With a 4-2 lead in the eighth, the Dodgers turned to two former closers to try and seal the deal.
Saturday night proved exactly why Octavio Dotel and Jonathan Broxton are now former closers instead of current ones.
Dotel gave up a run in the eighth before getting bailed out by Hong-Chih Kuo. Joe Torre then tried to turn back the clock by giving the ball to Broxton in the ninth. A long two-run homer by Juan Uribe won it for the Giants, 5-4.
The Dodgers certainly looked like they were going to cruise to a victory based on the majority of the game. The Giants put two men on in the first, but couldn't score. Neither team could get much of anything going through three innings.
In the fourth, the Dodgers got all of their runs. Rafael Furcal hit second in the order and drew a walk leading off. With one out, he stole second and went to third on James Loney's single. Casey Blake doubled down the left field line to score one and go up 1-0.
Jay Gibbons got the start in left field with Matt Kemp getting the night off. It worked, as Gibbons unloaded on a low pitch into deep right for a three-run shot, his third of the season.
Lilly was well in control, as he gave up only one hit and no runs through six innings. Up 4-0 going into the seventh, Buster Posey got the Giants on the board with a solo shot into left. Lilly got the next three in order.
The eighth is when Lilly got chased and the lead was nearly blown. Leading off, Edgar Renteria connected on a solo homer to left, making it 4-2. That was it for Lilly, who ended up going seven innings for three hits, two runs, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He deserved a win, but can thank his awesome bullpen for denying him of that.
Dotel came in to pitch to Pat Burrell, who was pinch-hitting for Matt Cain. Advantage, Burrell, as he hit another solo homer, cutting it to 4-3. Aaron Rowand then popped up, but Freddie Sanchez drew a walk. Aubrey Huff stepped in, and Torre chose to bring in Kuo to keep the score as is.
It worked, as Kuo did a great job in getting Huff to pop up and Posey to fly out. The problem was that since Kuo pitched the night before, he pretty much had to be done for the night. Would Torre give youngster Kenley Jansen a shot at the save? Nope, he went with Broxton.
Broxton, as he's done so often this season, was awful. He gave a glimmer of hope by blowing away Jose Guillen with fastballs. But then Cody Ross reached on a slow grounder that Raffy nearly made a great play on. Next came Uribe, who took a lousy slider right over the plate and crushed it into deep center.
Brian Wilson nearly pulled a Broxton in the bottom of the ninth. Blake singled leading off. Kemp entered the game a few innings before to play center, and he was now in a big spot at the plate. Naturally, he easily flew out to center, failing to advance the runner. Big shock, I know. Jamey Carroll singled to put two on.
Rod Barajas has been swinging a hot bat lately, but he couldn't get the job done with a flyout to shallow right for two outs. Reed Johnson pinch-hit and hit one hard on the ground, but right at third for the forceout to end the game.
While the whole loss can't be pinned on Broxton, he continues to show just how messed up he is right now. There is absolutely zero trust in this guy to get big outs. Torre said after the game that using him in the ninth was a "no-brainer." Well, he's somewhat right. Nobody with a brain would have used him there. I guess Torre left his at home.
Had Dotel done a better job and got out of the eighth, I would think that Kuo would have been closing the game. He did pitch the night before, but only threw 13 pitches. But, with Dotel not getting it done, and with the only other lefty in the 'pen being George Sherrill, Torre had to go with Kuo in that spot.
What I don't like is once again thinking that Broxton can get the save. Joe, I've got news for you, it's not going to happen! Whether it be physical, mental, or whatever, the bottom line is that he should never be in that spot when you're trying to make the playoffs. I know those chances are slim, but putting Broxton in there makes those chances even worse.
This has pretty much how it's been for the Dodgers this year. They get a good win one night to show some promise, and suffer a painful loss the next night. The reasons have ranged from the bats going into hibernation to the bullpen imploding all year long. That's why they haven't been able to get on the roll that they need to get into the playoffs.
The Dodgers can still claim the series with a win on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Hiroki Kuroda will be on the mound against Jonathan Sanchez.
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