Derek Lowe was money once again, and the Dodgers had little trouble in easily dismantling the Washington Nationals, 6-0. The Diamondbacks won as well, so they still have a game lead in the NL West.
There really wasn't a whole lot to say about this game other than the Nationals clearly showed why they're one of the worst teams in the league... again. They looked like a Minor League team that was called up to try and win a Major League game. Man, they really suck. I feel badly for all of you Nats fans out there.
Anyway, Lowe was filthy tonight, as the ball was dancing all night long. Overall, he went 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. I'm surprised he didn't strike out more considering how well he was throwing. I'm also a little surprised (and a bit disappointed) that he didn't get a chance for the complete game shutout. But, he was terrific. 15 ground ball outs. The last 13 hitters retired. Now that's the way to get it done.
Alas, it was Good Lowe tonight.
The Dodgers made sure he wouldn't have to sweat it when they struck in the 1st. Juan Pierre led off with a single. Matt Kemp hammered one out to center, and it was 2-0. Russell Martin then doubled and advanced to 3rd on Jeff Kent's groundout. Nomar Garciaparra then hit a sac-fly for the 3 run lead.
The next scoring came in the 4th, as Nomar started off with a solo shot, his 5th of the year. Casey Blake, the new guy, hit a double down the left field line and scored on Angel Berroa's double (yes, I did just say that). Lowe hit an RBI single for a 6-0 lead.
I've talked about Lowe, now let's focus on a couple of the offensive guys. Blake was great, as he went 2-3 with a double and run. No offense to Andy LaRoche and Blake DeWitt (literally... no offense... get it?), but Blake already looks like a big upgrade. He was the #6 hitter tonight, but I can easily see him hitting higher at any point.
The other guy is Nomar, who is having a great month of July. In the month, he's hitting a .303 AVG, 3 HR, 5 2B, 12 RBI. Bottom line, the guy can still hit. He obviously won't give you big numbers since he'll be out for stretches, but right now he looks good. The Dodgers will ride it as long as it lasts.
It's good to see the pitching staff get back on track these last 2 game. Though to be fair, they don't have Coors Field to deal with. Plus the Nats are a clear downgrade from the Rockies. I don't really give a damn though. They needed big performances, and Chad Billingsley and Lowe have provided it.
Now it's time to go for the sweep, and what better way than to see Clayton Kershaw get his first career Big League win tomorrow. Since the DBacks still get to play the Giants, the Dodgers will need the win. That'll be a great way to start the homestand.
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