In the eighth inning, Rockies setup man Taylor Buchholz struck out three Dodgers with his nasty curve, escaping a predicament not of his own making.
Buchholz struck out leadoff hitter Nomar Garciaparra before issuing a walk to Jeff Kent.
Next, a crucial mental error by veteran center fielder Scott Podsednik nearly cost the Rockies. James Loney singled to center, moving Kent to third. Podsednik, thinking he could nail Kent, made an ill-advised throw to third base, allowing Loney to take second and erase a double-play situation.
Undeterred, Buchholz struck out Andruw Jones and Andy LaRoche to escape the jam.
“I was pretty much looking for strikeouts,” Buchholz said. “My curveball saved me today.”
Dodger killer.
Brad Hawpe went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. His career average against the Dodgers improved to .359 (83-for-231).
Only Gary Sheffield (.364) has a higher average against the Dodgers among active players with at least 200 at-bats.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
