It was Andre Ethier night at Dodger Stadium, as he turned what should have been a close battle into a blowout. On the night, he went 5-5 with a homer and 2 doubles. 5 also represented the number of RBI's he had, as the Dodgers beat up Dan Haren to win, 7-0. The lead for the DBacks is now only half a game.
What a difference a week makes. Last Friday night, they lost 9-3 to Arizona, and were looking like a big, heaping pile of dog crap. That loss made their roadtrip 8 losses in a row, 10 of 11 losses overall, and 4.5 games in back of Arizona. But here's the thing - the DBacks weren't exactly lighting the world on fire either. After last night's game, they've lost 8 of 11, and are looking completely beatable.
Haren got pounded in his last start against the Dodgers (which started the winning streak), and in the 1st inning, Ethier drilled a solo shot to right for the early lead. Little did we know at the time that that's all the scoring the Dodgers would need.
The 2nd inning is when the game was broken open, and most encouragingly, it was all done with 2 outs. Angel Berroa doubled, as he's finally starting to show why he was once AL Rookie of the Year, and Derek Lowe worked a walk from Haren on some very strange pitches (like throwing a breaking ball when he's behind in the count... hello! Throw a fastball!). Russell Martin doubled home a run, and Ethier scored 2 on his double.
The rest of the night, much like the beginning, would belong to Ethier. In the 4th with 2 outs, Martin singled and stole 2nd. Ethier hit a ground rule double to score him for his 4th RBI. Then in the 6th, again with Martin on, another double scored him, giving him RBI #5. What a night.
Just like last Sunday in Arizona, the offense was putting up big runs, and Lowe was untouchable. He finished at 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Along with Chan Ho Park tossing a scoreless 9th, the DBacks managed only 4 baserunners all night. Lowe has been absolutely brilliant in 8 of his last 9 starts, and it's nice to see the offense give him plenty of cushion for a change. Even with reports out there saying his is probably his last year in LA, the Dodgers will take it while they can.
The only bad thing about last night's game was that Steve Phillips (ASS) was one of the announcers. Man, you would think the Dodgers have won no games this year and are the worst organization on Earth. This from a guy that got fired from a team that has countless millions to spend. How's that Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir deal working out? Ya...
Anyway, he did say one thing that made sense (in between all the idiotic ones), and that's what will happen when the Dodgers do lose a game. Will they crumble again like last time, or continue to play solidly? Time will tell, but they have yet another great opportunity to win this division. In any other division, they'd be toast, but who cares? With the way they've been pitching and driving in runs, a playoff run is definitely possible.
For now, the Dodgers need to concentrate on this weekend, and at least getting 1 more win. Another great pitching matchup today, as Chad Billingsley takes on Brandon Webb. Webb was pounded in his last outing against LA, so let's hope for more of the same today. It's a Fox game today, and I've got the Phillies and Mets (at least it's a good game), so for those of you that can watch, enjoy.
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