LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Tyler Anderson #44 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
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Colorado Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon falls after being hit by a pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Logan Forsythe #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers forces out Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies at second base in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill throws during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies’ Pat Valaika, right, hits a solo home run, as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, left, watches along with home plate umpire Brian Gorman during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies’ Pat Valaika watches his solo home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill, front, during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies’ Pat Valaika, left, heads to first on a solo home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill, front, during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Enrique Hernandez #14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers leaps but can not catch a home run ball hit by Pat Valaika #4 of the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Enrique Hernandez can’t reach the ball on a solo home run by Colorado Rockies’ Pat Valaika during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Pat Valaika #4 of the Colorado Rockies rounds second base after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Pat Valaika #4 is congratulated by DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is pulled from the game by Manager Dave Roberts in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, center, throws out Colorado Rockies’ Ian Desmond at first as starting pitcher Rich Hill, left, and Rockies’ Trevor Story watch during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado hits a solo home run in front of Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Rockies’ Nolan Arenado watches his solo home run off Dodgers relief pitcher Scott Alexander, front, during the eighth inning of Friday’s game at Dodger Stadium. The Rockies won 3-1. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado gestures as he scores after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies crosses home plate in front of Austin Barnes #15 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after hitting a home run in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado gestures as he scores on a solo home run, next to Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Chris Taylor, left, waits for the throw, before tagging out Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story as Story triesdto steal second during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies’ Chris Iannetta tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run off Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Yimi Garcia, front, during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner hits a solo home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Wade Davis, left, during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds second base after hitting a home run agains the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Rockies won 3-1. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated on his ninth inning home run against the against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Rockies won 3-1. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, right, tosses his bat in the air after striking out to end Friday’s 3-1 loss to the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers struck out 10 times and had just five hits. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, left, and relief pitcher Wade Davis congratulate each other after the Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — Their bullpen is undermanned and overburdened. Their rotation seems perpetually in a state of renovation or reconstruction with starting pitchers scattered from here to Rancho Cucamonga. But the Dodgers have their offense to prop it all up.
Not Friday night.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson retired the first 11 Dodgers in order and allowed only four hits in eight scoreless innings as the Colorado Rockies handed the Dodgers a 3-1 defeat.
Justin Turner did hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning, the Dodgers’ 54th in June. That is a new franchise record for any calendar month (and four short of the major-league record for a month).
Chris Taylor came close to breaking the record right out of the gate. He sent Rockies right fielder Noel Cuevas to the wall with a long drive leading off the bottom of the first inning. That was as close to scoring as the Dodgers came against Anderson.
The 28-year-old left-hander fairly breezed through the Dodgers’ lineup. He struck out five of the first 11 Dodgers before allowing a soft single by Turner. The four hits he allowed were all singles, including a dribbler by Yasiel Puig that traveled no more than 20 feet. None of the baserunners advanced past first base.
“We’ve seen Anderson quite a bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s some funk in there in the delivery. But tonight I think it was the cut fastball in on the righties. He kept us off balance with offspeed, the cutter, threw the fastball away, the slider.
“He has a three-, four-pitch mix we just really couldn’t get any swings off of.”
But the best thing Anderson did for the Rockies was pitch deep into the game, keeping the Dodgers away from the Rockies’ dreadful bullpen.
Anderson needed more than 12 pitches to retire the side in just two of his eight innings. He threw 96 pitches in all, completing eight innings for the first time in his 51 career starts.
In his past three starts away from pitcher-tormenting Coors Field, Anderson has allowed only three runs on 15 hits and two walks while striking out 19 in 22 innings.
Dodgers starter Rich Hill was only a step behind.
Hill allowed six hits and pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season, striking out a season-high 10 along the way.
“The ball was coming out of my hand the way I wanted,” Hill said. “That’s what I was really pleased with today. The quality and consistency of my curveball was really what I wanted.”
In three starts since returning from his blister problem, Hill has allowed four earned runs on 14 hits, three walks and a jarring five hit batters while striking out 21 in 17-2/3 innings.
“He was really good,” Roberts said. “You look at the three starts he’s had since coming back. A really good one, just okay and another really good one.”
But he made one costly mistake.
Hill got No. 8 hitter Pat Valaika down 0-and-2 quickly in the fifth inning but couldn’t finish him off. Four pitches later, Hill left a 1-and-2 fastball up and over the plate. Even the .128-hitting Valaika knew what to do with that. He drove it over the wall in left-center for his first home run of the season.
Hill was done in the seventh inning. The Rockies were not.
They padded their lead with solo home runs by Nolan Arenado off Dodgers reliever Scott Alexander in the eighth inning and by Chris Iannetta off Yimi Garcia in the ninth.
Dave Roberts reflects on Rich Hill's night and what made getting to Tyler Anderson so tough for the #Dodgers offense tonight. pic.twitter.com/R5d2Hl57fM
