Penny gets the job done in return

Brad Penny made life interesting in the 1st inning by walking the first batter he faced. After a double by Bengie Molina to score a run, things were definitely not looking up.

But, it helped that the opponent was the San Francisco Giants, who are terrible. That combined with walking only 1 more in the next 4 innings gave the Dodgers the win, 6-2. Oh ya, and it also helped that Barry Zito was the opposing pitcher.

The 3rd inning is when the fun started for the Dodgers, and it came from the bottom 2 of the order. Danny Ardoin hit his first home run of the season leading off to tie the game. Penny then singled, and the rally was on. Matt Kemp singled and Russell Martin walked to load the bases. Jeff Kent then came through with a huge, bases clearing double to open the game up. Angel Berroa doubled with 2 down to score another run, but Andruw Jones was tagged out at the plate (all of those buffet dinners are catching up to him).

The rest of the game was never in doubt, as Molina and Casey Blake traded solo shots. The 9th got a bit interesting, as Chan Ho Park walked a couple of guys. Jonathan Broxton came on and also gave up a walk to load the bases, but Randy Winn K'd looking to end the festivities.

Penny's velocity was obviously down, but he showed something by holding the Giants to only 1 run in the 1st. There's a couple of ways to look at him now. One is that his velocity will gradually return, as this was his first start since June 14. The other is that he's not really a power pitcher anymore, as he's relying on his location and breaking pitches these days. I think it's a little bit of both. He won't overpower everyone anymore, but will get outs based on his stuff.

For now, his return is a good thing, and gives the Dodgers something else to feel good about. They're now 1 game over .500 and a 1/2 game in back of Arizona for first place in the NL West. The rotation of Lowe, Billingsley, Kuroda, Kershaw, and Penny can be pretty darn good. With Manny and Blake on board to boost the offense, there's plenty of reasons to feel good about their chances the rest of the season.

Hiroki Kuroda gets the call today, and he will most likely either look fantastic or get bombed, continuing his roller coaster season. Last start was a good one, overpowering the Diamondbacks. A win today and a DBacks loss will give LA sole possession of first place.