Rockies Jake Cave gets revenge on Dodgers, trots home on Brenton Doyle's walk-off.

Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon, left, douses Brenton Doyle after his walkoff RBI sacrifice fly to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 in a baseball game Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Denver..

Jake Cave didn’t follow his skipper’s orders and defiance paid off.

He stepped to the plate Wednesday with a chance to end the tie game with one swing and singled instead. When he crossed home on Brenton Doyle’s walk-off sacrifice fly win over the Dodgers, he greeted umpire Lance Barksdale whose ears were likely still ringing from the screams Cave dealt him Tuesday.

Colorado followed up its heartbreaking loss with a 7-6 tally Wednesday to set up a possible series split with the Dodgers if it can come through again Thursday.

 

On Tuesday, Colorado was dealt a tough blow when Barksdale called a checked swing a ball and left Victor Vodnik without a third out. Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run, go-ahead homer soon after that doomed the club to another loss to its division rival.

It was the sixth time this season that the Rockies entered the ninth inning with a lead and allowed five or more runs to lose it. No team in the Modern Era has done more in a season, and the year has months to go.

Black wanted to see his team respond to the adversity by learning from it but forgetting it. When the Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead Wednesday, it looked like they had done just that.

Shohei Ohtani’s three-run double in the second inning was a swift reminder of how a game can change within minutes, just as Tuesday’s loss did.

 

The Dodgers dealt another blow in the fifth when they went up 6-4 and looked primed for a possible sweep. A term that circles around the Rockies clubhouse is “push back.”

Cave’s single, Elehuris Montero’s single and Doyle’s eventual sacrifice fly in the ninth inning were their push.

“Baseball is kind of poetic sometimes,” Cave said. “I think it shows that records can show some things, but you when you watch us go out there against a really good team and string good at-bats together… it’s the sign of a really good team.”

Adael Amador’s effort came after a foul bunt attempt. A quick mound meeting allowed Black to call it off and let him swing — the No. 1 prospect grounded out to the right side to advance Cave to third before Doyle drove him in.

As much as the Rockies want to wipe previous results, replicating winning ones would be a welcome change.

They haven’t won back-to-back games since May 29 and 31 against Cleveland and the Dodgers. In the team’s first 74 games, it’s only won multiple games in a row three times — one of the stretches came during Colorado’s seven-game win streak. The other two streaks only lasted two games.

The Rockies have a chance to change that on Thursday.

Rockies 7, Dodgers 6..

 

What happened: Colorado battled back and forth with Los Angeles until Brenton Doyle’s walk-off sacrifice fly scored Jake Cave and completed the Rockies’ comeback from a 6-4 deficit.

On the mound: Ryan Feltner dealt with trouble but worked five innings. He allowed six earned runs — four in the second inning — on seven hits and two walks. He also struck out six. Nick Mears, Jake Bird and Jalen Beeks combined for four scoreless innings and five strikeouts in the bullpen’s rebound effort.

At the plate: Doyle’s walk-off sacrifice fly was the first of his career. He drove in two runs, both on sacrifice flies. Michael Toglia hit his sixth home run in the first inning to give the Rockies a quick lead. Sean Bouchard, Adael Amador and Jacob Stallings added doubles to the Rockies’ 10 hits. They struck out four times to three walks.

What’s next: Los Angeles Dodogers (RHP Gavin Stone, 7-2) at Colorado Rockies (LHP Ty Blach, 3-4) at 1:10 p.m. on Thursday at Coors Field.