After beginning the game with a Don Mattingly jersey, acting manager and Dodgers third basemen Juan Uribe switched to a Tommy Lasorda jersey in the final Dodgers game of the regular season. Zack Greinke made the start in the series finale against the Colorado Rockies, with the Dodgers looking for the sweep. With the 5-4 victory in extra innings on Saturday, the Dodgers surpassed their win total from last season. Greinke worked his way through five innings in his last tune up before the Dodgers begin the playoffs at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, the team who sent them home last season. Greinke gave up four hits, one run, one walk, and struck out six batters at the plate, throwing 77 pitches. Greinke left the game with his regular season ERA sitting at 2.71, good for eighth in the National League. Greinke picked up his 17th victory to close out the season. Yimi Garcia fanned the side in his inning of relief work. Closer Kenley Jansen put in some work, striking out two batters to complete the 10-5 win. The Dodgers pitching staff set a franchise record with 373 strikeouts this season, setting the national league high and good for the ninth highest total for any team in MLB history.
The Dodgers run support for Greinke began in the first inning with a two out double from Adrian Gonzalez, his 41st of the season. Matt Kemp continues to swing a hot bat, blasting his 25th home run of the season to center field to take a 2-0 lead. Darwin Barney singled to lead off the third inning, and moved to second base on a throwing error by Colorado shortstop Josh Rutledge, giving Yasiel Puig first base. Gonzalez followed with a three run home run to right field, notching his league leading RBI total to 116. A big four run sixth inning gave the boys in blue a 9-1 lead, putting the game out of reach. Erisbel Arruebarrena and Drew Butera singled, putting two on for Barwin, who singled in Arruebarrena from second base. Roger Beradina hit his first home run as a Dodger, a three run blast to right field. The boys in blue raised their league leading September total to 35 home runs. A final run was scored for Los Angeles in the seventh inning on an RBI single from Bernadina, who finished the game 2-2 with two RBI’s.
The Los Angeles Dodgers close out the 2014 regular season with a 94-68 record. The boys in blue finish off September with a series sweep, and a five game win streak to take into the postseason. The Dodgers will welcome in the Cardinals for game one of the NLDS on Friday at Dodger Stadium.