For 12 innings, the highlight of the Dodgers' offensive night was a two-run single by Randy Wolf. As for the regular players, they did pretty much next to nothing.
That all changed in the 13th inning, when Andre Ethier continued his power surge by stepping up and cranking a walk-off two-run homer to give the Dodgers a big win over the resurgent Rockies, 4-2.
Every member of the starting lineup should go thank Randy Wolf and the long list of relievers that kept the game even for a long time. Trust me, this was not an easy game to watch from an offensive standpoint. There were a lot of bad at-bats that made a loss seem inevitable. Thankfully that didn't happen.
The game was cruising along scoreless until the fifth inning. Brad Hawpe singled to center to lead off. One out later, Ryan Spilborghs hit one out to left center, and it was 2-0. Before this inning, the Rockies only had one hit.
The Dodgers fought back in the bottom half, but with a little help. Matt Kemp singled and Russell Martin was given the intentional walk with two down. With Randy Wolf up, Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez was called for a balk that advanced both runners. It looked like Wolf tried to call time, which caused Jimenez to stop in the middle of his delivery. But, time was never called, so it was a balk.
That same at-bat, Wolf took a breaking ball into left field to a two-run single that tied it at two. Not the most likely way of scoring, but the Dodgers took it.
From there, it was a combination of good pitching and missed opportunities for both sides. Wolf and Jimenez did their parts. Wolf went six innings, giving up two runs, four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Jimenez lasted seven innings, giving up two runs, five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Good effort by both men.
As for the Dodgers' bullpen, they were simply brilliant. Seven guys pitched seven innings without giving up a run on only two hits. Even more impressive were the 13 strikeouts they gathered. That's just awesome.
The most interesting inning was the 10th when Jeff Weaver found himself in trouble. Spilborghs started with a double that skipped past Kemp in center. Chris Iannetta singled to put two runners on. When things looked bleak, Weaver then struck out the side. Talk about dramatics.
The bottom of the 10th was also a great opportunity for the Dodgers to end the game. Juan Pierre singled, was sacrificed over to second, then stole third. But, Orlando Hudson and Ethier could not come through, and on we went.
With the Rockies unable to get anything going, the Dodgers finally put the game to bed in the 13th. All it took was a leadoff single by Casey Blake before Ethier's homer ended it. As the Rockies continue to play very well, this turned out to be a good win.
Ethier's shot marked the ninth walk-off hit for the Dodgers this season. They still haven't lost three games in a row, the only team in the majors to have done that. Like my headline says, they yet again found a way to win when all looked lost.
Chad Billingsley will take on Jason Marquis in a battle of pitchers with nine wins. Billingsley hasn't been able to hold a lead his last two starts, so he'll look to bounce back. Marquis has had some really good games - and some really horrible ones. Both men will look to get to double-digit wins tonight.
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