Struggling lefty Hong-Chih Kuo finally returned to the mound Friday night at Colorado, and although manager Joe Torre had hoped to find a meaningless, middle-innings situation to ease Kuo back in, Torre ultimately didn't have that luxury.
Instead, Kuo came in for his customary, eighth-inning setup role, charged with protecting a 5-3 lead. He failed to do that, giving up a one-out single to Chris Iannetta and a two-run, pinch-hit homer to Clint Barmes. But he did get the win when the Dodgers rallied for a run in the ninth, and more importantly, he left little doubt that he was back. "(He had) great stuff, he really did," Dodgers catcher Brad Ausmus said. "It was the type of stuff where you're bewildered that they were able to score two runs off him, but that happens in baseball. If he pitches like that the rest of the year, we will be in good shape in the eighth inning."
The result notwithstanding, Dodgers manager Joe Torre was equally impressed.
"I thought Kuo really threw the ball well," Torre said. "It was good as good as can be. I thought he had great stuff."
Kuo had failed to get out of the eighth inning in each of his two most recent appearances, but he had worked out some mechanical problems during two mound sessions earlier this week.
DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 5: It was a big night for the Dodgers' bench, with veteran Brad Ausmus doubling and scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth on a single by veteran Mark Loretta, then driving in another go-ahead run with a ninth-inning single after the Rockies had tied it. Jonathan Broxton, who had gotten five outs the night before and arrived with the rest of the team at around 1 a.m., struck out Seth Smith and Chris Iannetta with two runners on to end it.
