Raffy is clutch off the bench

For the third straight game, the Dodgers and Rockies were deadlocked in a pitcher's duel. Cashing in with runners on base became few and far between.

Then Rafael Furcal stepped in to pinch-hit with one out in the eighth. This time, the Dodgers got the big hit.

Furcal lined an RBI single into right to score Russell Martin, and that was all the Dodgers would need as they got the victory, 1-0. I'm not sure how, but the Dodgers somehow managed to take two of three from this suddenly important series.

Both starting pitchers got the job done, but in different ways. Rockies starter Jason Hammel was really, really good. He ended up pitching a complete game, albeit eight innings. His lone blemish was Raffy's single in the eighth. Other than that, he gave up four hits before that without walking anybody. No wonder the Rockies have been winning like crazy - their pitching has greatly improved.

Compared to Hammel, Clayton Kershaw also held the opponents in check. But, his route was much different. He only lasted five innings while accumulating 97 pitches. The good thing was that he didn't give up a run on only one hit. However, he walked five.

As I've said before in the season, Kershaw is only 21, so he's got many more season's worth of starts ahead of him. His stuff is just plain nasty. But, the bottom line is that he walks way too many guys. He's pretty much his own worst enemy. It's no shock that Chad Billingsley and him are 1-2 in walks in the National League.

All of that aside, Kershaw held the Rockies scoreless, so at the end of the day, that's all that matters. As much as the Dodgers looked lost at the plate, the Rockies were worse. They collected only three hits and struck out 10 times. Uh, not good.

The bottom of the eighth saw the bottom of the order due up for the Dodgers in Brad Ausmus, Juan Castro, and the pitcher's spot. Not exactly your recipe for scoring, but it's not like the top was doing any better. Ausmus completed his 2-for-3 day with a single to start.

Castro was just able to land a bunt that was popped up in front of Hammel, sacrificing Ausmus into scoring position at second. Martin pinch-ran for Ausmus, and Raffy came in to hit. His single to right was mercifully the big hit the Dodgers have been waiting for.

Jonathan Broxton blew away the Rocks in the ninth for his 19th save. The whole bullpen stepped up, with Ronald Belisario going two innings and Ramon Troncoso one. They were just as untouchable.

The win makes the Dodgers the first team in the majors with 50 wins. They're currently 6.5 games up over the Giants (who play later tonight in St. Louis) and 8.5 over the Rockies.

More importantly, they've maintained a comfortable lead in the NL West without Manny Ramirez. And with their offensive output pretty much non-existent lately, it's perfect timing that he's due back their next game on Friday.

Friday will open a three-game series in San Diego. The Padres only won nine games the whole month of June, so they're still struggling to find any sort of consistency. Hiroki Kuroda will get the call in the first game.