After 2 very encouraging victories against 2 of the NL's best in Dan Haren and Brandon Webb, the Dodgers came home today and took care of business in defeating the San Diego Padres, 5-2. The DBacks had a big win of their own, overcoming a 5-1 hole to beat the Cardinals earlier today, so the margin is still 2.5 games in the NL West.
The Padres wasted no time in getting to Greg Maddux, as the first 3 hitters of the game singled, with Kevin Kouzmanoff singling home Brian Giles for the early lead. 2 runners were stranded though with nobody out. The Dodgers responded in the bottom half with a James Loney single to score Andre Ethier to tie the game up.
From there, the Dodgers simply took over little by little. The bottom part of the order got in on the action in the 2nd, starting with a single from Casey Blake. He stole 2nd, and Angel Berroa of all people hit a big RBI double for the lead. Maddux then hit a single to score Berroa, and it was 3-1 after 2.
Blake continued his hot streak (7 game hit streak) with a homer in the 4th for the 4-1 lead. The Padres added a run in the 6th, but the Dodgers got it back in the 7th on a sac-fly RBI by Manny Ramirez.
4 runs in the first 3 innings was good, but this game was more about the pitching. Maddux went 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K for his first win as a Dodger (well, since the last time he was there). More importantly, he's now on the verge of passing Roger Clemens into 7th on the all-time wins list. I think it'll happen, mostly because I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Clemens won't be pitching anytime soon...
The bullpen was great after he left in the 6th. Joe Beimel walked his only batter he faced, but Cory Wade picked him up by retiring catcher Nick Hundley. I thought Hong-Chih Kuo wouldn't pitch tonight, but I guess I'm not giving his arm enough credit. He went 2 flawless innings, K'ing 3 along the way. That's now 93 K's in 78.1 IP this season. Wow. Jonathan Broxton got the save, his 11th.
It's hard to believe just how bad the Padres are, but at 53-84, it's no wonder I barely recognize their lineup tonight. They're doing the right thing in giving some unknowns a shot - you never know what good might come out of it. Still, for a team that was that close to the playoffs last year to this, it's one of their most disappointing seasons in a long time.
The Dodgers get 2 more against the Pads before Arizona is back in town this weekend. For now, it's time to win the winnables, as they thankfully avoid Jake Peavy, the Dodger Killer. Clayton Kershaw returns from a brief demotion to get the start. He's been horrible lately, as the Phillies and Nationals have pounded him into the ground. Time to get back on track.
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