Dodgers 8, Rockies 7: Eric Lauer may never lose again, as Dalton Rushing walks it off in the team’s first extra-inning game of the year

Chad Moriyama 07/06/2026 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After a successful series against the Padres, the Dodgers welcomed the Rockies and kicked things off with the unbeatable Eric Lauer, who either shuts down the opposition, makes the offense score for him, or both, and he did enough yet again for the team. Unfortunately, Tanner Scott blew a three-run lead in the 9th that cost him a win, but all that did was eventually set things up for Dalton Rushing to walk it off for an 8-7 win.

The Dodgers are 7-0 in games he has pitched for the team.

Nothing like a little shade to start a series.

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Eric Lauer didn’t put in his best performance, but he kept the team in the game and protected the lead, which is what he’s supposed to do.

He worked around a lead-off walk in the 1st, but then got into major trouble in the 2nd. Things started with two singles and a hit batter to load the bases with nobody out. However, he gave up just an Ezequiel Tovar sac fly to minimize the damage.

Following a clean 3rd, he worked around a one-out single and steal in the 4th, but then gave up a lead-off homer to Tovar in the 5th.

After stranding a one-out walk later in that inning, a lead-off double in the 6th was cashed in with a one-out single by Jake McCarthy for their third run, but he then ran into a double play to end the inning.

McCarthy was stealing on a flyball to center, and he popped up off the bag on a slide to the third-base side and didn’t retouch making it as if he cut the bag without touching it.

That was it for Lauer, who exited with a comfortable cushion: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 99 Pitches.

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A quality start, and that was enough for the Dodgers offense to back him against the struggling Kyle Freeland.

They started with just a two-out single in the 1st, and stranded a lead-off single in the 2nd. However, things changed quickly in the 3rd, as Dalton Rushing hit the first pitch for a double and then Shohei Ohtani hit the second pitch for his 19th homer of the year to put the Dodgers on the board.

They really blew things open in the 4th, as Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernandez, and Max Muncy all singled in a row to start the inning to plate a run, then Miguel Rojas followed with a sac fly to give the Dodgers four runs. A Rushing double followed to put two into scoring position again, and Ohtani then singled with the infield in for two more to make it six for the Dodgers.

Freeland was done after a quiet 5th, and their pen entered for a 6th and went three scoreless.

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Protecting a 6-3 Dodgers lead, the pen started the 7th with Brock Stewart, who cruised through a 1-2-3 frame. Alex Vesia didn’t have an easy 8th, as a lead-off and two-out walk brought the tying run to the plate, but he escaped disaster with a groundout that ended with McCarthy eating it at first this time.

It was then Tanner Scott in the 9th for a save, and he notably walked his first batter since May 19, then gave up a single to bring the tying run to the plate. Kyle Karros then hit a hustle double to score a run and cut the lead to 6-4, then issued an intentional walk to load the bases with one down.

Scott then rebounded with a three-pitch strikeout, but then gave up a double to Cole Carrigg to score two runs and tie the game at 6-6. They were lucky to not be down by one as Hunter Goodman‘s great slide was ruled safe live but out on review to not put them down a run. Great tag by Rushing.

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Now tied going into a walk-off situation in the 9th, Antonio Senzatela entered for the Rockies. He gave up a lead-off single that was sacrificed to second, but nothing else except an intentional walk of Ohtani with two down. Not the best strategic decision, IMO.

And so it was extra innings for the Dodgers for the first time all year.

Edgardo Henriquez started the 10th, and a sac bunt advanced the Manfred Runner to third before a McCarthy groundout resulted in the go-ahead run scoring for the Rockies to make it 7-6. After the play, Carrigg and Rushing seemed to exchange words, but a whole lot of nothing, really.

Him blocking the plate there is legal, btw.

For the save, it was Brennan Bernardino for the Rockies, and Freddie Freeman started with a grounder to first that acted like a sac bunt. Mookie Betts then took advantage by lining a ball up the middle that Edouard Julien just whiffed on for an error that scored Andy Pages as the Manfred Runner to tie things up at 7-7.

Kyle Tucker followed with a bloop single to put a pair on, and Jimmy Herget entered for the Rockies. He immediately went 3-0 to Teoscar Hernandez, and he swung to line one back to Herget for a double play. Yeesh.

Henriquez continued in the 11th, issuing a lead-off walk, but Julien continued his bad day by popping up a bunt, and then Goodman rolled one back to Henriquez for a double play.

Herget also stayed in for the Rockies in the 11th, starting with an intentional walk to Max Muncy, which was followed by a Tommy Edman sac bunt to move both over (this one made sense).

Rushing then stepped up and came through with his third hit, a walk-off single.

Funniest possible guy to walk it off here.

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Eric Karros with negative aura points fleeing from a foul ball back into the booth that Joe Davis claims.

Andre Ethier‘s mark is still in the dugout.

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60-32 is very good, and it puts them 2.5 games up … for the best record in baseball.

The series continued tomorrow at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Justin Wrobleski looking to start an All-Star snub revenge tour against Michael Lorenzen.

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