a double of his own.

The bullpen worked 5 1/3 of 1-run ball. With Dan Haren and Carlos Frias going the next two days, the bullpen figures to be tested quite a bit. And Haren (13-10, 3.99 ERA) takes the hill on Tuesday against Tyler Matzek (5-10, 4.23). First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. Pacific time. At press time, the Diamondbacks are up 6-2 on the Giants in the eighth inning. If the lead holds up, the Dodgers (86-64) will move four games ahead of ‘Frisco in the NL West standings with 12 games to play.