The Beard Returns!
For 7 innings, it was anything but a Rocky Mountain High game, only one home-run and it was an opposite field shot that would’ve went out in most parks, Clayton Kershaw and Ubaldo Jimenez pitched brilliantly then after Jimenez got pulled in the 8th after giving up one run, all heck broke lose. Casey Blake took a pitch into deep left center field, more center than left, that pretty much put the game away 5-1. Broxton and Kuo both come in and close it out.
This game leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers 67-62 and the Colorado Rockies, 66-61 putting them in a tie for 4th in the Wild Card race and with the Giants losing, both teams are now 4.5 games back.
Personally, I was in someways shocked the Dodgers pulled it out, I had gotten so used to them faltering when down against good pitching, it was 1-0 Rockies when I left and the whole time I contemplated coming back to a 1-0 game or at best 2-1 but it looks like this team really thinks they can win and with Ethier’s bat coming in, Blake hot, Kemp more consistent, and with the way we’ve been pitching, we look like a team that will be hard to be for the foreseeable future.
The Dodgers Should Have Been Sellers
The Los Angeles Dodgers were buyers this year as the deadline has come and gone. They traded young pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smil as well as servicable Blake DeWitt for Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly. Are you kidding me with this? Not to mention the opportunity to rid themselves of Manny Ramirez’s contract was present, and ignored. Do the Los Angeles Dodgers REALLY believe they’re in this race? That the San Diego Padres will fall down in September and the San Francisco Giants will choke? Give me a break. This Dodgers team is NOT better than either of those teams right now, and adding payroll to the situation of the front office was a joke. The system already isn’t exactly tip top and they sent 2 of their better prospects for a 34 year old left hander whose lost velocity, had shoulder surgery, AND is a free agent at the end of the year. Ryan Theriot a sparkplug? What exactly is he going to spark? Is he going to teach guys how to not take a pitch? How not to get on base, evident by his .320 OBP? Blake DeWitt wasn’t worth more than Ryan Theriot? Did Ned Colletti lose his mind or forget to remember that Ryan Theriot’s career year was now 2 years ago?
The Dodgers had some pieces that could have been coveted by other teams. Look no farther than Manny Ramirez. Mannywood hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype this year, with his “injuries” popping up often. Ridding the remainder of his contract would have been glorious while adding a couple of prospects. Nope- instead they’ll hold on to him and watch him leave for free agency. Good move. They could have traded Casey Blake for a couple mid level prospects. Hiroki Kuroda for a couple mid level prospects. Vincente Padilla could have attracted some buyers. Heck- you could have moved Chad Billingsley at the high as well which would have saved some money. Sometimes, you have to be realistic about your roster. Sometimes you have to say ” you know what- it’s time to move on from this roster, build around Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and the big man Broxton at the back end of the bullpen. Instead, the Dodgers hurt their future, while NOT helping their present.
Terrible moves and moves that should get Ned Colletti fired.
Dodgers Drop Series, Shutout by Cubs
The Dodgers struggled to get any offense without Andre Ethier and Manny in the line-up, and the Blue Crew got shut-out for the second time in the series against the Chicago Cubs, 1-0.
John Ely (3-2), who grew up in suburban Homewood, Ill., held the Cubs to only four hits in 7 1-3 innings in his return home, but a late-inning mishap by right-fielder Xavier Paul, filling in for an injured Ethier, may have cost L.A. the game, as the Cubs won 8 of the last 11.
The score was 0-0 in the bottom of the eighth when Cubs utility player Mike Fontenot (filling in for Jeff Baker, who left with an apparent vision problem) led off the inning with a triple down the right-field line, which was misplayed by Paul. Fontenot scored two batters later on a one-out, RBI-double down the line by Tyler Colvin, who went to third when Paul again had trouble picking up the ball.
It’s always an adventure in the Wrigley outfield.
Both players entered the line-up in the eighth as part of a double switch in which reliever Sean Marshall replaced the starter Ted Lilly, both of which combined with closer Carlos Marmol to hold the Dodgers scoreless.
The streaking Casey Blake led the Dodger offense with two more hits, going 15 for his last 34 plate apperances, but despite out-hitting the Cubs, Los Angeles couldn’t come through when it counted, leaving 15 men on-base.
With the Dodgers down 1-0, Manny came in to pinch-hit with a runner on and one-out in the ninth, but struck out on a Marmol slider out of the zone. Not even veteran Garrett Anderson could come through, striking out to end the game and wasting Ely’s finest outing in his young Dodger career.
A White Sox fan growing up, Ely was drafted by the Southsiders and spent three years in their system before he was dealt to the Dodgers as part of the Juan Pierre trade in December. He got called up on April 28 has been an integral part of the Dodger rotation ever since.
The good news for the Dodgers offense is the probable return of Andre Ethier. According to Yahoo Sports, Ethier, who’s been out with a broken right pinky finger, could return from the 15-day disabled list as early as Monday. Manager Joe Torre said he’s scheduled to play for Triple-A Albuquerque this weekend and take Sunday off.
The Blue Crew will travel to Colorado for a weekend series with the surging Rockies, who’ve won their last five-straight. One thing’s for sure, if the Dodgers hit like they did against the Cubs, they won’t stand a chance on the road against Ubaldo Jimenez and the rest of the Rockies’ pitching staff. Time to bring the bats, boys.
Streaking Dodgers Fine in Nine Straight
Even without Triple Crown leader Andre Ethier in the line-up on his own Bobblehead Night, the Dodgers cruised to their ninth-consecutive victory over the slumping Houston Astros last night, 7-3.
They did it all behind a rejuvenated offense and the arm of Hiroki Kuroda (5-1), who won his fifth game in his last six decisions. Kuroda completed six innings allowing three runs and seven hits and striking out two. The Dodger bullpen (Belisario, Kuo and Troncoso) pitched another shutout, giving up only one hit in three innings.
Dodger pitching is a big reason why they’ve won nine-in-a-row; the Dodgers’ staff hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game during the streak, an ERA of 1.89, and the bullpen hasn’t allowed an earned run in the last six contests.
Meanwhile, the Dodger offense have averaged 5.6 runs during this streak, even with their leading slugger missing the last four games.
Casey Blake led the attack last night with three hits, including two RBI and his fourth homer of the season. Manny Ramirez and James Loney each batted in two runs as well and Jamey Carroll added a sacrifice fly in the fourth, which was more than enough to beat the lowly Houston Astros (who, besides Carlos Lee, have the league’s worst offense).
The Dodgers are streaking in all the right places in the month of May. Russell Martin added a single in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, one more than his previous best in 2007.
The offense could have taken a severe hit, though, as they found out they may be without Silver Slugger Andre Ethier for as long as six weeks. Ethier, who leads the league with a .392 average and 38 RBIs, went on the DL for the first time in his five-year career just hours before the sellout crowd received his bobblehead.
The right-fielder was placed on the 15-day after sustaining a fractured bone in his right pinkie Saturday while taking swings in the indoor batting cage at San Diego’s Petco Park.
Even with the recent string of injuries, the Dodgers have managed to win 11 of their last 12. The Blue Crew currently stands one game back in the division, and they have a chance to pull into a first-place tie in the NL West with the visiting San Diego Padres coming to Chavez Ravine tonight.
Rookie Ely Leads Dodgers to Eight-Straight
John Ely (2-1) threw first-pitch strikes to 20-of-25 hitters and went to a three-ball count just five times en route to the Dodgers eighth-consecutive win last night over the Houston Astros, 6-2.
Last night’s performance marks 84 consecutive batters Ely has faced without allowing a walk—the longest current streak in the majors. The right-hander. who turned 24-years-old last Thursday, hurled eight K’s in his fourth career start and allowed only five hits in seven strong innings, six days after beating Arizona for his first big league victory. (more…)
