UCLA's Jake Bird Shelled by Dodgers

Colorado Rockies reliever and UCLA alumni Jake Bird reached a new low -- well, a new high, technically -- against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday.

After putting together four solid appearances and giving up just one run 4.1 innings, Bird was looking like the lockdown bullpen arm he's been all season. Before those four appearances, he gave up three runs in one inning against the Atlanta Braves.

Wednesday against the defending champs, however Bird was shelled again, giving up a three spot coming in for relief in the sixth and seventh innings of Colorado's 8-1 loss to the NL West leaders.

Bird came in for Chase Dollander with two outs and a runner on in the sixth. he gave up a single to Teoscar Hernandez that advance Max Muncy to second and then another single to Andy Pages that scored Muncy. Bird gout out the inning on Tommy Edman grounder that came back to him. Muncy wasn't Bird's earned run.

In the seventh, Bird was gave up a Michael Conforto single then grounded out Dalton Rushing but advance Conforto to second. Shohei Ohtani came up to the plate, but was intentionally walked. Mookie Betts came up to the plate and lined out, but shortly after, the runners advance to second and third on a wild pitch. Freddie Freeman was walked on the next at-bat and Bird was taken out and replaced by Tyler Kinley, who gave up a grand slam to Max Muncy, accounting for all three of Bird's earned runs on the night.

The appearance shot his ERA up to a 2.62, the highest it's been all season. The former Bruin is having the best year of his 4-year career and, despite a few shaky appearances against some of the major league's best lineups, is a premier bullpen arm in the National League.

Bird's stellar play has garnered tremendous reported attention from other ball clubs desperate for a bullpen arm like his ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The Rockies could get some solid prospects in a deal for Bird. Suggested suitors include the Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Yankees among other contenders looking to bolster their bullpens for the rest of the season.

Bird was a standout ace for the Bruins in his three seasons at UCLA, none better than his senior year in 2018 where he boasted a Pac-12-leading 2.17 ERA, finishing the year with a 7-4 record. His performance on and off the mound earned him an Academic All-American Third Team selection, the first Bruin since 1988 to earn those honors, and an All-Pac-12 selection.

Bird was drafted by the Rockies with the 156th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. This is Bird's fourth season in Colorado and is easily his best. He never had below a 4.33 ERA season in his first three years and is currently on pace to have one of the best reliever seasons in the National League.