With Magic and the boys taking in their first home game as official owners of the Dodgers, the boys in blue didn't disappoint. With nearly every run scored from the sixth inning on, the Dodgers cruised to a win over the Giants, 9-1. It's the first matchup of the season between the two rivals, and the perfect start for what is a new day in Dodger history.
Two wily old veteran lefties got starts in this one, as Ted Lilly took on Barry Zito. Both were effective early. The Dodgers took the lead in the third when Juan Rivera's RBI grounder scored Mark Ellis. The Giants knotted it up in the sixth when Joaquin Arias's RBI single plated Miguel Cabrera, who reached base on an error by Matt Kemp to start the inning.
Once the bottom of the sixth came, however, the Dodgers dominated and never looked back. It began on a single by Bobby Abreu, who started in left. Juan Uribe walked, and A.J. Ellis hit an RBI double to make it 2-1. Tony Gwynn then pinch-hit for Lilly and laid down a bunt single, which was biffed by Conor Gillaspie, scoring Uribe to make it 3-1.
Another Giants' error brought in another Dodgers' run in the seventh. Kemp doubled leading off the inning. Rivera then bounced one back to pitcher Steve Edlefsen, who tried to nail Kemp going to third and instead threw the ball away all together. Kemp practically walked home, and it was 4-1.
After James Loney made a phenomenal diving catch to rob Hector Sanchez to end the top of the eighth, the Dodgers put the game away for good in the eighth. A.J. Ellis singled, Gwynn reached on an error by Buster Posey, and Dee Gordon bunt singled to load the bases. A walk to Mark Ellis made it 5-1.
An RBI single by Adam Kennedy (yes, he actually got a hit) and a two-run single by Andre Ethier upped it to 8-1, and the scoring ended on another RBI groundout from Rivera.
The game was noteworthy for a couple of reason. One, the obvious reason of new ownership in the house, as Magic got a nice, comfy seat near the on-deck circle. Who knows what the future holds, but it's so nice not to have this dark cloud of the McCourt family BS hanging over Dodger Stadium.
The second reason really has nothing to do with this game, but it was about news made beforehand. Don Mattingly has officially turned to Kenley Jansen as his new closer, demoting Javy Guerra. I was surprised to hear this, as I got the feeling that Guerra would be given more chances. But Sunday's meltdown was clearly the last straw. Combine that with what I'm sure is a lot of pressure to see what Jansen can do, and there you go.
As for this one, perhaps a little lost in all the scoring was another great start from Lilly. He's now 4-0 for the first time in his career thanks to a line of six innings, four hits, one run, two walks, and six strikeouts. That's now seven straight wins for him going back to last season, and nine of his last ten. He's quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball, and looks like he's not slowing down at all.
The Dodgers now sport a shinny five-game lead in the NL West over the second place Giants. I'm not sure anyone would've predicted that before the season. Giant-killer Clayton Kershaw will look to stretch that lead even more by going on Tuesday night. He'll miss another big matchup with Tim Lincecum by one day. I'm sure the Giants are thankful for that.
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