All season long, Dodger fans have been waiting for the returns of Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario. Once they were back, all would be well.
Last night both came into the game trying to hold onto a lead. Both exited without one.
After Garret Anderson hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh to get the lead at 5-4, the bullpen had its latest meltdown in giving up four. The Reds took this one, 8-5.
It was another game in which the offense did their part, but the other side of the diamond really let them down. It's still very early in the season, but when the Dodgers find themselves with a team ERA of 5.52 and dead last in fielding, it's a definite cause of concern.
Andre Ethier gave the Dodgers an early lead, and he hit a laser out to right for a two-run tater. That's two straight games with a homer, and he's now hitting a whopping .388.
Vicente Padilla turned out to be his own worst enemy in the bottom of the first. His error let Chris Dickerson reach to lead off, and Joey Votto's sac-fly RBI put the score at 2-1.
The Dodgers manufactured a run in the fifth. Blake DeWitt singled to start. Groundouts by Russell Martin and Padilla put DeWitt on third, and Rafael Furcal's RBI single made it 3-1. Speaking of hot hitters, Raffy is now at .344.
Remember that error I just mentioned by Padilla? Well, it happened again, and it was even more costly in the fifth. Two singles by Daniel Stubbs and Ryan Hanigan with one out brought up pitcher Mike Leake. A simple bunt was hit to Padilla, but he threw it away. Orlando Cabrera's RBI single with two down made it 3-2.
From there, the two teams traded both two-run homers and temporary leads. Jay Bruce struck first in the sixth to go up 4-3, but Anderson's blast put the Dodgers back up at 5-4.
Kuo and Belisario were then called upon to do what they do best - hold a lead. Dickerson just missed getting a bunt single to start, but the Reds made up for it soon after. A single by Cabrera and a walk to Votto gave Kuo the hook.
Belisario came in and quickly got Brandon Phillips to line out to DeWitt. DeWitt then had plenty of time to double-up Votto at first, but rushed the throw and it was wide. It didn't go down as an error, but it was a play that definitely should have been made. Instead of escaping the inning unscathed, it ended up costing the Dodgers dearly.
A two-run double by Scott Rolen, and consecutive RBI singles by Stubbs and Hanigan gave the Reds the lead for good at 8-5.
The Reds still aren't a very good team, but they do have a good setup man-closer combination in Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero. Both men got the job done when given the ball, something the Dodgers have obviously failed to do time and time again.
In addition to taking the loss, Manny Ramirez left the game after hitting a single in the sixth. It's unclear how long he'll be out, but it certainly didn't look serious. Oh by the way, he's hitting .415, so I'd say he still knows what he's doing.
The Dodgers are right back at it on Friday as they start a three-game series in Washington. The Nationals are actually pretty decent at 8-8, so they won't be a pushover like they may have been in the past. Charlie Haeger is coming off a lousy start, so he'll get another chance to get back on track.
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