LOS ANGELES – Mike Bolsinger pitched three-hit ball for six innings and Yasmani Grandal singled home the only run Sunday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 victory that salvaged a split of their four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.
Bolsinger (2-0) struck out six, walked two and allowed only one runner past first base in his third start of the season.
Kenley Jansen, who returned from the disabled list Friday after left foot surgery in February and had four strikeouts in the eighth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory, was back in his customary closer’s role and pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
Kyle Kendrick (1-5) was the hard-luck loser, limiting the NL West leaders to a run and three hits over seven innings with five walks and one strikeout. The right-hander came in with a 9.27 earned-run average and 10 home runs allowed in six starts since his 10-0 win at Milwaukee on opening day.
The Dodgers got their run in the fourth on Grandal’s hit toward the hole past shortstop Daniel Descalso, after Adrian Gonzalez singled with two outs and Justin Turner walked. They threatened for more in the sixth, but Andre Ethier lined out to center field after Kendrick walked the bases full.
Descalso led off the Rockies’ third with a single and was thrown out by Grandal as he tried to steal on the next pitch. Grandal then fielded a dribbler to the right of the mound by Kendrick and threw the ball past Gonzalez at first base, but the Colorado pitcher was immediately ruled out by plate umpire Marty Foster for running inside the baseline.
Colorado batters struck out 54 times in the series against a pitching staff that has fanned 343 batters this season, second most in the majors behind Cleveland’s 345. Leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon, who struck out nine times in the four games, was ejected by Foster in the third inning after a swinging strikeout that stranded runners at the corners.
Blackmon was fuming about a called strike earlier in the at-bat. He has no RBIs in 36 at-bats since his solo homer against Craig Kimbrel on May 3 at San Diego.
