Ethier, the Only Dodger in a NY State of Mind

Dodgers 3 10 0
Mets       6  9  0
WP-Igarashi (2-0)
LP- Kuroda (3-3)
S-Rodriguez (8)
HR- Big Rod (6), Davis (7), Pirdie (3)

The Dodgers take the downtown subway to the borough of loserdom as they drop their third game in a row. The only Dodgers awake tonight were Andre Ethier who went 3 for 5 and extended his streak to 30 games, and Big Rod who had a solo homerun and a single in his return to Citi Field.

Hiroki Kuroda was giving up fly ball after fly ball, and apparently cannot pitch against the Mets at all.

The Dodgers started off in the first with three singles in a row by Sands, Ethier, and Kemp. Kemp hit the ball down the right field line where Beltran couldn't get to it allowing Sands to score and giving the Dodgers a brief 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the first, Reyes gets his first of a plethora of extra-base hits off the Dodgers with a lead off triple. Kuroda walks Wright. Then Reyes scores on a Beltran sac fly, 1-1.

Big Rod, feeling comfortable in his former surroundings, leads off the second inning with a solo homerun making it 2-1 Dodgers. Then, the Mets counter with a Ike Davis lead off solo homerun in the bottom of the inning to tie it up 2-2.

The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the third. Ethier makes a nice catch of Beltran's fly ball in right field in the bottom of the third.

In the fifth inning Carroll leads off with a walk, Sands attempts to bunt him over and is called out by the umps when they claim the ball hit him. Ethier singles Carroll to third and takes second on a great heads up baserunning play. Niese intentionally walks Kemp to load the bases. Uribe grounds out, but it allows Carroll to score putting the Dodgers temporarily ahead 3-2.

In the bottom of the sixth inning Beltran doubles, Kuroda intentionally walks Davis, then Pirdie hits a 3-run homerun making it 5-3 and essentially ending the game at that moment. Thole doubles, and Blake Hawksworth comes into relieve Kuroda and manages to get the last out.

Both Niese and Kuroda had similar lines, but Kuroda gave up 2 more runs.

Niese goes 5.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts.
Kuroda goes 5.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh, Hawksworth gives up another run when he walks Reyes to lead off the inning who promptly steals second. Beltran is intentionally walked. Bay singles in Reyes, 6-3 Mets. Kuo comes in and strikes out Davis to end the inning.

Isringhausen comes into pitch the 8th for the Mets, and shuts down the Dodgers 1-2-3. Jansen pitches the bottom of the inning and has a mixed nut type of performance. He blows away Pirdie and Thole by striking them out, then walks Harris, and Reyes doubles. Reyes had 2 triples, a double, and a walk. Can we please not pitch to him tomorrow, guys? Jansen strikes out Murphy to get out of it.

In the ninth the Dodgers had given up by that time and a sole Jay Gibbons single would be there last hiccup of off closer Rodriguez.

Tomorrow Jon Garland goes to the mound at 4:10pm against Chris Young. Andre Ethier is 12 for 29 with 6 homeruns against Young in his career and will be attempting to tie Willie Davis' Dodger franchise record with 31 games hit safely in. There has only been 53 30-game hitting streaks in MLB history. Many feel that 30 is often a barrier many cannot break. Andre Ethier, with 3 hits tonight, is in the groove! We will all be watching tomorrow, Dre!