He'll burn you.
Matt Kemp once again found himself in a heroic situation late in a tight ballgame. After Andre Ethier's one-out double in the 11th, Kemp deposited a Cristhian Martinez pitch over the wall for a two-run, walk-off homer, giving the Dodgers a 5-3 win over the Braves. The Dodgers took three of four in this series.
Before all of the late dramatics, this game was all about Clayton Kershaw's bid to follow up Jon Garland's complete game gem with one of his own. And boy did he come oh so close. He got as far as two outs in the ninth, but was unable to finish the deal. He was still superb in this one, as he went 8 2/3 innings for five hits, three runs, four walks, and seven strikeouts.
The day started off with some promise for the Dodgers, as Kershaw needed a mere nine pitches to get through the first. In the bottom of the frame, the Dodgers loaded the bases on a single by Tony Gwynn and walks to Ethier and Juan Uribe. James Loney then struck out. So much for promise.
The scoreless game would last until the fifth. With one out, young Freddy Freeman, already a Sports Illustrated cover boy, hit a solo homer for the 1-0 lead. That would be the last run Kershaw would give up until the ninth.
The Dodgers battled back, starting in the sixth. Uribe was coming off his best game as a Dodger after gathering four RBIs the night before. He picked up where he left off with a solo homer to knot the game at 1.
Now in the seventh, the Dodgers took the lead. Scott Linebrink relieved with one out and got pinch-hitting Jerry Sands right away with a strikeout. Casey Blake then turned back the clock and hit a solo shot, his first of the year, to give the Dodgers a 2-1 advantage.
Everything looked like it was lining up quite nicely for a complete game for Kershaw, as he got Martin Prado and Alex Gonzalez with relative ease to open the inning. Then, little by little, the Braves took the lead. It started with a single by Chipper Jones. Jason Heyward came in to pinch-run for him, and that would be key, as he advanced to third on Dan Uggla's single.
Both plays on Heyward and Uggla were very close, as it sure looked like Uggla could've been called out at second. Nonetheless, Freeman then walked to load the bases. Don Mattingly had a tough decision to make: keep a tiring Kershaw in, or turn to Jonathan Broxton? He chose to stay with Kershaw, a decision we all liked...
...right up until David Ross hit a two-run single on an 0-2 count to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. Broxton struck out Nate McClouth to end the threat.
Needing a jolt after being dealt a serious blow, the offense delivered in the bottom of the ninth. With Craig Kimbrel on to close, Jamey Carroll walked and soon went to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Blake was clutch again, as his single scored the tying run to send it into extras.
It would take until the 12th for this game to be decided, as Ethier and Kemp just continue to sparkle. Much like last Sunday against the Cardinals, first base was open when Kemp came up, yet Fredi Gonzalez chose not to put Kemp on. Big mistake.
The bullpen of Broxton and Matt Guerrier deserve a lot of credit for keeping this game even. Broxton has certainly taken his licks, and isn't well-liked by this guy, but got four big outs. Guerrier has been just awesome so far, as his scoreless streak is now up to 10 2/3 innings. He's been everything the Dodgers have hoped for and more in middle relief.
After getting slapped around silly by the Cardinals to open the homestand, the Dodgers have now taken four of five, starting with Kemp's first walk-off on Sunday. They're now at 10-10, which is probably about where they should be at considering their offense is so inconsistent. But with their starting rotation posting great starts their last turns, there's plenty of reasons to think they can start winning more games.
The Dodgers will now hit the road for six against the Cubs and Marlins. Friday afternoon's game will see Chad Billingsley looking for his second win. He's coming off a tremendous start against the Cardinals last Sunday.
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