So Matt Kemp left the game early with a bad hamstring, Andre Ethier and Don Mattingly were ejected, and Ted Lilly gave up three runs in the first. Probably not the types of things you would think the Dodgers could overcome for a win.
But this is 2012, and for now anyway, it's all going right.
Bobby Abreu and Scott Van Slyke drove in five runs off the bench, Lilly pitched into the seventh, and the Dodgers rolled to a three-game sweep over the Rockies, 11-5. The Dodgers remain the best team in baseball at 23-11, and are a ridiculous 15-3 at home. Wow.
The game didn't start off promising at all, as the Rockies put up a three spot. In fact, four straight singles by Marco Scutaro, Tyler Colvin, Carlos Gonzalez, and Michael Cuddyer made it 2-0 before an out was even recorded. After a double steal with one out, Ramon Hernandez collected an RBI on a groundout, and it was now 3-0.
Tony Gwynn made sure the Dodgers responded right away. He got the start in left and hit leadoff, as Dee Gordon was mercifully given the day off for Justin Sellers. Gwynn doubled to left, and following a groundout by Mark Ellis that sent him to third, another grounder by Kemp scored him to make it 3-1.
James Loney again gave the Dodgers a double to start an inning in the second. A.J. Ellis, who had a big day again, blooped a single into right for an RBI and a 3-2 deficit. A couple innings later, Scutaro's RBI single scored Dexter Fowler, and it was 4-2.
The fifth inning brought all sorts of excitement. It started on a Sellers single, and two walks to Gwynn and Mark Ellis loaded the bases. Here is where Rockies' manager Jim Tracy made a mistake. Matt Kemp left the game after the third with his bad hammy, so the lefty Abreu was up. Rather than bringing in their own lefty, Mark Reynolds, Tracy stuck with young Alex White, who was in line for a win if he could wiggle out of trouble.
Bad move. Abreu cleared the bases with a three-run double, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. They never looked back from there. Now with Reynolds in, Ethier struck out looking, jawed a little with home plate umpire Mark Carlson, and was tossed. The frustrating thing about it was that Ethier was walking back to the dugout when it happened, but was still run. Mattingly didn't like that, and he got the same treatment with his fourth career ejection as a manager.
Even with all of that going down, the inning was far from over. Loney drew a walk, which then lead to a three-run homer from A.J. Ellis, his third of the season, making it 8-4.
Both teams traded single runs in the seventh. The Rockies got an RBI groundout from Gonzalez to make it 8-5, but the Dodgers responded with a beautiful suicide squeeze from Adam Kennedy to plate Van Slyke to get that run back.
Van Slyke would continue his best day of his brief career in the eighth. Three walks to pinch-hitter Juan Uribe, Mark Ellis, and Abreu led to a two-run double from Van Slyke, closing the scoring at 11-5. Javy Guerra pitched a perfect ninth to end it.
Let's start with the pitching first. Lilly wasn't his sharpest, but benefited from great run support to get to 5-0. He lasted 6 1/3 innings for six hits, five runs (four earned), three walks, and one strikeout. My gosh, who would've thought he and Capuano would be a combined 10-0? That's just crazy. It's good to see the old men still got it.
Ronald Belisario was terrific, getting four outs with ease. The decision to go with him over Mike MacDougal looks like a genius move so far. As for Guerra, he needs to start building up confidence again, and maybe an outing like this one will continue that.
Let's give the guys off the bench a ton of credit here. Abreu, Van Slyke, and Uribe combined to go 2-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, five RBIs, and three walks. Those two doubles were huge, too. As a team, the Dodgers drew 10 walks, had eight hits, and two sacrifices. And that was with Kemp getting two at-bats and Ethier three. Not a bad day indeed.
The Dodgers will look to follow up their fourth sweep of the season already by welcoming the Diamondbacks for two starting Monday. Two studs will be on the mound, too, as Clayton Kershaw takes on Ian Kennedy. The first to score may just be the winner in that one.
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