And so it goes for the Dodgers these days.
The Padres built up a 4-1 lead and held off a late charge by the Dodgers to get the win, 4-3. The loss combined with the Rockies pretty much murdering the Diamondbacks mean the lead in the NL West has shrunk to 3 and 1/2 games.
To put it bluntly, it was a bad ending to a bad series, and was seen on national TV no less. The offense looks like they've lost all memory from earlier in the season when everyone in the lineup was capable of getting a big hit.
Now? It's like one game they figure out, then the next game it's all thrown out the window.
For the third straight game, the Padres scored in the first. Orlando Hudson made a rare error to let David Eckstein reach. Adrian Gonzalez then whacked a double for two on. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a grounder to Rafael Furcal, but his throw home was just a bit wide, and it was 1-0.
The bases got loaded with nobody out in the third on a single and two walks. Kouzmanoff drove in two more with a single right up the middle, making it 3-0. Juan Pierre was starting for center in place of Matt Kemp, so it was safe to say that everyone coming around third would be getting the green light. And it worked.
Manny Ramirez and James Loney both singled to start the bottom of the fourth, and it was looking like the Dodgers would get something going. Not so fast, as Ronnie Belliard right on cue grounded into a double play. Somehow, Russell Martin actually had a productive at-bat, as his RBI single made it 3-1.
An opposite field home run by Gonzalez gave the run right back, putting the Padres up 4-1. Man, I can't help but think of that proposed trade that almost went down at the trade deadline where Gonzalez would've been in L.A. His bat in this lineup would be perfect. Oh well.
Like Hudson's error in the first, another error by Everth Cabrera, his fourth in the last two games, let Mark Loretta reach with one out in the seventh. Raffy singled, but Pierre flew out for two down. Andre Ethier got another clutch hit with a two-run double, making it 4-3.
The Padres chose to give Manny the intentional walk, and it paid off as Kemp pinch-hit and lazily flew out to center.
Jim Thome had a chance for a big moment in the ninth. With Heath Bell in and Raffy on first with a walk, Thome worked the count, but flew out to left. Ethier had that same chance, but he also flew out, and that was that.
The Padres have actually played some pretty good ball lately, but nonetheless, it's still a really bad series loss for the Dodgers. They were once invincible at home - now they've won only one series in their past seven. Needless to say, that's not exactly encouraging news for a team trying to make the playoffs.
Hiroki Kuroda made his first post-DL start, and wasn't too bad, but not as sharp as he would have liked. He went five innings, five hits, four runs (three earned), three walks, and three strikeouts. The bullpen of Jeff Weaver, Ronald Belisario, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo did a nice job of keeping the Padres at four runs.
Not that it mattered, as the bats once again went dead. Nine left on base, including three in scoring position with two out, were enough for the Padres to keep the lead. For whatever reason, things just are not clicking right now.
If there's one thing the Dodgers have done very well lately, it's getting some wins when the Rockies appeared to be close to taking over. That's going to have to continue, as they now travel to Arizona for three while the Rockies go to Cincinnati for four.
Vicente Padilla will get another start, as he's done a nice job thus far. He'll need to keep it going, as Max Scherzer goes for the Diamondbacks. That's the same guy who shut down the Dodgers this past week, so lucky them, they get to see him again. Just hope for the best.
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