Dodgers climb over Rockies in west

Rockies   2  5  0
Dodgers  8  9  0
WP-Lilly-4-4
LP-Mortensen-1-3
HR-Kemp-13-Blake-3
Wigginton-5

Ted Lilly, pitches 7 strong innings, picking up his fourth win

Casey Blake battles rustyness, as he hits a three run homerun

The Dodgers continue their offensive onslaught, as they score 8 more runs, crushing the Rockies, 8-2. several Dodgers deserved game balls tonight, as It was a team contribution. Matt Kemp homered, and drove in four runs, Casey Blake hit a three run homerun, and Ted Lilly pitched 7 innings allowing just 2 runs off 4 hits, as the Dodgers won their third in a row, and their fourth in five games., and continue to climb the standings, jumping over the slumping Colorado for third place.

Ted Lilly must have drank from the fountain of youth before the game, as he put up another quality start. you know we make fun of Lilly alot here on DBF, and while I feel weve been pretty fair, alas we just cant talk any smack about him tonight, he was solid, as he evens his books at 4-4.
its not pretty when lilly pitches but he gets the job done. he mixes speeds and works both sides of the rubber. Lilly throws everything at you, and would toss the kitchen sink at you if he could.

in the first innning, Lilly retires the side in order.

the Dodgers strike first in the first. there trying a new strategy for this year, its called scoring runs! thats right the Dodgers are actually scoring runs. they kept the momentum going tonight. Blake walks, and then is erased at second base on Ethier's fielder's choice grounder. Bison then blasts a Clayton Mortensen pitch into the right field pavillions. Kemps 13th homer, 2-0 Dodgers!

in the second inning, Lilly gets Mullet man and Helton looking on called third strikes. Lilly retires the first six batters of the game.

move to the top of the third inning, where the rockies close the lead to one, with help from a bonehead play by Aaron Miles.

Nelson leads off with a double. Iannetta strikes out looking, but Nelson steals third without a throw. remember Lilly's weakness is that really slow crotchity windup, and high leg kick. teams tend to run wild on him. its kind of like when you were in junior high school and sneaking out of class once the teacher's back is turned, well with Lilly the whole class runs out.

Mortensen the pitcher, hits a fly ball to shallow right field. Miles and ethier converge, with Miles playing second base. Ethier had an easier play without his back to the play. Miles just wasnt having it, he races in and makes the catch but with his back to the play. Nelson sees this and tags up and scores ahead of a wide throw from Miles. 2-1 Dodgers.
young steals second on Lilly, thanks to his leg kicking windup like hes on broadway.  no worries though, not tonight, as Lilly strikes out fowler on a called third strike. Fowler looking like a statue at the plate. :)

in the bottom of the third, after Lilly grounds out, Carroll walks. Blaker doubles down the line at third, as the ball rolls underneath the tarp. with second and third, Colorado takes the bat right out of Ethier's hands, intentionally walking him, as they take their chances with Kemp. this always makes me laugh, teams have been doing this all year, walking Ethier to get to Kemp....ok then Colorado, how did this one turn out? yeah not good, Kemp singles to left, scoring two more. 4-1 Dodgers. Blake sliding past Iannetta just ahead of the throw at home. Iannetta argues that he is out, but Blake is clearly safe. foolish Rockies, when will they learn. you cant pitch to Dre or Kemp, they both will beat you.
Loney grounds into a doulbe play to end the inning.

Lilly rolls along through the 4th, retiring the rockies in order again, striking out Mullet man for the second time.

the Dodgers add one more in the bottom of the 5th. Sands Doubles. after Navarro flies out, Miles doubles over the head of Ty Wigginton, and off his outstretched glove. Sands scores, and the Dodgers lead 5-1. Wigginton is playing out of position in right field, normally he is a third baseman.

Lilly sets down the rockies in order again in the 5th, strikeing out Wigginton.

Matt belisle comes in to replace Mortenson. the youngster last only 4 innings, allowing 5 runs, and takes the loss.

in the top of the 6th, Lilly retires the side again, strikeing out Young, and Cargo.

Lilly got through the top of 7th, despite allowing a solo home run to Wigginton.

Lilly goes 7, allows only 2 runs off 4 hits, walks none and strikes out 8. 5-2 Dodgers.

in the bottom of the 7th, Matt Daly comes in to pitch. Daly, (the crouchy guy) allows three runs to put the game out of reach. afetr a miles fly out, Gibbons, off the bench batting for Lilly, singles. Carroll singles Gibbons goes to second. with Daly still pitching, Blake deposits a ball into the left field bleachers, for his third home run of the year. the Dodgers take an 8-2 lead! dodger fans starved for runs, drink it in.
Ethier walks, Kemp grounds into a fielder's choice, Reynolds is brought in, and Loney flies out.

the Dodgers with a 6 run lead, rbing in top rookie prospect, Ruby De La Rosa, to pitch the last two innings. he does his job. Iannetta and herrera fly out, and Young strikes out.

in the 9th and with De La Rosa still in, Fowler strikes out. with two outs, Mullet man tries to get some late inning revenge by doubling, but it means nothin! Helton flies out to sands to end the game. the I love LA song blares over the Dodger stadium PA, and the Dodgers have now won three in a row!

the Dodgers have now scored 23 runs in their last three games. yes!  the Dodgers! im not kidding here. with this win, and since the giants and arizona lost, the Dodgers climb over Colorado, into third place. there are now 4.5 games behind Arizona.

with another quality start, and great offensive production, the Dodgers have now won their second straight series, and have finally won a homestand. can the Dodgers complete the sweep tomorrow? can the Dodgers make a run at first place? only time will tell......

Stac will cover tomorrow and then the Dodgers are off, before going off to Cincy for the weekend. Stac is on vacation this weekend, so I will be lone soldering it. im very impressed with the Dodgers play, since Blake and Furcal are back, the Dodgers are scoring alot more runs. lets keep this going!
tomorrow the winless Ubaldo Jimenez goes to the mound for the rockies, as the Dodgers will counter with Jon Garland, who has only won once this year.
the Dodgers are on a roll! go blue!

Dodgers scream from mountain top! Can they make a run?

Dodgers Lineup
Carroll6
Blake5
Ethier9
Kemp8
Loney3
Sands7
Navarro2
Miles4
Lilly1

*why isnt hit machine playing today? and navarro? why Donnie, do you torture us with your Bizarre lineup decisions?*
Clayton Mortensen-1-2 vs. Ted Lilly-3-4

Chad Billingsley fist bumps Rafael (Hit Machine) Furcal after Furcal's homerun

The Dodgers have now won two in a row! and three of their last four games. with a win tonight, the Dodgers can secure their second straight series win, and move back into a third place tie, with the struggling Rockies.
its really been a team effort, and everyone has contributed in some way. Kershaw and Bills have given us a great and solid performences respectivly, and really everyone has been hitting the last two games.  the Dodgers have outscored their opponents 15-1 over this stretch. normally it would take the Dodgers three weeks to score that many runs. with James Loney hitting two home runs on this homestand, and hitting over .300 in the mnth of may. yes Loney! say whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! what you talkin' bout willis!? no really Loney had another three hit game yesterday, with another homerun, his second three hit game of the homestand. this brings his avg. up from auto out levels, to pretty bad, now up to a solidly mediocre .249. for Loney this is amazing. has he finally found his stroke? I should hope so. as Stac put last night, someone lit a fire under "groundball's ass. maybe the thought of possibly losing his job was the key? hopefully we can lose his moniker of "groundball" and he can be called James "longball" Loney, althought weve got a long way to go before he reaches that plateau.
Dre had another three hit game, and the Dodgers sparkplug Rafael (hit Machine) Furcal, conitues to ignite the Dodger Offense. after three hits the other night, Hit Machine goes 2 for 4 with a homer the other night night. when the Dodger offense is firing on all cylinders, its no suprise that Hit Machine, is the catalyst at the top. hey even Jay "contacts in the wind" Gibbons is even showing signs of life.  yes lets hope that blind bastard continues to hit.

but can the Dodgers put it all together and make a run? with June 1st approaching tomorrow, 25% of the season is in the books, but the Dodgers will have to get past the bastard Rockies tonight, who may be struggling, but are never easy to beat.

so lets not start counting our chickens before their hatched. or should I say lets not start counting our mediocre 5th starters before they take the mound. Ted Lilly (3-4) will take the mound for the Dodgers today. normally this involves, a usual underwhelming performence and declining velocity from Ted "father time" Lilly.  However Lilly has pitched well his last two times out, and if he can keep the ball in the park, hell keep us in the game. Colorado wil counter with youngster Clayton Mortensen. the righty is 1-2 this year, but has pitched better than his record indicates. in his last start, Mortensen walked two batters, before Montero took him deep in a 6-3 Colorado loss to Arizona. (first place Arizona, isnt it wierd saying that?) lets hope the Dodgers continue this little burst of Offense going today.

also check out another great article from MSTI-  http://mikesciosciastragicillness.com/

he writes a piece on who should be cut when Marcus Thames returns from injury, which should be sometime later this week. also returning from injury soon, is Vicente Padilla, who was seen with the club already, and could be back in a week or so, after one more rehab start.

Tommy Lasorda, is recovering from a Bacterial infection. Lasorda is fine and spent four days in the hospital. get well Tommy!
the Dodgers are getting healthier, and there starting to play better. the season isnt over yet. can the boys in blue make a run for first place? we shall see.....game time at 710. GO BLUE

The Rock Climber, Billingsley, Reaches the Summit For the Win

Dodgers 7 11 0
Rockies  1 14 1
WP- Billingsley (4-4)
LP- Hammel (3-5)
HR- Loney (3)

The Dodgers finally win two games in a row, which is the first time since May 10 & 11 in Pittsburgh. Billingsley evens his record to 4-4, and the Dodgers are now 5 games under .500. The Dodgers took advantage of the reeling Rockies, who seemed like a totally different team than the one we saw in early April in Colorado. With Hit Machine, the spark plug, back in the lineup the Dodgers offense has suddenly exploded as they collect 11 hits this Memorial Day. The Rockies did have 14 hits, but couldn't find a way to score looking deflated as they only managed to squeak out 1 run.

Billingsley had to pitch out of some jams which started in the first inning when CarGo had a 2 out single and stole second. Mullet Man singles, but Matt Kemp throws a laser home and Big Rod tags out CarGo trying to score ending the inning. Carroll manages to reach base on an error by Young, but they do little else in the bottom of the 1st.

Big Rod Tags out CarGo at Home Plate

Bills gives up singles to pesky Helton and Smith, but then ends up striking out the side getting Wigginton, Iannetta, and Hammel. Loney singles in the bottom of the inning, but that is all.

In the bottom of the third the Dodgers strike. Billingsley singles helping his own cause. Hit Machine singles, and Carroll's swinging bunt single loads the bases with nobody out. Ethier singles in Bills and HM when his ball goes right under Hammel's glove into center field, 2-0 Dodgers. Kemp then reaches safely when CarGo and Fowler's gloves collide, and the ball bounces off both. Ethier is called out at second on a close play. Carroll scores in the process, 3-0. Kemp steals 2nd. Loney then proceeds to single home Kemp, making it 4-0.

In the 4th, the Rockies' lone run came off a Wigginton solo HR making it 4-1. In the bottom of the 4th Hit Machine singles under Young's glove but is caught stealing.

In the 5th, Hammel and CarGo both single, but Bills gets Mullet to pop-up to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Carroll triples to start the inning! Ethier singles in Carroll for his 3rd RBI of the night, 5-1. Loney then blasts a 2-run homerun making it a 7-1 lead for the Dodgers. Big Rod walks, but then Daley comes in to relief Hammel and gets Miles to fly out.

Hammel has a really bad game, going only 4.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, and striking out 2.

In the 7th, Bills begins to tire. Nelson singles, Young grounds into a force, Fowler singles, and then Honeycutt visits the mound. CarGo walks to load the bases. Now at this time Guerrier is warming in the pen. Don Mattingly chooses to gamble and continue with a tiring Billingsley rather than going to the pen. Good decision this time. Mullet Man amusingly hits into a double play to end the threat.

Billingsley goes 7 innings, allowing 11 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, and striking out 8.

Elbert comes in to pitch the 8th, and quickly gives up a single to Helton and walks Smith. Guerrier is brought in and he gets Spilborghs to hit into a double play. Phewwww. Iannetta walks, and Nelson flies out. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the 8th for the first time of the night.

Guerra comes in to pitch the 9th and Fowler singles, he strikes out CarGo, but Mullet Man singles sending Fowler to third. Mullet takes second on defensive indifference. We all hold our breath with 2 outs, and Guerra gets Helton to fly out to give the Dodgers the win!

Loney amazingly had 2 singles, a HR, and 3 RBIs. Looks like a fire has been lit under someone's ass! Ethier also had 3 RBIs. Tomorrow Lilly goes to the mound to try to secure a series win, the second in a row, for the Dodgers. Vicente Padilla could be back as early as tomorrow.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Let's Make it a Memorable Memorial Day

Rockies @ Dodgers
5:10pm
Game 1


I was talking about how boring Dodger games have usually been this season when they get 1 or 2 runs off 4 or 5 hits. Yesterday's game was no fluke-like win where the stars aligned just right or a blue moon hovered over Dodger Stadium. It was an honest to goodness shutout win including an amazing performance from Clayton Kershaw and some actual offense. The Dodgers finally won a series, their only one in the month of May. They wrap up the homestand with three games vs. the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have been a very streaky ball club the past two years, and they have just lost 5 of 7 games at home. The Dodgers lost both games in Colorado they played earlier this season. The Rockies are in 3rd place while the Dodgers sit in fourth. All joking aside, Arizona is currently in 1st place, 1/2 game ahead of the Giants.

Chad Billinglsey (3-4, 3.69) looks for his second win in a row after picking one up against the Astros his last time out. Jason Hammel (3-4, 3.20) will go to the mound for the Rockies. He hasn't won a game in a month, but he did win against the Dodgers on April 6th. Bills had a bad game that day in Denver, only going 3 innings and allowing 5 runs. In 9 games vs. the Dodgers, Hammel has a 3.79 ERA.

Lineup:

Furcal 6
Carroll 4
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Gibbons 7
Loney 3
Barajas 2
Miles 5
Billingsley 1

Looks like Miles will be starting at third base today. We noticed Casey Blake looking at his arm and wincing in the dugout yesterday, so we hope he's ok. Remember he's extremely rusty, so we have to constantly check to see if he's in the lineup. Gibbons will be in left field, so no doubt we'll see at least one lost ball or bumbling play out there especially with the recent wind. Today the Dodgers will also don special stars & stripes caps to commemorate Memorial Day.

Go red, white, and BLUE;)

series win for the Dodgers is like shooting fish in a barrel

Marlins   0    2  1
Dodgers  8  17  1
WP-Kershaw-6-3
LP-Nolasco-4-1
HR-Furcal-1

Kershaw hooks 10 fish today in 2 hit shutout

the Dodgers finally won their first series in the month of may, in an offensive explosion. beating the fish 8-0. Clayton Kershaw (the fisherman) pitched 9 shutout innings, hooking 10 fish, and also contributed with the bat, going 2 for 4 at the plate. Hit Machine was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homerun, Jay Gibbons, not having contact issues while at the plate today, had a 3 for 4 game, and everyone else contributed when and where they could, as the Dodgers scored 8 runs off 17 hits. there most hits in a game since like what 1942?

Kershaw struck out 2 fish in the first inning. strikeing out coughlan, and Morrisson.

Nolasco, pitching in front of family and friends, had a bad game, allowing 15 hits and 8 runs in 5 innings. yikes.

Fish shortstop Hanley Ramirez, had to leave the game in the third inning, due to a sore back. Bonafacio relaced him at shortstop, with Wes Helms playing third base.

the Dodgers would score 4 runs in the bottom of the third inning.  Kershaw helps his own cause by singling to center. which makes him more dangerous than the entire dodger bench. Hit machine then homers into the florida bullpen. his first homer of the year. 2-0 dodgers! hit machine is back!

after blaker flies out, Dre and Kemp both single. Sands pops out. however were all left in shock, as Gibbons singles, scoring dre, and Navarro follows with a single, to score Kemp. 4-0 Dodgers!

kershaw kept rolling along, striking out Helms, and Stanton in the fourth.

Kershaw led off with another single. hey Kersh isnt bad with the bat! Hit machine singles into the gap in right field, and takes second base on Stanton's fielding error. Kersh husltes into third. Heads up base running Kersh! and now we all know why we call Furcal Hit machine now dont we? yep, hes back!

Blake strikes out, Dre is intentionally walked, and Kemp grounds into a double play. Kemp was annoyed by the home plate umpire's strike zone, and then between innings is thrown out of the game for arguing. I had left the room, I come back and Kemp is tossed, Gwynn is in canter, and Donnie is yelling at the ump, and now hes tossed. alrighty then.

we move along to the 5th inning, where the Dodgers score 4our more runs. yes Im serious. the Dodgers. the Los Angeles Dodgers scored 8 runs. in one game!
Sands struck out. Gibbons, (who could see only at the plate today) singles. Navarro doubles. second and third. Carroll is intentionally walked to load the bases. Kershaw grounds into a fielder's choice, which scores Gibbons. (kershaw's outs are still more productive than the bench)
first and third, Hit machine Singles again scoring Navarro, its 6-0. H.M. takes second on the throw, yes Hit Machine is back folks! thats a 3 hits game!
Blaker follows this up by singling in Kersh and Hit Machine. its now 8-0 Dodgers!

kersh rolled right along through. Kersh strikes out two more in the 6th, allows only the second hit of the game to the fish in the 7th inning. but gets Buck to ground into a double play to get out of the inning.

anotther 123 inning in the 8th for Kershaw.

Cishek came in to relieve Nolasco and pitched the last three innings. the Dodgers actually loaded the bases in the 8th, but failed to score. Blake singled, Dre walked, and gwynn batting in Kemp's spot, Singled. Sands grounded into a fielder's choice, Loney lined out, and Navarro flied out

kershaw stayed out for the 9th inning, and retired the side in order, for his second career complete game shutout win. (his last came last year against the giants)
Kershaw's final line was 9IP 2 hits 0 runs, 1 walk 10 strike outs

tonight's blowout win was tempered. remember anytime the Dodgers win there's always someone going on the Disabled list. this time it was Kenley Jansesn. it was announced very quietly, that Jansen has a sore shoulder and is being repalced by Josh Lindblom, one of the dodgers top right handed pitching prospects. in order to make room for Lindblom on the 40 man roster, Travis Schlicting was designated for assignment. now the Dodgers entire bullpen is hurt. Broxton, Kuo, Padilla, Hawksworth, and now Jansen are all on the DL. unbelievable. well at least this explains why Jansen was so crappy his last time out.

so Kersh pitches a two hitter, the Dodgers offense explodes for 8 runs off 17 hits, and they win their first series in over a month. not bad. the big news though is whats going on with the division. the giants lost again, they are reeling after losing Buster Posey for a whole season. Colorado lost again, there without Jorge De La Rosa, and even more amazing, Arizona has now won 12 out of 14 to slither into first place by a half game. basically the division is so bad right now that the Dbacks are in first place by process of elimination. I dont think they can sustain it, but if the Dodgers can start putting together some wins, you never know.
speaking of the rockies, they will be in town tomorrow night for a three game series, that wraps up the homestand. thats right well have to deal with Cargo and Mullet man next. tomorrows game is a memorial day special at 510 PM. Hamel vs billingsley. have a great memorial day weekend everyone, and GO BLUE!

Dodgers season has gone up in smoke

Dodgers lineup
Furcal6
Blake5
Ethier9
Kemp8
Sands3
Gibbons7
Navarro2
Carroll4
kershaw1

Ricky Nolasco-4-0 vs. Clayton Kershaw-5-3

*yay Sands at first! no loney! boooo navarro*
can the Dodgers win a series? ill believe it when I see it. our pitchers keep getting no-decisions, or losses, because our offense is useless. although Kuroda had another bad game last night, but he wasnt that bad. whatever. I dream of a day where one day the Dodgers average more than 1 run off 5 hits per game.
Ive been so depressed from the Dodgers awful play latly. just look at the half assed post game loss cap I did last night.....ugghhhhhh
which will make this Kershaw start a likly 1-1 tie through 7 innings, more than likley. hey they couldnt hit the Marlins Bullpen last night. but then again they really cant hit anyone anywhere. Ricky Nolasco gets the start today, hes 4-0 on the year. the Dodgers counter with kershaw who is 5-3, and coming off of a 1 run through 6 innings, no decision. ah yes I remember that was the game Matty Guerrier blew away.

the Dodgers have only won 1 series since that chicago series they won in mid April. and even that series was questionable, because they won 2 out of three in phittsburgh and the fourth game was rained out.

but the Dodgers are a bit healthier. Furcal and Blake are back in the lineup. so can the Dodgers win their first series at home in like 10 years or something like that?......dont hold your breath folks. let me to go to my crsytal ball.....what do I see? I see.... I see......1 run off 5 hits for the boys in blue... game time at 110PM........Go Blue

Dodgers cant hit fishpen, or anyone

Marlins  6  14  1
Dodgers 1   6  0
WP-Mujica-5-2
LP-Kuroda-5-5



Im getting to the point, where I know exactly when the Dodgers have lost the game. normally theres a point where we say to ourselves, yep thats it, there not going to score, 2 or 3 or 4 or even 1 run. today that moment came in the top fo the first inning when the fish scored 2 runs off 3 hits off Kuroda.

The Fish had to use a Joe Torre inspired idea of having a long man start the game, followed by a bunch of relievers. ( I joke here, torre didnt invent the idea).
Coughlan doubled to center to lead off the game. obligatory first inning runs here we come. Ramirez grounds out advancing Coughlan to third. Morisson a sac fly to center to score coughlan. 1-0 fish. Gabby Sanchez doubles, Dobbs singles him in its now 2-0. and with that the game is over.

oh wait theres actually eight more innings left right? yet we all know the Dodgers have zero chance of winning.
the Dodgers got their nightly run in the third inning. Kuroda led off with a walk against Brian Sanches, still in with a 50 pitch count limit. Furcal singled Kuroda to second. Blake strikes out looking like a statue. Ethier grounds into a fielders choice. Furcal is out, Kuroda goes to third. Bison doubles down the third base line, scoring their 1 run. Loney grounds out to end the inning.

while the marlins were having a bullpen day, Kuroda was busy ensuring the Dodgers would have one of those as well. he allowed another run in the 4th inning.  Sanchez doubles, Gabby that is not the pitcher. Brian was out after 3 innings only allowing 1 run. a dobbs popout. Stanton strikes out, but then infante singles, hayes singles....yawn.....3-1

Mujica relieves Brian Sanches in the fourth and has a 123 inning.

Mujica strikes out the side in the 5th despite Furcal singling and stealing second......zzzzzzzzz.........

the fish score two more in the 6th inning, in Kuroda's last inning of work. Dobbs doubles, Stanton walks, infante sacrifices, Dougie relieves Kuroda. Hayes grounds out, runners stay put for the moment. Pinch hitter Wes Helms...@###!!# doubles in two its 5-1. am I still awake? oh yeah I am. Coughlan finally grounds out, snore


in the 6th inning some guy named badenhop comes into reitre the side. Loney singles, extending his streak, but Sands grounds into a double play.

Jansen relives Dougie and walks a bunch of guys, gives up a run, yada yada yada ....6-1. are you bored yet? yes this is the 2011 Dodgers. there this bad.

Troncuscko entered the game in the 8th, and amazingly didnt give up a run.

Dunn pitches the bottom of the 8th.

attendance tonight was announced ar 29,471, the lowest saturday attendance since 1992, but it looked like even less than that. attendance will continue to plummet until there is a competitive team on the field. I seriously cant wait until guys start getting pink slips. this lousy team has zero chance of even having a prayer of being competitive.

rubber game of the three game series is tomorrow at 110,with Kershaw on the mound. go blue

*by the way there was some kind of fire in one of the warehouses behind the reserved level seating. no one was harmed. fortunatly the 5 people sitting in the reserved section were moved.*

Fish look to have a Torre day

Dodgers lineup
Furcal6
Blake5
Ethier9
Kemp8
Loney3
Sands7
Barajas2
Miles4
Kuroda1

Brian Sanchez-3-1 vs. Hiroki Kuroda-5-4

Navarro in the 9th inning with a game winning pinch hit

While the Dodgers are coming off of a much needed win, in a very rare fashion. the marlins are looking to do something that an old friend used to do in almost every game. florida is looking to have a Torre day.

we all remember and still cringe at the thought of Torre lumbering out to the mound in the 5th inning to remove our starter who was normally pitching a shutout. only to watch him empty out the bullpen using 7 pitchers over the last 4+ innings. well the marlins Ace Josh Johnson is still out with a sore shoulder. but instead of calling someone up to replace him for a start, the marlines manager Edwin Rodriguez and the fish are going to have a "bullpen day". seriously this should be good for a laugh. There going to start with Long man Brian Sanches, and use the entitre bullpen to pitch the game. Sanches hasnt started a game since 2007.

The Dodgers will Counter with Kiroki Kuroda. Kuroda is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA vs the fish. and 5-4 on the season. once again, when his splitter is working hes tough to beat.

the Dodgers got some bad news on Balke Hawksworth's injury. its actually a hip injury and not a groin injury, as previously thought. Hawksworth had been on a rehab assignment last night, when he felt something in his hip. we might not get him back for another couple of weeks.

so while Edwin Rodriguez, is channeling his inner Joe Torre, and the Dodgers are trying to put together a real honest to goodness winning streak. ( I know I know two in a row!). pull up a chair as Vinny would say. game time at 710. GO BLUE

A Blue Moon Win: Loney Homers & Navarro Has A Game Winning Hit

Dodgers 3 6 1
Marlins  2 7 1
WP-De La Rosa (1-0)
LP- Hensley (0-1)
HR- Loney (2), Ethier (5)



We witnessed two very rare sights in tonight's game. A James Loney homerun and a game winning single by Dioner Navarro in the bottom of the 9th inning. Partial thanks to Clay Hensley who melted down in the bottom of the 9th, ahhhh it's nice to be on the other side of the meltdown for once. Rubby De La Rosa got his first career win. Congrats!

Jon Garland pitched a very good game, but his second win of the season will have to wait since he wasn't involved in the decision. He gives up two walks in the first inning to Ramirez and Morrison but then strikes out Dobbs to end the threat. Furcal and Ethier both strikeout against Vazquez in the bottom of the first and the Dodgers go down 1-2-3.

Garland has a nice 1-2-3 inning in the second. Then in the bottom half of the inning with two outs we expect to see the usual Loney dribbler or perhaps a shallow pop-out. Instead Loney mysteriously whallops a huge solo homerun to right field giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. When he returns to the dugout the other players sit quietly at first to mess with him, then explode in congratulations. They were just as amazed as we were since this was only Loney's second homerun of the season.

Both pitchers swap 1-2-3 innings in the 3rd.

In the 5th Furcal commits a throwing error which allows Buck to reach first safely. Casey Blake makes a nice play at third to rob Vazquez of a hit down the line. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 5th.

The fish would tie the game up in the 6th when Garland gives up a lead off walk to Ramirez, Morrison singles, then Ramirez reaches third when Sanchez hits into a double play. Dobbs then singles in Ramirez, 1-1. Garland walks Stanton, Honeycutt visits the mound, then Gar gets Buck to pop-up to end the inning. In the bottom of the 6th, Andre Ethier smashes his 5th homer of the year, a solo shot, and gives the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the 7th, Garland allows Cousins to single and then is pulled out and Elbert is brought in. Elbert quickly gets Coghlin to hit into a double play to end the inning. Choate comes into pitch the 7th for the Marlins and strikes out Castro and gets Loney to do what he does best, hit a little dribbler. Web comes in next and gets Big Rod to pop-out.

Vazquez goes 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and striking out 3.

Garland goes 6.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and striking out 2.

Rubby De La Rosa, a.k.a Rubby the Rookie, is brought into pitch the 8th and 9th innings. He looks very nervous in the 8th and gives up a lead-off walk to Ramirez (his third walk of the game) who then steals second (Big Rod doesn't even attempt a throw). Morrison hits a line drive right at Loney for an out. Sanchez then singles Ramirez to third. Dobbs singles home Ramirez to tie up the game at 2 a piece. Then Stanton hits into a double play when Loney catches his pop-up in foul territory as he leans over the rail and then they double up Sanchez who makes a really bad TOOTBLAN and is caught between 3rd and home. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th.

In the 9th, Rubby the Rookie strikes out Bonifacio and sends the fish down 1-2-3. Clay Hensley then comes into pitch the 9th for the Marlins and Blaker singles to lead off. Ethier singles to right field, and Blake takes third on the play when Stanton bumbles the ball in right field drawing the error. They intentionally walk Kemp to load the bases with nobody out. We all cringe as we see Donnie sending up Dioner Navarro to pinch hit. Miraculously Navarro slaps a single in and Blake comes home to score the game winning run!!

I'm not sure if the return of Casey Blake gave us some luck, or if it was Hensley's Broxtonesque 9th inning meltdown, but it was surely nice to see a win tonight! Tomorrow Hiroki Kuroda will go to the mound in a Saturday evening game at 7:10pm. Let's try to string some wins together Dodger fans! Go Blue:)

Dodgers Home for Fish Fry; Casey Blake Returns

Marlins @ Dodgers
7:10pm
Game 1

Casey Blake Returns After Missing 27 Games

After a momentary breather and day off yesterday, the Dodgers look to regroup after a disappointing roadtrip. They open the home series with three games vs. Florida and then three games with the Rockies to wrap up messy May and begin June. The Dodgers hope to get some wins, because after this homestand they will take to the road for an incredibly difficult stretch of games where they'll play in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Colorado. Right now they are 7 games under .500 and 6 games back of SF in the standings.

Jon Garland (1-4, 4.75) will get the start for the Dodgers after a disastrous start against the White Sox, his former team. He complained of both a blister and not being on the same page with the catcher Big Rod. We'll see which catcher starts today since Big Rod has been sitting and Navarro has been playing in his place. Either way, sorry Jon, but you will get a crappy catcher nonetheless. Gar is trying for his second win of the season, and has been mediocre since his return from the DL earlier this year. He has played well against the Marlins with a 5-1 record, and 2.36 ERA in 8 starts in his career. On April 25th, at Sun Life Stadium, Garland allowed only 2 runs in 7 innings against the Marlins in a no-decision. The Marlins won 2 of the 3 games when the Dodgers visited them in April in Florida. Javier Vazquez (3-4, 6.41) will go to the mound for the fish. The Marlins are just coming off of a series sweep vs. the Giants and have won 5 of their last 6 games.

With over 50 games now in the book for 2011, we can see how the frustrating injuries have plagued this team tremendously. Casey Blake should be returning today after suffering an elbow infection that sidelined him for some time. Even if Casey doesn't start everyday, he can bolster this weak bench. Andre Ethier better be back in the lineup after resting for what seems like weeks.

In breaking news this afternoon it has been reported that Dodgers executives have said that James Loney is a non-tender candidate at the conclusion of the season. Most likely we still will have him with the team the remainder of the season, and unless he starts putting up some miracle comeback numbers, his time in Los Angeles are winding down. You know, this is a bit sad since at one time I did like Loney. I remember watching the young core of Dodgers just coming up and starting out a few seasons ago. But the Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Martin, Billingsley, Kershaw, and Broxton story is unfolding as they progress in their careers, and we are losing some along the way. We already lost Russell Martin during the offseason. Broxton looks to be toasted as a dominant relief pitcher. James Loney just never panned out as the first baseman we needed. C'est la vie. It's time to move on and let someone else take over at first.

In other MLB news, most of you have heard about Buster Posey's collision with Scott Cousins in the 12th inning in a game vs. Florida. He broke his ankle, and will be out for the remainder of the season. We never like to see any player injured, and this collision was pretty tough to watch. The debate about whether the catcher should be more protected has ensued. What do you think? Should there be more rules put into place to protect the catcher when he's blocking home plate? Tell us in the comments. Here's the video of the collision *graphic footage warning*

Cousins Collides with Posey

Lineup:

Furcal 6
Blake 5
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Gibbons 7
Loney 3
Barajas 2
Carroll 4
Garland 1

The Dodgers have optioned Russ Mitchell back down to AAA to make room for Casey Blake. Blake will bat second tonight followed by Ethier who thankfully is not sitting again. Big Rod also returns from haitus. Unfortunately instead of Sands, Gibbons will be in left field. Can't have a lineup totally void of blackholes now can we?

Welcome back, Blaker! Go Blue:)

Matt Guerrier blows another game.

Dodgers 1  6  0
Astros    2  9  0
WP-Melancon-4-1
LP-Guerrier-2-3
HR-Kemp-12-Bourne-1

Honestly, I dont think Don Mattingly is going to last very long as Dodger Manager. I just dont understand his decisions. they are baffling to the mind. first of all, he rests Ethier, again, then allows him to pinch hit with first base open, knowing full well, the Astros would just walk him. he bats James Loney third again, and continues to play useless players like Gibbons, Navarro, Guerrier. etc. etc.

all of these poor decisions, plus a lousy team, lead the Dodgers to a 2-1 loss to the cellar dwelling astros, and another series loss for the boys in blue. there on pace to lose 90 games, unless they get rid of these terrible players, and get a new manager. why not Tim Wallach? im sorry Im just not a fan of Don Mattingly.

the pitching matchup was an odd one. Youth vs. age. Houston's rookie rule 5 draft guy, Aureny Rodriquez, against, Ted "father time" Lilly. Lill normally underwhelming with declining velocity, pitched well, only allowing 1 run through 6 innings. but the Terrible Dodger offense again couldnt score.

Lilly allowed a first inning run on the very first pitch of the game. a leadoff Meatball down the pipe, led to a leadoff homerun for Micheal Bourne. 1-0 Houston.

the Dodgers didnt have a hit until the 4th inning, when Kemp singled.

it was 1-0 in the 5th, when the Dodgers had a chance to score, but as usual left runners stranded at second and third.
Navarro, reached base by way of a bunt single. perfectly placed. funny seeing a 240 pound Man of blubber, beating out an infield single.

Sands strikes out. Miles singles, Navarro goes to second. Lilly sacrifices the runners to second and third, but furcal grounds out. meh

move to the top of the 6th, the Dodgers get their only run on a Matt Kemp homer to lefti field. serioulsy Kemp crushed that pitch. tie game. Kemp his 12th homerun of the year, to lead the team.

in the top of the 7th, Wilton Lopez comes in to relieve Rodriguez.

here are both starting pitchers lines-Lilly- 6IP- 6 hits 1 BB 2 strikeouts.
Rodriguez- 6IP 4 htis, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

with Lopez pitching, the Dodgers had a rally going, but Another one of Mattinglys puzzling moves leads to failure as usual.
Navarro another infield single leading off the inning.  Sands struck out. (sands had a bad game striking out three times) Miles hits into a force play at second. what happened was the astros second baseman did not step on the bag at second. so the runner is out at first, but Navarro is safe at second. replays showed a good call by the umpire, Hall's foot was indeed not on the bag.
with the pitchers spot up next, Mattingly foolishly uses Dre as a pinch hitter, knowing full well with first base open, Houston would just walk him again, (they did this same move last game) and Dre would be wasted. this happens. putting dre at first, and Navarro still at second. this brings up Furcal, who hasnt started hitting yet. he grounds out back to the box.

the Dodger bullpen is so innefective, you cant use certain guys with the game on the line. Macdougal (dougie) comes into to pitch the 7th, and almost blows it, if not for a great play by Navarro. (dont worry guerrier would easily blow the game away in the 9th, well get to that in a minute)

Hall leads off by strikeing out. J.R. Towles, the catcher, singles to left. here we go. Michaels pinch hitting for Lopez, walks. first and second. Bourne grounds into a fielders choice. Michaels out at second, Bourne safe at first. the Dodgers would have been out of the inning, but cant turn the double play. Towles goes to third. with Sanchez at bat. Dougie throws a wild pitch in the dirt, that gets away from Navarro. the ball takes a lucky bounce off the back wall, behind home plate, and bounces back a few feet away from Navarro. Towles the runner at third, breaks for home Navarro, makes a really great play, he scoops up the ball, and heaves himeself in front of home plate, just in front of the sliding Towles. Towles is unable to slide around Navarro's blubber fat, and is called out, and somehow the Dodgers get out of it. you would have to see this play with your own eyes to believe it.

in the 8th inning, Folchino relieves Wilton, and the Dodgers still cant score. although with two outs, Kemp doubles, but the Astros walk Gibbons, and get Navarro to fly out.

Javy Guerra a non bum reliever, pitches a 123 8th inning. (why wasnt he brought in to pitch the 9th?)

melancon, who ends up getting the win, retires the dodgers in order in the top of the 9th.

move to the bottom of the 9th. with the game tied at 1-1, Mattingly brings in Matt Guerrier. it was obvious to everyone in the world, that Guerrier would blow this game very easily. Guerrier and Jansen, both have been so inneffective, you just cant bring them into 1 run or tied games, in the 9th innings, as there is zero chances for error.

after a johnson fly out, Guerrier blows the game away. not suprising at all. what a watse of money on this loser. Wallace doubles over Kemp's head in center. maybe Kemp should have had it, but maybe Guerrier shouldnt be throwing meatballs in a tie game? or maybe Mattingly shouldnt be bringing in ineffective pitchers in tie games, or maybe Don Mattingly should be fired for his epic failures. yep all of the above.

Bogusevic runs for Wallace at second. Bill Hall flies out, there is two outs. another two out blown game as usual. although techincally speaking this wasnt a save chance, but still a blown game none the less, and with two outs again. it never fails. J.R. Towles, the catcher, who was tagged out at home on the wild pitch in the 7th, redeems himself. he hits a single into center, clean base hit, the winning run scores easily, and thats it. the dodgers lose another series, and fall to 22-29 on the season, as they continue their quest for the NL west Cellar.

in all seriousness, im done with this team. its time to throw in the towel, and start making some changes. time to sell some players for some prospects, and fire Don Mattingly. this kind of play is unnaceptable to us Dodger fans. we all deserve better than this. too bad there is no one really running things that would step up, give out some pink slips to some of these loser players, and fire Don Mattingly. just make sure that when you give the pink slip to Gibbons, you hold it up right in front of his face so he can see it.

tomorrow is an off day, and the Dodgers return home to play the Marlins, and Rockies. they should lose 4 out of 6. well be back Friday night for the usual losscap. DBF and the Dodgers will be taking a much needed day off. Jon Garland takes the mound friday night for the Dodgers. go blue

Road Trip Wraps Up, Dodgers Looking for Series Win

Dodgers @ Astros
11:05am
Game 3

Rookies on the Loose

Rubby De La Rosa

Jerry Sands

When you only win one game every three or four, you relish in it for a bit. Last night, we had the refreshingly nice chance to watch an actual victory and what an exciting one at that. Before the game we were jubilant in the news that Lance Cormier was gone finally. "With Lance, it wasn't working out," Mattingly said. Cormier pitched 13.2 innings, allowing a staggering 22 hits, 17 runs, 4 homeruns with a 9.88 ERA in his short time with the Dodgers. ¡Hasta La Vista, Lance! Then we get the icing on the cake with a Jerry Sands grand slam! Grand slams are always one of my favorite things to see in baseball, especially when the Dodgers hit them and a deserving rookie at that. I'm very happy that the Dodgers gave Jerry Sands the opportunity to play even though he has had a slow start to his MLB career. Then we also got the treat of seeing RDLR throw some nasty good fastballs, and the ho-hum underwhelming pitching of let's say Ted Lilly may soon be replaced in the future by the young phenom...we can hope, right? 



Speaking of Ted Lilly, oh yeah he's starting today. Lilly's (3-4, 4.71) numbers aren't horrible, yet there's something about him that's somehow not up to par to our other three starters in the rotation, Kersh, Bills & Kuroda. He allows a ton of fly balls and homeruns (9 this season so far), and he's just not very dominating. The good news is he has played very well against the Astros in his career. In 13 starts, he is 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA. He will go up against Aneury Rodriguez (0-2, 5.72) who has only started four previous times in his career. He went 5 1/3 innings last start which was his longest outing thus far. 


The Dodgers will try to win their first series since Pittsburgh today, before they travel home and enjoy an off-day tomorrow. 


Lineup:
Furcal 6
Carroll 4
Loney 3
Kemp 8
Gibbons 9
Navarro 2
Sands 7
Miles 5
Lilly 1

Looks like Andre Ethier is still not in the lineup today. Loney is once again hitting third, why oh why? Gibbons and Navarro are hitting 5th and 6th while Jerry Sands is hitting 7th? Hmmm....doesn't make sense now does it? I guess Donnie doesn't want the 7-8-9 batters to be totally useless, so he's putting Sands down there.

Let's see if we can win 2 in a row, when's the last time we did that? Go Blue:)

Kids Incorporated-Dodgers youth lead team to 5-4 win

Dodgers  5  6 0
Astros    4  5  1
WP-Billingsley-3-4
LP-Happ-3-6
SV-Guerra-1
HR-Gibbons-1-Sands-2

Ruby De La Rosa, Dodgers top prospect, debuts in houston, pitching a scoreless inning.

Jerry Sands crushes a monster grand slam home run

ill say one thing about the Dodgers, its never a dull moment. right before the game, we learned the Dodgers had called up their top pitching prospect Ruby De La Rosa, and Designated the worst pitcher in baseball, Lance Cormier for assignment. this of coarse was followed by intense celebration, at the gift of never having to be forced to watch another Lance Cormier appearance ever again. we also got our first look at the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year in 2010. RDLR was in uniform for the game, and pitched a scoreless inning, while the Dodgers scored 5 runs, four of them off one swing of the bat by rookie phenom Jerry Sands. Sands clobbered a  grand slam homerun, leading the Dodgers to a much needed win.

lets get to the highlights. after scoreless first innings, from Chad Billingsley, and J.A. Happ, the Dodgers broke things open in the second. Jay Gibbons, hit a line drive homerun to right field, his first of the season, putting the Dodgers ahead early 1-0. apparently his contacts under the roof at the juice box, dont bother him.

Bills allows a double to wallace int he second, but strikes out Hall and Johnson.

the Dodgers score the rest of their runs in the third. Bills leads off the inning by striking out. hit machine grounds out, with two outs the Dodgers score 4 runs. I dont know what it is with two outs this year with the Dodgers.
Carroll walks.  Loney singles to center, sending Carroll to secdon. Kemp hits a sharp grounder to secondbase. Bill Hall, (who the Dodgers decided not to sign in the offseason) bobbles the ball, and cant throw out Kemp. bases loaded for Sands. Sandman absolutly crushes a pitch out to deep center field. this kids got pop! its a grand slam home run for Sands. the first of the year for the Dodgers putting them ahead 5-0.

Bills had good stuff, he struck out 9, but he had a bad inning in the bottom of the 3rd.
Quintero flies out, Happ strikes out. two outs. then the astros score three runs of Bills, with 2 outs. two outs again. are we noticing a theme here?
Bourne walks. Barmes bloop single to left, Bourne to second. Pence, (the guy with the high socks, who hits with his elbows sticking way out.) who is a good hitter, doubles to right, scoring Bourne, Barmes to third. 5-1. Lee singles to center, scoring Barmes, and Pence. 5-3 Dodgers. Bills gets pissed. with his anger over allowing those runs, he strikes out Wallace to end the inning.

both teams go down 123 in the fourth and fith innings. Happ is taken out after only 5 innings, after he allows 5 runs, on only 3 hits mind you. 2 walks 4 strike outs.

in the bottom of the 6th inning, Bills runs into trouble again, but is able to get out of it still ahead.
Pence leads off with a double. then Bills cant throw a strike. Lee and wallace are both walked to load the bases, with noone out. ive got my noose ready.
Johnson hits a fly ball to center, which scores Pence, its a 1 run ballgame 5-4. were all getting ready for the worst, but Bills digs down and strikes out Hall, and retires Quintero on a foul out. thank the lordy.

Del rosario relieves Happ and pitches two scoreless innings, int he 6th and 7th.

Bills goes 6 innings, allowing 4 runs, on 5 hits, walks 3 but strikes out 9. he leaves leading 5-4.

Dougie comes in to pitch the 7th, and proves that hes more consistent, then Guerrier, and Jansen. he strikes out Bourn and Barmes, making them look foolish, with some nice heaters.

Escalona strikes out Carroll and Loney, and then Houston brings in flamethrower Wilton Lopez. he strikes out Kemp.

the score is still 5-4 in the bottom of the 8th, and we finally get to see top prospect Ruby De La Rosa.
the youngster comes in throwing heat. 95-97 MPH heaters. he goes 3-2 on the first hitter Pence, and strikes him out swinging, on a 95 fastball.
Carlos Lee grounds out to Furcal, who makes a wide throw, but Loney comes off the bag for a nice tag. two outs.
next Wallace, who is hitting well right now, is called out on a called strike three. a nasty off speed pitch, gets Wallace looking.

the top of the 9th gets interesting, with no one throwing in the bullpen for the Dodgers, De La Rosa was all set to come out for the bottom of the 9th. since the bullpen has been so innefective, I dont blame Donnie.

Lopez still in to pitch the 9th, strikes out Sands. Navarro amazingly singles into right field. Gwynn reaches on a fielders choice. Miles singles, gwynn to third. so theres first and third, with 2 outs. the pitchers spot due up. Donnie decides to roll the dice again. why not right? it worked last night. Ethier who had been resting for the second straight game with a lefty starter, is called off the bench to pinch hit again. last night he had a go ahead pinch hit single, which was wasted by another meltdown.

predictably, the Astros intentionally walk Dre to load the bases for Furcal. furcal battles Lopez deep into the count, but is called out looking on strike three.

so who would be closing for the Dodgers? Javy Guerra, come on down! the rook does his job quite nicly. Johnson lines out to right. 1 out. Hall strikes out two down. could this be? a for reals 123 9th inning save situation for the dodgers? tis could. sanchez flies out, to end the game. Dodgers win 5-4!

finally a win! the rooks came through for us today. Sands is really heating up! De La Rosa, looked very good. Guerra and Elbert have been solid. lets also not forget Bills despite a bad inning, pitched well, and kept us in the game. they all get game balls tonight. so hey we finally get a win, and things dont seem to bad after a win dont they? so Cormier is gone (halleluja!), Dre should be back in the lineup tomorrow, and Blake, and Hawksworth should be back by later this week. Blake is actually on a rehab assignment right now. baby steps towards respectability.....baby steps towards respectability......

tomorrow afternoon, in the rubber game, Lilly vs. Rodriguez. game time at 1105AM. well see you then Dodger fans. GO BLUE

woefull Dodgers continue descent into hell

Dodgers lineup
Furcal6
Carroll4
Loney3
Kemp8
Sands9
Navarro2
Gibbons7
Miles5
Billingsley1

Chad Billingsley-2-4 vs. J.A. Happ-3-5

the woefull Dodgers continued their spiraling descent into hell last night, as this awful season continues. what may bright spots are few and far between this month. the Dodgers would need to win 4 of their last 7 games in order to avoid finishing with the worst record in may in LA dodger history. wow just wow. after the latest 2-out 9th inning blown save, im almost left speechless.
the entire bullpen has been rendered ineffective. Broxton, Kuo, Padilla, Hawksworth, are all out with injuries. the rest of the bullpen is so ineffective, you might as well pull names out of a hat.
the bench is lousy, nonexistent offense, unless its from kemp and or ethier. and other than Kemp, no speed. our catchers are awful. Big Rod is a feast or famine hitter, he hits homeruns every week, but with a .235 avg, and an awful .280 OBP. Navarro is horrendouz, and both cant block the plate, throw out runners, or even call a good game, as evident the other night, when big rod, and Garland couldnt agree on pitch selection.

after last night's latest confusing, agonizing debacle, were left with little positives.
one positive, Dre isnt hurt serious, as evident by last night's pinch hit single. the starting pitching is very good normally, and Jerry Sands is starting to develop into a good slugger with tons of opposite field pop, and hes proven to be an adequat defender.
it seems like every night, the starting pitching, Dre, Kemp and Carroll, play their hearts out and do all they can to keep the team in games, and the rest of the team is just lousy. all im going to say at this point is that moves need to be made, there is no shame in rebuilding. please stop playing Gibbons over tony gwynn, and can we please please please for the love of all that is holy in this world stop batting Loney third? for cyring out loud, Jeez!
Ethier stis out again tonight. Donnie better use him in the late innings then. Navaro is still playing, and Loney batting third again....cries.......

so how can the Dodgers overcome, and get back on the right track? well winning tonight would be one. they have to start winning games, and winning series. as fans we need to take whatever positives we can get, I mea it cant get any worse right? could it?.....ughhhhhh

as far as the pitching matchup in tonight's game 2. Chad Billingsley takes the mound for the Dodgers, hes 3-3 against houston, and 2-4 on the regular season. he will counter J.A. Happ. thw astros got him in the oswalt trade last year, and while hes had a bad start, hes pitched much better of late, and is 3-5 on the year.

weve just learned that the Dodgers will be calling up top pitching prospect Ruby De la Rosa from AA. I support this decision. weve run out of options. the bullpen is this bad people. well keep you informed on this story as it developes, but De La Rosa is expected to be with the team by later this week.
enjoy the games while their on Dodger fans, because the season goes by quick, and its looking like its going to be a long depressing winter. but lets stay focused on this year. lets not throw in the towel just yet, (throwing in the towel is now called throwing in the cormier). baby steps. game time at 505.
GO BLUE!

Jansen's Meltdown Wastes Dre's Clutch Pinch Hit & Strong Outing By Kersh

Dodgers 3 7 0
Astros    4 9 1
WP- Fulchino (1-2)
LP- Jansen (1-1)
HR- Kemp (11)

In the 7th inning we saw Ethier and Kershaw smiling and congratulating each other after Dre delivers a clutch pinch hit single after Kershaw is lifted from the game. Hey guys, haven't you ever watched a Dodger game? It's never over until the last out is made.

Clayton Kershaw made a valient effort to try to get his 6th win of the season in his home state of Texas. But alas, the Dodgers always find a way to lose somehow. Even the league worst Astros looked like a first place team when up against the reeling boys in blue. We haven't seen a good old-fashioned bullpen meltdown in awhile. Well, tonight be the night ladies and gentleman!

Both Norris and Kershaw swap 1-2-3 innings in the 1st.

The 2nd inning starts off with a bang, as the Bison goes deep for his 11th homerun of the season and his 100th homerun of his career! 1-0 Dodgers. Kershaw sends the Astros down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

The Astros tie it up in the 3rd when the pesky Hall leads of with a double. Gibbons is unable to catch the ball in right field. Any other right fielder would have caught it. It boggles my mind that Donnie would start Gibbons over Gwynn. Quintero promptly singles in Hall to tie it at 1 a piece.

In the 4th Kemp and Gibbons both whiff. Sands walks, and is caught stealing second by a mile. Still young, still learning. Kershaw once again has a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 4th.

The Dodgers go down in order in the 5th. Kershaw allows a lead off double (his second in as many at- bats) to Hall, but strikes out Quintero and Norris and gets Bourn to fly out.

Miles Is Unable to Tag Hall as He slides into Second

In the 7th, Navarro gets a lucky 2-out ground rule double. The Astros intentionally walk Russ Mitchell thinking they will get to pitch to Kershaw. Now under any other situation there's no way you pull Kershaw this early since he's pitching well, and our bench is horrendous. But tonight is different, because we have Ethier on the bench since he didn't start today after being banged up in yesterday's game. Dre comes up to pinch hit for Kershaw, and on a 2 strike count singles up the middle scoring both Navarro and Mitchell! 3-1 Dodgers! Bourn, the center fielder, also makes an error on the play. MacDougal comes in and pitches a great 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 7th.

Kershaw goes 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, and striking out 7.

Norris goes 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

Instead of leaving Dougie to pitch the 8th which I would have done, Donnie brings in the sketchy Guerrier. He promptly walks Bourn, strikes out Barmes, Bourn steals second of course, then Pence gets an infield single sending Bourn to 3rd base. We all see a meltdown swirling. Lee pops out thankfully. Honeycutt visits the mound along with most of the infield. Wallace grounds out, phewwww.

In the 9th Sands leads of with his 3rd walk of the game, but of course Navarro hits into a double play.

Kenley Jansen is called in to pitch the bottom of the 9th. Now we know 2 outs is not much, and any lead whatsoever is always in jeopardy with the Dodger bullpen. Yet, we have some positive thoughts that Jansen may be able to close this out and get us a much-needed win. He strikes out Johnson after going 3-0 on him. Ok, good way to battle back. Hall singles. Downs strikes out after Jansen goes 3-0 on him as well. Ok, two outs, but let's not get excited just yet. Hall takes second. Jansen walks Sanchez. Another Honeycutt visit. Runners take 2nd and 3rd on a double steal while Navarro drools. Our meltdown sensors are going off...Bourn then doubles down the first baseline, past Loney, scoring both runners, 3-3 game. Then Jansen hits Barmes with the pitch. At this point we see Jansen is totally Chernobyled, why not bring in Elbert or someone else? Well they don't, so Pence singles to left field, scoring Bourn and the Astros win 4-3.

We now fall back to 7.5 behind San Francisco in the standings. Hope is dwindling for this team. We need to start looking at some different options. There's no point in continuing this downward spiral. Tomorrow Chad Billingsley will go to the mound. Oh but on the bright side, James Loney's little dribbler single extends his hitting streak to 9 games! Till tomorrow Dodger fans, Go Blue:)

Dodgers Hobble into Houston

Dodgers @ Astros
5:10pm
Game 1

The Dodgers Desperately Need Some Vitamin C to Stay Healthy

After the usual weekend of losin', the Dodgers continue to trudge on despite the multitude of injuries adding up. Uribe, Blake, Thames, Kuo, Broxton & Hawksworth are already sitting on the disabled list, and yesterday's game sent two more players, Ethier and Big Rod, back to the dugout early with injuries. Jon Garland has complained of a blister on his thumb, and new word is that Hiroki Kuroda noticed a bloody cut on his finger during the game yesterday. Both pitchers had disappointing starts. Garland made a comment that Big Rod and him weren't on the same page as far as pitch selection and that accounted for the less than stellar results. We all know Big Rod is not the best catcher, but like Don Mattingly said, the pitcher has the last word on the mound. We will keep you updated on the injury front.

The Dodgers are now 6 games below .500 and in fourth place. The Houston Astros are even worse and are 13 games below .500 and in last place in the NL Central division. That doesn't mean anything though when it comes to the Dodgers actually winning this series. The last time the Dodgers won a series was two weeks ago in Pittsburgh when they won 2 of 3 games after the 4th game of the series was canceled due to rain. Actually, that has been their only series win in May so far.
Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.09), a Texas native, will go up against Bud Norris (2-3, 3.93). Kersh is 1-1 with a 4.76 carer ERA against Houston. Last outing Kershaw was dishing out singles like they were going out of style against the Giants.

While injuries and losses have caused us to essentially chalk up this season, there has been a few bright spots lately. Jerry Sands' bat is heating up, and James "Groundball" Loney has a little 8 game hitting streak going on. Rafael Furcal has rejoined the team, and Casey Blake is expected to return shortly after a rehab assignment.

Lineup:

Furcal 6
Miles 4
Loney 3
Kemp 8
Gibbons 9
Sands 7
Navarro 2
Mitchell 5
Kershaw 1

Wow, this lineup is full of holes. First of all Ethier, Carroll, and Barajas are not in the lineup. Ethier and Barajas reportedly will not be going to the DL, but are sitting out tonight and I'm unsure if they are available at all. Miles is back in the lineup after suffering a rib strain. Luckily Hit Machine is at shortstop, because I doubt Miles will get to many balls (not like he does anyways). Gibbons is playing in right field for Dre. Let's hope that darn Texas wind doesn't mess with his contacts and the retractable roof is closed at Minute Maid Park for his sake. Mitchell will be at third base, and the utterly useless Navarro is behind the plate. Navarro only has 3 hits and is hitting .115. *shudder*
So Kemp is the lone player hitting anywhere close to .300 in this lineup, so don't expect much ya know hittin'.

They say "Everything is Bigger in Texas." Well, that doesn't apply to our lineup. Let's hope for the best! Go Blue:)