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Monday, April 25, 2011

2010 Redux: Broxton Blowup #387,497,497,549

Dodgers 4 10 1
Marlins   5  8  0
WP- Sanches (3-0)
LP-Broxton (1-1)
HR- Coghlan 2 (4)

Let me preface this by saying up to this point I have given Jonathan Broxton the benefit of the doubt and haven't jumped on the Broxton hater bandwagon. Until tonight. He clearly is not the same dominating pitcher that he once was. He isn't pitching as hard anymore, and without his once crazy fast fastball, he is merely the shell of a pitcher that he once was when he could blow away anyone in his path. I'm done. For some reason this was the last straw for me. I just can't go on watching these meltdowns as we go down the same way of last year when the bullpen gave up game after game.

Jon Garland had another quality start, which was sadly wasted. He went 7 innings, allowing only 4 hits. 2 runs, 1 walk, and striking out 4. His only mistakes was two bad pitches to Chris Coghlin who had two solo homers in the 3rd and 6th inning. Other than that, he held the fish to only 4 hits, using his new split finger fastball nicely.

In the top of the first, it began as a feel good game when Andre Ethier quickly hit a single to left field. He now shares the record of a 22 game hit streak, the most in April in the MLB, with his former manager Joe Torre.

In the second inning our offense is stalled after Jerry Sands gets a leadoff single. Rod Barajas is called out from catcher's interference when he gets in the way of the Marlin's catcher Buck who was trying to throw out Sands stealing second. Double play, end of inning.

In the fourth the Dodgers get on the board when Carroll singles, Ethier walks, Kemp hits into a double play allowing Carroll to third, and Sands singles in Carroll tieing the game at 1-1. Garland has a 1-2-3 inning striking out Stanton and Dobbs and also goes 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth.

In the 6th inning Sands picks up his third hit of the game, a double. Coghlan's second homer gives the Marlins a 2-1 lead.

The Dodgers bounce back when Rod Barajas reaches safely on a strikeout when Buck drops the ball. Barajas tweaks himself somehow on his way as he runs like lightning to first and has to come out of the game for a pinch runner, Tony Gwynn Jr. We'll have to see if Barajas will be okay to play tomorrow. This of course happens the same day the Dodgers send down Ellis to AAA. Did I mention that Russell Martin is hitting .328 with 6 homeruns and 16 RBIs? Ivan De Jesus singles, and Garland lays down a bunt to move Gwynn and IDJ to 2nd and 3rd. Ryan Webb comes in to relieve Nolasco, and Miles then grounds out allowing Gwynn to score the tieing run. Carroll then singles in IDJ giving the Dodgers the 3-2 lead.

Nolasco goes 6.1 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

In the 8th, Mujica pitches to Kemp who doubles off the wall. Sands grounds Kemp to 3rd. Loney hits a weak ground ball up the middle, and somehow none of the Marlin's infield can catch it and Kemp scores, 4-2 Dodgers. Dioner Navarro comes in to hit for the first time this season and promptly hits into a double play to end the inning. Vicente Padilla comes in to pitch the 8th, and shakily gives up a walk to Cousins to lead it off, a single to Coghlin, and then Infante has a bad bunt, and Padilla makes a good play to get the runner at 3rd. Sanchez then promptly singles in Coghlan making it 4-3 Dodgers. Infante for some unknown reason thinks he can tag up to third on a fly ball by Stanton off of the Bison, and Kemp throws a bullet to Miles at third to get him out by a mile.

The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the 9th when Sanches comes in to pitch.

I really don't want to type this out but okay, for those of you who might have missed it (be glad if you did) Broxton comes in and strikes out Dobbs seemingly with a purpose. Then with two outs of course, he gives up a walk to Bonaficio, a single to Ramirez allowing Bonaficio to go to 3rd. Carroll makes a horrible error, his third in the past two games, on a grounder by Cousins which scores Bonaficio the tieing run. Then Brox walks the dangerous Coghlin to load the bases, and then in true 2010 meltdown fashion gives up a single to Infante which sails over the head of Jerry Sands who misjudges the ball and Ramirez scores the winning run.

There's really not much else to say other than it's pretty clear we need Kuo back in the closer role. Or we need a new closer. Or we need a whole new bullpen.

Sands had a 3 hit game. Ivan De Jesus and Carroll had 2 hits each. Kemp got his 9th outfield assist, which is tops in the NL.

Back to mediocre 12-12. The Dodgers play game two tomorrow afternoon with Clayton Kershaw on the mound.

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