Bettis struggles as Rockies lose second straight to Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) One bad inning added up to a bad outing in the mind of Chad Bettis.

Bettis lost for the first time in five starts on Saturday night, and the Colorado Rockies lost 6-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies right-hander gave up two runs in the first and two more in the third.

Trayce Thompson's double in the third gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, and the damage was done. Bettis (6-6) pitched through the sixth without giving up another run. He struck out four and walked one.

''It looked like some cutters that he left out over the plate that they got to,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ''But he settled in after the third and looked more like himself. We saw more of a pitch mix the second half of the outing.''

Scott Kazmir gave the Dodgers their second consecutive strong outing from a starter against the Rockies, pitching six shutout innings.

Nolan Arenado led off the ninth inning with a solo home run to left field off reliever Chris Hatcher for the Rockies' only run.

Prior to the homer, Arenado had gone 0 for 7 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the series. He came into the series with a 12-game hitting streak.

''We had a stretch there where we were scoring eight runs a game,'' Arenado said. ''Obviously, that wasn't going to last very long. We all knew that.

''Obviously, we should have better at-bats, including myself.''

The Rockies lost their third straight and had not gotten a baserunner to third base in the series until Arenado's homer.

Colorado has scored one or fewer runs in six of its last nine games at Dodger Stadium, dating back to May 17, 2015, scoring 17 runs during that span.

Thompson and Adrian Gonzalez drove in two runs each and the Dodgers rolled on to their eighth straight home victory.

Kazmir (7-3) extended his unbeaten streak to 10 starts by holding the Rockies to a single and two doubles. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.

Since May 9, Kazmir is 5-0 with a 3.61 ERA. He has struck out 65 in 57 1/3 innings during the stretch.

Bud Norris and four relievers led L.A. to a 5-0 win in the opening game of the series on Friday night.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: LHP Jake McGee (sprained MCL, left knee) was activated from the DL and pitched 2/3 of an inning in the seventh. ... 2B D.J. LeMahieu returned to the lineup after being limited to a pair of pinch-hit appearances the last six games. ... RHP Tyler Chatwood threw a bullpen session Saturday and could be ''back here very soon,'' Weiss said. OF Gerald Parra (ankle) continues to struggle running and is not expected back until after the All-Star break.

NEXT UP:

Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (5-3, 4.83) earned his first major league victory on May 13 against the New York Mets and is 2-3 with a 4.65 ERA in seven road outings this year.

Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy makes his 2016 debut after being sidelined more than 14 months recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCarthy made four starts for the Dodgers in 2015, going 3-0 with a 5.87 ERA. In five career starts vs. Colorado, McCarthy is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA and 20 strikeouts against three walks.