One day after suffering through a 2-1 loss, the Dodgers quickly found themselves in a 3-0 hole. Rather than panicking, their offense went to work.
The Dodgers got production all throughout the lineup, highlighted by taking an amazing 10 walks, as they cruised over the Yankees, 9-4. The game took nearly four hours to complete, no doubt resembling a Yankees-Red Sox game.
Hiroki Kuroda has been a stud lately, and he started off the game with two quick strikes on Derek Jeter. But, Jeter eventually worked a walk, and that would be the beginning of trouble for Kuroda. Jeter stole second and went to third when Russell Martin's throw sailed into center.
Curtis Granderson drew a walk for two on and none out. Mark Teixeira then hit a three-run homer to right to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Already it was looking like a long night for the Dodgers.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, they were facing A.J. Burnett. When Burnett is one, he has some of the nastiest stuff in the game. But when he's not, he's a head case. Tonight was an off night, and the Dodgers capitalized.
Rafael Furcal led off with a single. After Matt Kemp struck out, Andre Ethier singled for runners on the corners. Manny Ramirez then lifted a ground rule double to right to make it 3-1. A sac-fly RBI by James Loney scored Ethier for a 3-2 game.
The top of the order again got to Kuroda in the third. Jeter and Granderson both singled to start. Last night's hero Alex Rodriguez then grounded one softly back to the mound. Kuroda hesitated for some reason, and Blake DeWitt's throw to second for the double play sailed away, scoring Jeter for a 4-2 lead.
It was another miserable miscue for a team that has made a habit of them lately. Whether botching plays on the bases or being unable to turn a simple double play, it's no wonder why the Dodgers have struggled lately.
How would the Dodgers respond to all of this? For a change, they actually did quite nicely. Starting in the bottom of third, they strung together seven unanswered runs to run away with this one.
The bases became loaded with no outs from walks to Kemp and Manny, and a single by Ethier. Loney hit a two-run single to tie the game at 4-4. Martin grounded into a double play, but Manny still scored to take the lead at 5-4. The Dodgers never looked back.
Two more runs were scored in the fourth. Raffy started it again with a single, stole second, and soon scored on Loney's RBI single. Casey Blake added an RBI double for a 7-4 lead. Of course, the Dodgers still ran into an out when Kemp was gunned out at the plate. But it didn't matter.
The final runs were scored in the eighth. With two outs, Raffy singled home Martin, and the throw got away to allow Raffy to scamper to third. Kemp doubled to left for an RBI and a 9-4 lead.
Jonathan Broxton got the last out of the eighth and finished the game in a non-save situation. He walked A-Rod with two outs thanks to a very questionable slider called a ball (Mariano Rivera would've gotten the call). Raffy made a fantastic diving play and throw to first to nail Robinson Cano to end the game.
Today was a big game for the Dodgers, as they had a national TV audience on FOX to show what they've got. What they showed is the ability to bounce back and put runs on the board against the world champs. They also showed great patience and clutch hitting at the plate.
Kuroda didn't have his best stuff, but hung in there long enough to get the win. He finished at 5 1/3 innings, seven hits, four runs, three walks, and five strikeouts. He did a good job of bouncing back after Teixeira's homer in the first.
Furcal was just awesome, as he once again showed how valuable he is when healthy. He went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a stolen base, and flashed his leather for the game's final out. Take him away from the top of the order, and the Dodgers are a completely different team.
Loney should also get plenty of credit, as he drove in four runs. It was his two-run single in the third that tied the game, and he kept it going with another RBI single the next inning. Toss in a sacrifice fly for a run earlier in the game, and he put together some great at-bats.
Thankfully, interleague play will end after Sunday. The Dodgers won't miss it, as they are a mere 4-10 against the Tigers, Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees. But, if they can get Sunday's game, that'll be two of three against the defending champions. That would be a huge step in the right direction.
Clayton Kershaw will take on Andy Pettitte in a classic young vs. old matchup. Both have a legitimate shot at the All-Star game. Who knows the next time these teams will play each other, so enjoy it while it lasts.
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