
Magic stun top-seeded Pistons with Game 1 upset
Orlando Magic stun top-seeded Pistons 112-101 in Game 1!
Ryan Ward made a solid debut with his first major league hit, but the Dodgers lost to the Rockies 9-6. The Dodgers struggled to maintain their lead and couldn't capitalize in the ninth inning despite a late rally.
Dodger Ryan Ward follows through on an RBI single in the first inning against the Rockies Sunday in Denver. It was Ward's first major league hit. (Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.
In a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champs lost their second consecutive game to their plucky hosts. The Dodgers again couldnât hold a lead or keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park, though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning.
After Shohei Ohtani led off the ninth with a ground-rule double, the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. They had runners on second and third and Ryan Ward at the plate with two out in his first game in the majors. But right fielder Troy Johnston robbed Ward of his chance to chip away at the deficit further, diving to catch his line drive to end the game.
Before that, the Rockies chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgersâ relievers. That included closer Edwin Diaz, who came on in the eighth inning to pitch for the first time in nine days and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs.
Ryan Ward had a solid debut, achieving his first major league hit with an RBI single in the first inning.
The Dodgers lost to the Rockies with a final score of 9-6.
In the ninth inning, the Dodgers scored twice but ultimately fell short, ending the game with runners on second and third.
Troy Johnston made a diving catch to rob Ryan Ward of a hit and end the game for the Rockies.

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(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.
Now, after arriving in Denver without having lost a game to a National League opponent, the Dodgers (15-6) are in danger of losing their four-game series against an NL club that is 9-13 and hasnât made the postseason since 2018.
Itâs well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Wardâs otherwise sweet big league debut.
Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first big-league hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning.
Ward lined a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0, and got the 20-some members of Wardâs party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.
He also singled in the sixth, sending Antonio Senzatelaâs 96-mph sinker into center field. That advanced Alex Call, who scored to make it 4-3 after Kimâs fielderâs choice and another RBI single by Alex Freeland.
In his first at-bat, Ward flew out to lead off the third inning, when the Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead to work with. Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim and Ohtani doubled in Freeland â while extending his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgersâ history.
But to start the fifth, Sasaki fell behind to Kyle Karros, who hit a 96-mph fastball 448 feet for his first home run this season, cutting the Dodgersâ lead to 3-2. The Rockies tied it two batters later on Edouard Julienâs RBI double.
After that, Sasaki lasted only three more batters, including walking Tyler Freeman to put runners on first and second base with two out before reliever Alex Vesia came in and got TJ Rumfield to line out to second base to preserve the tie for the time being.
Sasaki went 4.2 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up seven hits, three runs, striking out and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the Dodgersâ current six-man rotation.
The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen â who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice â gave up four consecutive hits without getting an out, including a two-run home run to Mickey Moniak.
After Diazâs disastrous eighth, the Dodgers trailed 9-4 going into their final at-bat.
Still, the result will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story about getting the call after Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list, the opportunity of a lifetime.
Just like Miguel Rojas, the Dodgersâ veteran infielder has a vivid recollection of his major league debut at Coors on June 6, 2014: He remembers making an error at shortstop. That the whole thing was wildly nerve-racking. And wonderful.
âYou feel really good about being in the big leagues and getting your first shot of accomplishing your dream, what you've been working for your whole life,â said Rojas, standing in the same visitors clubhouse he entered before making his debut, trying not to be starstruck when he spotted his new teammates Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw getting ready to play.
âBut then you have to deal with the emotions of being on the big league roster for the side of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's what I remember the most, the mixed feeling of emotions.â
So the Dodgersâ assignment, Rojas said, was to make the first baseman Ward âfeel as comfortable as he can be.â
Then Rojas headed out to take grounders and give pointers at first base alongside Ward, who got the start there instead of his pal Dalton Rushing. The hot-hitting backup catcher might have played first base if manager Dave Roberts hadnât decided Ward deserved the opportunity â with Rushingâs enthusiastic blessing.
The Dodgersâ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP has spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 OPS for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers so far this year.
Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks, get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.
âThe plate discipline, being a better hitter ⊠he's done all that,â Roberts said. âHe's improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That's easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn't done that.â
If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.
âHonestly, I used it to keep going. âOkay, if Iâm not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?ââ he said. ââWhat part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?â
âI used it as fire to keep working.â
That will be the Dodgersâ assignment too.
In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.