Dodgers 2 9 0
Padres 4 7 0
WP-Adams 3-1
LP-Padilla 6-5
SV-Bell-38
HR-Podsednik-1
Hundley-7
The San Diego Padres, ended their long nightmare and avoided a trip into hell by beating the punchless Dodgers 4-2. the padres snapped a record tying 10 game losing streak for a first place team, and staved off dropping into a first place tie with the Giants who had won earlier.
Both teams combined to use 13 pitchers, with the padres using 7, as manager bruce bochy took a page out of Joe Torre's book by using nearly his entire bullpen, except the padres bullpen is good and the dodgers is not. The Dodgers left about 1000 men on base.
Joe Torre's in game decisions continue to piss me off, and have reached a new low even for him. as they involve no thought process or strategy of any kind. Ill get to him in a minute.
there was bad news for the Padres even before the game began. it was announced Matt Latos was a late scratch due to illness, and later announced he would start tomorrow. In his place was spot starter Tim Stauffer. he Pitched well, being pulled after 4 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits walking 1 and striking out only 1.
Vicente Padilla was a bit shaky but overall not terrible in his return trip from a second stint on the DL from a bulging disk in his neck. Padilla was victimized by some bad luck and the Dodgers defense's inability to turn a key double play.
Padilla was yanked after 4 innings for Ronnie Belliard (gahhhh) Padilla allowed 3 runs on 5 hits walked only 1 and struck out 5.
it was a scoreless tie until the bottom of the 3rd, when hundley bombed a solo HR to left field. putting SD up 1-0
the Dodgers would come back and tie in the top of the 4th. with 1 out Loney doubled, and with two outs ethier lines a base hit to Score Loney tying the game. after Kemp reached base on a walk, Theriot hit a screaming line drive, right into gonzalez's glove......sigh
in the bottom of the fourth the Padres retook the lead off of Padilla's final inning of work. Gonzalez and Tejada led off with singles and Headly walked to load the bases. Venable grounded into what looked like a taylor made double play, but it ended up as a force play as the dodgers were unable to turn, plating gonzalez and giving the Padres the lead for good.
Hundley followed with a wierd bouncer off the front of the plate that bounced about 20 feet into the air, not allowing furcal to have any kind of play as tejada scored the second run of the inning.
the Dodgers used 5 relief pitchers behind Padilla to try and keep the game close. amazingly they were effective with only the sorry Broxton giving up a meaningless run in tbe 8th inning.
Aaron Cunningham slugged a leadoff double, advanced to third on a groundout, and eventually scored on a david Eckstien fly ball.
The Dodgers had plenty of chances to score, but it was the same old song and dance of 2010. no one was able to come up with a big hit.
in the top of the 6th inning the dodgers put two on with nobody out, only to come up empty once again.
blake and ethier singled, but Kemp struck out, and theriot pathetically grounded out.
with two outs the situation screamed for Torre to pinch hit for the completly useless Brad Ausmus. but Torre decided to let him hit, and to no one's suprise he weakly grounded back to the box to end the inning.
Ive got a great Idea Joe, why not just write all the players name on little scraps of paper and then draw there names out of a hat. there you go!
in the top of the 7th Scott Podsednik hit his first home run as a Dodger a line drive over the wall in right. they should have stopped the game and gave him the ball. it was a lone murmor of protest.
next Hit Machine singled and stole second, and after Blake walked it brought up Ethier. but Ethier struck out off of Mike Adams, looking like he was trying to swing for the fences instead of just trying to make contact.
Heath Bell entered in the 9th picking up his 38th save as he retired the side. the Padres celebrated like they had just won the pennant by beating the lowly Dodgers in front of a pathetic crowd of only 23,000 and change. calm down San Diego fans, youve only beaten the Dodgers, its not hard to do!
the Dodgers offense could only muster 2 runs off of 9 hits, while drawing 3 walks. only two extra base hits being the POD HR and the double by Loney. they were 1 for 8 with RISP and left 9 men on base. all four Dodgers pinch hitters made out.
The loss drops the Dodgers to the .500 mark with a record of 69-69. 9 games behind the padres.
the young guys messers lindsey, and Mitchell rode the pine as the washed up retreads continue to see action, all in the name of finishing 82-80. as Ive said before the only good that will come out of the final month will be to find out if Lindsey Mitchell and Gibbons are worthy of roster spots for next year. the only way to know this is to play them. unfortunatly Joe Torre continues his love afair with washed up losers that provide little to no value to the team in any way whatsoever.
If there's one thing that would make me happy its his farewell press conference.
wallach for 2011!!!!
The one bright spot out of this game was that it kept the Giants from moving into a first place tie, as they are still 1 game back and on the outside looking in. COL won their game and remain 4 1/2 games back.
Clayton Kershaw takes the mound tomorrow, and if Latos is feeling better he will counter Kershaw.
Stacie takes over tomorrow, so I will see you on wed. happy labor day everyone!
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