Thanks for Nothing, Donnie

Dodgers 5 7 1
Giants    8 13 0
WP- Wilson (4-1)
LP- Cormier (0-1)
HR- Kemp (9)

Lance Cormier: Portrait of a Crappy Pitcher

In all seriousness I can't even blame Lance Cormier for tonight's disappointing loss. We know he's a bad pitcher. Hell, he knows he's a bad pitcher. So why Donnie, why would you keep him in to pitch the 9th inning in a 5-5 tied game? We'll come back to this mind boggling question in a bit...

After the last two innings, we almost forgot that Kershaw had started this game. The first two innings looked like the two dominant pitchers, Cain & Kersh, had locked horns in a fierce battle. Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 1st and 2nd innings.

Clayton began unraveling in the 3rd inning after striking out both Tejada and de Rosa, he gives up three singles in a row to Cain, Rowand, and Sanchez which allows Cain to score, making it 1-0 Giants. He then strikes out Posey, essentially striking out the side but still allowing a run. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Typical. 

The fourth inning got ugly. Adding to the three singles Kersh allowed in the previous inning, he continues dishing them out and allows four more singles in a row to Burrell, Ross, Huff, and finally Tejada which scores Burrell making it 2-0. Honeycutt comes to visit the mound to find out what in the hell is wrong with Kershaw. de Rosa then strains his left wrist on a 2-2 pitch and has to come out of the game. Fontenot takes over for him and Kershaw gives him a free pass walk scoring another run, 3-0. Cain strikes out, Rowand's fly ball scores Huff, and Fontenot moves to 2nd and Tejada to 3rd on a throwing error by Kemp (it actually was a ball dropped by Big Rod). 4-0 Giants. Oh yeah the Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 4th. 

Kershaw comes back and has a nice 1-2-3 inning in the 5th. In the bottom of the inning, Kemp blasts a solo HR making it 4-1 Dodgers. Looks like he was pissed about the prior inning. Then they waste another loaded base situation after Uribe walks, Loney is hit by the pitch, and Gibbons walks. Big Rod pops out, Castro flies out, and Carroll grounds out. Sigh.

Kershaw only goes 5 innings, allowing 7 hits (all singles), 4 runs, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts. 

Elbert comes in to pitch the 6th, and allows a single to Fontenot, but strikes out Tejada and Cain. He's actually been very impressive since being called up. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the 6th.

Guerra comes in to pitch the 7th, and only allows a Posey single before retiring the side. He's looking good so far as well. In the bottom of the 7th, Gibbons walks, and then Big Rod doubles him in making it 4-2. For some unknown reason Donnie sure loves to use Dioner Navarro as a pinch-hitter. He of course flies out.

The fourth Dodger pitcher of the night, MacDougal comes in to pitch the 8th and promptly walks Ross who then steals 2nd base. Tejada singles in Ross, making it 5-2 Giants. Tejada must be slower than molasses, because Big Rod throws him out attempting to steal 2nd base. Dougie then walks Fontenot, and apparently Don Mattingly has such little confidence in MacDougal that he does not allow him to get the last out of the inning which is the pitcher, Cain. He instead brings in one of the worst pitchers in baseball, Mr. Lance Cormier. Cormier gets Cain out, but that would not be the last of him....oh no...it would not.

In the bottom of the 8th there was divine intervention at play. There's no other explanation. Cain, still in the game, allows a lead off single to Carroll. Bochy takes Cain out and calls in Lopez. 

Cain goes 7.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts on 111 pitches.

Lopez strikes out Ethier. Then Romo, a.k.a. Blackbeard Jr. comes in to pitch to Kemp who then singles. They take out Jr. for Blackbeard Sr. who usually isn't seen until the 9th inning. Remember Brian Wilson is 12 for 12 this season in save opportunities. Uribe then smashes out a double scoring both Carroll and Kemp making it 5-4. Then out of pure mystery and luck Loney's usual little groundball somehow finds its way through the infield, perhaps on the back of an invisible winged angel, and Uribe scores making it a tied game 5-5. 

Now this is where we are stunned at first of all the fact that the Dodgers have scored 5 runs, then we are excited about the possibility of a come from behind win. What would you do in this situation? I would bring in Jansen and try to give the team a chance to win it in the 9th. A little two game winning streak and a come from behind win against our rival and Blackbeard of all people sure could be a much needed confidence booster, right? Well we instead get to see Lance Cormier back on the mound in the 9th. WHAT. THE. HELL. Scott pointed out it probably was because Jansen and Guerrier were "unavailable" because they pitched last night. They're major league pitchers! This is a game we could win! So we all know how this plays out, right?

Sanchez singles. Posey singles. Schierholtz force out at 2nd. Ross 3-run homerun. 8-5 Giants. 

I'm just disgusted and appalled that Donnie would forfeit the game like this. There's no reason why we couldn't have used Jansen or Guerrier. Cormier now has a 10.03 ERA. Enough is enough. 

We will keep you posted on Padilla's status. Hopefully he is okay, but it doesn't sound good. Billingsley goes to the mound tomorrow night vs. Bumgarner.