I think the Dodgers were still suffering the effects of facing King Felix.
A day after Felix Hernandez completely handcuffed the Dodgers, Garrett Olsen pitched five strong innings, and the bullpen was practically hitless as the Mariners won, 4-2. The Dodgers could only gather three runs and 10 hits in both losses this weekend.
Hiroki Kuroda was the starter for L.A., and he never really seemed to find his groove. The Mariners were only able to score in the second and third, but it was enough to hold up.
In the second, Jose Lopez singled with one down, then stole second. The aggressive baserunning turned out to be a good thing for them, and Franklin Gutierrez singled to center to make it 1-0.
The third is when the Mariners made their mark, much like the night before. Ichiro singled with one down, followed by another one from Russell Branyan. The former Dodger Adrien Beltre, who's due for shoulder surgery which will sideline him for two months on Tuesday, singled home a run for the 2-0 lead.
Kuroda got Ken Griffey Jr. to pop up for two outs. Then he tried to pick off Branyan at second, and ended up launching it into center, advancing Branyan to third. It really didn't matter, as Lopez double over the outstretched arms of Matt Kemp to score two and make it 4-0.
The Dodgers made a run in the fifth by cutting the lead in half. Kemp lead off with a solo home run, his 10th of the season. Juan Castro, starting for Rafael Furcal, singled next. Kuroda sacrificed him over to second with a good bunt. Juan Pierre then hit a single as well, and runners were on the corners with one down.
Andre Ether was able to plate a run with a sac-fly RBI to make it 4-2. Orlando Hudson then grounded out, and the threat was over.
The sixth inning and on were obsolete, as both bullpens did a fine job. Unfortunately, the Mariners were the ones with the lead, so they got the win. Their 'pen of Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, and David Aardsma went four innings and gave up only one measly hit.
The loss was a rare one for the Dodgers at home, who still have a fantastic 26-12 mark at Chavez Ravine. But, they've now dropped four of their last five overall, something we're not used to seeing. A baseball season is full of peaks and valleys, and the Dodgers are going through a small valley right now. It happens. The key is to make sure it doesn't happen a lot.
The Dodgers now welcome the Rockies into town, and they've been absolutely sensational in the month of June, going 20-6. To put in perspective just how great they've played, they started June with three straight losses. Then they ran off 17 of 18. Wow. Give old Dodger manager Jim Tracy plenty of credit - he's pushed all the right buttons.
Thankfully, the Dodgers avoid Aaron Cook, who's won five in a row. I'm sure they don't feel bad about that. Randy Wolf goes Monday night in the first game against Ubaldo Jimenez.
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