One week ago, I speculated if Joe Torre would ever trust Ramon Troncoso after another poor performance against the Rockies in a blowout win. Torre, you know, has a tendency to not trust relievers.
After pitching 4 innings of 1-hit, scoreless ball in Coors Field tonight, I'd say that trust is nice and safe now.
Troncoso was just awesome tonight, giving the Dodgers a big lift out of the 'pen and holding the Rockies in check as the Dodgers squeaked out another 6-5 win. There was a couple of career firsts in this game, as James McDonald got his first win and Troncoso his first save.
Once again, the Dodgers got the scoring going in the 1st, something I'm happy to say I've said a lot lately. They put up 4 runs thanks to 5 singles, a double, and a stolen base, hitting around in the process. RBI's were one each by Andre Ethier and Casey Blake, and 2 by Russell Martin.
The down side is that even with a nice cushion to start the game, it wouldn't hold up. The Rockies got 3 back in the 3rd on a Seth Smith single and a 2-run single by Brad Hawpe. Just like that, it was a close one.
Martin drove in 2 more in the 4th with a shallow single to center, raising the lead to 6-3. His 4 RBI's were tied for his career high. He's getting more rest this season already, and it's paying off with his strong game tonight and with Brad Ausmus' big game last night. So basically, the Ausmus signing has been a great one thus far.
McDonald again made the game close when Garrett Atkins cranked a 2-run shot to go down 6-5. One the night, McDonald would finish at 5 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. Like Eric Stults the previous night, it wasn't the prettiest line in the world, especially the walks. But, the Dodgers got 2 wins, and that's the bottom line.
Troncoso came in the 6th, and just kept going and going and going. Kind of like that Energizer Bunny thing. His only blemish was an infield single by Smith. And that was it. With Jonathan Broxton throwing a lot the last 2 days in getting saves, he needed the rest. Plus Hong-Chih Kuo is doing terribly now and Cory Wade isn't back from the DL, so Troncoso's gem was perfectly timed.
The middle part of the order of Ethier, James Loney, and Martin did the most damage, going a combined 5-12, 5 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB. Manny Ramirez had a cold 0-5, 3 K night, so to get a win anyway is a great sign. The Dodgers are finding ways to win, which is what good teams can do.
Clayton Kershaw gets the call tomorrow. He was fantastic against the Giants 2 starts ago, then really struggled against the Astros on Tuesday. He'll look to give the Dodgers their 2nd sweep of the Rockies on this young season already.
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