Dodgers keep rolling with 11-3 dismantling of Colorado

Knotted in a 3-3 tie, the Dodgers exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning tonight enroute to an 11-3 win over Colorado.

Coupled with San Francisco’s 6-2 loss at Arizona, the Dodgers increased their lead in the NL West to four games with a dozen games left in the regular season.

Roberto Hernandez started for the Dodgers but went only 3.2 innings before he needed help from the bullpen. Paco Rodriquez rescued the Dodgers in the fourth, getting Charlie Blackmon to ground out to Hanley Ramirez with two outs and the bases loaded.

Pinch-hitter Justin Turner keyed the big inning in the sixth when he drilled the first pitch he saw from Rex Brothers into right field for a double, scoring two of the three runners on base. Dee Gordon then stroked a single to left, Yasiel Puig walked, Adrian Gonzalez lined a single to right for two more runs, Hanley Ramirez doubled to the gap in right center for another run, Carl Crawford scored Gonzalez with a sac fly and Juan Uribe doubled to center, scoring Ramirez.

The Dodgers racked up eight runs on seven hits during the hit parade to put the game out of reach.

The Dodgers scored two in the first inning on a two-run homer to right center by Matt Kemp and added another run in the fifth when Dee Gordon doubled on a soft fly to right and Gonzalez drilled a double down the right field line. Kemp went yard for the second game in a row.

Jamey Wright, Pedro Baez, Brandon League, Brian Wilson and Chris Perez each pitched an inning in relief, holding the Rockies to no runs on four hits over the final five innings. Perez pitched the ninth, striking out the side.

Uribe went 3-for-4 to lead the Dodgers and Gonzalez had two hits in five trips and three RBI to push his NL leading total to 106 on the season.

Gordon, Puig and Ramirez each added a pair of hits as the Dodgers racked up 15 hits off of Colorado starter Christian Bergman and six relievers.