Friday night may not have ended so well for Manny Ramirez, but Saturday and Sunday sure have.
After hitting a 2-run bomb on Saturday to lead the Dodgers to a 4-2 win, Manny homered, doubled, and drove in 3 to get another win over the Diamondbacks, 9-3. The win gets the Dodgers 1 game back in the NL West, and completes their homestand at 7-3.
The Dodgers did something that they've found great success in, and that is score runs in the 1st. With 1 down, Matt Kemp singled, and Russell Martin walked. Ramirez then singled to score Kemp and take the 1-0 lead. James Loney singled home Martin, who had just stolen 3rd, and it was a 2 run lead.
The DBacks fought right back when they got 2 off of Jason Johnson. Not to be outdone, the Dodgers got right back to work in the 3rd. Kemp hit an RBI single to score Angel Berroa, Martin singled home Kemp, and Ramirez smoked a big double to score Martin for the 5-2 advantage. They did not look back after that.
Manny continued his hot play by hitting a solo shot out to left in the 5th, his 2nd in consecutive days. For the 3 games, he's 8-15 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Can you even imagine anyone else on the Dodgers doing that? Uh... no. His presence alone in the lineup is certainly making the Dodgers a more feared team already.
Johnson received his final start today since Brad Penny will be making his return from the DL this week. He really didn't have his best stuff today, going only 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. It's a tough spot for a guy like him to be in. He looked really good his last start against the Giants, and even pitched well in relief in Colorado before that. But, the reality is that he'd have to be absolutely flawless to keep a rotation spot. Penny is the man they have invested in, and deserves a shot based on past results. If Penny flops, however, then Johnson could easily get a second look.
The overall homestand could not have gone much better for the Dodgers. They got 7 wins in 10 games, and the 3 losses were by 1 run each. A few more hits here and there and who knows, it could have been a clean sweep. But they will certainly take this. I think they sent a great message to the DBacks today. They already have the pitching, but with Casey Blake and Manny in the lineup now, they will be tough to deal with. That's the hope at least.
With the homestand over, the Dodgers will now hit the road for 6, starting in St. Louis on Tuesday. It's a very interesting pitching duel to start with, as Chad Billingsley takes on Chris Carpenter. Carpenter has had some really tough luck the last couple of years, as injuries have just killed him. When healthy, he's very good. That will be fun to watch.
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