Sunday, August 9, 2009

Zero offense spoils Kershaw's gem

Two straight nights the Dodgers and Braves have gone into extra innings. And two straight nights, it was the Braves that took over when it counted the most.

A two-run homer by Kelly Johnson off of Guillermo Mota in the 10th gave the Braves a 2-0 lead, and they just held on for win, 2-1. Matt Kemp was robbed of a sure RBI single that would have tied it up to end the game.

With the loss, the Dodgers seem to be slowly losing their grip in the NL West. The Giants won again, so it's only a 5 and 1/2 game lead. The Dodgers really need to figure things out and fast because the Giants look to only be getting better. Oh ya, the Rockies aren't too shabby either at 6 and 1/2 out.

At the end of the season, these could be two games we look back at that could make a difference in the playoff race.

Clayton Kershaw was absolutely phenomenal, and it's highway robbery that he couldn't get a win. He went seven innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. Three baserunners in seven innings. Wow.

The flip side is that Braves' starter Kenshin Kawakami threw up blanks as well. He didn't give up a run in seven innings, with only four hits and four strikeouts.

To sum it up, neither team had a clue against either starter. So once again, it would come down to the bullpens to get the win.

After the Dodgers blew a bases loaded, one out chance in the seventh, the Braves could not capitalize with a couple of runners on in the eighth. The returning Ronald Belisario, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton were flawless to get the game into extras.

In the 10th, Mota got Matt Diaz to fly out for one down. Following a walk to Adam LaRoche, Johnson crushed one out to right for the lead. Maybe Mota is still in fear of Prince Fielder eating him, I don't know.

With Rafael Soriano on for the save, the Dodgers did make a little noise to try and get back into it. Juan Pierre lead off with a single. Andre Ethier's RBI single with two outs made it 2-1. Manny Ramirez was given the intentional walk for Kemp, who just missed a single up the middle. And that's the way it goes.

It's not like a 5 and 1/2 game lead in your division is a bad thing, because it's certainly a good problem to have. But I keep thinking back to last season when the Diamondbacks were cruising to a division lead and the Dodgers came charging hard late to claim it. The Giants are now that hot team, and the Rockies can't be forgotten either.

A win today would be a nice statement, because after today it's a suddenly big three-game set in San Francisco. The Rockies will be at home against the lowly Pirates, so you have to give them at least a couple wins there.

With Jason Schmidt on the DL, Eric Stults has been recalled for the start today. He hasn't been too hot this year, but at least he has experience in situations like this. The bad news is that Javier Vazquez goes for the Braves, who's having a great season. This should be an interesting one.

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