Dodgers Lose Finale, Aren't Depressed Anyway

What a difference a run of 9-wins-in-11-games makes:

DENVER — As Yasiel Puig walked by his locker Thursday night, Matt Kemp called out to him: "Steak and eggs!"

Puig laughed and shook his head. Puig had told Kemp that a diet of steak and eggs would help him regain his power.

Most defeats call for an informal ban on laughter in the clubhouse. The Dodgers' 9-5 defeat to the Colorado Rockies didn't call for such measures.

The loss was only the Dodgers' second in their last 12 games and there was nothing to indicate their hot streak was over. Puig played all nine innings a day after crashing into the right-field wall. Kemp homered for the second consecutive day and Adrian Gonzalez for the third. Hanley Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 15 games, his longest since he won the National League batting title in 2009.

"Definitely a good start to the road trip," Gonzalez said of the nine-game trek that includes stops in San Francisco and Arizona.

The Dodgers, who have credited their improved health for their turnaround, are about to become even healthier. Carl Crawford is expected to be activated Friday for the start of a three-game series against the Giants.

Steak and eggs, baby. It's all about the steak and eggs.