The Dodgers have certainly had their fair share of struggles at the plate this season. So when it came down to Russ Mitchell vs. Sergio Santos in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox liked their chances.
Then Mitchell did something the Dodgers have been waiting to see - a solo homer to keep the game alive. Three more runs came in the 10th, and the Dodgers came out of nowhere to beat the White Sox, 6-4. With this win, the Dodgers are now 4-0 in extra inning games this year.
After dropping two straight to the hated Giants at home, maybe the Dodgers enjoyed getting out of town for some interleague action. It sure looked that way in the first, as Jamey Carroll doubled with two outs, part of his four-hit night. Matt Kemp stepped in with two outs and launched a two-run homer for the early lead.
Ted Lilly got through the first with ease, but not the second. It all started with two outs as Alex Rios doubled. Ramon Castro hit a ground rule double to score him, cutting the lead to 2-1. Gordon Beckham gave the Sox the lead with a two-run shot, and it was 3-2.
Both Lilly and Phil Humber settled down after that, as neither team put a run across the board until late. The Dodgers had a chance in the eighth with Matt Thorton in. Jerry Sands walked leading off, followed by a ground rule double by Carroll. But, Andre Ethier struck out, and with Jesse Crain now in, Juan Castro and James Loney couldn't get the job done either.
So then came the ninth inning and Santos on to close. He came into this game with an ERA of 0.00, as in no runs in 20 innings this season, with six saves. Plus he was facing the bottom of the Dodgers' order, so the chances of winning increased even more.
Dioner Navarro led off and struck out. Jay Gibbons then flew out to right. Mitchell wasn't exactly an ideal hitter to tie the game considering he didn't have a homer all season and was hitting below .100. So with a 2-1 count, Santos threw a fastball right over the heart of the plate which Mitchell just hit inside the foul pole in left to knot it up.
Kenley Jansen got through the ninth with only a single to send the game to the 10th. Carroll once again started a rally with a single. Kemp also singled with one out. Next came an RBI single by old man Castro, and an RBI double from Loney. Yes, I did just say "double" and "Loney" in the same sentence. That's only his fifth extra-base hit all season in 164 at-bats. Wow. Gibbons got the last run with an RBI single to go up 6-3.
The White Sox wouldn't go quietly in the bottom of the 10th. With Vicente Padilla on the DL, Matt Guerrier got a crack at another save. Omar Vizquel singled leading off, and Juan "For Five" Pierre (I miss saying that) followed with another one. A groundout by Alexei Ramirez put both men in scoring position.
Out went Guerrier, in came Scott Elbert to face Adam Dunn. On a hard grounder to third, Mitchell again made a big play with a great diving stop to get the out while Vizquel scored. Mice MacDougal got the save by getting Paul Konerko to ground out to end the game.
It was a pretty crazy game by the time it was all said and done. The Dodgers have to feel really good about seeing someone other than Kemp or Ethier step up and make big plays. Tonight it was guys like Mitchell, Castro, Carroll, and Jansen getting it done. That's how the Dodgers win, by getting production from a bunch of guys.
Lilly shook off a bad second inning and turned in a solid performance. He ended up with seven innings pitched for seven hits, three runs, no walks, and five strikeouts. He's the only one in the rotation who hasn't really pulled his weight, so starts like this are good.
The bullpen of Jansen, Guerrier, Elbert, and MacDougal were great, and that's not something I get to say all that much. They combined to throw the final four innings for three hits, one run, no walks, and two strikeouts. It's not often you see a pitching staff not allow a walk all game, so it's a job well done to them.
After the big win on Friday, the Dodgers and White Sox will have an afternoon tilt on Saturday. Jon Garland, who won a ring with the Sox back in '05, will get the start against Mark Buehrle.
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