LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers’ 15-6 win over an awful Rockies team on Tuesday night was a look at who these two franchises are in Major League Baseball in 2026. The better clubs in the game usually beat up on the worst teams in the sport more times than not.
It all started with Mookie Betts, who put the Dodgers on the board in the first inning when he hit an 0-2, 91-MPH fastball off of starter Kyle Freeland, 404 feet over the center field wall, scoring Freddie Freeman ahead of him.
Freeland (1-6, 8.08 ERA) has spent his entire 10-year MLB career with the Rockies and had his best year with Colorado in 2018, when he was 17-7 with an ERA of 2.85 across 202.1 innings pitched with 173 strikeouts. After that great season, finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting, the 33-year-old left-hander has not had a winning season. His line Tuesday night was four innings pitched, nine hits, eight runs, and three home runs with four strikeouts. His replacement, Zach Agnos, was slightly better, giving up two home runs and seven runs over two innings.
Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.95 ERA), whom the Dodgers recently acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays, was a welcome sight for a Los Angeles club that has had 12 of its 24 pitchers on their 40-man roster go on the injured list—working all parts of the strike zone to shut down the Rockies. He had a line of six innings pitched, four hits, one run, and one home run with four strikeouts.
But the big story was the Dodgers showing why they are a powerhouse at the plate, collecting 17 hits, including five home runs. Mookie Betts was 3-5 with two home runs and five RBI as Andy Pages, Havana, Cuba, went 4-5 with a home run (his 12th of 2026) and three RBI.
Will Smith also had a home run in the sixth inning, which marked his fifth of the season.
The Dodgers went into the top of the ninth inning ahead 15-1 when they inserted a position player, Miguel Rojas, Los Teques, Venezuela, to mop up the game which was the reason why the Rockies scored an additional five runs. I will never understand why managers think that is a good idea for a ton of reasons.
But something happened here that captivated the 52,148 fans Tuesday night on Mexican Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium more than anything else.
It was once again the biggest fan favorite, Kiké Hernández, San Juan, Puerto Rico, who hit a home run in his first at-bat of the night and followed that up with a double in the next inning.
Unfortunately, the 34-year-old right-handed hitting utility man (4-4 in 2026 with two doubles, a HR and single), making his season debut Monday night, had to leave the game shortly after with a left oblique strain—something that could unfortunately keep him out of action for more than six weeks.
“It’s a bummer, he’s missed a lot of time and worked hard to get back,” said manager Dave Roberts, noting it’s not a season-ending injury. “But I just feel bad for him because he wanted to be back.”
As enthusiastic of a teammate as they come in any MLB clubhouse, Hernández brings more to the game than his play on the field.
His presence is important to all his teammates and coaches in the dugout.
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