LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers showed how explosive they can be at the plate in the seventh inning of Monday’s series opener vs. the Rockies, blowing the doors off Colorado. Even though Los Angeles’ 44-inning scoreless streak from their stellar bullpen ended in the visiting frame of the seventh when Ezequiel Tovar, Maracay, Venezuela, sent a 431-foot home run into the left field pavilion, it was smooth sailing from there as the Dodgers, down 3-1, scored four runs to make it a 5-3 game.
With the two run lead, Will Klein took over and pitched a perfect eighth inning that included two strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander has become the guy Los Angeles looks to in the late innings to shut down a game for whoever will be their closer that certain night. And he didn’t disappoint on Monday, handing it off to Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen for the ninth.
On another Dodger note, it was nice to see Kiké Hernández, San Juan, Puerto Rico, return from the injured list after missing the first 53 games of the season due offseason elbow surgery.
Kiké Hernández returned from the injured list (offseason elbow surgery) Monday night and made his 2026 regular season debut – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The 34-year-old postseason hero for the back-to-back World Series champs, winning a ring with LA in 2020 as well as with Boston in 2018, had Dodger fans on their feet in his first at-bat.
On the second pitch he saw, Hernández smacked a 1-0 91-MPH fastball and sent them into a frenzy as the super-fan favorite here at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. Stringing together a RBI double down the left field line, which gave the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead, this marked his first hit and first at-bat since the 2025 World Series.
“He’s a tough competitor, tough player,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hernández’s return. “I don’t think anyone appreciated how severe the injury was.”
In the pregame and postgame press conference, LA manager Dave Roberts spoke about Kiké Hernández’s impact on the team regardless of not being active until Monday – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
As for Colorado, their woes continued, as Mickey Moniak, 28, was placed on the 10-day IL with right ankle tendinitis, which is not what this struggling organization needs right now.
The number one overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, selected by the Phillies, was finally coming into his own after stints with Philadelphia and the Angels.
The Rockies placed Mickey Moniak (12 HRs and 28 RBI in 2026) on the 10-day injured list due to right ankle tendinitis – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Let’s just say, the “Mile High City” must have been feeling good to him before this news. In his first season with the Rockies in 2025, the left-handed hitting outfielder hit 24 home runs and batted .270 across 135 games, the most in his career. Across his first 43 games of 2026, Moniak is batting .280 with 12 home runs.
That’s a big loss for Colorado when looking at the depth and power within their lineup.
This is a Rockies club (20-35), now on a three-game losing streak, that is looking straight down the barrel at a possible three-game sweep at the hands of LA (34-20), a team that is beginning to steamroll through the National League West division (2.5 games up on San Diego).
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