If you didn't watch Sunday's Dodger game and just saw the box score, you would probably think it was some sort of typo. Four runs in one inning? That just doesn't seem possible.
I'm here to let you know that yes, indeed, it really did happen.
Those four runs propelled the Dodgers the rest of the afternoon, as they put up a few more along the way to get the win over the Nationals, 8-3. The Dodgers took two of three from them, and remain seven games in back of the Padres in the NL West.
Scott Podsednik walked and stole second to get things going in the first. Ryan Theriot laid down a bunt, and he would be safe when Jason Marquis couldn't field it cleanly, as Podsednik scampered to third. Theriot then took off for second on a steal, and the ball bounced away to let Podsednik score.
Andre Ethier followed with a walk. James Loney hit an RBI single to make it 2-0. Matt Kemp chipped in by... striking out swinging. So I guess he didn't chip in. Not that I'm surprised. Ronnie Belliard grounded Loney out to second, but Belliard soon stole second. A two-run single by Jamey Carroll pushed the lead to 4-0.
The Nationals found some unlikely power to cut the lead in half in the second. Michael Morse and Justin Maxwell hit back-to-back solo shots to go down 4-2. Both now have 10 homers together for the season.
As unlikely as those homers were, something even rarer occurred in the fourth for the Dodgers. With Carroll on second from a double, A.J. Ellis hit an RBI double to make it 5-2. That's his second extra-base hit... of his career. Seriously. It's not like he's played a lot, but that's still a pretty shocking number. But hey, you have to start somewhere, right?
Ted Lilly gave one back in the fifth as Will Nieves doubled and soon scored on a sacrifice fly. Lilly lasted six innings and did pretty well with five hits, three runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. It's his second win in as many starts with the Dodgers since being traded from the Cubs.
In the sixth, it was the new guy Jay Gibbons who got in on the act. It started with Kemp striking out. OK, so I guess it didn't start with him then. Belliard and Carroll singled, and Ellis popped up for two down. In came Gibbons to hit for Lilly, and he bounced one to center for the RBI single and 6-3 advantage.
The final runs came in the eighth on a two-run single from pinch-hitter Reed Johnson.
The bullpen did a great job of keeping the Nationals grounded. Kenley Jansen had another scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Octavio Dotel equaled those numbers in the eighth. Ramon Troncoso tried to finish it out, but only got two outs before Hong-Chih Kuo got Kevin Mench to pop up to Ellis to end the game.
In addition to scoring the early runs, another major key to winning was holding Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn in check. Both went 0-for-4, and Dunn had three strikeouts. That lineup doesn't stand much of a chance if those guys don't get on.
Beating the Nationals is nothing to get excited about. Good teams should win at least two of three from them. It was still good to see the Dodgers take both weekend games after getting beat on Friday. Nothing heroic or anything, but still positive wins.
Coming up is a week that could very well make or break the Dodgers. They play three in Philadelphia starting Tuesday, then four more in Atlanta on Friday. Their combined record? 126-96. Oh joy.
The good news is that the Dodgers avoid Roy Halladay, who pitched against the Mets today. Vicente Padilla has been fantastic lately, and he'll go on Tuesday.
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