The Dodgers managed to throw the ball away twice in one play early in the game.
Good thing that two fantastic catches later in the game helped make up for it.
Matt Kemp and Xavier Paul flashed some serious leather, and a two-run sixth broke a tie that led to the Dodgers winning, 4-3. The Dodgers took two of three from the Rockies, and have won four of six this year.
Both teams got on the board in the first inning. With two outs, Kemp drew a walk from Jhoulys Chacin. James Loney followed with a double that just got Kemp to the plate in time, and it was 1-0.
Clayton Kershaw was either all over the place or striking everyone out. In the first, it was a combination of both. For the second straight day, Carlos Gonzalez was beaned leading off. With one down, Jason Giambi walked. Troy Tulowitzki hit an RBI single to tie the game, and Chris Iannetta followed with one an out later to go up 2-1.
In between all of that, Kershaw struck out the side. In fact, he struck out nine in five innings, giving up only those two runs. He still walked four and gave up four hits, so it was a bit of a wild start for him.
The game became tied in the third. It was Kershaw who singled to lead off, and Rafael Furcal bunted his way on next. Russell Martin was then beaned to load the bases. Kemp looked pretty lost in striking out swinging for one down. Loney got another RBI with a sac-fly, but Casey Blake struck out swinging to only get one run in.
Then the Dodgers' defense looked like a Little League team on one play in the bottom of the third. With Giambi on again from a walk, Tulowitzki hit an infield single to Raffy. Raffy tried to get Giambi at second, but threw it away. Loney picked it up and fired to third... only to have the ball get away to put runners on second and third.
Somehow the Dodgers wiggled out of the inning from a lineout to first and strikeout.
The defensive switch would be flipped in the fifth. The bases were loaded on a single and two walks with two outs. Iannetta then hit one hard that was sinking to center. Kemp showed why he won a Gold Glove last year with an awesome diving catch to end the inning.
Sure enough, the bats came alive right after that. Blake started it with a double, then Paul singled to right to score him. A single by Reed Johnson put Paul on third, who then scored on Blake DeWitt's RBI forceout.
With Kershaw already at 98 pitches after five innings, the lead would be be left up to the bullpen. And protect the lead they did, starting with Ramon Troncoso pitching a scoreless sixth. Hong-Chih Kuo got some help on a great leaping catch by Paul in the seventh to rob Gonzalez. Ronald Belisario got a double play ball from Iannetta to end the eighth.
The ninth got interesting when Jonathan Broxton came in. Ian Stewart greeted him with a double. Todd Helton pinch-hit and struck out, much like Manny Ramirez did earlier.
With one out and one on, Blake committed his ninth error of the season to put two on. Gonzalez scored a run on a fielder's choice, and it was 4-3. With two outs, Broxton got Ryan Spilborghs to ground to second to end the game.
Judging by how wild Kershaw looked early in the game, it looked like it could be a long day. But, once Kershaw somewhat settled down, the offense and bullpen came through. Manny sat out (not that he's set the world on fire lately anyway), and Andre Ethier sat out for what looks to be the final time as he should be back on Monday.
As for the defense, they rank dead last in the entire majors with a .978 fielding %. But, when they needed to make a big play, they did. Kemp and Paul's grabs were just huge. Especially Kemp's, because without that play with the bases loaded, the Rockies would most likely have won.
At 28-22, the Dodgers now begin a 13-game homestand. It starts with the Diamondbacks for three, who have struggled all this year. Chad Billingsley will look to get his seventh win.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Rockies slap around the Dodgers
Hiroki Kuroda struggled mightily on Saturday night, as the Rockies easily beat the Dodgers, 11-3. For whatever reason, Kuroda simply cannot beat the Rockies, as he's fallen to 0-3 with a 7.57 ERA in five career starts against them.
The Dodgers put up a threat in the first inning against Aaron Cook, but came up empty. Rafael Furcal singled and Garret Anderson walked. Manny Ramirez just got under one in flying out deep to right, allowing Raffy to tag to third. Matt Kemp, though, grounded into a double play.
The lack of a clutch hit immediately hurt the Dodgers, as Kuroda scuffled his whole start. Carlos Gonzalez was beaned to lead off, and Seth Smith singled. Todd Helton then hit a fly ball just in foul territory to Manny, who somehow managed to not catch it. I know Manny isn't a good fielder, but make no mistake about it, that ball should have been caught.
Helton then drew a walk to load the bases. An RBI fielder's choice by Troy Tulowitzki and sac-fly RBI from Brad Hawpe made it 2-0. Kuroda actually recovered pretty well, but it would be short-lived.
Gonzalez added a solo homer in the second to make it 3-0. After the Dodgers wasted their first two hitters reaching base (mostly thanks to Kuroda inexplicably being picked off of second), the Rockies got back-to-back RBI singles from Clint Barmes and Cook to run the lead to 5-0.
Kuroda was lifted in the fifth, where Scott Elbert gave up a bases loaded walk to Gonzalez and a two-run single to Smith. If the game wasn't already over before, it definitely was now at 8-0.
About the only positive to come from this game was in the seventh, where the Dodgers at least scored some runs. Kemp tripled to lead off and scored on James Loney's single. A.J. Ellis and Raffy added RBI singles, cutting the lead to 8-3.
But, the Rockies got those runs back in the eighth thanks to a two-run triple by Miguel Olivo and RBI single from Ian Stewart.
This was one of those games where little to nothing went right. Manny couldn't catch a ball in left, Raffy committed his seventh error, Kuroda was picked off of second, and the offense couldn't get anything going against a guy with a 5.40 ERA coming in. It was just an ugly night all around.
One person who actually did play well was reliever Justin Miller. The game was already decided when he came in the fifth, but he got all four men he faced out, including a strikeout of Brad Hawpe.
As for Kuroda, while I wouldn't say I'm worried about him, his ERA has slowly been creeping up his last four starts (2.66, 2.87, 3.03, 3.55). Despite walking just one, he didn't have his best control. When he was in the zone, he was whacked around. Hopefully this is just a little lull for him and nothing more.
The Dodgers will attempt to lick their wounds and bounce back on Sunday. Clayton Kershaw will get the ball, and he's been lights-out lately. He's just the guy the Dodgers want on the mound after a blowout loss.
The Dodgers put up a threat in the first inning against Aaron Cook, but came up empty. Rafael Furcal singled and Garret Anderson walked. Manny Ramirez just got under one in flying out deep to right, allowing Raffy to tag to third. Matt Kemp, though, grounded into a double play.
The lack of a clutch hit immediately hurt the Dodgers, as Kuroda scuffled his whole start. Carlos Gonzalez was beaned to lead off, and Seth Smith singled. Todd Helton then hit a fly ball just in foul territory to Manny, who somehow managed to not catch it. I know Manny isn't a good fielder, but make no mistake about it, that ball should have been caught.
Helton then drew a walk to load the bases. An RBI fielder's choice by Troy Tulowitzki and sac-fly RBI from Brad Hawpe made it 2-0. Kuroda actually recovered pretty well, but it would be short-lived.
Gonzalez added a solo homer in the second to make it 3-0. After the Dodgers wasted their first two hitters reaching base (mostly thanks to Kuroda inexplicably being picked off of second), the Rockies got back-to-back RBI singles from Clint Barmes and Cook to run the lead to 5-0.
Kuroda was lifted in the fifth, where Scott Elbert gave up a bases loaded walk to Gonzalez and a two-run single to Smith. If the game wasn't already over before, it definitely was now at 8-0.
About the only positive to come from this game was in the seventh, where the Dodgers at least scored some runs. Kemp tripled to lead off and scored on James Loney's single. A.J. Ellis and Raffy added RBI singles, cutting the lead to 8-3.
But, the Rockies got those runs back in the eighth thanks to a two-run triple by Miguel Olivo and RBI single from Ian Stewart.
This was one of those games where little to nothing went right. Manny couldn't catch a ball in left, Raffy committed his seventh error, Kuroda was picked off of second, and the offense couldn't get anything going against a guy with a 5.40 ERA coming in. It was just an ugly night all around.
One person who actually did play well was reliever Justin Miller. The game was already decided when he came in the fifth, but he got all four men he faced out, including a strikeout of Brad Hawpe.
As for Kuroda, while I wouldn't say I'm worried about him, his ERA has slowly been creeping up his last four starts (2.66, 2.87, 3.03, 3.55). Despite walking just one, he didn't have his best control. When he was in the zone, he was whacked around. Hopefully this is just a little lull for him and nothing more.
The Dodgers will attempt to lick their wounds and bounce back on Sunday. Clayton Kershaw will get the ball, and he's been lights-out lately. He's just the guy the Dodgers want on the mound after a blowout loss.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Manny's dinger, flawless bullpen beat the Rockies
Jeff Francis faced the minimum amount of hitters through four innings in Friday night's game. The Rockies were up 4-0, and the Dodgers looked like they didn't stand a chance.
A couple of homers and big hits the next two innings changed all of that.
Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez hit key home runs, Garret Anderson got a rally going with a pinch-hit double, and the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings. Add it all together, and the Dodgers had a nice comeback win over the Rockies on the road, 5-4.
It was really a tale of two games for the Dodgers, as their bats stayed in the dugout for the first half of the game. The only baserunner through four was Reed Johnson's single, and he was wiped away on a double play ball from Jamey Carroll.
Carlos Monasterios got another spot start, and he did about what you'd expect: five innings, five hits, four runs (two earned), one walk, and one strikeout. I wouldn't say he blew anyone away, but when you have a reliever making a start, all you can ask is that he keeps his team in the game. That's exactly what he accomplished.
The Rockies scored a couple of runs in the first. Carlos Gonzalez started things off with a single. Seth Smith hit a hard one to first that ate up Ronnie Belliard for an error. Sure enough, a wild pitch and an RBI single from Miguel Olivo made it 2-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was Olivo again who made some noise. He tripled to lead off and scored on Ian Stewart's sac-fly. Clint Barmes hit a solo shot, and the Rockies looked to be comfortably ahead at 4-0.
Kemp then began the fifth with his 10th home run of the season. Nobody else got on that inning, but at least the Dodgers got something positive going. It would obviously pay off later.
Monasterios finished his night by retiring Smith, Todd Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki in the fifth. With the Dodgers' comeback immediately afterwords, Monasterios got the win and is now 2-0.
It was a walk that started the rally in the sixth to Carroll. We all know how lousy Anderson has looked, but we also know how much Joe Torre likes and sticks with veterans off the bench. It paid off tonight, as Anderson hit a ground rule double to center that would have easily scored Carroll had it stayed in the yard.
Rafael Furcal then hit a sac-fly RBI to deep center to slash the deficit to 4-2. Russell Martin hit an RBI double down the left field line to make it 4-3. Manny hadn't hit a homer since April 18, but he smacked one out to right to give the Dodgers the lead for good at 5-4.
The lead would then be handed over to the bullpen, and boy did they do a fantastic job. Ramon Troncoso, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, and Jonathan Broxton all combined to throw four scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out eight. Each reliever had two K's apiece.
Belisario looked especially sharp as he mowed through the Rockies in the eighth. Broxton beaned Jason Giambi to start the ninth, but bounced back with a couple strikeouts and a fly out. He now has 12 saves in 14 chances and hasn't blown one since May 6.
This was a solid win for the Dodgers mostly because they looked like they were going nowhere against Francis for most of the game. When the bats got hot, they got rolling. They actually went down in order the final three innings, so it's a good thing they took the lead when they could.
Hiroki Kuroda will get the ball on Saturday night. He had a decent start last outing against the Tigers, but certainly is capable of doing better. He's opposed by Aaron Cook, who seems to either give up 5+ runs, or goes deep into the game and gives up one. Go figure.
A couple of homers and big hits the next two innings changed all of that.
Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez hit key home runs, Garret Anderson got a rally going with a pinch-hit double, and the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings. Add it all together, and the Dodgers had a nice comeback win over the Rockies on the road, 5-4.
It was really a tale of two games for the Dodgers, as their bats stayed in the dugout for the first half of the game. The only baserunner through four was Reed Johnson's single, and he was wiped away on a double play ball from Jamey Carroll.
Carlos Monasterios got another spot start, and he did about what you'd expect: five innings, five hits, four runs (two earned), one walk, and one strikeout. I wouldn't say he blew anyone away, but when you have a reliever making a start, all you can ask is that he keeps his team in the game. That's exactly what he accomplished.
The Rockies scored a couple of runs in the first. Carlos Gonzalez started things off with a single. Seth Smith hit a hard one to first that ate up Ronnie Belliard for an error. Sure enough, a wild pitch and an RBI single from Miguel Olivo made it 2-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was Olivo again who made some noise. He tripled to lead off and scored on Ian Stewart's sac-fly. Clint Barmes hit a solo shot, and the Rockies looked to be comfortably ahead at 4-0.
Kemp then began the fifth with his 10th home run of the season. Nobody else got on that inning, but at least the Dodgers got something positive going. It would obviously pay off later.
Monasterios finished his night by retiring Smith, Todd Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki in the fifth. With the Dodgers' comeback immediately afterwords, Monasterios got the win and is now 2-0.
It was a walk that started the rally in the sixth to Carroll. We all know how lousy Anderson has looked, but we also know how much Joe Torre likes and sticks with veterans off the bench. It paid off tonight, as Anderson hit a ground rule double to center that would have easily scored Carroll had it stayed in the yard.
Rafael Furcal then hit a sac-fly RBI to deep center to slash the deficit to 4-2. Russell Martin hit an RBI double down the left field line to make it 4-3. Manny hadn't hit a homer since April 18, but he smacked one out to right to give the Dodgers the lead for good at 5-4.
The lead would then be handed over to the bullpen, and boy did they do a fantastic job. Ramon Troncoso, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, and Jonathan Broxton all combined to throw four scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out eight. Each reliever had two K's apiece.
Belisario looked especially sharp as he mowed through the Rockies in the eighth. Broxton beaned Jason Giambi to start the ninth, but bounced back with a couple strikeouts and a fly out. He now has 12 saves in 14 chances and hasn't blown one since May 6.
This was a solid win for the Dodgers mostly because they looked like they were going nowhere against Francis for most of the game. When the bats got hot, they got rolling. They actually went down in order the final three innings, so it's a good thing they took the lead when they could.
Hiroki Kuroda will get the ball on Saturday night. He had a decent start last outing against the Tigers, but certainly is capable of doing better. He's opposed by Aaron Cook, who seems to either give up 5+ runs, or goes deep into the game and gives up one. Go figure.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
One run good enough for the Cubs
Ted Lilly and John Ely were locked in a good old fashioned pitcher's duel on Thursday afternoon in Wrigley Field. The first team that blinked would come up the loser.
In the eighth inning, the Dodgers blinked.
A one-out double by Tyler Colvin scored Mike Fontenot, and the Dodgers' offense was nowhere to be found as they dropped one to the Cubs, 1-0. The Cubs took two of three at home.
Being a day game after a night game, Joe Torre rested Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez. The result was a team that collected five hits, and two were by Casey Blake. Simply put, Ted Lilly had little to no trouble in mowing them down.
But then again, Ely was equally as effective for most of the game. Alfonso Soriano got a day off, and Ely took full advantage of that. On the day, Ely went 7 1/3 innings for four hits, one run, two walks, and four strikeouts.
It's too bad that the one run he gave up would hang him with an L. After Fontenot tripled to lead off, Geovany Soto struck out swinging. Colvin then hit his double and went to third when Xavier Paul had trouble playing the ball cleanly. Jeff Weaver did a nice job in keeping the score at one.
Carlos Marmol was brought on in the ninth, and he struck out Raffy before walking Blake DeWitt. Manny pinch-hit and struck out. Garret Anderson pinch-hit and struck out. My guess is if there wasn't three outs, the next person would have pinch-hit and struck out. Marmol now has 11 saves.
It's hard to say if the Dodgers really had many threats to score. They certainly didn't through four innings. In the fifth, Reed Johnson walked to lead off. After DeWitt fanned, Jamey Carroll walked, and both men advanced to scoring position on Ely's bunt. Russell Martin was given the intentional pass before Paul flied out.
The only other scoring opportunity came in the eighth with the game still scoreless. With the top of the order up, Martin walked. Paul struck out, but Matt Kemp singled for two on. It didn't matter, as Blake lined out and James Loney grounded out.
Maybe if Ely was more experienced at pitching deep into games, he would have put up another zero in the eighth. But, it wasn't meant to be, and it's certainly not his fault that his record dropped to 3-2. He now has five straight great starts after a rocky first one. His ERA stands at 3.00 with a 1.00 WHIP. That's very impressive.
The good news is that the Dodgers claimed the middle game to get at least one win. The Cubs have won 8 of 11, so it's not like they're a lousy team like last year. I don't think they'll make the playoffs, but who knows.
The Dodgers just couldn't get that one big hit to give themselves the lead, much like Tuesday night's game. They were able to hit around a mediocre pitcher in Tom Gorzelanny, but couldn't do anything against solid ones in Ryan Dempster and Lilly.
What will help is Andre Ethier's return. From all indications, he'll play rehab games over the weekend and be back on the field in L.A. on Monday. That's much quicker than people thought, so that's great news. After watching the offense get blanked twice in three days, his return is a welcome sight.
Carlos Monasterios will get another spot start on Friday night in Coors Field. He'll go against Jeff Francis, who looks like his old self and them some two games back from his arm injury. So, the offense needs to wake up if they want to win this one.
In the eighth inning, the Dodgers blinked.
A one-out double by Tyler Colvin scored Mike Fontenot, and the Dodgers' offense was nowhere to be found as they dropped one to the Cubs, 1-0. The Cubs took two of three at home.
Being a day game after a night game, Joe Torre rested Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez. The result was a team that collected five hits, and two were by Casey Blake. Simply put, Ted Lilly had little to no trouble in mowing them down.
But then again, Ely was equally as effective for most of the game. Alfonso Soriano got a day off, and Ely took full advantage of that. On the day, Ely went 7 1/3 innings for four hits, one run, two walks, and four strikeouts.
It's too bad that the one run he gave up would hang him with an L. After Fontenot tripled to lead off, Geovany Soto struck out swinging. Colvin then hit his double and went to third when Xavier Paul had trouble playing the ball cleanly. Jeff Weaver did a nice job in keeping the score at one.
Carlos Marmol was brought on in the ninth, and he struck out Raffy before walking Blake DeWitt. Manny pinch-hit and struck out. Garret Anderson pinch-hit and struck out. My guess is if there wasn't three outs, the next person would have pinch-hit and struck out. Marmol now has 11 saves.
It's hard to say if the Dodgers really had many threats to score. They certainly didn't through four innings. In the fifth, Reed Johnson walked to lead off. After DeWitt fanned, Jamey Carroll walked, and both men advanced to scoring position on Ely's bunt. Russell Martin was given the intentional pass before Paul flied out.
The only other scoring opportunity came in the eighth with the game still scoreless. With the top of the order up, Martin walked. Paul struck out, but Matt Kemp singled for two on. It didn't matter, as Blake lined out and James Loney grounded out.
Maybe if Ely was more experienced at pitching deep into games, he would have put up another zero in the eighth. But, it wasn't meant to be, and it's certainly not his fault that his record dropped to 3-2. He now has five straight great starts after a rocky first one. His ERA stands at 3.00 with a 1.00 WHIP. That's very impressive.
The good news is that the Dodgers claimed the middle game to get at least one win. The Cubs have won 8 of 11, so it's not like they're a lousy team like last year. I don't think they'll make the playoffs, but who knows.
The Dodgers just couldn't get that one big hit to give themselves the lead, much like Tuesday night's game. They were able to hit around a mediocre pitcher in Tom Gorzelanny, but couldn't do anything against solid ones in Ryan Dempster and Lilly.
What will help is Andre Ethier's return. From all indications, he'll play rehab games over the weekend and be back on the field in L.A. on Monday. That's much quicker than people thought, so that's great news. After watching the offense get blanked twice in three days, his return is a welcome sight.
Carlos Monasterios will get another spot start on Friday night in Coors Field. He'll go against Jeff Francis, who looks like his old self and them some two games back from his arm injury. So, the offense needs to wake up if they want to win this one.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Dodgers can't solve Dempster
The return of Rafael Furcal made little difference to the Dodgers' lineup, as Ryan Dempster's eight shutout innings paved the way to a Cubs win, 3-0. The Dodgers managed three hits the whole night.
Lost in Dempster's dominance was another great start by Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw still threw way too many pitches (104 in six innings), but only surrendered one unearned run and four hits. His offense obviously didn't have his back.
For five innings, both pitchers put up blanks. The Dodgers had a couple of decent threats. In the first, Russell Martin singled with one down, and Manny Ramirez walked with two. James Loney grounded into a forceout to end it. Two singles by Manny and Casey Blake came in the fourth, but Xavier Paul struck out with two down.
It looked like the first team that could score would be in the driver's seat, and that was the Cubs in the sixth. Unfortunately, it came on an error by Furcal to put Ryan Theriot on. After Theriot stole second, Derek Lee's RBI single made it 1-0.
On a night like this, 1-0 probably seemed much bigger then it actually was. After the Cubs scored, the Dodgers sent nine men to the plate, and all men came up empty.
So it goes without saying that the Cubs ended up cruising for a win. They did tack on a couple more in the eighth, and once again it started with an error by Furcal. Derek Lee cashed in like the last time, cranking a two-run homer to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Carlos Marmol struck out Matt Kemp and Manny to end the game.
This was night a night that Raffy would like to forget. He spent a couple of weeks rehabbing, was playing in his first game since April 27... and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two errors. Ouch. I guess the good news is that he'll only get better from here.
Give Dempster credit here, as he certainly gives the bullpen a rest when he's on the mound. It seems like he's going seven or eight inning every start, and has a 3.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He actually hadn't won a game since April 23, but that's because his offense wasn't giving him support.
Even with the poor results, it's still great to see Raffy back on top of the order. Once Andre Ethier is back, which could be soon from some reports, the Dodgers will have their lineup at full strength. And that's a positive sign going forward.
Chad Billingsley will look to follow Kershaw with a great start of his own tonight. Bills has won three straight, and has really looked to have figured out whatever plagued him at the end of last year and beginning of this one. Let's hope it stays that way.
Lost in Dempster's dominance was another great start by Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw still threw way too many pitches (104 in six innings), but only surrendered one unearned run and four hits. His offense obviously didn't have his back.
For five innings, both pitchers put up blanks. The Dodgers had a couple of decent threats. In the first, Russell Martin singled with one down, and Manny Ramirez walked with two. James Loney grounded into a forceout to end it. Two singles by Manny and Casey Blake came in the fourth, but Xavier Paul struck out with two down.
It looked like the first team that could score would be in the driver's seat, and that was the Cubs in the sixth. Unfortunately, it came on an error by Furcal to put Ryan Theriot on. After Theriot stole second, Derek Lee's RBI single made it 1-0.
On a night like this, 1-0 probably seemed much bigger then it actually was. After the Cubs scored, the Dodgers sent nine men to the plate, and all men came up empty.
So it goes without saying that the Cubs ended up cruising for a win. They did tack on a couple more in the eighth, and once again it started with an error by Furcal. Derek Lee cashed in like the last time, cranking a two-run homer to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Carlos Marmol struck out Matt Kemp and Manny to end the game.
This was night a night that Raffy would like to forget. He spent a couple of weeks rehabbing, was playing in his first game since April 27... and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two errors. Ouch. I guess the good news is that he'll only get better from here.
Give Dempster credit here, as he certainly gives the bullpen a rest when he's on the mound. It seems like he's going seven or eight inning every start, and has a 3.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He actually hadn't won a game since April 23, but that's because his offense wasn't giving him support.
Even with the poor results, it's still great to see Raffy back on top of the order. Once Andre Ethier is back, which could be soon from some reports, the Dodgers will have their lineup at full strength. And that's a positive sign going forward.
Chad Billingsley will look to follow Kershaw with a great start of his own tonight. Bills has won three straight, and has really looked to have figured out whatever plagued him at the end of last year and beginning of this one. Let's hope it stays that way.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tigers' big guns come through
The Tigers scored early and late to defeat the Dodgers 6-2 and avoid being swept in Dodger Stadium. With another victory by the Padres, the Dodgers are now a game back in the NL West.
Hiroki Kuroda made the start, and he immediately found himself in trouble. Johnny Damon laced a double to the wall in center to begin the game. After a sacrifice bunt by Ramon Santiago moved Damon to third, Magglio Ordonez's RBI single made it 1-0.
Next came an absolutely mammoth home run by Miguel Cabrera. It wasn't like he got a lot of air under it, but he just smoked it way out to left to score two and go up 3-0.
The Dodgers have actually been vulnerable in the first inning recently, and today was no different. But, with Manny Ramirez resting, in addition to Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier being out again, scoring runs would be hard to come by on this afternoon.
It took until the fifth for the Dodgers to cash in with runners on. Blake DeWitt singled off the leg of pitcher Rick Porcello. Poor Porcello got hit three times today by liners, but sucked it up and had an effective game. Jamey Carroll singled next, and DeWitt went to third on Ordonez's bobble in right.
Kuroda laid down a bunt to advance Carroll to second for two outs. Xavier Paul got the Dodgers' only big hit of the day with a two-run single, slashing the lead to 3-2.
The sixth brought another threat from the Dodgers. With two outs, Garrett Anderson, DeWitt, and Carroll all singled to load the bases. With Kuroda's spot up, Joe Torre wasted no time in dialing Manny's number. The crowd was going crazy, as Manny has been magical in these spots.
Not this time. A weak bouncer to third on the first pitch ended the inning.
Ronald Belisario would like to forget about this game, as he gave up a few hits. It started in the eighth when Ordonez homered to left, getting the lead up to 4-2. The Dodgers put a couple on in the bottom of the frame, but Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit and promptly grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The ninth brought a couple more runs for the Tigers off of Belisario and George Sherrill. Belisario let a couple runners reach while only getting one out, and Adam Everett and Damon drove in both runs when Sherrill came in.
Jose Valverde came on and got Russell Martin to hit into a double play to end the game.
The Dodgers collected 11 hits, but were victimized by not getting the big hits they've grown accustomed to. They had spots for it to happen, like Manny and Belliard's pinch-hitting appearances, but it just wasn't meant to be today.
Kuroda was pretty lousy to start the game, but ended up with a decent line of six innings, six hits, three runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. It was good to see him battle back as the game went on.
As for Belisario, his ERA now stands at 6.28. But, perhaps he should get a pass because he's appeared in seven straight games before today without giving up a run. I still think he's one of the better setup men in the game, so I'm not worried.
Even with the loss today, the homestand has to be considered a success. Actually, the Dodgers could have lost by 10 today and I would still say it was successful. They went 5-2, and have won 12 of 14, and 14 of 17. It's safe to say the month of May has been friendly.
The Dodgers will now use a travel day on Monday before starting a three-game set with the Cubs. It's always fun to watch the Dodgers play in Wrigley, especially when half the team is in the stands brawling with the fans. Clayton Kershaw gets the start, and let's hope Chad Kreuter is brought in to be the catcher.
Hiroki Kuroda made the start, and he immediately found himself in trouble. Johnny Damon laced a double to the wall in center to begin the game. After a sacrifice bunt by Ramon Santiago moved Damon to third, Magglio Ordonez's RBI single made it 1-0.
Next came an absolutely mammoth home run by Miguel Cabrera. It wasn't like he got a lot of air under it, but he just smoked it way out to left to score two and go up 3-0.
The Dodgers have actually been vulnerable in the first inning recently, and today was no different. But, with Manny Ramirez resting, in addition to Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier being out again, scoring runs would be hard to come by on this afternoon.
It took until the fifth for the Dodgers to cash in with runners on. Blake DeWitt singled off the leg of pitcher Rick Porcello. Poor Porcello got hit three times today by liners, but sucked it up and had an effective game. Jamey Carroll singled next, and DeWitt went to third on Ordonez's bobble in right.
Kuroda laid down a bunt to advance Carroll to second for two outs. Xavier Paul got the Dodgers' only big hit of the day with a two-run single, slashing the lead to 3-2.
The sixth brought another threat from the Dodgers. With two outs, Garrett Anderson, DeWitt, and Carroll all singled to load the bases. With Kuroda's spot up, Joe Torre wasted no time in dialing Manny's number. The crowd was going crazy, as Manny has been magical in these spots.
Not this time. A weak bouncer to third on the first pitch ended the inning.
Ronald Belisario would like to forget about this game, as he gave up a few hits. It started in the eighth when Ordonez homered to left, getting the lead up to 4-2. The Dodgers put a couple on in the bottom of the frame, but Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit and promptly grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The ninth brought a couple more runs for the Tigers off of Belisario and George Sherrill. Belisario let a couple runners reach while only getting one out, and Adam Everett and Damon drove in both runs when Sherrill came in.
Jose Valverde came on and got Russell Martin to hit into a double play to end the game.
The Dodgers collected 11 hits, but were victimized by not getting the big hits they've grown accustomed to. They had spots for it to happen, like Manny and Belliard's pinch-hitting appearances, but it just wasn't meant to be today.
Kuroda was pretty lousy to start the game, but ended up with a decent line of six innings, six hits, three runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. It was good to see him battle back as the game went on.
As for Belisario, his ERA now stands at 6.28. But, perhaps he should get a pass because he's appeared in seven straight games before today without giving up a run. I still think he's one of the better setup men in the game, so I'm not worried.
Even with the loss today, the homestand has to be considered a success. Actually, the Dodgers could have lost by 10 today and I would still say it was successful. They went 5-2, and have won 12 of 14, and 14 of 17. It's safe to say the month of May has been friendly.
The Dodgers will now use a travel day on Monday before starting a three-game set with the Cubs. It's always fun to watch the Dodgers play in Wrigley, especially when half the team is in the stands brawling with the fans. Clayton Kershaw gets the start, and let's hope Chad Kreuter is brought in to be the catcher.
Jose Lima dies of a heart attack
Horrible news to report, as I just saw on ESPN that Jose Lima has died of a heart attack. He was only 37-years-old.
His wife said that he was having trouble sleeping the night before. She thought it was a nightmare at first, then realized it was something much worse. Paramedics were unable to save him.
Lima appeared in all or parts of 13 seasons in the big leagues, compiling 89 wins and a 5.26 ERA. His best year came in 1999 with the Astros where he went 21-10 with 187 strikeouts and 3.58 ERA.
For Dodger fans, Lima was the man who finally put an end to the postseason drought by defeating the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS. He pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits.
It's a sad day for baseball as a whole, as Lima was a colorful character who was just plain fun to watch. It's safe to say he was one of a kind.
My condolences to his family and friends.
His wife said that he was having trouble sleeping the night before. She thought it was a nightmare at first, then realized it was something much worse. Paramedics were unable to save him.
Lima appeared in all or parts of 13 seasons in the big leagues, compiling 89 wins and a 5.26 ERA. His best year came in 1999 with the Astros where he went 21-10 with 187 strikeouts and 3.58 ERA.
For Dodger fans, Lima was the man who finally put an end to the postseason drought by defeating the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS. He pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits.
It's a sad day for baseball as a whole, as Lima was a colorful character who was just plain fun to watch. It's safe to say he was one of a kind.
My condolences to his family and friends.
Dodgers hold off Tigers for another win
Casey Blake and Matt Kemp hit homers, giving the Dodgers enough runs to make up for a shaky bullpen to down the Tigers, 6-4. That's now 12 wins in the last 13 games.
Rookie John Ely got the start, and he certainly had his fare share of nervous moments in the first. Ramon Santiago doubled with one out and then advanced to third on Kemp's fielding error. An RBI single by Magglio Ordonez made it 1-0.
Miguel Cabrera then doubled to put two runners on. Brennan Boesch began his big day by hitting an RBI groundout to go up 2-0. Brandon Inge then walked, but Gerald Laird flew out to end the threat.
Thankfully for Ely, that was as much trouble as he would get in. He would eventually earn the win by lasting six innings for eight hits, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. He's now 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA in what is quickly turning into quite the impressive season.
The Dodgers started chipping away at the small deficit in the first. Russell Martin hit leadoff and walked. Xavier Paul got another start in right and reached on a bunt single, and Martin advanced to third on Cabrera's error. A sac-fly RBI by Manny Ramirez made it 2-1.
The game was then tied in the second when Blake hit a leadoff homer. It was his sixth of the season, part of his 3-for-4 day. His average is now up to .273 after being as low as .233 on May 17.
In the fifth, the Dodgers took the lead for good. Kemp doubled to start things off. James Loney hit an RBI single to go up 3-2. Blake singled to put a couple on, and Blake DeWitt hit a two-run triple to make it 5-2. Kemp's solo shot the next inning pushed the lead to 6-2.
Hong-Chih Kuo came on in the seventh after Ely gave up a single to Austin Jackson. After two quick outs, Blake committed an error to put a couple on, then Ordonez walked. In a big spot, Cabrera grounded back to Kuo to squash a potentially big inning.
Ramon Troncoso was then given the ball, and boy did things get scary all over. First, Boesch hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 6-3. With two outs, Jackson was then beaned right in the front of his helmet on a fastball. It looked and sounded pretty bad, but Jackson was able to walk off on his own, obviously a good sight. Jeff Weaver got Ryan Raburn to fly out for the last out.
Next up was Jonathan Broxton, and he had to scratch and claw for his 10th save. Two singles by Johnny Damon and Santiago greeted him. Alex Avilia struck out, and Blake made a great diving stop to force Santiago out at second off of Cabrera's bat. Boesch then hit an RBI ground rule double to right, and it was 6-4. Inge struck out looking with two runners on to end the game.
While the end of the game certainly had its moments, the Dodgers still came away with the W. It's never good to see someone getting clunked in the head, so we can only hope Jackson doesn't miss an extended amount of time. Good thing it got part of his helmet and not the exposed part of his face.
In addition to another win, more good news came in that Rafael Furcal could be activated for Sunday's game, or Tuesday in Chicago at the latest. Then again, we heard something similar about a week ago, and it never happened. Getting Raffy back on top of the lineup will be fun to watch. But, let's not forget about the great job Jamey Carroll has done in his absence.
The Dodgers will go for the sweep today. Hiroki Kuroda will look to get his sixth win, which would put him among the league leaders in that category.
Rookie John Ely got the start, and he certainly had his fare share of nervous moments in the first. Ramon Santiago doubled with one out and then advanced to third on Kemp's fielding error. An RBI single by Magglio Ordonez made it 1-0.
Miguel Cabrera then doubled to put two runners on. Brennan Boesch began his big day by hitting an RBI groundout to go up 2-0. Brandon Inge then walked, but Gerald Laird flew out to end the threat.
Thankfully for Ely, that was as much trouble as he would get in. He would eventually earn the win by lasting six innings for eight hits, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. He's now 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA in what is quickly turning into quite the impressive season.
The Dodgers started chipping away at the small deficit in the first. Russell Martin hit leadoff and walked. Xavier Paul got another start in right and reached on a bunt single, and Martin advanced to third on Cabrera's error. A sac-fly RBI by Manny Ramirez made it 2-1.
The game was then tied in the second when Blake hit a leadoff homer. It was his sixth of the season, part of his 3-for-4 day. His average is now up to .273 after being as low as .233 on May 17.
In the fifth, the Dodgers took the lead for good. Kemp doubled to start things off. James Loney hit an RBI single to go up 3-2. Blake singled to put a couple on, and Blake DeWitt hit a two-run triple to make it 5-2. Kemp's solo shot the next inning pushed the lead to 6-2.
Hong-Chih Kuo came on in the seventh after Ely gave up a single to Austin Jackson. After two quick outs, Blake committed an error to put a couple on, then Ordonez walked. In a big spot, Cabrera grounded back to Kuo to squash a potentially big inning.
Ramon Troncoso was then given the ball, and boy did things get scary all over. First, Boesch hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 6-3. With two outs, Jackson was then beaned right in the front of his helmet on a fastball. It looked and sounded pretty bad, but Jackson was able to walk off on his own, obviously a good sight. Jeff Weaver got Ryan Raburn to fly out for the last out.
Next up was Jonathan Broxton, and he had to scratch and claw for his 10th save. Two singles by Johnny Damon and Santiago greeted him. Alex Avilia struck out, and Blake made a great diving stop to force Santiago out at second off of Cabrera's bat. Boesch then hit an RBI ground rule double to right, and it was 6-4. Inge struck out looking with two runners on to end the game.
While the end of the game certainly had its moments, the Dodgers still came away with the W. It's never good to see someone getting clunked in the head, so we can only hope Jackson doesn't miss an extended amount of time. Good thing it got part of his helmet and not the exposed part of his face.
In addition to another win, more good news came in that Rafael Furcal could be activated for Sunday's game, or Tuesday in Chicago at the latest. Then again, we heard something similar about a week ago, and it never happened. Getting Raffy back on top of the lineup will be fun to watch. But, let's not forget about the great job Jamey Carroll has done in his absence.
The Dodgers will go for the sweep today. Hiroki Kuroda will look to get his sixth win, which would put him among the league leaders in that category.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Billingsley and the subs take first place
Joe Torre's lineup card was one of the strangest he's filled out this season. With only Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Casey Blake starting like usual, the Dodgers were in store for a close battle.
Didn't matter with Chad Billingsley on the mound.
Billingsley was awesome in limiting the Tigers to one run over seven innings. A productive middle three innings was enough for the Dodgers to take the interleague opener, 4-1.
With the Padres getting steamrolled in Seattle (even with Cliff Lee having an off night), the Dodgers have moved into a first-place tie with the Pads. But the Dodgers have won five of six from them this season, giving them the tiebreaker. I have no idea if that even matters, but in my mind it's good enough. So there.
Like the pattern has been the last few games, the opposition scored a run in the first, then got shut down the rest of the way. Austin Jackson hit one in front of a slow-motion Manny for a leadoff double. A groundout and a sac-fly RBI from Magglio Ordonez later, and the Tigers led 1-0.
Dontrelle Willis was getting plenty of groundouts through the first part of the order. But in the fourth, the Dodgers starting getting baserunners on. It all started with two outs. Matt Kemp singled and took second on a wild pitch. Walks to Blake and Reed Johnson loaded the bases.
Nick Green got a rare start at second, as he was a mere 0-for-5 coming into this game. He did the smartest thing he could - he got beaned in the foot to force in a run. Actually, it kind of looked like he did, but it was close. Nonetheless, it forced in the tying run. A.J. Ellis hit a liner that was snared at second to end it.
With Bills in full control, the Dodgers got his back by tacking on a couple in the fifth. Jamey Carroll hit in the leadoff spot and walked with one out. Ronnie Belliard doubled for runners in scoring position. With Manny up, a wild pitch easily allowed Carroll to score. Manny then hit a hard one off of Brandon Inge's foot for an RBI single, making it 3-1.
Ellis took advantage of his once-in-a-blue-moon start by hitting an RBI single in the sixth to score Johnson. Speaking of Johnson, he started in right and played great, going 3-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
Four runs was more than enough with the pitching being so good on this night. Billingsley ended with seven innings, four hits, one run, two walks, and five strikeouts. He had some deep counts early in the game, but made big pitches to wiggle out of trouble.
The bullpen was again great. Ronald Belisario pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Broxton struck out the side for his ninth save. Broxton now has a 1.02 ERA to go along with 27 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
Back on May 5, the Dodgers lost 11-3 to the Brewers. Their record was 11-16, and they pretty much looked like crap. Since then, they've won 13 of 15 to push their record to 24-18. The offense has busted out plenty of runs in some games, but the streak is mostly because of pitching and defense. That's the Dodger-like formula for winning.
Tonight's game is a good matchup of young hurlers, as John Ely takes on Armando Galarraga. Since being recalled on May 10 when Charlie Haeger went on the DL, Ely's given up five runs in 19 2/3 innings. He's been everything and more for the bottom part of the rotation.
The game is on FOX as part of a Saturday night special. But, it'll mean I get the Subway Series. Oh well. Enjoy it for those of you that can watch it.
Didn't matter with Chad Billingsley on the mound.
Billingsley was awesome in limiting the Tigers to one run over seven innings. A productive middle three innings was enough for the Dodgers to take the interleague opener, 4-1.
With the Padres getting steamrolled in Seattle (even with Cliff Lee having an off night), the Dodgers have moved into a first-place tie with the Pads. But the Dodgers have won five of six from them this season, giving them the tiebreaker. I have no idea if that even matters, but in my mind it's good enough. So there.
Like the pattern has been the last few games, the opposition scored a run in the first, then got shut down the rest of the way. Austin Jackson hit one in front of a slow-motion Manny for a leadoff double. A groundout and a sac-fly RBI from Magglio Ordonez later, and the Tigers led 1-0.
Dontrelle Willis was getting plenty of groundouts through the first part of the order. But in the fourth, the Dodgers starting getting baserunners on. It all started with two outs. Matt Kemp singled and took second on a wild pitch. Walks to Blake and Reed Johnson loaded the bases.
Nick Green got a rare start at second, as he was a mere 0-for-5 coming into this game. He did the smartest thing he could - he got beaned in the foot to force in a run. Actually, it kind of looked like he did, but it was close. Nonetheless, it forced in the tying run. A.J. Ellis hit a liner that was snared at second to end it.
With Bills in full control, the Dodgers got his back by tacking on a couple in the fifth. Jamey Carroll hit in the leadoff spot and walked with one out. Ronnie Belliard doubled for runners in scoring position. With Manny up, a wild pitch easily allowed Carroll to score. Manny then hit a hard one off of Brandon Inge's foot for an RBI single, making it 3-1.
Ellis took advantage of his once-in-a-blue-moon start by hitting an RBI single in the sixth to score Johnson. Speaking of Johnson, he started in right and played great, going 3-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
Four runs was more than enough with the pitching being so good on this night. Billingsley ended with seven innings, four hits, one run, two walks, and five strikeouts. He had some deep counts early in the game, but made big pitches to wiggle out of trouble.
The bullpen was again great. Ronald Belisario pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Broxton struck out the side for his ninth save. Broxton now has a 1.02 ERA to go along with 27 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
Back on May 5, the Dodgers lost 11-3 to the Brewers. Their record was 11-16, and they pretty much looked like crap. Since then, they've won 13 of 15 to push their record to 24-18. The offense has busted out plenty of runs in some games, but the streak is mostly because of pitching and defense. That's the Dodger-like formula for winning.
Tonight's game is a good matchup of young hurlers, as John Ely takes on Armando Galarraga. Since being recalled on May 10 when Charlie Haeger went on the DL, Ely's given up five runs in 19 2/3 innings. He's been everything and more for the bottom part of the rotation.
The game is on FOX as part of a Saturday night special. But, it'll mean I get the Subway Series. Oh well. Enjoy it for those of you that can watch it.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Red hot Kershaw continues to roll
Remember last season when it seemed like Clayton Kershaw could never earn a win?
He's taking matters into his own hands this time around.
For the third straight start, Kershaw was simply brilliant, limiting the Padres to one run over 7 1/3 innings. A three-run sixth helped break a 1-1 tie, and the Dodgers took this one over the Pads, 4-1. Both teams split a game in this brief series, meaning the Dodgers have won four of five from them this year.
There wasn't a whole lot going on early in the game, thanks to the efforts of Kershaw and Kevin Correia. The Dodgers got on the board first in the second. Casey Blake led off with a single, and Blake DeWitt hit a double with one out. A sac-fly RBI by Jamey Carroll later, and it was 1-0.
Kershaw got into a bit of trouble in the third, where the Padres tied the game. Everth Cabrera doubled to right, as he took advantage of his fast speed on a slow blooper. Corriea sacrificed him over to third, and Will Venable hit one through the middle of the drawn in infield.
The Padres actually had two runners on with less than two outs in both the fourth and fifth, but came up empty. That would eventually come back to haunt them.
The sixth is when the Dodgers busted out some runs. Matt Kemp and James Loney singled to start for runners on the corners. Blake struck out, but Garret Anderson hit a sac-fly RBI to make it 2-1.
DeWitt was given the intentional walk to get to Carroll. That proved to be a bad move, as Carroll's RBI singled scored Loney and made it 3-1. A wild pitch from Correia scored DeWitt, and the Dodgers had a 4-1 lead.
Kershaw was eventually lifted in the eighth with one down after Adrian Gonzalez's single. Ronald Belisario got two strikeouts to end the frame. Jonathan Broxton gave up a single to start, but got the next three hitters for his eighth save.
While Kershaw deserves a ton of praise, another person who has quietly come through night in and night out is Carroll. The only reason he's playing all the time is because Rafael Furcal is slow to comeback from injury. But a 2-for-3 night raised Carroll average to .290, including .328 in May. Plus, he has a good glove at short.
Back to Kershaw, and he's now given up two runs in his last 22 1/3 innings. After getting bombed on May 4 (thankfully a distant memory at this point), his ERA has gone from 4.99 to 3.23. When he's on like he is right now, he's practically unhittable.
The Padres are still a really good team at this point, so the Dodgers deserve plenty of credit for playing so well against them. Even without Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, and Furcal, the team still finds a way to win. That's how they won so many games last year, and they're doing it again.
Interleague play opens up on Friday night as the Dodgers welcome the Tigers. Chad Billingsley was awesome in last start against the Padres, and he'll go tonight against Dontrelle Willis. Remember him? Seems like forever ago that he was baseball's newest star. Now his ERAs the last three seasons have been 9.38, 7.49, and 4.68. So much for that.
He's taking matters into his own hands this time around.
For the third straight start, Kershaw was simply brilliant, limiting the Padres to one run over 7 1/3 innings. A three-run sixth helped break a 1-1 tie, and the Dodgers took this one over the Pads, 4-1. Both teams split a game in this brief series, meaning the Dodgers have won four of five from them this year.
There wasn't a whole lot going on early in the game, thanks to the efforts of Kershaw and Kevin Correia. The Dodgers got on the board first in the second. Casey Blake led off with a single, and Blake DeWitt hit a double with one out. A sac-fly RBI by Jamey Carroll later, and it was 1-0.
Kershaw got into a bit of trouble in the third, where the Padres tied the game. Everth Cabrera doubled to right, as he took advantage of his fast speed on a slow blooper. Corriea sacrificed him over to third, and Will Venable hit one through the middle of the drawn in infield.
The Padres actually had two runners on with less than two outs in both the fourth and fifth, but came up empty. That would eventually come back to haunt them.
The sixth is when the Dodgers busted out some runs. Matt Kemp and James Loney singled to start for runners on the corners. Blake struck out, but Garret Anderson hit a sac-fly RBI to make it 2-1.
DeWitt was given the intentional walk to get to Carroll. That proved to be a bad move, as Carroll's RBI singled scored Loney and made it 3-1. A wild pitch from Correia scored DeWitt, and the Dodgers had a 4-1 lead.
Kershaw was eventually lifted in the eighth with one down after Adrian Gonzalez's single. Ronald Belisario got two strikeouts to end the frame. Jonathan Broxton gave up a single to start, but got the next three hitters for his eighth save.
While Kershaw deserves a ton of praise, another person who has quietly come through night in and night out is Carroll. The only reason he's playing all the time is because Rafael Furcal is slow to comeback from injury. But a 2-for-3 night raised Carroll average to .290, including .328 in May. Plus, he has a good glove at short.
Back to Kershaw, and he's now given up two runs in his last 22 1/3 innings. After getting bombed on May 4 (thankfully a distant memory at this point), his ERA has gone from 4.99 to 3.23. When he's on like he is right now, he's practically unhittable.
The Padres are still a really good team at this point, so the Dodgers deserve plenty of credit for playing so well against them. Even without Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, and Furcal, the team still finds a way to win. That's how they won so many games last year, and they're doing it again.
Interleague play opens up on Friday night as the Dodgers welcome the Tigers. Chad Billingsley was awesome in last start against the Padres, and he'll go tonight against Dontrelle Willis. Remember him? Seems like forever ago that he was baseball's newest star. Now his ERAs the last three seasons have been 9.38, 7.49, and 4.68. So much for that.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Nine straight wins for the Dodgers
The Dodgers easily disposed of the Astros on Tuesday night 7-3 to complete the two-game sweep and get their ninth straight win. They're now only a game back of the Padres, with whom they welcome to Dodger Stadium for two starting tonight.
With news that Andre Ethier could be out up to six weeks with a broken pinkie, the offense still started off hot. It all started with two outs on a walk to Manny Ramirez. Matt Kemp hit a ground rule double for two on.
James Loney took advantage of two men in scoring position with a two-run single. Loney then stole second and scored on Casey Blake's RBI single, making it 3-0.
Hiroki Kuroda eventually got the win, but wasn't exactly as sharp as he normally is. Carlos Lee cut the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer to lead off the second.
Much like the Dodgers a couple inning earlier, the Astros put together a two out rally in the third. Singles by Michael Bourn and Jeff Keppinger put two on, and a walk to Lance Berkman loaded the bases. Lee struck again, hitting a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. The bases actually got loaded again, but a groundout from Pedro Feliz ended it.
The Dodgers got one back in the fourth. Loney walked to lead off, and Blake singled for runners on the corners. Blake DeWitt struck out, but Jamey Carroll hit a sac-fly RBI to make it 4-3.
From there, the Dodgers took their lead and never looked back. Manny got in on the fun in the fifth. With Kuroda on from a walk and Russell Martin from a single, Manny plated them both with a two-run single. The runners were in scoring position thanks to a nice sacrifice bunt from Xavier Paul, who made the start in left.
Casey Blake continued his recent resurgence with a solo home run in the eighth, capping the scoring at 7-3. Blake hadn't hit one since his two homer day against the Nationals on April 24, so maybe he's starting to pick it up again.
Kuroda did enough to push his record to 5-1. He lasted six innings for seven hits, three runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Not dominating, but still put the Dodgers in a position to win.
The bullpen was flawless, which is quickly becoming the norm after a rocky start to the season. Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Ramon Troncoso went three innings for one hit and no runs. That bad start looks like a distant memory now.
Beating the Astros is certainly nothing to brag about these days. They're just plain awful. Their veterans look older everyday, and their starting rotation (minus Roy Oswalt) is really bad. I'm not sure where they go from here but I wouldn't be shocked to see guys like Berkman, Lee, and Oswalt moved. It can't hurt to press the reset button.
As the Dodgers, they took care of business these last two days. Now they have fate in their own hands the next couple of nights. The Padres got swept by the Dodgers this past weekend, then split a couple against the Giants. They're still the biggest surprise in baseball at 23-16.
Winning a 10th straight game won't be easy as Ramon Ortiz gets another spot start. He actually wasn't halfway bad last game, giving up three runs in four innings against these same Padres. He'll be opposed by Jon Garland, who's been awesome thus far at 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA.
With news that Andre Ethier could be out up to six weeks with a broken pinkie, the offense still started off hot. It all started with two outs on a walk to Manny Ramirez. Matt Kemp hit a ground rule double for two on.
James Loney took advantage of two men in scoring position with a two-run single. Loney then stole second and scored on Casey Blake's RBI single, making it 3-0.
Hiroki Kuroda eventually got the win, but wasn't exactly as sharp as he normally is. Carlos Lee cut the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer to lead off the second.
Much like the Dodgers a couple inning earlier, the Astros put together a two out rally in the third. Singles by Michael Bourn and Jeff Keppinger put two on, and a walk to Lance Berkman loaded the bases. Lee struck again, hitting a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. The bases actually got loaded again, but a groundout from Pedro Feliz ended it.
The Dodgers got one back in the fourth. Loney walked to lead off, and Blake singled for runners on the corners. Blake DeWitt struck out, but Jamey Carroll hit a sac-fly RBI to make it 4-3.
From there, the Dodgers took their lead and never looked back. Manny got in on the fun in the fifth. With Kuroda on from a walk and Russell Martin from a single, Manny plated them both with a two-run single. The runners were in scoring position thanks to a nice sacrifice bunt from Xavier Paul, who made the start in left.
Casey Blake continued his recent resurgence with a solo home run in the eighth, capping the scoring at 7-3. Blake hadn't hit one since his two homer day against the Nationals on April 24, so maybe he's starting to pick it up again.
Kuroda did enough to push his record to 5-1. He lasted six innings for seven hits, three runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Not dominating, but still put the Dodgers in a position to win.
The bullpen was flawless, which is quickly becoming the norm after a rocky start to the season. Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Ramon Troncoso went three innings for one hit and no runs. That bad start looks like a distant memory now.
Beating the Astros is certainly nothing to brag about these days. They're just plain awful. Their veterans look older everyday, and their starting rotation (minus Roy Oswalt) is really bad. I'm not sure where they go from here but I wouldn't be shocked to see guys like Berkman, Lee, and Oswalt moved. It can't hurt to press the reset button.
As the Dodgers, they took care of business these last two days. Now they have fate in their own hands the next couple of nights. The Padres got swept by the Dodgers this past weekend, then split a couple against the Giants. They're still the biggest surprise in baseball at 23-16.
Winning a 10th straight game won't be easy as Ramon Ortiz gets another spot start. He actually wasn't halfway bad last game, giving up three runs in four innings against these same Padres. He'll be opposed by Jon Garland, who's been awesome thus far at 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Broken pinkie sends Ethier to the DL
The hottest hitter in all of baseball has finally met his match - his right pinkie.
Andre Ethier has been placed on the 15-day DL with a broken pinkie. The injury was originally sustained while swinging a bat in practice on Saturday. There's really not much of a story behind it other than he swung, it broke, and that's it.
With the Dodgers winning now, I'm sure this was more of a precautionary measure than anything. Had this occurred a couple of weeks ago when they were struggling, maybe he'd gut it out. In the long run, it's the smart thing to do to be careful.
In case you didn't know, he was leading the National League in the Triple Crown categories. He's hitting .393 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs. In the month of May, he's hitting an insane .490.
In his place will be Xavier Paul, who is someone that should make Dodger fans smile. Paul didn't put up gaudy numbers in nine games, hitting .276 with one RBI. But, he plays very hard and is someone you can easily get behind.
Should Paul play well again, I have to wonder if that will spell the end of the Garret Anderson experiment. Anderson is hitting a paltry .136 (8-for-59), and it's obvious the pinch-hitting thing just isn't working out. Maybe the Dodgers will pull the plug if they like what they see from Paul again.
Andre Ethier has been placed on the 15-day DL with a broken pinkie. The injury was originally sustained while swinging a bat in practice on Saturday. There's really not much of a story behind it other than he swung, it broke, and that's it.
With the Dodgers winning now, I'm sure this was more of a precautionary measure than anything. Had this occurred a couple of weeks ago when they were struggling, maybe he'd gut it out. In the long run, it's the smart thing to do to be careful.
In case you didn't know, he was leading the National League in the Triple Crown categories. He's hitting .393 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs. In the month of May, he's hitting an insane .490.
In his place will be Xavier Paul, who is someone that should make Dodger fans smile. Paul didn't put up gaudy numbers in nine games, hitting .276 with one RBI. But, he plays very hard and is someone you can easily get behind.
Should Paul play well again, I have to wonder if that will spell the end of the Garret Anderson experiment. Anderson is hitting a paltry .136 (8-for-59), and it's obvious the pinch-hitting thing just isn't working out. Maybe the Dodgers will pull the plug if they like what they see from Paul again.
Balanced effort beats the Astros
The Dodgers used contributions up and down the lineup, and John Ely had another great start in getting a win over the Astros, 6-2. The streak has now reached eight in a row.
It's no secret that the Astros came into this series as one of the biggest disappointments in baseball. They have Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Hunter Pence in the middle of their lineup, plus Roy Oswalt as their ace, and they suck.
Still, they at least made it look like they'd put up a fight starting in the first. Michael Bourn singled to lead off. After going to second on a groundout, Berkman's RBI single made it 1-0.
If you're an Astro fan reading this, you may as well just quit right here, because it was all downhill from there. Reed Johnson got the start in left and singled with one out. A walk to Manny Ramirez and single by Matt Kemp loaded the bases.
James Loney has been red hot lately, and his sac-fly RBI tied it at 1-1. Casey Blake hasn't been doing much (at the plate anyway), but he placed a grounder just down the line in right to score two and make it 3-1.
As good as Ely has been in his last couple of starts, that was all the cushion he would need. His next run he gave up was in the fifth on a Pedro Feliz RBI single. On this night, Ely finished with seven innings, five hits, two runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts.
Up 3-1, the Dodgers added another run in the fourth. Blake DeWitt tripled with one down. Jamey Carroll scored him on a sacrifice fly, making it 4-1.
After the Astros cut the lead to 4-2, the score remained that way until the eighth. With Brandon Lyon now in, Manny greeted him with a double to start. Loney was given the intentional pass with one down, and Blake struck out. But, DeWitt had another good at-bat, hitting another triple to score two, and it was 6-2.
In addition to Ely, Jeff Weaver, George Sherrill, and Ramon Troncoso combined to shut down the final two innings. For Sherrill, that's now three straight innings of scoreless ball. That's not a big deal, but compared to how flat out atrocious he was to start the season, maybe it is.
The Dodgers once again played without Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier. Furcal looks like he'll need another rehab start, then should hopefully be back soon. As for Ethier, he's on the 15-day DL because of his broken pinkie. It's a tough blow, but the Dodgers have a knack for stepping up when key players are out (yes, I am referring to Manny's suspension last season).
The brief two-game series will conclude tonight with the Dodgers looking for their third straight sweep. Hiroki Kuroda has quietly been pitching great with a 2.66 ERA, and he'll look for his fifth win.
It's no secret that the Astros came into this series as one of the biggest disappointments in baseball. They have Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Hunter Pence in the middle of their lineup, plus Roy Oswalt as their ace, and they suck.
Still, they at least made it look like they'd put up a fight starting in the first. Michael Bourn singled to lead off. After going to second on a groundout, Berkman's RBI single made it 1-0.
If you're an Astro fan reading this, you may as well just quit right here, because it was all downhill from there. Reed Johnson got the start in left and singled with one out. A walk to Manny Ramirez and single by Matt Kemp loaded the bases.
James Loney has been red hot lately, and his sac-fly RBI tied it at 1-1. Casey Blake hasn't been doing much (at the plate anyway), but he placed a grounder just down the line in right to score two and make it 3-1.
As good as Ely has been in his last couple of starts, that was all the cushion he would need. His next run he gave up was in the fifth on a Pedro Feliz RBI single. On this night, Ely finished with seven innings, five hits, two runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts.
Up 3-1, the Dodgers added another run in the fourth. Blake DeWitt tripled with one down. Jamey Carroll scored him on a sacrifice fly, making it 4-1.
After the Astros cut the lead to 4-2, the score remained that way until the eighth. With Brandon Lyon now in, Manny greeted him with a double to start. Loney was given the intentional pass with one down, and Blake struck out. But, DeWitt had another good at-bat, hitting another triple to score two, and it was 6-2.
In addition to Ely, Jeff Weaver, George Sherrill, and Ramon Troncoso combined to shut down the final two innings. For Sherrill, that's now three straight innings of scoreless ball. That's not a big deal, but compared to how flat out atrocious he was to start the season, maybe it is.
The Dodgers once again played without Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier. Furcal looks like he'll need another rehab start, then should hopefully be back soon. As for Ethier, he's on the 15-day DL because of his broken pinkie. It's a tough blow, but the Dodgers have a knack for stepping up when key players are out (yes, I am referring to Manny's suspension last season).
The brief two-game series will conclude tonight with the Dodgers looking for their third straight sweep. Hiroki Kuroda has quietly been pitching great with a 2.66 ERA, and he'll look for his fifth win.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
More NL West dominance as Dodgers sweep Padres
The Dodgers continued their terrific play against NL West foes as they completed the three-game sweep of the Padres, 1-0. The win makes 12 of the last 15 in the victory column, and a 12-3 record against the rest of the division.
It wasn't a textbook way to win. Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, and Blake DeWitt all sat this one out. With Garret Anderson, Reed Johnson, Ronnie Belliard, and Nick Green in, the offense managed two total hits. Heck, they only had five baserunners all day, and one of them (Belliard) got caught stealing.
So how did they win? Chad Billingsley was a big reason. We all know how he crashed and burned after the All-Star break last year, and has been searching for his old form ever since. A day like today is a sign that he's definitely back.
Billingsley went 7 1/3 innings for four hits, no runs, one walk, and six strikeouts. Much like Clayton Kershaw before him, Bills is more than finding his groove. After his third start, his ERA stood at 7.07. Thanks to four good starts in his past five, it's now at 4.03.
If you're a Padre fan, the shame of this game was that Wade LeBlanc was every bit as good as Billingsley. In fact, he had a no-hitter going into the sixth. But, he was victimized by his offense that has gone cold. The Padres came into the year with a questionable offense but started off great anyway. During the sweep, they scored four runs. Maybe they're coming back to Earth.
The Padres gave a threat in the second. Yorvit Torrealba singled with one out, and Will Venable followed with a walk. After Kyle Blanks struck out, Tony Gwynn ripped one to first that James Loney made a diving grab on, and beat Gwynn in a race to the bag.
Jamey Carroll started the sixth with a walk. Billingsley sacrificed him over to second. It turned out to be a big play, as Martin's single scored Carroll, giving the Dodgers the 1-0 lead and wiping out the no-no.
Billingsley stayed on in the eighth to get Gwynn on a groundout. With Matt Stairs pinch-hitting, Joe Torre brought in the "Stairs-killer," Jonathan Broxton. OK, that was a joke. Torre actually brought in Hong-Chih Kuo. Out went Stairs, in came Oscar Salazar, and it didn't matter because he popped up. Everth Cabrera grounded out to end the inning.
Broxton eventually did come in for the save opportunity in the ninth, and got the Padres in order for his seventh. That's now 11 batters sat down in a row for him.
The ironic thing about Martin getting the lone RBI of the game is that he wasn't even supposed to start. But with Manny and Blake sitting out, Torre made the right call in keeping him in there. And we all know he would play all 162 if he had the choice.
This was the Dodgers' biggest series of this young season, and they passed with flying colors. They scored nine total runs, but made enough big plays each game to get the victory. Today, they used one big hit, good defense from guys like Loney and Johnson, and more fantastic pitching. It was great to get a win without so many regulars.
The Dodgers will put their seven-game winning streak on the line when they welcome the Astros in for two at home. The Astros are just horrible this year, and have a run differential of -60, by far the worst in the league. Fresh off two good starts, John Ely gets the ball on Monday.
It wasn't a textbook way to win. Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, and Blake DeWitt all sat this one out. With Garret Anderson, Reed Johnson, Ronnie Belliard, and Nick Green in, the offense managed two total hits. Heck, they only had five baserunners all day, and one of them (Belliard) got caught stealing.
So how did they win? Chad Billingsley was a big reason. We all know how he crashed and burned after the All-Star break last year, and has been searching for his old form ever since. A day like today is a sign that he's definitely back.
Billingsley went 7 1/3 innings for four hits, no runs, one walk, and six strikeouts. Much like Clayton Kershaw before him, Bills is more than finding his groove. After his third start, his ERA stood at 7.07. Thanks to four good starts in his past five, it's now at 4.03.
If you're a Padre fan, the shame of this game was that Wade LeBlanc was every bit as good as Billingsley. In fact, he had a no-hitter going into the sixth. But, he was victimized by his offense that has gone cold. The Padres came into the year with a questionable offense but started off great anyway. During the sweep, they scored four runs. Maybe they're coming back to Earth.
The Padres gave a threat in the second. Yorvit Torrealba singled with one out, and Will Venable followed with a walk. After Kyle Blanks struck out, Tony Gwynn ripped one to first that James Loney made a diving grab on, and beat Gwynn in a race to the bag.
Jamey Carroll started the sixth with a walk. Billingsley sacrificed him over to second. It turned out to be a big play, as Martin's single scored Carroll, giving the Dodgers the 1-0 lead and wiping out the no-no.
Billingsley stayed on in the eighth to get Gwynn on a groundout. With Matt Stairs pinch-hitting, Joe Torre brought in the "Stairs-killer," Jonathan Broxton. OK, that was a joke. Torre actually brought in Hong-Chih Kuo. Out went Stairs, in came Oscar Salazar, and it didn't matter because he popped up. Everth Cabrera grounded out to end the inning.
Broxton eventually did come in for the save opportunity in the ninth, and got the Padres in order for his seventh. That's now 11 batters sat down in a row for him.
The ironic thing about Martin getting the lone RBI of the game is that he wasn't even supposed to start. But with Manny and Blake sitting out, Torre made the right call in keeping him in there. And we all know he would play all 162 if he had the choice.
This was the Dodgers' biggest series of this young season, and they passed with flying colors. They scored nine total runs, but made enough big plays each game to get the victory. Today, they used one big hit, good defense from guys like Loney and Johnson, and more fantastic pitching. It was great to get a win without so many regulars.
The Dodgers will put their seven-game winning streak on the line when they welcome the Astros in for two at home. The Astros are just horrible this year, and have a run differential of -60, by far the worst in the league. Fresh off two good starts, John Ely gets the ball on Monday.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Dodgers win behind Kershaw's gem
Clayton Kershaw gave his second straight fantastic performance, and the Dodgers beat the Padres for the second straight day, 4-1. The Dodgers are now three games back of the Padres in the NL West.
Friday night's game last quite awhile, but this one flew right by thanks to Kershaw. He finished the night with seven innings pitched, three hits, one run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Combined with his eight innings of shutout ball against the Rockies in his last start, and he's lowered his ERA from 4.99 to 3.55.
The Padres scored their lone run of the game in the first. Scott Hairston walked and David Eckstein singled to lead off. After a groundout by Adrian Gonzalez got Hairston to third, he scored on Chase Headley's RBI groundout.
James Loney immediately got that run back by hitting a solo shot to start the second. Both teams went scoreless the next three innings.
In the fifth, Casey Blake led off with a walk. An out later, he went to second on Kevin Correia's wild pickoff attempt. Jamey Carroll got another start at short and delivered again, this time an RBI single to go up 2-1. Following a Kershaw sacrifice bunt, Carroll scored on Russell Martin's single.
The last run was tacked on in the sixth. It came from Garret Anderson, who's someone that desperately needs to make something happen. Loney walked and stole second with one down. Anderson then laced a triple to right, putting the Dodgers up 4-1. Anderson still only has a pathetic .143 average, but at least he did something positive tonight.
The rest of the game was cruise control for Kershaw and the bullpen. Ramon Troncoso entered in the eighth, and he made quick work of the Padres with a couple of strikeouts and a flyout.
Jonathan Broxton got a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save. After blowing a save against the Brewers on May 6, he's a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, while not giving up a run.
This game signifies how the Dodgers have turned things around the last couple of weeks. They got great starting pitching, timely hitting, and committed no errors. They only put seven men on base all night, but scored four of them. Plus they won tonight without Andre Ethier, and Manny Ramirez went 0-for-4.
Speaking of Ethier, he missed the game with a jammed little finger on his right hand. He's listed as day-to-day, so hopefully that means it won't be a DL trip. Time will tell.
The Dodgers will go for the sweep on Sunday. Chad Billingsley is going for his second straight win, and he'll be opposed by Wade LeBlanc.
Friday night's game last quite awhile, but this one flew right by thanks to Kershaw. He finished the night with seven innings pitched, three hits, one run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Combined with his eight innings of shutout ball against the Rockies in his last start, and he's lowered his ERA from 4.99 to 3.55.
The Padres scored their lone run of the game in the first. Scott Hairston walked and David Eckstein singled to lead off. After a groundout by Adrian Gonzalez got Hairston to third, he scored on Chase Headley's RBI groundout.
James Loney immediately got that run back by hitting a solo shot to start the second. Both teams went scoreless the next three innings.
In the fifth, Casey Blake led off with a walk. An out later, he went to second on Kevin Correia's wild pickoff attempt. Jamey Carroll got another start at short and delivered again, this time an RBI single to go up 2-1. Following a Kershaw sacrifice bunt, Carroll scored on Russell Martin's single.
The last run was tacked on in the sixth. It came from Garret Anderson, who's someone that desperately needs to make something happen. Loney walked and stole second with one down. Anderson then laced a triple to right, putting the Dodgers up 4-1. Anderson still only has a pathetic .143 average, but at least he did something positive tonight.
The rest of the game was cruise control for Kershaw and the bullpen. Ramon Troncoso entered in the eighth, and he made quick work of the Padres with a couple of strikeouts and a flyout.
Jonathan Broxton got a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save. After blowing a save against the Brewers on May 6, he's a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, while not giving up a run.
This game signifies how the Dodgers have turned things around the last couple of weeks. They got great starting pitching, timely hitting, and committed no errors. They only put seven men on base all night, but scored four of them. Plus they won tonight without Andre Ethier, and Manny Ramirez went 0-for-4.
Speaking of Ethier, he missed the game with a jammed little finger on his right hand. He's listed as day-to-day, so hopefully that means it won't be a DL trip. Time will tell.
The Dodgers will go for the sweep on Sunday. Chad Billingsley is going for his second straight win, and he'll be opposed by Wade LeBlanc.
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