FINALLY.
After a week of playing some horrible baseball, the Dodgers made sure to put an end to the NL West race on Saturday night. A five-run seventh inning was more than enough to get the win over the Rockies, 5-0.
The win also gives the Dodgers home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Well, not in the World Series, since the AL won the All-Star Game. You know, because exhibition games are just so important. Whatever.
Anyway, the NL playoffs are set. The Dodgers open with the Cardinals, and the Phillies will take on the Rockies. The AL playoffs are still up in the air with the Twins and Tigers battling for the AL Central. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels await.
Both teams could not get the bats going for much of the start of the game, thanks to some fantastic pitching. Clayton Kershaw was dealing, as he struck out 10 in six innings, allowing only three hits. It was a big spot for the young hurler, and he responded with a gem.
Jorge De La Rosa was doing just fine for himself. Through three innings, he gave up no runs. But, in the fourth, he pulled his groin, forcing him to exit. Jose Contreas pitched the next three innings and didn't give up a run either.
With the game at a stalemate entering the seventh, something had to give. Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Kershaw and pitched a scoreless inning. To start the bottom half, Casey Blake lined a single to center, which was booted by Carlos Gonzalez, sending Blake to second.
That one hit was all the Dodgers needed.
James Loney laid down a great sacrifice bunt to get Blake to third, and Loney was called out on a close play at first. Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit for Orlando Hudson, and hit a sharp single off of Todd Helton's glove at first, making it 1-0.
Following a walk to Russell Martin to put two on, Mark Loretta hit for Kuo and hit an RBI double to make it 2-0. Rafael Furcal got the intentional pass to load the bases with one down. Juan Pierre hit a soft RBI single to left to go up 3-0. A sac-fly RBI by Matt Kemp and an RBI single by Manny Ramirez later, it was a 5-0 lead.
Joe Torre didn't mess around with the lead at all, not wanting the Rockies to get back into the game. He sent George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton out to the mound, and they each retired all six batters with ease, giving the Dodgers the division.
It was quite the bumpy ride, but mercifully, it's over. The last thing the Dodgers needed was to face the embarrassment of getting swept by the Rockies and losing the division. We won't have to endure that now, thankfully.
After celebrating the division title, the Dodgers finish the regular season out with Vicente Padilla on the mound. He probably won't be a starter in the playoffs, but who knows. If the Dodgers go deep into a series, I could see him getting called upon.
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