The Dodgers used huge fourth and seventh innings Monday afternoon as they pounded the Rockies, 16-6. 15 of the 16 runs were scored in those two innings alone.
As if scoring seven runs in one inning and eight in another isn't amazing enough, they didn't have one home run today. Of their 19 hits, only three were for extra bases (doubles by Jamie Hoffmann and Casey Blake, and a triple by Juan Pierre). Basically it was a plethora of singles being slapped all over the place.
The game was scoreless through three, then the Dodgers let loose. Starting with Orlando Hudson, 11 men came to the plate, gathering seven runs on seven hits. Hudson, Blake, Matt Kemp, and James Loney all singled to start the onslaught.
The big blow of the fourth was when Juan Pierre hit a bases-clearing triple, scoring Juan Castro, Loney, and Eric Stults. Russell Martin's RBI single gave the Dodgers a touchdown lead at 7-0.
The final score won't show this, but the Rockies made this a close game starting in the bottom of the fourth. Clint Barmes' RBI double got them on the board, but Stults got out of the inning.
Stults turned out to be his own worst enemy in the fifth, as he started walking everybody and their mother. Three straight walks with one down got him the hook and destroyed any chance of him earning the win. And that's kind of sad considering he was up six runs to start the inning.
Jeff Weaver relieved and didn't do much better. Brad Hawpe's two-run double was the big blow, and it was quickly 7-5. A sac-fly RBI by Troy Tulowitzki in the sixth made it 7-6, and it was suddenly a brand new game.
That was short-lived, however, as the Dodgers again unloaded in the seventh. RBIs were hit by Hoffmann, Castro (two), Martin, Hudson (two), Blake, and Kemp. If the Rockies weren't walking hitters, they were watching balls being sprayed in all directions as the Dodgers found just about every opening possible to get a hit.
The scoreboard would seem to indicate a typical Coors Field game, but that wasn't the case. Despite 22 runs and 27 hits, none of them were homers. That's pretty crazy. You would think at least one of the runs would come from the long ball, but it didn't.
Neither team can claim their pitchers did well (especially the Rockies), but Stults has to be kicking himself for blowing a chance to go 5-1. He just couldn't throw a strike in the fifth to save his life. He did have a sore thumb, causing him to miss his last start, so maybe it was still bothering him. Who knows.
Eric Milton will go tomorrow, and he hasn't pitched since receiving a no-decision on May 16 in Florida. I would think his time in the rotation is numbered with reports of Hiroki Kuroda rehabbing. But, perhaps a strong start will keep him with the big club longer.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Runs galore as Angels take the Freeway Series
The Dodgers and Angels split the first two games of the Freeway Series, as both teams had trouble driving in runners on base. That wouldn't be a problem today, as the Angels were able to do a little more, winning 10-7.
The second inning was great for L.A. (you know, the team that actually DOES play there, not the imitators). Rookie Jamie Hoffmann, getting his first ever start in the majors, launched a three-run shot to put the Dodgers up 4-0. With Chad Billingsley on the mound, all signs pointed to a victory.
The Angels, however, had other ideas. Frustrated by not being able to take advantage of runners on base the first couple of games, Torii Hunter lead the way in knocking around Billingsley.
It all started in the third with RBIs on Rob Quinlan's double and Chone Figgins' single. That slashed the lead to 4-2, but Billingsley was able to get through the next two innings unscathed.
With a low pitch count, Billingsley entered the sixth with some momentum. That was short-lived, as the Angles put up a three spot to take the lead. Four straight hitters reached base to start the inning, as Hunter and Juan Rivera hit RBI singles, and Kendry Morales hit a sac-fly RBI.
Billingsley left after six innings, and Cory Wade tried to keep it a one-run game. That didn't happen, as Hunter again struck with a two-run single, pushing their lead to 7-4.
Despite not scoring for five innings, the Dodgers refused to go quietly. Darren Oliver came on to pitch for the Angles, and Orlando Hudson and Casey Blake greeted him with singles. James Loney hit a sac-fly RBI, and it was now 7-5.
Hoffmann would continue his memorable day by doubling just in front of a sliding Bobby Abreu to score Matt Kemp, and it was now 7-6. Mark Loretta pinch-hit and was walked intentionally to load the bases, and it was now up to pinch-hitting Rafael Furcal and Pierre to get something done with one out.
Well, they did get something done, just not for the Dodgers. Raffy grounded into a fielder's choice to force Kemp at home, and Pierre grounded out. That was as close as the Dodgers would get.
Brent Leach and Ramon Troncoso were pretty much awful in the ninth, as the Angles added three more runs to make it 10-6. Blake hit an RBI double to close out the scoring on this day.
The offense certainly can't be faulted, as they were able to make plenty of things happen. The pitching never came through, though. Billingsley gave up five runs (four earned) in six innings, but did strike out six.
The bullpen was even worse. Wade could only get two outs while giving up two runs, Leach gave up one run 1/3 of an inning, and Troncoso gave up two runs in 2/3. Five runs in three innings for the bullpen just won't get it done.
The loss today gives the Dodgers only their second series loss at home out of eight total. That's still very impressive. The Angels, like always, are a very solid team, so it's not like they lost to some scrubs. It's a good thing for them that their players aren't as dumb as their team name is.
The Dodgers will now hit the road for seven games, starting with three in Colorado. Eric Stults will get the start on Memorial Day.
The second inning was great for L.A. (you know, the team that actually DOES play there, not the imitators). Rookie Jamie Hoffmann, getting his first ever start in the majors, launched a three-run shot to put the Dodgers up 4-0. With Chad Billingsley on the mound, all signs pointed to a victory.
The Angels, however, had other ideas. Frustrated by not being able to take advantage of runners on base the first couple of games, Torii Hunter lead the way in knocking around Billingsley.
It all started in the third with RBIs on Rob Quinlan's double and Chone Figgins' single. That slashed the lead to 4-2, but Billingsley was able to get through the next two innings unscathed.
With a low pitch count, Billingsley entered the sixth with some momentum. That was short-lived, as the Angles put up a three spot to take the lead. Four straight hitters reached base to start the inning, as Hunter and Juan Rivera hit RBI singles, and Kendry Morales hit a sac-fly RBI.
Billingsley left after six innings, and Cory Wade tried to keep it a one-run game. That didn't happen, as Hunter again struck with a two-run single, pushing their lead to 7-4.
Despite not scoring for five innings, the Dodgers refused to go quietly. Darren Oliver came on to pitch for the Angles, and Orlando Hudson and Casey Blake greeted him with singles. James Loney hit a sac-fly RBI, and it was now 7-5.
Hoffmann would continue his memorable day by doubling just in front of a sliding Bobby Abreu to score Matt Kemp, and it was now 7-6. Mark Loretta pinch-hit and was walked intentionally to load the bases, and it was now up to pinch-hitting Rafael Furcal and Pierre to get something done with one out.
Well, they did get something done, just not for the Dodgers. Raffy grounded into a fielder's choice to force Kemp at home, and Pierre grounded out. That was as close as the Dodgers would get.
Brent Leach and Ramon Troncoso were pretty much awful in the ninth, as the Angles added three more runs to make it 10-6. Blake hit an RBI double to close out the scoring on this day.
The offense certainly can't be faulted, as they were able to make plenty of things happen. The pitching never came through, though. Billingsley gave up five runs (four earned) in six innings, but did strike out six.
The bullpen was even worse. Wade could only get two outs while giving up two runs, Leach gave up one run 1/3 of an inning, and Troncoso gave up two runs in 2/3. Five runs in three innings for the bullpen just won't get it done.
The loss today gives the Dodgers only their second series loss at home out of eight total. That's still very impressive. The Angels, like always, are a very solid team, so it's not like they lost to some scrubs. It's a good thing for them that their players aren't as dumb as their team name is.
The Dodgers will now hit the road for seven games, starting with three in Colorado. Eric Stults will get the start on Memorial Day.
Dodgers' comeback leads to win in extras
The Dodgers found yet another way to win Saturday night when down by a few late. As they've done earlier in the season, it was their patience at the plate that paid off.
Juan Pierre's bases loaded walk scored Matt Kemp, and the Dodgers overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Angles in 10 innings, 5-4. With the win, the Dodgers are the first team in baseball to reach the 30-win mark.
Both teams played to a standstill the first 4 innings. Russell Martin hit and RBI double in the second to go up 1-0, but Juan Rivera's solo homer in the fourth tied it up.
The fifth is when momentum would shift to the team that claims they're from Los Angeles, but really aren't. With two outs, Chone Figgins and Rivera were on base with singles. On a 3-2 count, Torri Hunter temporarily broke the game open with a three-run homer to give the Angles a 4-1 lead.
The Dodgers wasted no time in battling back. Orlando Hudson singled with two down and went to second on a wild pitch. Andre Ethier was then beaned. Martin, still struggling with his bat, again came through with an RBI single. James Loney followed with one himself to make it 4-3.
Down a run heading into the eighth, Casey Blake again showed why he's the most productive eighth hitter in the game. Loney doubled to lead off, and Blake singled him home an out later to tie it at 4-4.
From there, like most games, it was a battle of the bullpens. Ronald Belisario had already pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, and now it was Jonathan Broxton's turn. And Broxton sure did come through, blanking the Angels in the ninth and tenth, striking out three.
Jose Arredondo relieved in the ninth and got Loney swinging to end the threat. But in the 10th, Arrendondo looked completely lost. Singles by Kemp and Blake started it, and pinch-hitting Juan Castro walked to load the bases.
Pierre had already grounded out once with the bases loaded earlier the game, so he now had a chance for redemption. Of course, it helped that Arrondondo lost all control, walking Pierre on a full count to end the game.
A win in extra innings is always good, but the Dodgers wasted chances to score during the game. They got 11 hits, drew five walks, and were even beaned three times. Still, they left 14 men on base. They can thank Martin and Loney for their big, two-out RBIs.
The rubber match is today, and the Dodgers send their ace Chad Billingsley to the mound. He's tied for the National League lead in wins at six, so he's looking to get his name at the very top of that list with a win today.
Juan Pierre's bases loaded walk scored Matt Kemp, and the Dodgers overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Angles in 10 innings, 5-4. With the win, the Dodgers are the first team in baseball to reach the 30-win mark.
Both teams played to a standstill the first 4 innings. Russell Martin hit and RBI double in the second to go up 1-0, but Juan Rivera's solo homer in the fourth tied it up.
The fifth is when momentum would shift to the team that claims they're from Los Angeles, but really aren't. With two outs, Chone Figgins and Rivera were on base with singles. On a 3-2 count, Torri Hunter temporarily broke the game open with a three-run homer to give the Angles a 4-1 lead.
The Dodgers wasted no time in battling back. Orlando Hudson singled with two down and went to second on a wild pitch. Andre Ethier was then beaned. Martin, still struggling with his bat, again came through with an RBI single. James Loney followed with one himself to make it 4-3.
Down a run heading into the eighth, Casey Blake again showed why he's the most productive eighth hitter in the game. Loney doubled to lead off, and Blake singled him home an out later to tie it at 4-4.
From there, like most games, it was a battle of the bullpens. Ronald Belisario had already pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, and now it was Jonathan Broxton's turn. And Broxton sure did come through, blanking the Angels in the ninth and tenth, striking out three.
Jose Arredondo relieved in the ninth and got Loney swinging to end the threat. But in the 10th, Arrendondo looked completely lost. Singles by Kemp and Blake started it, and pinch-hitting Juan Castro walked to load the bases.
Pierre had already grounded out once with the bases loaded earlier the game, so he now had a chance for redemption. Of course, it helped that Arrondondo lost all control, walking Pierre on a full count to end the game.
A win in extra innings is always good, but the Dodgers wasted chances to score during the game. They got 11 hits, drew five walks, and were even beaned three times. Still, they left 14 men on base. They can thank Martin and Loney for their big, two-out RBIs.
The rubber match is today, and the Dodgers send their ace Chad Billingsley to the mound. He's tied for the National League lead in wins at six, so he's looking to get his name at the very top of that list with a win today.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
1-for-14 in scoring position dooms Dodgers
For the Dodgers, the formula was simple: get a big hit, win the game.
Too bad it never actually happened.
The Dodgers went a dreadful 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in dropping the Freeway Series opener to the Angels, 3-1. The bottom line is that the big bats were nowhere to be found, wasting a good effort by Clayton Kershaw.
The funny part is that the Angels really weren't any better with their sticks. They were 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, equaling the Dodgers with 11 men on altogether. The Dodgers topped that by leaving a man on third in five of the first seven innings. Ouch.
Gary Matthews Jr. got the scoring started in the fourth with an infield single that scored Torii Hunter. The Dodgers would fight right back in the bottom of the inning when Russell Martin doubled with one down, and James Loney drove him in with a single.
After Kershaw exited following the fifth, Ramon Troncoso, Brent Leach, and Ronald Belisario held the Angels in check the following two innings. Entering the eighth, it was time for Cory Wade to show his stuff.
Unfortunately, his stuff was pretty awful. He immediately gave up singles to Kendry Morales and Matthews Jr. After a groundout for one down, Macier Izturis drew a walk to load the bases. Both teams have had seemingly 100 men on during the game, but the Angels finally came through on a two-run single by Chonne Figgins to put the game away at 3-1.
I suppose the Dodgers were due to have some luck go the other way for a change, as they've been the ones making all the right plays lately. But the lack of a power threat really hurt them last night. So that means... you guessed it... no Manny Ramirez came back to haunt them.
Kershaw put in five solid innings, giving up only one run on four hits. His biggest problem is still the walk, issuing four this time. If he can improve his control even a little bit, he can do better than throwing 97 pitches in five innings. The fear is that his arm will tire as the season goes on, so let's hope he starts locating better.
If you want a good laugh, check out the box score from the game. There were seven men that had multiple hits and 11 walks taken. Yet only four runs were scored. It's safe to say both teams really missed their sluggers, Manny and Vladimir Guerrero.
Tonight's pitching matchup looks really good, as Randy Wolf takes on John Lackey. Wolf has been absolutely fantastic this year, proving that when healthy, he can can be dominant. Lackey has only made two starts, though one of them can barely be counted considering he was ejected for throwing at Ian Kinsler. So I think he should be well-rested.
Too bad it never actually happened.
The Dodgers went a dreadful 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in dropping the Freeway Series opener to the Angels, 3-1. The bottom line is that the big bats were nowhere to be found, wasting a good effort by Clayton Kershaw.
The funny part is that the Angels really weren't any better with their sticks. They were 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, equaling the Dodgers with 11 men on altogether. The Dodgers topped that by leaving a man on third in five of the first seven innings. Ouch.
Gary Matthews Jr. got the scoring started in the fourth with an infield single that scored Torii Hunter. The Dodgers would fight right back in the bottom of the inning when Russell Martin doubled with one down, and James Loney drove him in with a single.
After Kershaw exited following the fifth, Ramon Troncoso, Brent Leach, and Ronald Belisario held the Angels in check the following two innings. Entering the eighth, it was time for Cory Wade to show his stuff.
Unfortunately, his stuff was pretty awful. He immediately gave up singles to Kendry Morales and Matthews Jr. After a groundout for one down, Macier Izturis drew a walk to load the bases. Both teams have had seemingly 100 men on during the game, but the Angels finally came through on a two-run single by Chonne Figgins to put the game away at 3-1.
I suppose the Dodgers were due to have some luck go the other way for a change, as they've been the ones making all the right plays lately. But the lack of a power threat really hurt them last night. So that means... you guessed it... no Manny Ramirez came back to haunt them.
Kershaw put in five solid innings, giving up only one run on four hits. His biggest problem is still the walk, issuing four this time. If he can improve his control even a little bit, he can do better than throwing 97 pitches in five innings. The fear is that his arm will tire as the season goes on, so let's hope he starts locating better.
If you want a good laugh, check out the box score from the game. There were seven men that had multiple hits and 11 walks taken. Yet only four runs were scored. It's safe to say both teams really missed their sluggers, Manny and Vladimir Guerrero.
Tonight's pitching matchup looks really good, as Randy Wolf takes on John Lackey. Wolf has been absolutely fantastic this year, proving that when healthy, he can can be dominant. Lackey has only made two starts, though one of them can barely be counted considering he was ejected for throwing at Ian Kinsler. So I think he should be well-rested.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Dodgers sweep Mets to go 17-3 at home
For the third night in a row, the Dodgers were locked in a tight game with the visiting Mets. When one of the teams needed a big hit the most, it was once again the Dodgers that were money.
Russell Martin hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth to lead the Dodgers over the Mets, 2-1. The win gives the Dodgers a sweep, a 17-3 record at home, and an MLB-best 29-13 record.
Plus, they're 8-5 since a certain left fielder was suspended 50 games. Not too shabby considering they were 1-4 a little over a week ago.
The game was a matchup of two veterans trying to give their teams good innings, Jeff Weaver and Livan Hernandez. Neither man disappointed. Weaver went five innings, giving one run on four hits. Hernandez topped him with seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits. Despite their best efforts, each did not factor into the decision.
As the Dodgers have done better than any team this season, they struck in the first inning. Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal singled to start. Orlando Hudson advanced them on a groundout, and Andre Ethier lifted a sac-fly RBI to score Pierre.
The Mets were able to tie it in the third on an RBI double by Carlos Beltran down the right field line. That's the biggest hit the Mets could garner, as they left nine on base, including six with two outs and runners in scoring position. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot the whole series and paid dearly for it.
Following the third inning, both teams couldn't do a whole heck of a lot. The Dodgers put two men on in the seventh and the Mets did the same in the eighth, but to no avail. With the bullpens doing battle, it seemed like the team that got the next big hit would win.
That happened in the bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers as O-Dog singled with one down. Ethier drew a walk to put two on. Martin had been hitless thus far in the series, but he came through with a hard grounder through short and third to score Hudson with the winning run.
Like the previous two games, the Dodgers' bullpen was really good. They combined for four scoreless innings. Ramon Troncoso pitched two, Ronald Belisario and Brent Leach combined for one, and Jonathan Broxton got his 11th save in 13 chances.
As I said before, the Mets really didn't give themselves much of a chance to win these games. Despite the Dodgers only owning a 10-6 edge in scoring, errors and lack of clutch hitting had to have made for a long flight home to New York.
Thursday is an off day before the Dodgers and Angels begin the annual Freeway Series. Clayton Kershaw is coming off his best start in his young career, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning in Florida. He's opposed by Jared Weaver, who's been really good this year, and completely dominant against the Dodgers in the past.
Russell Martin hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth to lead the Dodgers over the Mets, 2-1. The win gives the Dodgers a sweep, a 17-3 record at home, and an MLB-best 29-13 record.
Plus, they're 8-5 since a certain left fielder was suspended 50 games. Not too shabby considering they were 1-4 a little over a week ago.
The game was a matchup of two veterans trying to give their teams good innings, Jeff Weaver and Livan Hernandez. Neither man disappointed. Weaver went five innings, giving one run on four hits. Hernandez topped him with seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits. Despite their best efforts, each did not factor into the decision.
As the Dodgers have done better than any team this season, they struck in the first inning. Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal singled to start. Orlando Hudson advanced them on a groundout, and Andre Ethier lifted a sac-fly RBI to score Pierre.
The Mets were able to tie it in the third on an RBI double by Carlos Beltran down the right field line. That's the biggest hit the Mets could garner, as they left nine on base, including six with two outs and runners in scoring position. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot the whole series and paid dearly for it.
Following the third inning, both teams couldn't do a whole heck of a lot. The Dodgers put two men on in the seventh and the Mets did the same in the eighth, but to no avail. With the bullpens doing battle, it seemed like the team that got the next big hit would win.
That happened in the bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers as O-Dog singled with one down. Ethier drew a walk to put two on. Martin had been hitless thus far in the series, but he came through with a hard grounder through short and third to score Hudson with the winning run.
Like the previous two games, the Dodgers' bullpen was really good. They combined for four scoreless innings. Ramon Troncoso pitched two, Ronald Belisario and Brent Leach combined for one, and Jonathan Broxton got his 11th save in 13 chances.
As I said before, the Mets really didn't give themselves much of a chance to win these games. Despite the Dodgers only owning a 10-6 edge in scoring, errors and lack of clutch hitting had to have made for a long flight home to New York.
Thursday is an off day before the Dodgers and Angels begin the annual Freeway Series. Clayton Kershaw is coming off his best start in his young career, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning in Florida. He's opposed by Jared Weaver, who's been really good this year, and completely dominant against the Dodgers in the past.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Blake's 3-run shot carries Dodgers
The Dodgers found themselves needing a spark as they trailed 3-2 in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's ballgame against the Mets.
Fortunately for them, they got exactly what they needed from their power source at the bottom of the lineup, Casey Blake.
Blake's 3-run homer, his team-leading ninth, gave the Dodgers a 5-3 lead that would hold up the rest of the night. The win increased their lead in the NL West to 7.5 games over the Giants.
Just like the night before, the Dodgers struck first in the bottom of the first. And what do you know, it's the Mets porous defense that let it happen. Juan Pierre reached on Daniel Murphy's error in left and went to second. After Rafael Furcal walked, Orlando Hudson drove in Pierre with an RBI single.
The Mets didn't waste any time in getting back into the game against Chad Billingsley. With Billingsley battling some control problems, it was John Maine that hit a 2-run single with the bases loaded to go up 2-1.
In the third, Murphy walked to lead off. Carlos Beltran hit one to James Loney, who fired to Raffy for an out. But, Raffy completely airmiled one back to first for an error, and Beltran was in scoring position. The error was costly as David Wright singled him home to go up 3-1.
The Dodgers had a chance to get a big inning in the bottom of the third as Billingsley, Pierre, and Furcal all reached to start. Hudson then popped up to Wright, Andre Ethier struck out, and Russell Martin grounded out to end it. No matter what the circumstances are with who's playing and who's not, not even getting one run with the bases loaded is not exactly clutch.
Just like Maine a few innings back, Billingsley got the Dodgers creeping back with an RBI double in the fourth to go down 3-2. Through the next two innings, both teams couldn't get anything going, and it looked to be a close game the rest of the way.
With Maine entering the 100-pitch mark, Blake picked a perfect time to get a big hit. With Loney and Matt Kemp on, Blake laced one into the left field stands to give the Dodgers the permanet lead, 5-3. He had missed the previous two games with a tight left hamstring, so it looks like the rest did him some good.
Billingsley wasn't sharp at all early on, but found a way to keep the Dodgers close. He finished at 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K. He threw 117 pitches and didn't even get out of the seventh inning, so that's a good indicator that he didn't have his best stuff. Still, he improved to 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA.
The bullpen stepped up and did a great job. Brent Leach and Ronald Belisario got out of the seventh, Cory Wade pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Broxton shut down the side for his 10th save.
Even with the Mets banged up (they just lost Carlos Delgado for two months, plus Jose Reyes isn't healthy), it's still good anytime you can beat them. Granted, the Mets gave the Dodgers Monday night's game on a silver platter, but last night was an all-around effort.
Tonight, the Dodgers go for the sweep as Jeff Weaver gets the ball. It was supposed to be Eric Stults, but he was scratched with a sprained left thumb. He's opposed by Livan Hernandez, who's been pitching since Abraham Lincoln was president. So I like the Dodgers' chances.
Fortunately for them, they got exactly what they needed from their power source at the bottom of the lineup, Casey Blake.
Blake's 3-run homer, his team-leading ninth, gave the Dodgers a 5-3 lead that would hold up the rest of the night. The win increased their lead in the NL West to 7.5 games over the Giants.
Just like the night before, the Dodgers struck first in the bottom of the first. And what do you know, it's the Mets porous defense that let it happen. Juan Pierre reached on Daniel Murphy's error in left and went to second. After Rafael Furcal walked, Orlando Hudson drove in Pierre with an RBI single.
The Mets didn't waste any time in getting back into the game against Chad Billingsley. With Billingsley battling some control problems, it was John Maine that hit a 2-run single with the bases loaded to go up 2-1.
In the third, Murphy walked to lead off. Carlos Beltran hit one to James Loney, who fired to Raffy for an out. But, Raffy completely airmiled one back to first for an error, and Beltran was in scoring position. The error was costly as David Wright singled him home to go up 3-1.
The Dodgers had a chance to get a big inning in the bottom of the third as Billingsley, Pierre, and Furcal all reached to start. Hudson then popped up to Wright, Andre Ethier struck out, and Russell Martin grounded out to end it. No matter what the circumstances are with who's playing and who's not, not even getting one run with the bases loaded is not exactly clutch.
Just like Maine a few innings back, Billingsley got the Dodgers creeping back with an RBI double in the fourth to go down 3-2. Through the next two innings, both teams couldn't get anything going, and it looked to be a close game the rest of the way.
With Maine entering the 100-pitch mark, Blake picked a perfect time to get a big hit. With Loney and Matt Kemp on, Blake laced one into the left field stands to give the Dodgers the permanet lead, 5-3. He had missed the previous two games with a tight left hamstring, so it looks like the rest did him some good.
Billingsley wasn't sharp at all early on, but found a way to keep the Dodgers close. He finished at 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K. He threw 117 pitches and didn't even get out of the seventh inning, so that's a good indicator that he didn't have his best stuff. Still, he improved to 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA.
The bullpen stepped up and did a great job. Brent Leach and Ronald Belisario got out of the seventh, Cory Wade pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Broxton shut down the side for his 10th save.
Even with the Mets banged up (they just lost Carlos Delgado for two months, plus Jose Reyes isn't healthy), it's still good anytime you can beat them. Granted, the Mets gave the Dodgers Monday night's game on a silver platter, but last night was an all-around effort.
Tonight, the Dodgers go for the sweep as Jeff Weaver gets the ball. It was supposed to be Eric Stults, but he was scratched with a sprained left thumb. He's opposed by Livan Hernandez, who's been pitching since Abraham Lincoln was president. So I like the Dodgers' chances.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Kershaw nearly unhittable in rout of Marlins
Clayton Kershaw came into today's game with some awful stats on the road, and with four regular starters resting. What looked to be a potentially tough game nearly turned into a historic one, as he threw seven no-hit innings in getting an easy win, 12-5. Cody Ross' double with no outs in the eighth was the only blemish.
With Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, and Casey Blake all kicking back on a hot Sunday afternoon, the defense was as good as ever. The highlights were a great diving catches by Orlando Hudson at second and Xavier Paul in right in the first couple of innings. Once Kershaw settled down, he was fantastic.
Overall, Kershaw pitched seven strong, giving up one hit, one run, four walks, and nine strikeouts. Not bad for a guy that was 0-3 on the road coming into this game, and with a 5.21 ERA overall. Thanks to today's effort, it's now 4.60.
The runs started in the first, and were mostly obtained on John Koronka's throwing error. James Loney hit into a fielder's choice with two runners in scoring position, and the errant throw let Juan Pierre and Mark Loretta score.
Juan Castro hit his first homer of the season in the second. Walks were issued to Kershaw and Loretta, and with one down, Hudson hit into a fielder's choice. But Kershaw would come around to score on... you guessed it, a throwing error by Koronka. The guy nearly had as many errors (two) as innings pitched (2.2). Stats like that are reasons why the Marlins have fallen on hard times.
And here's the real salt in the wound: Koronka was designated for assignment after the game. Ouch!
With Kershaw dealing, the Dodgers continued to add to their lead as the game progressed. Both Pierre and Loretta traded two-run doubles in the third and eighth, respectively. Pierre hit another RBI double in the ninth, finishing the day 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs. He's batting .419 for the year! Even in limited duty during April, that's just an awesome batting average.
The only negative of this game was Guillermo Mota, who was rocked in the ninth. While Kershaw was throwing flames all day, Mota proved why he's buried at the bottom of the bullpen. Up 12-1 in the last inning, he got the first 2 hitters out. Then he let the bases get loaded before giving up a grand slam to Ross. Even in a blowout win, that's not good to see.
For the Dodgers, today's win put a stamp on a very successful road trip. Winning two of three in Philadelphia and Florida with all of the Manny drama is something that surprises a lot of people (me included). I knew they could play well, but they are rising above that and continuing to pull away in the NL West.
Following a cross-country trip back home, the Dodgers will open a three-game series with the Mets on Monday night. Randy Wolf finally got a much-deserved win his last start in Philly, and he'll look to get another one Monday. The best thing about this series is that Johan Santana won't be pitching! Are you upset about that? Nope, neither am I.
With Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, and Casey Blake all kicking back on a hot Sunday afternoon, the defense was as good as ever. The highlights were a great diving catches by Orlando Hudson at second and Xavier Paul in right in the first couple of innings. Once Kershaw settled down, he was fantastic.
Overall, Kershaw pitched seven strong, giving up one hit, one run, four walks, and nine strikeouts. Not bad for a guy that was 0-3 on the road coming into this game, and with a 5.21 ERA overall. Thanks to today's effort, it's now 4.60.
The runs started in the first, and were mostly obtained on John Koronka's throwing error. James Loney hit into a fielder's choice with two runners in scoring position, and the errant throw let Juan Pierre and Mark Loretta score.
Juan Castro hit his first homer of the season in the second. Walks were issued to Kershaw and Loretta, and with one down, Hudson hit into a fielder's choice. But Kershaw would come around to score on... you guessed it, a throwing error by Koronka. The guy nearly had as many errors (two) as innings pitched (2.2). Stats like that are reasons why the Marlins have fallen on hard times.
And here's the real salt in the wound: Koronka was designated for assignment after the game. Ouch!
With Kershaw dealing, the Dodgers continued to add to their lead as the game progressed. Both Pierre and Loretta traded two-run doubles in the third and eighth, respectively. Pierre hit another RBI double in the ninth, finishing the day 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs. He's batting .419 for the year! Even in limited duty during April, that's just an awesome batting average.
The only negative of this game was Guillermo Mota, who was rocked in the ninth. While Kershaw was throwing flames all day, Mota proved why he's buried at the bottom of the bullpen. Up 12-1 in the last inning, he got the first 2 hitters out. Then he let the bases get loaded before giving up a grand slam to Ross. Even in a blowout win, that's not good to see.
For the Dodgers, today's win put a stamp on a very successful road trip. Winning two of three in Philadelphia and Florida with all of the Manny drama is something that surprises a lot of people (me included). I knew they could play well, but they are rising above that and continuing to pull away in the NL West.
Following a cross-country trip back home, the Dodgers will open a three-game series with the Mets on Monday night. Randy Wolf finally got a much-deserved win his last start in Philly, and he'll look to get another one Monday. The best thing about this series is that Johan Santana won't be pitching! Are you upset about that? Nope, neither am I.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Baker's homer the difference for Marlins
John Baker's two-out, two-run homer off of Jeff Weaver in the fifth broke open a tie game, and that was enough for the Marlins to defeat the Dodgers, 6-3. The loss ends the Dodgers' win streak at three.
Eric Milton got his first start since 2007, and all things considered, wasn't that bad. His final line was 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. As you can see, his biggest enemy was the walk. One of his runs he surrendered was a bases loaded walk to Dan Uggla on a full count. The Dodgers would have hoped to get a couple more innings out him, but with 84 pitches in only four innings, they pretty much had to yank him.
Juan Pierre continued his strong play (3-5 with three runs) by singling to lead off the game. After advancing to second on Rafael Furcal's groundout, he stole third and scored on Orlando Hudson's sac-fly. A two-out double by Cody Ross to score Uggla an inning later would tie the game at one.
Both teams traded runs in the third, starting with an RBI groundout by Raffy. Milton got the first 2 outs, but then walked Hanley Ramirez, beaned Jorge Cantu, walked Josh Baker, and walked Uggla to make the score 2-2.
Weaved relieved in the fifth, but that's when the Dodgers lost the game for good, as the Marlins once again did damage with two down. Baker launched his two-run home run after a single by Cantu, and it was 5-2. Weaver did give up two singles after that but got out of the inning.
The Dodgers had chances to get more runs in the sixth and seventh, but could only score one. Xavier Paul pinch-hit with two on and two outs in the sixth, but struck out swinging. Hudson got another sac-fly RBI to score Pierre and inning later, but that was it. The Marlins tacked on two more runs for good measure.
It's not like the Dodgers didn't make things happen, because they did get seven hits, take five walks, and stole four bases. The downfall was leaving eight men on, including four with runners in scoring position and two outs. On the flip side, the Marlins got five of their six runs with two outs. That's clutch hitting, folks.
The rubber match is Sunday afternoon, and Clayton Kershaw will look to bounce back from a rough start in Philadelphia. He's opposed by John Koronka, was was hit hard in his lone start against the Brewers this past Tuesday.
Eric Milton got his first start since 2007, and all things considered, wasn't that bad. His final line was 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. As you can see, his biggest enemy was the walk. One of his runs he surrendered was a bases loaded walk to Dan Uggla on a full count. The Dodgers would have hoped to get a couple more innings out him, but with 84 pitches in only four innings, they pretty much had to yank him.
Juan Pierre continued his strong play (3-5 with three runs) by singling to lead off the game. After advancing to second on Rafael Furcal's groundout, he stole third and scored on Orlando Hudson's sac-fly. A two-out double by Cody Ross to score Uggla an inning later would tie the game at one.
Both teams traded runs in the third, starting with an RBI groundout by Raffy. Milton got the first 2 outs, but then walked Hanley Ramirez, beaned Jorge Cantu, walked Josh Baker, and walked Uggla to make the score 2-2.
Weaved relieved in the fifth, but that's when the Dodgers lost the game for good, as the Marlins once again did damage with two down. Baker launched his two-run home run after a single by Cantu, and it was 5-2. Weaver did give up two singles after that but got out of the inning.
The Dodgers had chances to get more runs in the sixth and seventh, but could only score one. Xavier Paul pinch-hit with two on and two outs in the sixth, but struck out swinging. Hudson got another sac-fly RBI to score Pierre and inning later, but that was it. The Marlins tacked on two more runs for good measure.
It's not like the Dodgers didn't make things happen, because they did get seven hits, take five walks, and stole four bases. The downfall was leaving eight men on, including four with runners in scoring position and two outs. On the flip side, the Marlins got five of their six runs with two outs. That's clutch hitting, folks.
The rubber match is Sunday afternoon, and Clayton Kershaw will look to bounce back from a rough start in Philadelphia. He's opposed by John Koronka, was was hit hard in his lone start against the Brewers this past Tuesday.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Broxton shaky, but holds on for win
Chris Volstad was able to easily mow through the Dodgers for through five innings on Friday night, giving up only a double to Casey Blake. But in a show of resiliency, the Dodgers got three back in the sixth, and eventually tacked on more runs to get the win, 6-4.
It all started when Blake hit a solo homer to left to lead off the sixth, and that seemed to energize the whole team. Pinch-hitting for starter Eric Stults, Xavier Paul hit his first Major League home run the next batter, and it was 3-2. If you can recall, he was the guy called up when Manny got suspended, and he's now 3-5 with a double and homer.
Juan Pierre singled, but was erased trying to steal second. Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson both singled to follow. At this point, I was really hoping Andre Ethier wouldn't hit into another double play, something he's gotten pretty used to. Thankfully he didn't, as he hit a sac-fly to left that was good enough to score Raffy and tie it at three apiece.
With the game knotted up, it would come down to a battle of the bullpens. Jeff Weaver took over for Stults in the bottom of the sixth and held the Marlins in check. James Loney lead off the seventh with a single, and Volstad would then exit for Kiko Calero.
The Dodgers' patience would be their best friend, as Matt Kemp and pinch-hitting Mark Loretta got free passes. That set up a big at-bat for Pierre, who delivered with a single between first and second, scoring Loney and Kemp for the 5-3 lead.
Brent Leach relieved in the bottom of the seventh and gave up an RBI groundout to Chris Coghlan, cutting the lead to 5-4. Ronald Belisario would come on with two outs and get Hanley Ramirez on a flyout to end the inning.
Belisario did walk Jorge Cantu to start the eighth, so Cory Wade would be called on. Wade would eventually load the bases on a hit and walk, but would escape when Alfredo Amezaga flied out. With the exception of getting bombed by the Nationals on May 7, Wade has been really good since his return. He looks like a solid setup guy again.
The Dodgers would get an insurance run in the ninth. Pierre walked with one down, and O-Dog singled one out later. Ethier again had a chance to drive in a run, and again came through. His single scored Pierre and increased the lead to 6-4.
The two-run lead would mean Jonathan Broxton would again get a save opportunity. He had a 3-1 lead against the Phillies yesterday, but gave up a tying double. Tonight would also be a rollercoaster, though with a happier ending.
With one out, consecutive walks would be issued to Coghlan and Ramirez. Cantu would ground back to Broxton, and both runners advanced. With two runners in scoring position, it was a big spot. Ross Gload looked to hit one hard into right, but it hung up enough for Ethier to easily handle it and end the game.
While the win was sweet, what will probably be most remembered in this game is the three Marlins that got tossed. Manager Fredi Gonzalez, Dan Uggla, and Emilio Bonifacio were all shown the door late in the game. I guess when you lose 18 of 24, you have a pretty good reason to be frustrated.
After beginning their Post-Manny Era (at least for 50 games) with some tough losses, the Dodgers have won three straight, all on the road. And they are doing so with contributions up and down the lineup. Most notably, Pierre deserves a ton of credit for staying prepared and getting on base. Do people realize he's hitting .391? Give the man his due because he has earned it.
Eric Milton has been recalled to start tomorrow's game. It's his first start sine May 8, 2007 with the Reds against the Astros. Obviously, it's been a long road back to the Bigs for him, so I'm sure he'll be ready to go.
It all started when Blake hit a solo homer to left to lead off the sixth, and that seemed to energize the whole team. Pinch-hitting for starter Eric Stults, Xavier Paul hit his first Major League home run the next batter, and it was 3-2. If you can recall, he was the guy called up when Manny got suspended, and he's now 3-5 with a double and homer.
Juan Pierre singled, but was erased trying to steal second. Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson both singled to follow. At this point, I was really hoping Andre Ethier wouldn't hit into another double play, something he's gotten pretty used to. Thankfully he didn't, as he hit a sac-fly to left that was good enough to score Raffy and tie it at three apiece.
With the game knotted up, it would come down to a battle of the bullpens. Jeff Weaver took over for Stults in the bottom of the sixth and held the Marlins in check. James Loney lead off the seventh with a single, and Volstad would then exit for Kiko Calero.
The Dodgers' patience would be their best friend, as Matt Kemp and pinch-hitting Mark Loretta got free passes. That set up a big at-bat for Pierre, who delivered with a single between first and second, scoring Loney and Kemp for the 5-3 lead.
Brent Leach relieved in the bottom of the seventh and gave up an RBI groundout to Chris Coghlan, cutting the lead to 5-4. Ronald Belisario would come on with two outs and get Hanley Ramirez on a flyout to end the inning.
Belisario did walk Jorge Cantu to start the eighth, so Cory Wade would be called on. Wade would eventually load the bases on a hit and walk, but would escape when Alfredo Amezaga flied out. With the exception of getting bombed by the Nationals on May 7, Wade has been really good since his return. He looks like a solid setup guy again.
The Dodgers would get an insurance run in the ninth. Pierre walked with one down, and O-Dog singled one out later. Ethier again had a chance to drive in a run, and again came through. His single scored Pierre and increased the lead to 6-4.
The two-run lead would mean Jonathan Broxton would again get a save opportunity. He had a 3-1 lead against the Phillies yesterday, but gave up a tying double. Tonight would also be a rollercoaster, though with a happier ending.
With one out, consecutive walks would be issued to Coghlan and Ramirez. Cantu would ground back to Broxton, and both runners advanced. With two runners in scoring position, it was a big spot. Ross Gload looked to hit one hard into right, but it hung up enough for Ethier to easily handle it and end the game.
While the win was sweet, what will probably be most remembered in this game is the three Marlins that got tossed. Manager Fredi Gonzalez, Dan Uggla, and Emilio Bonifacio were all shown the door late in the game. I guess when you lose 18 of 24, you have a pretty good reason to be frustrated.
After beginning their Post-Manny Era (at least for 50 games) with some tough losses, the Dodgers have won three straight, all on the road. And they are doing so with contributions up and down the lineup. Most notably, Pierre deserves a ton of credit for staying prepared and getting on base. Do people realize he's hitting .391? Give the man his due because he has earned it.
Eric Milton has been recalled to start tomorrow's game. It's his first start sine May 8, 2007 with the Reds against the Astros. Obviously, it's been a long road back to the Bigs for him, so I'm sure he'll be ready to go.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Milton called up to start in Florida
After being out of the Majors for nearly two years, Eric Milton will be called up to start against the Marlins on Saturday. The move switches Jeff Weaver back to the long relief role in the bullpen, and James McDonald will go down to Triple-A.
First, a look at Milton. He was one of several free agent signings in Spring Training by the Dodgers, and he competed for the fifth starter job. It ended up going to McDonald, so Milton went to Triple-A Albuquerque. He's started seven games, going 2-3 with a 2.83 ERA. Looking deeper into his stats, his WHIP is an excellent 1.00, surrendering a mere 27 hits and six walks in 35 innings. I think he's ready.
The final straw for McDonald came Wednesday night. With the Dodgers leading the Phillies 9-2 in the ninth, McDonald came on to seal the deal. He got the first out, then walked the following batter. Joe Torre wasted no time in yanking him, clearly upset about a walk with such a huge lead. McDonald may as well have kept walking to Albuquerque.
As for Weaver, I think the long relief role suits him well at this stage in his career. He won't be asked to pitch as many innings as a starter, and he has the experience to get Major League hitters out when needed. I like the move.
First, a look at Milton. He was one of several free agent signings in Spring Training by the Dodgers, and he competed for the fifth starter job. It ended up going to McDonald, so Milton went to Triple-A Albuquerque. He's started seven games, going 2-3 with a 2.83 ERA. Looking deeper into his stats, his WHIP is an excellent 1.00, surrendering a mere 27 hits and six walks in 35 innings. I think he's ready.
The final straw for McDonald came Wednesday night. With the Dodgers leading the Phillies 9-2 in the ninth, McDonald came on to seal the deal. He got the first out, then walked the following batter. Joe Torre wasted no time in yanking him, clearly upset about a walk with such a huge lead. McDonald may as well have kept walking to Albuquerque.
As for Weaver, I think the long relief role suits him well at this stage in his career. He won't be asked to pitch as many innings as a starter, and he has the experience to get Major League hitters out when needed. I like the move.
10th inning rebound gives Dodgers series win in Philly
The Dodgers experienced all types of emotions on Thursday afternoon. They went from a tie game, to taking a small lead, to watching their star closer blow a save with two outs, to getting the lead back for good in the 10th inning. It all added up to a big 5-3 win in 10 innings over the reigning World Series champions, the Phillies.
The game saw a matchup of two stud pitchers in their early 20's, Chad Billingsley and Cole Hamels. Each man more than delivered. Billingsley went 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. Hamels went 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Both men got no-decisions, though they did plenty to deserve wins.
With the game predictably low scoring, each team added single runs in the first 6 innings. The Phillies wasted no time in scoring in the first. Jimmy Rollins lead off with a double and went to third on Shane Victorino's sacrifice bunt. Chase Utley walked next. Ryan Howard hit a sac-fly RBI to score Rollins and grab the 1-0 lead.
The Phillies' defense helped the Dodgers get on the board in the third. Casey Blake started it with a ground rule double. Billingsley and Juan Pierre could not reach base, leaving it up to Rafael Furcal to come through. Raffy did... sort of. It was actually an error from Rollins that let him reach and Blake score, evening the game up at 1.
Tied up going into the seventh, James Loney hit his second homer in as many days to lead off the inning. Cory Wade relieved Billingsley in the eighth and was perfect, giving the Dodgers the lead into the ninth.
For insurance, the Dodgers added another run. Matt Kemp tripled with one down and scored on Blake's sac-fly. The Phillies had their 4-5-6 hitters due up in the bottom of the frame, so it seemed that if Jonathan Broxton could get Ryan Howard out to start, he would cruise.
Howard did strike out, followed by a swinging K of Jayson Werth. With two outs and nobody on, it sure looked good.
But Raul Ibanez singled. Then Greg Dobbs walked. And with an 0-2 count on Carlos Ruiz, an outside fastball was drilled to right-center to score both men, and just like that, it was all tied at 3. It was Broxton's first blown save of the year, all with two outs. It's safe to say that nobody saw that coming.
With momentum clearly on the Phillies side, the Dodgers refused to quit. Much like the Phillies two-out rally, the Dodgers had one of their own in the 10th. Andre Ethier walked off Chad Durbin. Russell Martin then doubled to plate Ethier, and Martin soon scored on a double by Kemp. Ramon Troncoso closed the door in the bottom of the 10th, and the Dodgers got a huge road win.
While it's only May and still all sorts of games left to be played, winning two of three in Philadelphia with all of the Manny drama is a great statement. With Tuesday's game being pretty flat, I have to admit I didn't see the Dodgers winning the next two. Maybe a split, but not both. It's a testament to their young hitters and top of the rotation of Randy Wolf and Billingsley.
The Dodgers will now travel to Florida to take on another team of young stars, the Marlins. Eric Stults, coming off a complete game shutout against the Giants, starts against Chris Volstad.
The game saw a matchup of two stud pitchers in their early 20's, Chad Billingsley and Cole Hamels. Each man more than delivered. Billingsley went 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. Hamels went 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Both men got no-decisions, though they did plenty to deserve wins.
With the game predictably low scoring, each team added single runs in the first 6 innings. The Phillies wasted no time in scoring in the first. Jimmy Rollins lead off with a double and went to third on Shane Victorino's sacrifice bunt. Chase Utley walked next. Ryan Howard hit a sac-fly RBI to score Rollins and grab the 1-0 lead.
The Phillies' defense helped the Dodgers get on the board in the third. Casey Blake started it with a ground rule double. Billingsley and Juan Pierre could not reach base, leaving it up to Rafael Furcal to come through. Raffy did... sort of. It was actually an error from Rollins that let him reach and Blake score, evening the game up at 1.
Tied up going into the seventh, James Loney hit his second homer in as many days to lead off the inning. Cory Wade relieved Billingsley in the eighth and was perfect, giving the Dodgers the lead into the ninth.
For insurance, the Dodgers added another run. Matt Kemp tripled with one down and scored on Blake's sac-fly. The Phillies had their 4-5-6 hitters due up in the bottom of the frame, so it seemed that if Jonathan Broxton could get Ryan Howard out to start, he would cruise.
Howard did strike out, followed by a swinging K of Jayson Werth. With two outs and nobody on, it sure looked good.
But Raul Ibanez singled. Then Greg Dobbs walked. And with an 0-2 count on Carlos Ruiz, an outside fastball was drilled to right-center to score both men, and just like that, it was all tied at 3. It was Broxton's first blown save of the year, all with two outs. It's safe to say that nobody saw that coming.
With momentum clearly on the Phillies side, the Dodgers refused to quit. Much like the Phillies two-out rally, the Dodgers had one of their own in the 10th. Andre Ethier walked off Chad Durbin. Russell Martin then doubled to plate Ethier, and Martin soon scored on a double by Kemp. Ramon Troncoso closed the door in the bottom of the 10th, and the Dodgers got a huge road win.
While it's only May and still all sorts of games left to be played, winning two of three in Philadelphia with all of the Manny drama is a great statement. With Tuesday's game being pretty flat, I have to admit I didn't see the Dodgers winning the next two. Maybe a split, but not both. It's a testament to their young hitters and top of the rotation of Randy Wolf and Billingsley.
The Dodgers will now travel to Florida to take on another team of young stars, the Marlins. Eric Stults, coming off a complete game shutout against the Giants, starts against Chris Volstad.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Dodgers pound Moyer in big win
Randy Wolf pitched six strong innings against his former club, and the bats gathered 14 hits in an easy win over the Phillies, 9-2. The win gives the Dodgers a 23-12 record, once again the best in all of baseball. It also denied 46-year-old Jamie Moyer of his 250th career win. So take that, old man!
Wolf hasn't gotten a win since Easter Sunday, but that was mostly because his team didn't give him much support. He started last Thursday against the Nationals (you may remember that day for some guy getting suspended), and the Dodgers blew a 6-0 lead and lost, 11-9. Today, the offense would make sure no such thing like that would happen again.
The Phillies had the lead in the early going on a homer by Jimmy Rollins. At 1-0 going into the fifth, the Dodgers went crazy. Rafael Furcal busted out of a funk with a double. He scored on Orlando Hudson's double to even it up.
Following a groundout by Andre Ethier and a walk to Russell Martin, James Loney lifted a high fly ball to right. Jayson Werth kept going back, and back, and back, until he started running another direction. But it didn't matter as the ball finally sailed over the wall for a three-run shot.
Consecutive singles by Matt Kemp and Casey Blake followed Loney's first homer of the season. Wolf laid down a great bunt in which he was just out at first. Give Kemp a ton of credit for what he did next, as he hustled around third and slid perfectly around Carlos Ruiz's tag for the 5-1 lead. In all, it was five runs on five hits.
Two more runs were added in the sixth on an RBI single by Loney and a sac-fly RBI by Blake. It wasn't exactly a prototypical sacrifice fly, as he fouled out to first. But, with Ryan Howard ranging far back and leaning into the crowd, Martin scurried his way home. Another great example of baserunning and manufacturing runs.
For good measure, Blake added a two-run shot in the ninth. The big night at the plate was more than enough for Wolf, who improved to 2-1 by going 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. With an ERA at 2.77, he's quietly (very quietly it seems) putting together an All-Star type of season. He's really stabilized a staff that needed someone to be relied upon for innings.
In looking at the stats, it's easy to see why the Dodgers put up nine runs. The top of the order of Juan Pierre, Furcal, and Hudson went 6-13 with four doubles, three runs, and two stolen bases. While Pierre and Hudson continue to impress, it was really good to see Raffy bust out. At .244, he's looking at any reason for hope, and today was it.
Both teams have had their fun in the last two games, starting with Werth's four steals a night ago, and 14 hits from the Dodgers tonight. Tomorrow's game will be great to watch. Chad Billingsley will take on Cole Hamels in a matchup of two of the game's brightest young stars. It's an afternoon start, so tape it if you can't watch.
Wolf hasn't gotten a win since Easter Sunday, but that was mostly because his team didn't give him much support. He started last Thursday against the Nationals (you may remember that day for some guy getting suspended), and the Dodgers blew a 6-0 lead and lost, 11-9. Today, the offense would make sure no such thing like that would happen again.
The Phillies had the lead in the early going on a homer by Jimmy Rollins. At 1-0 going into the fifth, the Dodgers went crazy. Rafael Furcal busted out of a funk with a double. He scored on Orlando Hudson's double to even it up.
Following a groundout by Andre Ethier and a walk to Russell Martin, James Loney lifted a high fly ball to right. Jayson Werth kept going back, and back, and back, until he started running another direction. But it didn't matter as the ball finally sailed over the wall for a three-run shot.
Consecutive singles by Matt Kemp and Casey Blake followed Loney's first homer of the season. Wolf laid down a great bunt in which he was just out at first. Give Kemp a ton of credit for what he did next, as he hustled around third and slid perfectly around Carlos Ruiz's tag for the 5-1 lead. In all, it was five runs on five hits.
Two more runs were added in the sixth on an RBI single by Loney and a sac-fly RBI by Blake. It wasn't exactly a prototypical sacrifice fly, as he fouled out to first. But, with Ryan Howard ranging far back and leaning into the crowd, Martin scurried his way home. Another great example of baserunning and manufacturing runs.
For good measure, Blake added a two-run shot in the ninth. The big night at the plate was more than enough for Wolf, who improved to 2-1 by going 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. With an ERA at 2.77, he's quietly (very quietly it seems) putting together an All-Star type of season. He's really stabilized a staff that needed someone to be relied upon for innings.
In looking at the stats, it's easy to see why the Dodgers put up nine runs. The top of the order of Juan Pierre, Furcal, and Hudson went 6-13 with four doubles, three runs, and two stolen bases. While Pierre and Hudson continue to impress, it was really good to see Raffy bust out. At .244, he's looking at any reason for hope, and today was it.
Both teams have had their fun in the last two games, starting with Werth's four steals a night ago, and 14 hits from the Dodgers tonight. Tomorrow's game will be great to watch. Chad Billingsley will take on Cole Hamels in a matchup of two of the game's brightest young stars. It's an afternoon start, so tape it if you can't watch.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Quick start fades away for Dodgers
Here was the scenario for the Dodgers: They faced their first East coast trip of the season against the reigning World Series champions, the Phillies. It's a rematch of last year's NLCS in which the Phillies pretty much had their way, 4-1. It's also a nice early season test to see how legit the Dodgers really are.
Oh ya, and Manny is suspended.
What might have been a great matchup this early in the season was given an obviously blow from Manny's suspension. But nonetheless, the games must go on. And despite getting a quick 1-0 lead, the Dodgers crumbled in the fourth and eventually lost, 5-2.
Sticking with their lineup of Juan Pierre, Rafael Furcal, and Orlando Hudson at the top, the Dodgers had a good start. Pierre continued his great play by doubling off Chan Ho Park to lead off the game. Raffy lined out to short, but Hudson picked him up with an RBI single.
What started as a good play suddenly turned into a bad one when O-Dog was thrown out trying to get to second. And it was made even worse when Andre Ethier doubled next at-bat. Russell Martin grounded out to end the inning.
Still, the Dodgers found themselves up 2-1 entering the bottom of the fourth. Shane Pricktorino... oops, I mean Victorino (I just don't like him) hit an RBI fielder's choice to tie it at one in the third, but Matt Kemp's two-out single put the Dodgers up 2-1 the following inning.
It was in the fourth when the wheels would fall off the bus for the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw would allow the first 5 hitters to reach base, highlighted by an RBI single from Jimmy Rollins and a two-run single by Raul Ibanez. In all, it was three runs on three hits, two walks, and two stolen bases for a 4-2 Phillies lead.
That lead would go up to 5-2 in the seventh when Jayson Werth stole home. Yes, I did just type that. In fact, Werth had FOUR STOLEN BASES on the night. That's just pretty sad. Nothing against Werth, who is a player I've admired back from his Dodger days for his hard play, but there's no way he should be running wild like that. Wow.
With Brad Lidge on the mound in the ninth, things would get interesting. Martin struck out to start it, but James Loney singled. Kemp fouled out to right, and it looked like a lost night. Except, Casey Blake singled for two on and pinch-hitting Mark Loretta singled to score Loney and cut it to 5-3.
Pierre had a chance to be a hero with two outs, but it wasn't meant to be, as he flied out to end it.
I'll give the Dodgers credit for fighting until the very end. But they were their own worst enemy tonight, as they put up 11 hits and only got two runs. They left eight on base, including four with two outs in scoring position. Basically, they just couldn't get a big hit when they needed it most.
Kershaw started well but faded in the middle innings. He ended at 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Four hits is great, but he can't be walking nearly a batter an inning. To his defense, this was a pretty tough start for a young pitcher, and with some more runs by his offense, he could've been right there for a win. He'll get better.
Randy Wolf has been awesome his last three starts, and he'll look to continue that Wednesday night against Jamie Moyer. Moyer's ERA is 7.26, so I would hope the offense can get some runs against him. It's an ESPN game, so we all can enjoy.
Oh ya, and Manny is suspended.
What might have been a great matchup this early in the season was given an obviously blow from Manny's suspension. But nonetheless, the games must go on. And despite getting a quick 1-0 lead, the Dodgers crumbled in the fourth and eventually lost, 5-2.
Sticking with their lineup of Juan Pierre, Rafael Furcal, and Orlando Hudson at the top, the Dodgers had a good start. Pierre continued his great play by doubling off Chan Ho Park to lead off the game. Raffy lined out to short, but Hudson picked him up with an RBI single.
What started as a good play suddenly turned into a bad one when O-Dog was thrown out trying to get to second. And it was made even worse when Andre Ethier doubled next at-bat. Russell Martin grounded out to end the inning.
Still, the Dodgers found themselves up 2-1 entering the bottom of the fourth. Shane Pricktorino... oops, I mean Victorino (I just don't like him) hit an RBI fielder's choice to tie it at one in the third, but Matt Kemp's two-out single put the Dodgers up 2-1 the following inning.
It was in the fourth when the wheels would fall off the bus for the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw would allow the first 5 hitters to reach base, highlighted by an RBI single from Jimmy Rollins and a two-run single by Raul Ibanez. In all, it was three runs on three hits, two walks, and two stolen bases for a 4-2 Phillies lead.
That lead would go up to 5-2 in the seventh when Jayson Werth stole home. Yes, I did just type that. In fact, Werth had FOUR STOLEN BASES on the night. That's just pretty sad. Nothing against Werth, who is a player I've admired back from his Dodger days for his hard play, but there's no way he should be running wild like that. Wow.
With Brad Lidge on the mound in the ninth, things would get interesting. Martin struck out to start it, but James Loney singled. Kemp fouled out to right, and it looked like a lost night. Except, Casey Blake singled for two on and pinch-hitting Mark Loretta singled to score Loney and cut it to 5-3.
Pierre had a chance to be a hero with two outs, but it wasn't meant to be, as he flied out to end it.
I'll give the Dodgers credit for fighting until the very end. But they were their own worst enemy tonight, as they put up 11 hits and only got two runs. They left eight on base, including four with two outs in scoring position. Basically, they just couldn't get a big hit when they needed it most.
Kershaw started well but faded in the middle innings. He ended at 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Four hits is great, but he can't be walking nearly a batter an inning. To his defense, this was a pretty tough start for a young pitcher, and with some more runs by his offense, he could've been right there for a win. He'll get better.
Randy Wolf has been awesome his last three starts, and he'll look to continue that Wednesday night against Jamie Moyer. Moyer's ERA is 7.26, so I would hope the offense can get some runs against him. It's an ESPN game, so we all can enjoy.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Extra innings unkind to Mota
The Dodgers had a lead, lost a lead, battled back to tie the game in extra innings, but eventually fell to the Giants in 13 innings, 7-5. The loss ends their homestand on a down note, which adds to the rest of the gloomy mood of the last few days.
Going into this game, the Dodgers knew they'd have their hands full facing reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Plus, Casey Blake and Russell Martin were given the day off. So it was looking like an uphill climb.
To their credit, Lincecum was not at all the reason they lost. In the 1st, Juan Pierre started things with a walk, then went to 3rd on an errant pickoff throw from Lincecum. Orlando Hudson's sac-fly 1 out later gave them a 1-0 lead.
Jeff Weaver coughed up the lead the next inning, as a sac-fly by Lincecum and a bases loaded walk to Edgar Renteria gave the Giants a 2-1 lead. That was soon tied in the 3rd after Pierre singled, stole 2nd, and scored on Rafael Furcal's RBI single.
With everything knotted up in the 5th, the Dodgers put 2 more on the board. Brad Ausmus got the start at catcher and singled to lead off, but was forced out at 2nd on Weaver's grounder. Pierre came through again with a long double to score Weaver for the 3-2 lead. Then O-Dog hit what seems like his millionth double this season to score Pierre and grab a 4-2 lead.
Randy Winn chased Weaver to start the 6th with a double. Ramon Troncoso entered, but the Giants cut it to 4-3 on a single by Emmanuel Burriss. Will Ohman and Ronald Belisario kept the Dodgers ahead by pitching scoreless 7th and 8th innings.
The Dodgers found themselves in a situation where they needed someone to hold the lead in the 8th and bridge the gap to Jonathan Broxton. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Winn singled off of Belisario to start, and Cory Wade came in. Wade gave up singles to Aaron Rowand and Burriss, and with 1 down, Nick Schierholtz's sac-fly RBI made it 4-4.
The game would come down to a battle of bullpens, and both teams put up blanks in innings 9-11. Following 2 scoreless innings by Broxton and 1 by McDonald, the Dodgers had to no choice but to trust Guillermo Mota. With all the other top relievers used, it was a gamble that would prove costly.
Rich Aurilla gave the Giants a lead at 5-4 with a sac-fly in the 12th. With closer Brian Wilson on to try and seal the deal, Blake was clutch with a huge solo homer to left with 1 out. Just like that, the Dodgers had new life and momentum...
...but Mota would again give up the lead. This time it was a 2-run single by Winn in the 13th, and that was too much for the Dodgers to overcome. Groundouts by Hudson, Andre Ethier, and James Loney would stick a fork in this day.
The Dodgers really had a golden opportunity to get a win over a fantastic pitcher before heading off to the road, but it just didn't happen. From the 7th inning on, they could only muster 5 hits, and the only big one was Blake's home run. So of course, that meant one thing - they missed Manny Ramirez. And as Dodger fans, we're going to have to live with that fact for awhile.
Monday is an off day, then it's a rematch of last year's NLCS in which the Phillies won 4-1. Clayton Kershaw gets the start against old Dodger Chan Ho Park. Thursday's game should be really good with Chad Billingsley vs. Cole Hamels, so make sure to check that one out.
Going into this game, the Dodgers knew they'd have their hands full facing reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Plus, Casey Blake and Russell Martin were given the day off. So it was looking like an uphill climb.
To their credit, Lincecum was not at all the reason they lost. In the 1st, Juan Pierre started things with a walk, then went to 3rd on an errant pickoff throw from Lincecum. Orlando Hudson's sac-fly 1 out later gave them a 1-0 lead.
Jeff Weaver coughed up the lead the next inning, as a sac-fly by Lincecum and a bases loaded walk to Edgar Renteria gave the Giants a 2-1 lead. That was soon tied in the 3rd after Pierre singled, stole 2nd, and scored on Rafael Furcal's RBI single.
With everything knotted up in the 5th, the Dodgers put 2 more on the board. Brad Ausmus got the start at catcher and singled to lead off, but was forced out at 2nd on Weaver's grounder. Pierre came through again with a long double to score Weaver for the 3-2 lead. Then O-Dog hit what seems like his millionth double this season to score Pierre and grab a 4-2 lead.
Randy Winn chased Weaver to start the 6th with a double. Ramon Troncoso entered, but the Giants cut it to 4-3 on a single by Emmanuel Burriss. Will Ohman and Ronald Belisario kept the Dodgers ahead by pitching scoreless 7th and 8th innings.
The Dodgers found themselves in a situation where they needed someone to hold the lead in the 8th and bridge the gap to Jonathan Broxton. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Winn singled off of Belisario to start, and Cory Wade came in. Wade gave up singles to Aaron Rowand and Burriss, and with 1 down, Nick Schierholtz's sac-fly RBI made it 4-4.
The game would come down to a battle of bullpens, and both teams put up blanks in innings 9-11. Following 2 scoreless innings by Broxton and 1 by McDonald, the Dodgers had to no choice but to trust Guillermo Mota. With all the other top relievers used, it was a gamble that would prove costly.
Rich Aurilla gave the Giants a lead at 5-4 with a sac-fly in the 12th. With closer Brian Wilson on to try and seal the deal, Blake was clutch with a huge solo homer to left with 1 out. Just like that, the Dodgers had new life and momentum...
...but Mota would again give up the lead. This time it was a 2-run single by Winn in the 13th, and that was too much for the Dodgers to overcome. Groundouts by Hudson, Andre Ethier, and James Loney would stick a fork in this day.
The Dodgers really had a golden opportunity to get a win over a fantastic pitcher before heading off to the road, but it just didn't happen. From the 7th inning on, they could only muster 5 hits, and the only big one was Blake's home run. So of course, that meant one thing - they missed Manny Ramirez. And as Dodger fans, we're going to have to live with that fact for awhile.
Monday is an off day, then it's a rematch of last year's NLCS in which the Phillies won 4-1. Clayton Kershaw gets the start against old Dodger Chan Ho Park. Thursday's game should be really good with Chad Billingsley vs. Cole Hamels, so make sure to check that one out.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Saturday afternoon belongs to Stults
Eric Stults made sure the Dodgers would avoid any kind of slump.
After suffering through 2 bad losses, the Dodgers regrouped in a big way today. Riding a complete game, 4-hit shutout by Stults, they easily cruised to a victory over the Giants, 8-0. It's their first win since that guy in left field got suspended.
The 1st showed just how good the Dodgers can play, and how frustrating their youth can be. Stults got the Giants in order to start it off. Leading off was Juan Pierre, which kind of made me cringe. But he came through today, starting with an unusual double where he lined one off of Jonathan Sanchez's glove, going into left field.
Orlando Hudson followed with a single to send Pierre to 3rd. With nobody out, Andre Ethier came up, hitting in Manny's #3 hole. He got the run in, but by grounding into a double play. Matt Kemp flied out to end it, and right away I found myself saying, "Manny could have done better."
Thankfully for the rest of the game, Manny didn't matter. The 2nd inning brought more runs, starting with a walk to Russell Martin and a 1-out pass to Casey Blake. Juan Castro got the start at short for Rafael Furcal and doubled to score Martin. Pierre came back up with 2 down and came through with a 2-run double to get the 4-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Stults, who was simply fantastic today. Check out his final line: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. His ERA 2 starts ago was 5.50, now it's 3.58. It's performances like that that will keep him in the LA's rotation for as long as he wants to be.
More runs were added later, starting with an RBI single by Kemp in the 5th to go up 5-0. In the 8th, another double by Castro and singles by Stults and Pierre ran it up to 8-0. Edgar Renteria doubled to open the 9th, but he was stranded as the next 3 hitters did nothing.
The win is a relief for obvious reasons. For the first time since Wednesday night's win over the Nationals, the Dodgers can smile. Everyone will be available tomorrow in the bullpen thanks to being rested today and an off day for travel on Monday.
Coming up in the next 2 weeks are a bunch of tests that will show what the Dodgers can do sans Manny. It starts on Sunday with Jeff Weaver facing Tim Lincecum. They then pack up for games in Philadelphia and Florida, followed by home games against the Mets and Angeles. So basically, the easy teams are done and the challenges await. We'll see how it goes.
After suffering through 2 bad losses, the Dodgers regrouped in a big way today. Riding a complete game, 4-hit shutout by Stults, they easily cruised to a victory over the Giants, 8-0. It's their first win since that guy in left field got suspended.
The 1st showed just how good the Dodgers can play, and how frustrating their youth can be. Stults got the Giants in order to start it off. Leading off was Juan Pierre, which kind of made me cringe. But he came through today, starting with an unusual double where he lined one off of Jonathan Sanchez's glove, going into left field.
Orlando Hudson followed with a single to send Pierre to 3rd. With nobody out, Andre Ethier came up, hitting in Manny's #3 hole. He got the run in, but by grounding into a double play. Matt Kemp flied out to end it, and right away I found myself saying, "Manny could have done better."
Thankfully for the rest of the game, Manny didn't matter. The 2nd inning brought more runs, starting with a walk to Russell Martin and a 1-out pass to Casey Blake. Juan Castro got the start at short for Rafael Furcal and doubled to score Martin. Pierre came back up with 2 down and came through with a 2-run double to get the 4-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Stults, who was simply fantastic today. Check out his final line: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. His ERA 2 starts ago was 5.50, now it's 3.58. It's performances like that that will keep him in the LA's rotation for as long as he wants to be.
More runs were added later, starting with an RBI single by Kemp in the 5th to go up 5-0. In the 8th, another double by Castro and singles by Stults and Pierre ran it up to 8-0. Edgar Renteria doubled to open the 9th, but he was stranded as the next 3 hitters did nothing.
The win is a relief for obvious reasons. For the first time since Wednesday night's win over the Nationals, the Dodgers can smile. Everyone will be available tomorrow in the bullpen thanks to being rested today and an off day for travel on Monday.
Coming up in the next 2 weeks are a bunch of tests that will show what the Dodgers can do sans Manny. It starts on Sunday with Jeff Weaver facing Tim Lincecum. They then pack up for games in Philadelphia and Florida, followed by home games against the Mets and Angeles. So basically, the easy teams are done and the challenges await. We'll see how it goes.
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