Dodgers 6, Rockies 1
LOS ANGELES -- Chris Capuano had his best start of the year, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded 13 hits in a 6-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.
The Dodgers, who have collected 55 hits in their last four games, have won 16 of 19 and five straight as the lineup has lifted the pitching.
Not that Capuano needed a boost Thursday.
The hot-and-cold starter pitched a scoreless 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits and no walks while striking out a season-high eight as he bounced back from back-to-back shellackings. Capuano, who allowed five runs in each of his previous two starts, went five-plus innings and gave up one run or none for the fifth time this year.
He got more than enough support from the hot-hitting Los Angeles lineup. Five Dodgers had multiple hits, led by Mark Ellis, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Juan Uribe.
Ellis had three hits -- all singles -- and four RBIs, including an eighth-inning single that scored two. Hairston had two hits, two runs and an RBI, and Uribe had two hits and two runs.
Yasiel Puig raised his average to .397 with two hits. Adrian Gonzalez also had two hits for the Dodgers, who lead the National League in July runs, batting average and slugging.
Colorado slugger Carlos Gonzalez added to his National League home run lead with a ninth-inning solo shot off Brandon League, his 25th home run of the year and fourth off the Dodgers.
Rockies starter Drew Pomeranz (0-3) allowed seven hits and walked five in four innings as the Dodgers built a 3-0 lead.
The up-and-down Capuano dazzled the Colorado lineup through the first six innings, allowing just four hits while striking out eight.
The Dodgers gave Capuano a little early support from a pair of unlikely sources.
Hairston opened scoring in the second inning with an RBI double, driving in Uribe. Uribe scored again in the fourth inning along with Hairston on a Ellis' two-run single.
NOTES: Colorado activated SS Troy Tulowitzki and CF Dexter Fowler from the disabled list, and they each went 0-for-4. Tulowitzki had been out since June 14 with a fractured rib on his right side. Fowler missed the minimum 15 days due to a bone bruise in his right hand. The Rockies optioned OFs Tyler Colvin and Corey Dickerson to Triple-A Colorado Springs to clear roster spots. ... Gonzalez, who is nursing a finger injury, won't participate in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez will take his place. ... Dodgers C A.J. Ellis got the night off after a 14-inning game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Ellis is riding a nine-game hitting streak and batting .421 since July 2. ... Puig made his first start in center field for the Dodgers. ... Colorado won the first two series this season against Los Angeles, both 2-1, but the Dodgers earned a 2-1 series win at Colorado from July 2-4.
