On an opening day when the Dodgers flexed their muscle and reminded the Rockies who’s the big brother in the divisional rivalry between the two, continued to make his case as one of the National League’s best players.
The shortstop was 2 for 5 at the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored, an offensive output that all came by way of the long ball. Story took Brock Stewart deep to center for a two-run blast in the seventh inning and followed that up with his third homer of the year via a solo shot to right-center off Yimi Garcia in the ninth.
“My swing feels really good,” Story said. “For me, it’s all about the little adjustments, game-to-game and at-bat to at-bat, and I’ve been doing that really well here early on in the season.”
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Still, Story’s 11th career multi-homer game “doesn’t make it sting any less” in the wake of a 10-6 defeat, one in which the 26-year-old left a couple of additional offensive opportunities on the table.
With one out in the third, Story roped a 104.6-mph line drive off Kenta Maeda right to the glove of Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy, who stepped on the bag to double up at first base and end the inning.
“It was one of those plays where you felt the momentum kind of shift there,” Story said.
Story also struck out on three straight pitches with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth, ending Colorado’s threat as it attempted to come back from what was at the time a 6-1 deficit.
“Those are chances that, obviously, I’d like to capitalize on,” Story said.
Even so, Story remains the lone Colorado player with multiple homers this season; only and Dahl have also gone deep.
On Deck
Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler (0-0, 15.00 ERA) vs. Rockies RHP Jon Gray (0-1, 4.05)
6:10 p.m. Saturday at Coors Field
TV: ATT SportsNet Radio: 850 AM/94.1
The last time Buehler faced the Rockies, he mowed them down with six-plus innings of one-hit, shutout ball as the Dodgers clinched the division title in a tiebreaker game at Chavez Ravine. However, the 24-year-old was hit hard in his 2019 debut against Arizona, lasting only three innings while giving up five runs. Colorado is hitting .183 in 109 at-bats against him with four home runs, while Los Angeles is hitting .337 with five homers in 98 at-bats against Gray. Max Muncy and Joc Pederson have both taken Gray deep twice as the right-hander is coming off a decent season debut in which he allowed three runs in six-plus innings against the Marlins.
հԻ徱Բ:Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda has been solid within the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, where he entered Friday with a 3.19 ERA in eight games (five starts). He continued that reliability at altitude Friday, yielding one run on four hits over five innings.
At issue: Colorado takes on the Dodgers 18 more times this season, and as opening day as well as Los Angeles’ historic early home run pace has demonstrated, slugfests with the boys in blue are certainly not in Colorado’s best tactical interests. The Dodgers won last year’s season series 13-7.
Upcoming pitching matchups
Sunday: Dodgers LHP Julio Urias (0-0, 0.00) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (0-1, 9.53), 6:37 p.m., ESPN
Monday: Braves RHP Julio Teheran (0-1, 3.60) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.31), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Braves TBD at Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-0, 0.69), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
