Dodgers 9th inning rally comes up short in loss on july 31

Dbacks  6  10 1
Dodgers 3 12 1
WP-Saunders-8-8
LP-De La Rosa-4-5
SV-Putz-24
HR-Navarro-4-Parra-7-8-Roberts-15

well we had made it to the july 31st trade deadline today seemingly without doing anything stupid. wen knew that Kuroda was staying...yay!...and furcal was gone....sad :(, but we recieved a decent OF prospect from the cardinals....maybe...yay?
the Dodgers shocked everyone by trading rookie OF prospect Trayvon Robinson. this happened just minutes before the trade deadline of 1PM. this was a three team trade between the Dodgers red sox, and Seattle. trayvon goes to Seattle, Erik Bedard and some other guy go to Boston, while the Dodgers get three minor leaguers. a Catcher and two pitchers.

well get to the trade madness in a minute, and ill give my brief analasys. but lets first talk about today's game.

Rubby De La Rosa was awful, and the Dodgers couldnt hit in sync. De La Rosa only lasted 4 innings, allowing 3 runs, and walking 4., as the Dodgers late rally falls short as they lose 6-3.

Damm this bastard. Saunders gets the win

in the first inning, Bloomquist singles, but is thrown out trying to steal second, thanks to an awsome acrobatic tag by Gordon. he lunges applies the tag and does this little flip roll. that was important because Johnson doubles, but Upton grounds out to the box, and Montero strikes out.

Gordon is pretty exciting to watch

Ethier and Kemp single with two outs in the first inning, off of Joe Saunders, but Rivera pops out ending the frame.

Arizona hits two homeruns in the second, during a wierd inning.
theres a groundout, then the Trayvon Robinson trade is announced, there is mass confusion and anger over the trade. meanwhile Rubby forgets how to pitch. Roberts and Parra hit back to back homeruns. putting the dbacks up 2-0.

Roberts does what the dbacks do well, and the dodgers dont, hit homeruns.

move to the bottom of the second, Arizona still up 2-0. with two outs, Miles reaches on a throwing error, Ethier singles. (Ethier had four hits on the day). but Kemp flies out.

Arizona picks up another run in the fourth, as De La Rosa barly makes it through the inning.
Roberts walks, but a missed double play costs the Dodgers. Parra's double play ball is unable to be converted into two, with Parra being safe at first. then theres a wild pitch sending Parra all the way to third. ughhh. he scores on Cowgill's single. its 3-0. however De La Rosa does strike out Bloomquist and Saunders to get out of the inning.

the Dodgers score a run in the bottom of the fourth. with 1 out, Navarro homers to left field, as the ball bounces off of the foul pole. 3-1 Arizona.

Navarro's fourth homer of the year.

Lindblom relieves De La Rosa in the top of the 5th, and gives up a run.
Johnson doubles, goes to third on upton's fly ball, Montero is intentionally walked, and Nady's sac fly scores Johnson. 4-1.

the Dodgers go down 123 in the bottom of the 5th, and Hawskworth pitches a 123 top of the 6th.

in the bottom of the 6th, the Dodgers hit out of sync again. Ethier singles, Kemp flies out, Rivera singles Dre to second, but Navarro grounds into an inning ending double play. darnit.

ethier collects his fourth hit of the day

Hawk pitches another 123 inning in the top of the 7th. in the bottom of the 7th, carroll singles, but is erased on gordon's double play grounder.

Kuo is in to pitch the 8th and gives up runs again. its really sad to see a true blue DBF favorite in decline. with 1 out, Roberts singles, and Parra homers. thats parra's second homer of the day. Cowgill walks, Saunders singles past the drawn in infield. theres a wild pitch, but Kuo does strike out Bloomquist and Johnson. but its 6-1 now.

the Dodgers eek out a run in the 8th off of David Hernandez, and Ryan Cook. Cook started the inning, and allows a two out single to dre. Kemp gets a bloop single to left. Dre goes to third. Rivera's groundball single to right scores Dre, its 6-2. hernandez is brought in and strikes out fatty navarro.

Dougie pitches the top of the 9th, allowing a single to upton, and commiting a throwing error. but he retires Montero, Nady, and Roberts on groundouts.

the Dodgers failed rally in the bottom of the 9th, comes up short. with Hernandez still pitching, Carroll walks, Gordon singles Carroll to second, Loney bats for Dougie, moves Carroll to third with a fly ball. Kirk Gibson brings in J.J. Putz to pitch to Gywnn, TG singles to left, scoring Carroll its 6-3 now.
however Miles flies out, and Ethier looking for his third career 5 hit game, representing the tying run and with Kemp on deck, flies out. the Dodgers finish the homestand 5-4.

as far as this trade of Robinson goes, I think its stupid. we never got to see Trayvon Robinson, although we did see him briefly in spring training. the Mariners came out pretty good in this deal, the red sox got some pitching, but the Dodgers came out with three B grade level prospects for trading away there last good hitting prospect.
MSTI called this a trade for organizational depth. other descriptions of this trade online I noticed called it "quantity over quality" or "restocking the farm system". I think this trade was quite foolish, as now we have no one to take over in left field. I guess well have to live with Tony Gywnn for the rest of the year, although he has been playing well.

if there is any positive to take out of this trade was that, the catching prospect we picked up from boston, Tim Federowicz is apparently a good defensive catcher who throws out runners at a 34 percent clip, which is good, and has a decent .275 type of bat. although reports rate him as basically a major league backup and no better. still he was assigned to the isotopes, and hes probably still better than Big Rod and Fatty anyways. he was the ket to this for the Dodgers who were very desperate for a catching prospect.
the two pitchers snet to us were Juan Rodriguez and Steven Fife. my first search on Steven Fife didnt even pull up any results. apparently hes from AA and Rodriguez from A ball. Rodriguez is a reliever and I think Fife is a starter. theyve both put up decent numbers, Rodriguez's 13.4 K per 9 rate caught my eye initially. however there both low rated and believed to be slotted as middle relievers at best.

one more aspect of this trade probably being overlooked during all of this. perhaps the team thats most affected will be the Albuquerque Isotopes, and there playoff hopes which are now slowly fading...per Christopher Jackson of the Albuquerue examiner, this trade seriously weakens the topes lineup, with Trayvon gone, and Gordon now with the big club. although Sands is still there.
according to Jackson, who comments over at MSTI, this will allow a more experienced Round Rock team to most likly bounce the poor Topes from the playoff race.
http://www.examiner.com/baseball-in-albuquerque/isotopes-lose-two-of-their-best-players

geez, how depressing.

well this day sucked all around, tomorrow is another day though. Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers tomorrow in San Diego, and try to get them back on the right track. tomorrow's game is a 710 start on Prime Ticket. join us for tomorrow's game. good day Dodger fans. go blue!

Furcal trade made official during final game of homestand

Dodgers Lineup
Gwynn7
Blake5
Ethier9
kemp8
Rivera3
Miles4
Barajas2
Gordon6
De La Rosa1


Joe Saunders-7-8 vs. Rubby De La Rosa-4-4


as the Dodgers enter today on the last game of the homsetsand, and rubber game against the Dbacks, they do it without former allstar shortstop rafeal (hit Machine) Furcal.  today the Dodgers finalized the Furcal trade. they will send Furcal to the Cardinals for a minor league outfielder and some cash.

the Dodgers will pay the majority of the rest of Furcal's salary owed to him, but not all. the Dodgers will pay 2.5 million of his 4 million. Furcal in the last year of his contract has had an injuriy plagued season. spending a month on the DL from a broken thumb, and another month from a torn oblique.

Furcal was hitting only .197, but was beginning to hit better on this homestand. the Cardinals who had been playinng former Dodger Ryan "TOOTBLAN" theriot at shortstop, finally realizing his total uselessness, as they will move him to second base to clear way for furcal. we feel your pain St. Louis.

in return the Dodgers will recieve AA minor league outfield prospect Alex Castellanos. most of the information on Castellanos has been positive. hes a 24 year old outfielder with decent power and speed, or so I read. I did read though that he has bad strikeout to walk ratios. but thats common of a young power hitter to strike out alot. he is 5"11 180 from Miami. in AA this year he was an allstar batting .319 with 19 homers and a .941 OPS in 93 games. he also has experience playng the infield, he has seen time at first, second and third base. the Dodgers have assigned him to AA chatanooga. not a top prospect but decent so there is potential here.

shortstop Dee Gordon was called up last night, and will be at the park with the team today.

while we also learned Kuroda would be staying, today the Dbacks traded first baseman/outfielder Brandon Allen, along with reliever Norberto to Oakland for reliever Brad Ziegler. so we wont be seeing Allen anymore.

lefty Joe Saunders will take the mound for Arizona. he has pitched much better of late, and threw a complete game last outing against San Diego. Saunders is well traveled, and weve seen him alot. he is 7-3 over his last 13 starts, but has been very effective on the road posting a 5-1 record, and a 2.39 ERA. Saunders is 1-4 against the Dodgers.
the Dodgers will counter with rookie Rubby De La Rosa. Rubby has been pitching very well, only allowing 7 runs over his last five starts. he has never faced the Dbacks.

its sad going on without Hit Machine. we will miss him, and everything he has done for the Dodgers. hes been one of my favortie dodgers over the last few years, but its time for him to move on. thanks Hit Machine, good luck in St. Louis.
the Dodgers look to win their third series in a row, theyll be facing the Dbacks again next week but in Arizona. after todays game the Dodgers will go down to San Diego for a three game set.
well see you after the game for our postgame recap. go blue!

Bills walkapalooza and Upton double give dodgers a loss

Dbacks    6 11 0
Dodgers  4 8 0
WP-owings-5-0
LP-Billingsley-9-9
SV-Putz-23
HR-Kemp-26


on the eve of the trade deadline, we saw many players being traded and switching uniforms, but for the Dodgers they should really put their manager up for trade since thats where there really lacking.
Mattingly failed to pull the right strings in a crucial 6th inning, where Bills walked the world, Guerrier allowed a three run double to Upton, and the dbacks scored five runs to win 6-4.

I was hoping the boys in blue would get a win for little Aliana. sorry Aliana, well have to wait until tomorrow.

in the first inning, Bills was rather shaky, but was able to get out of it. with 1 out, Johnson and Upton single, but Montero flied out, and young popped out.

the Dodgers go down 123 in the bottom of the first inning.
Arizona scores a run in the second, but Bills does some kind of crazy high wire act, and wiggles out of the inning, only allowing 1 run, even though the bases were loaded with 1 out, also with help from an absolutly spectacular catch by Ethier to save several runs from scoring.

theres a walk to Allen, Roberts and Para both single,  with the bases loaded, the Pitcher Owings, strikes out. Bloomquists sac fly scores Allen, 1-0 Arizona. Johnson hits a long fly ball to deep right, which is run down and caught by Ethier. he makes a great diving lfying catch to keep several runs from scoring.

in the bottom of the second, Kemp singles and steals second, his 28th steal of the year. but hes stranded at third. Miles grounds out, Big Rod walks, but Carroll grounds out.

Arizona goes down 123 in the third, and the Dodgers take the lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to you know who....yep Kemp!
with 1 out, Gwynn triples into the gap. Blake's sac fly scores him and its a tie game.
Ethier singles, and then Bison blasts another home run to center field. its his 26th homerun, giving him 82 RBI, to lead the league. 3-1 Dodgers!

Kemp hit another homerun tonight giving him 26 and 82 RBI

in the top of the 4th, Bills wiggles out of trouble again. Allen singles.Roberts flies out, Parra strikes out, Owings singles, but Bloomquist grounds out back to the box.

the Dodgers pick up an insurance run in the bottom half. Miles leads off with a double, Big Rod grounds out, moving Miles to third, and Carroll's single with the infield p, scores Miles its 4-1 Dodgers!
bills has a 123 inning in the top of the 5th, and the dodgers go down in order in their hafl of the 5th.

the top of the 6th is where everything came unraveled for Bills and the Dodgers. the Dodgers were hoping to make Kemp's homerun stand up, but Mattingly couldnt pull the right strings.
Young singles and steals second. then the walkapalooza begins. Allen walks. Parra walks. the bases are loaded nobody out. Mattingly just sits their in the dugout, convinced to let Bills either win it or lose it right there. Roberts walks, forcing in a run, its 4-2 and Bills is all out of whack. take him out Donnie! nope. Nady batting for Owings, hits a sac fly, scoring Young, 4-3. Bloomquist strikes out, and theres two outs, but runners at second and third. Bills walks Johnson. its his fifth walk of the inning. the bases are loaded again. now Mattingly takes out bills, but he brings in his worst reliever to pitch to one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Matt Guerrier pitches to Justin Upton with the bases loaded. yeah this doesnt end well. I mean if your just going to bring in our worst reliever, you might as well have just left Bills in.
of coarse Upton predictably doubles into the gap, clearing the bases. the dbacks take a 6-4 lead on the three run double by Upton. at this point we knew the game was lost. this was definatly a turning point during the game, and Mattingly blew it.

Monetero is intentionally walked, but Young pops out finally ending things in the 6th.

the dodgers would have an oppurtunity to score in the bottom of the 6th, but once again, Don Mattingly cant pull the right moves at the right time.
against a rookie named Cook, Rivera singles, Miles grounder moves him to second. Big Rod strikes out, but Carroll walks. with runners at first and second, and the pitchers spot up, Mattingly has Loney pinch hit. Gibson counters with elfty Joe Patterson. Loney is attrocious against lefties, and predictably grounds out.

Elbert pitches a 123 inning in the 7th, and gwynn singles and steals second in the bottom of the inning, but Blake, Ethier, and Kemp all make out against Bryan Shaw.

Elbert still pitching in the 8th allows consecutive singles to Cowgill, and Bloomquist, and a wild pitch moves them to second and thid. it lookes like more scorage. but then......Johnson strikes out, Upton is intentionally walked, but Montero grounds into an inning ending double play.

David Hernandez pitches a 123 8th inning, and Josh Lindblom pitches a scoreless top of the 9th.

to the bottom of the 9th we go. Arizona closer J.J. Putz comes in to close shop. Carroll and Velez both fly out, Gwynn walks, but Blake flies out to end the game.

Bloomquist and kelly Jonhson high five after the dbacks beat the Dodgers 6-4

after the game we did find out that Furcal is being traded to the cardinals, for a minor league outfielder and some cash. the Dodgers have not made an official announcment yet as furcal has 24 hours to approve or decline the trade, although reports are saying he has already accepted the trade. well have more information tomorrow when we hear more.

tough loss tonight. Mattingly really blew it tonight big time. but the Dodgers still can win the series tomorrow, and at least theyve shown some life and are starting to play better. tomorrow Rubby De La Rosa will draw Joe Saunders in a 110 afternoon game on Prime Ticket. join us tomorrow, and happy birthday to Aliana Wheeler. her and mom are doing fine. go blue!

Kuroda bleeds blue before Dodgers game two, Aliana Wheeler is born

Dodgers lineup
Gwynn7
Blake5
Ethier9
Kemp8
Rivera3
Miles4
Barajas2
Carroll6
Billingsley1


Micah Owings-4-0 vs. Chad Billingsley-9-8


the last day before the trade deadline and things are getting interesting. it appears the Dodgers have found a deal, but its not involving Kuroda. after last night's 9-5 win over Arizona, that saw Matt Kemp drive in 5 runs, and hit a homerun, the Dodgers are 48-57 and sit in fourth place in the national league west. they are 12 games behind San Francisco, and 1.5 behind third place Colorado. with the trade deadline being the time for teams in contention to bolster their rosters for the stretch drive, and non-contenders to recoup some of their losses, dump salaries, or trade for prospects.

so far as of now, the Dodgers are not close to a deal involving Kuroda. apparently what the Dodgers are asking for is too high than what these teams are willing to give up. they are still far apart, and with Kuroda's no-trade clause, he will need to time to decide whether or not to approve or decline a trade. so basically if theres at least not the framework of a trade in place over the next few hours, it wont happen. this is good.

as far as Rafael Furcal is concerned all the signs were there that the Dodgers would deal him. Furcal who is in the last year of his contract, has had a terrible year. Hes been on the disabled list twice this year, with a broken thumb, and a torn Oblique. hes only played in about 35 games. he has recently started to heat up though going 8 for 26 on this recent homestand. however with Dee Gordon ready to come up from AAA, Furcal isnt needed anymore, and the Dodgers will not be resigning him.

Last night was Rafeal Furcal's last game with the Dodgers. we will miss you Hit Machine thank you for your efforts

earlier today it was announced that the Dodgers had struck a deal with the Cardinals to send Furcal to St. Louis. there didnt start to be serious interest for Hit Machine until the last couple of days.
the Cardinals shortstop this year has been ex Dodgers Ryan "TOOTBLAN" Theriot. the cardinals have finally had it with the complete uselesness of Theriot. they recently moved him to second base to prepare for someone new at short, since hes been so awful. the Cardinals contacted the Dodgers about Furcal and a deal was struck. we still dont know who the Dodgers are getting in return, but we do know that the Dodgers are paying the majority of his contract, but not all of it.
last night most likly was Furcal's last game in a Dodgers uniform. this is very sad. we here at DBF have always loved Raffy Furcal (Hit Machine). I remember seeing him when he first signed with the Dodgers, he was and still is an exciting player to watch, when healthy. over the last few years, there has been a core group of players that have been the soul of the Dodgers. during these Mccourt years, this core group, has lead to three playoff appearances. most of us hardcore fans will agree that most of the core, but not all of them, should be Dodgers forever. (including Kuroda) unless youve grown up in the Dodger culture like we have then its hard to understand this.
during our Journey together weve lost a couple along the way, Manny is gone, we lost Russell Martin, and now it appears weve lost Furcal. this is sad. you could argue that since Maury Wills Furcal has been one of the best shortstops in LA Dodgers history. the trade isnt offical yet, so we will keep you posted on any breaking developments.

HIROKI KURODA BLEEDS BLUE

Kuroda bleeds blue forever

*this just in, as I was writing this*

Hiroki Kuroda has told the Dodgers that he is staying put. Kuroda will not be waiving his no-trade clause and will remain with the team for the rest of the season.
this is a big victory for Kuroda, the fans and the Dodgers. Kuroda has been the heart and soul of the Dodgers pitching staff over the last four plus years. the japanese righty has been one of the most consistent Dodger pitchers in recent years. Kuroda has never posted an ERA below 3.73 since he joined the Dodgers in 2008. with a very low walk rate of 2.1. but Kuroda is more than just a commodity that we can ill afford to lose. after all there is no point in diluting the rotation just to recive a bunch of low A-ball prospects. however Kuroda's loyalty and Faith in the Dodgers is beyond anything ive seen during my lifetime as a third generation lifelong hardcore Dodger fan.

when asked about the trade rumors after his start the other night, Kuroda had this to say....My honest feeling is that I can't fathom wearing another uniform than the Dodgers uniform right now......

he also had this to say earlier today when asked about his decision to remain with the Dodgers.

 "I told Ned through my agent (Steve Hilliard) that I will be wearing this uniform throughout the season," Kuroda said, with Kenji Nimura interpreting. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kuroda said Colletti hadn't submitted any specific trades to any teams for his approval.

"Through my agent, I had heard a lot of things about some teams having interest in me," Kuroda said. "Last year, after thinking about it a lot, I decided to play for the Dodgers for one year, and that is still my plan."

Kuroda cited affection for, and loyalty to, his teammates as the reason for his decision.

"A key factor in me staying here is that it's really important for me to play with the same guys I started with," Kuroda said. ...

... Kuroda could choose to return to Japan after the season, when he again will be a free agent, but he said he hasn't made that decision yet.

"I haven't really thought about next year at all," he said. "Like I always say, it's one game at a time, and I'm concentrating on my next start."

now you tell me if that sounds like the words of someone wanting to leave? Hiroki has always showed this kind of immense loyalty to his teams. after all the Dodgers are only his second team hes ever pitched for. Kuroda pitched for ten years with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the japan league, he established himslef as one of the best pitchers in japan, and even led the league in ERA one year. he displayed his loyalty for the carp as well, telling them they would be the only Japanese team he would ever play for, and if he did leave it would be for the majors. Kuroda came to the US and the majors with his family for a better life. he chose the Dodgers. he could have chosen any team. we all know how good Kuroda is, when you find a good starting pitcher, that is as loyal as he is, you dont let him go. the Dodgers were reportedly only shopping him out of courtesy for Kuroda, who has alot of respect from everyone accross MLB. well Kuroda has made his decision. he stays. lets reward Kuroda for all of his great consistency over the years, by letting him do what he wants to do, which is retire as a Dodger. weve all known for a while now that he only wants to pitch for the Dodgers.

Kuroda isnt flashy, and rarly talks to the media. hes a very focused quiet man. Kuroda is just a Dodger.......and always will be :)


another roster move was made today. Juan Uribe was placed on the 15 day DL with that hip flexor injury, and Casey Blake (rusty anchor) has been activated and is in the lineup tonight. Blake had been on the DL for an arthritic neck and extreme rustyness.


the pitching matchups today has Arizona rookie righty Micah Owings, on the mound. the Dodgers have never faced him, but apparently hes pitched pretty well, throwing five shutout innings against Colorado in his last start.
the Dodgers will counter with Chad Billingsley. Bills has shown bursts of greatness during an up and down year. he pitched very well in his last start, retiring 21 of the last 22 batters he faced on his way to beating washington. Bills has always pitched well against Arizona with a 9-6 record, 3.26 ERA and 135 strikeouts.


true blue note......  

late last night after the game, Stac went into labor, she was rushed to the hospital and delivered a healthy baby girl. today she is resting comfortably, and so is little Aliana Reese Wheeler.
congratulations to Stac, and welcome to our newest addition to our family. we could say that Aliana has been mashing down in the minors, and is being called up to the bigs. our Dodger family gets bigger. and Im an uncle for the second time. Stac and Aliana will both be watching the game tonight. Aliana's first Dodger game!
I was actually joking with her the other day that Bison would send her into labor with a monster homerun. it very nearly happened yesterday. since today is little Aliana's birthday lets get her a win shall we boys? game time is at 710 on KCAL. go blue!

Kemp Hits HR 25, Gets 5 RBIs in Game 105

Dodgers 9 12 1
D-Backs 5 6 1
WP- Lilly (7-10)
LP- Collmenter (6-6)
HR- Roberts (14), Kemp (25), Bloomquist (3), Upton (21)

Bison Now Has 25 HRs, 80 RBIs & 27 SBs

The Dodgers explode offensively tonight thanks to a 3-run homerun (only the 4th of the season for the Dodgers) from Matt Kemp who also knocked in 5 runs. Andre Ethier also had a good game going 3 for 4. It wouldn't be a normal Lilly outing without some dingers served up my Father Time, and we had our share of those tonight as AZ hit three homeruns, although all solo shots.

Lilly starts off strong sending the snakes down in order in the 1st. Dre has a 2-out double in the bottom half, but neither team scores just yet.

The Lilly homerun derby begins in the 2nd when Roberts hits a solo homerun giving the D-Backs the 1-0 lead. Rivera doubles and Navarro walks in the bottom of the inning, but the Dodgers fail to score.

The Dodgers get ahead in the 3rd inning when Miles singles off a deflected ball off the pitcher Collmenter, Dre singles, and then Bison blasts a 3-run homerun to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead! Rivera also doubles before the inning ends.

The D-Backs score again in the 4th when Upton reaches 2nd on a throwing error by Lilly, Young grounds out allowing Upton to advance to 3rd, and Nady doubles in Upton, 3-2. The Dodgers also score in the bottom of the 4th when Velez walks, Lilly lays down a nice sac bunt to advance Velez, Hit Machine is hit by the pitch, Miles hits into a force allowing Velez to reach 3rd, then Ethier is hit by the pitch to load the bases for Kemp. Kemp comes through with a single scoring Velez and Miles and gives the Dodgers a 5-2 lead. The early hook for Collmenter is brought in by Kirk Gibson. Paterson comes into relieve him and gets Rivera to fly out.

Collmenter only goes 3.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout on 81 pitches.

Lilly dishes out another solo homerun to Bloomquist in the 5th, 5-3. Duke comes in for AZ and has a 1-2-3 inning.

Lilly goes 5 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout on 83 pitches.

Hawksworth comes into the 6th inning and walks Young, strikes out Nady, and commits a wild pitch which allows Young to 2nd. Roberts singles in Young, 5-4. Honeycutt visits the mound to see what is going on with Hawk. Hawk promptly walks Cowgill, so Mattingly takes him out and brings in Guerrier. He gets Blanco to ground out and Parra to strikeout to end the inning. Demel comes into pitch for the D-Backs in the bottom half of the 6th and allows a single to Carroll, Hit Machine grounds out moving Carroll to 2nd, Miles singles Carroll to 3rd, and Dre singles in Carroll making it 6-4. Kemp hits into an inning ending double play but tis ok.

In the 7th with Guerrier still pitching Kemp makes an awesome sliding catch to rob Bloomquist of an extra base hit. Johnson strikes out, but Upton hits a solo HR making it 6-5. Young flies out. Loney singles in the bottom of the 7th, and the D-Backs bring in Castillo. Gwynn hits a long fly ball to right field, and Upton can't seem to catch it allowing Gwynn to reach 2nd on the error and scoring Loney, 7-5. Carroll's sac fly scores Navarro when Upton can't seem to get a good throw even though Fatty is real slow, 8-5. Hit Machine then promptly doubles in Gwynn giving the Dodgers a commanding 9-5 lead.

Dougie pitches a very nice 1-2-3 8th inning. The Dodgers also go down in order in the bottom half.

Guerra comes into close it out and seems a bit shaky. Ransom singles, Bloomquist grounds out allowing Ransom to 2nd. Guerra lets one fly and the wild pitch gets Ransom to 3rd. He then walks Montero, but finally gets Upton to pop-up for the last out.

Upton Throws a Tantrum in the Dugout Throwing a Trash Can

Luckily we actually scored some runs tonight, because Lilly pitched decently but there was no way he wasn't giving up some kind of homerun action. Tomorrow Chad Billingsley will go to the mound in game 2. Trade deadline action will be heating up, and we will keep you posted to any breaking news.

Good night everyone, Go Blue:)

T.G.I.F.

D-Backs @ Dodgers
7:10pm
Game 1

The Dodgers will finish off the month with a three game series against Arizona before heading down to San Diego. The trade deadline is looming, and we have yet to see any action. Rumor is Kuroda wants to stay with the Dodgers, and I have been supporting his loyalty to the team amidst the constant banter of trade talk. We may see some moves just yet, so we will keep you updated. I remember last season when Scott texted me that they had traded DeWitt...it was somewhat shocking news, but these trades are something we have no control over as fans or bloggers.

Speaking of trade acquisitions, Ted Lilly (6-10, 5.08) will go to the mound tonight for the Dodgers. Lilly hasn't made it deep into a game since May, and his last outing on Saturday allowed 6 runs in 5 innings against the Nats. Get this...Lilly has allowed 31 runs in his last 7 starts. Yes, that's right, 31 runs. Josh Collmenter (6-5, 2.74) has been doing well lately and has won three games in a row. He's only allowed 3 runs since the All-Star Break.

Kenley Jansen, who was hospitalized due to an irregular heartbeat, was released on Thursday. They shocked his heart with electrodes to get his rhythm back on track. He will be at Dodger Stadium tonight where they will reevaluate him.

Today is also Chad Billingsley's 27th birthday. Happy Bday Bills! He goes to the mound Saturday night.

Winning Cupcake Display on Cupcake Wars

On a fun side note, I caught a Dodgers themed episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. Two of my favorite things...cupcakes and the Dodgers! Lee Lacy was a guest judge. In the first round contestants had to make a cupcake with concession food like Dodger Dogs, beer, cotton candy & peanuts. The winner got to present their cupcakes at a VIP party at Dodger Stadium. If you missed the episode it's being replayed on July 31st at 5PM and August 2nd at 7PM.

Lineup:

Furcal 6
Miles 5
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Rivera 7
Loney 3
Navarro 2
Velez 4
Lilly 1

Velez is starting at 2nd tonight which makes me go hmmm...since Jamey Carroll is not playing. Well with Navarro, Velez, and Lilly as the 7-8-9 batters we won't be scoring many runs, so let's hope the top of the order can get something done.

Go Blue:)

The Winning Was Nice While it Lasted

Dodgers 1 8 1
Rockies 3 10 1
WP- Cook (2-5)
LP- Kuroda (6-13)
S- Street (27)
HR- Big Rod (9)

The Dodgers offense sputtered again as they drop game three to the Rockies and break their little four game winning streak. Other than a 9th inning Big Rod homer, the Dodgers couldn't string together any hits and Kuroda once again took the fall and loses his 13th game of the season. Once again Hiroki Kuroda gets absolutely no run support.

Kuroda strikes out Young and Mullet to send the Rockies down in order in the 1st inning. Hit Machine and Kemp both single in the bottom half, but they can't get either one home.

Kuroda allows a single to Smith and a walk to Wigginton, but he gets Ellis to ground out and Alfonzo to fly out to Kemp. The Dodgers go down in order in the bottom half.

Kuroda has a nice 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd, striking out Young again. Hit Machine singles again in the bottom of the 3rd and reaches 2nd on a throwing error by Cook on a pickoff attempt, but the Dodgers are unable to score.

Smith doubles in the 4th, but Gwynn's great catch robs Stewart of a sure extra base hit. Loney has a 2-out single in the bottom of the 4th, but nothing else happens in the way of hits nor scoring.

The Rockies break the scoreless string in the 5th when Young gets a 2-out single, Fowler singles, and Tulo singles up the middle scoring Young and allowing Fowler to 3rd while Tulo takes 2nd base on the throw, 1-0 Rockies. They intentionally walk Smith which loads the bases. Wigginton strikes out to end the rally. In the bottom of the 5th Hit Machine walks but is caught stealing 2nd.

In the 6th there's just a 2-out Alfonzo single for CO and a Miles single for the Dodgers.

Kuroda goes 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 6 strikeout on 112 pitches.

Kuroda Pitches Very Well, But Alas the Dodgers Fail to Score

Hawksworth comes into pitch the 7th and strikes out Fowler but then allows a double to Tulo. They intentionally walk Smith, and Wigginton promptly doubles in Tulo, 2-0. There's a lone Carroll single in the bottom of the 7th for the Dodgers.

In the 8th Dougie comes in and Ellis reaches on an error by Miles. Alfonzo grounds into a double play and Nelson grounds out. Brothers comes into relieve Cook and strikes out Hit Machine and Dre. Kemp doubles, but Miles pathetically flies out.

Cook goes 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, and strikes out 2 on 97 pitches.

Cook Picks Up His 2nd Win of the Season

In the 9th Dougie is still in and of course allows more scorage. Fowler singles and steals 2nd. Tulo singles when the ball is deflected off Hit Machine's glove into CF scoring Fowler, 3-0. Elbert comes in to deal with the mess and strikes out Smith and Tulo is caught stealing to end the inning. In the 9th the Dodgers lone run comes from a late Big Rod solo HR making it 3-1, but Carroll strikes out and Rivera pops up to end the game.

We learned before the game Kenley Jansen had to go to the hospital last night for an irregular heartbeat. He's stabilized and should be returning to the team on Friday after the much-needed day off tomorrow.

Get Well Kenley!

The D-Backs come into town this weekend for a three game series. Ted Lilly will go to the mound Friday night.

Go Blue:)

Dodgers Biting Heels of Rockies for Third Place

Rockies @ Dodgers
7:10pm
Game 3

The Dodgers are on a hot streak, and look to pick up their 5th win in a row and sweep the Rockies tonight. The Dodgers are only 1/2 game back of the third place Rockies in the standings, and with the Rockies bumbling defense and hurt CarGo, we may be able to overtake them. The Dodgers are only 9 games under .500 now, and it would be wonderful to get this win before the day off tomorrow.

The starting pitching has been excellent of late. Hiroki Kuroda (6-12, 3.19) will take the mound for the Dodgers. Let's hope Hiro gets some run support so he can pick up his 7th victory. With the Dodgers in the midst of a winning streak, the idea of trading Kuroda seems more and more less likely to me. Like I said before, why dilute the rotation and spur more losing? Fans still want to see some wins. With such a weak division, you never know what could happen in these last two months. Aaron Cook (1-5, 5.84) won his first game of the season last Friday against the D-Backs, and he is 6-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts against the Dodgers. Cook has been on the Rockies since he came up in 2002.

Hot Streaks:
Tony Gwynn is 26-79 in 22 games and hitting .329 since June 26.

Javy Guerra is 8 for 8 in saves. He has only allowed 1 run in 13 innings at Dodger Stadium which equals a 0.69 ERA. He has not allowed a HR after 23 1/2 innings in the Majors.



Earlier in the day, Angel pitcher Ervin Santana pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. I caught the 9th inning. It's always magical to see a no-hitter in progress. The Angels won 3-1. The Indians scored their run from an error and a wild pitch in the first inning. There has been three no-nos this season. Francisco Liriano on May 3rd, Justin Verlander on May 7th, and Ervin Santana July 27th.

Lineup:

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

Go Blue:)

Kershaw and Colorado errors help Dodgers win

Rockies   2  8 1
Dodgers  3  4 1
WP-Kershaw-12-4
LP-Chacin-8-8
SV-Jansen-2


the Dodgers just edged out the Rockies tonight 3-2. they beat Colorado with the help of another dominating Kershaw start, and a couple of big defensive mistakes from the Rockies, even though the Dodgers had defensive issues of their own throughout the night.
they were finally able to figure out the mystery that is Chacin, who had shut them out in back to back starts.

Kershaw improves to 12-4 and has now won his last 4 starts. he made a career high 125 pitches, going 6.2 allowing 2 runs off 8 hits, waling two and striking out 6. the Dodgers have now won four in a row, and 8 of their last 9 home games. heres how everything went down........

Kershaw had a shaky first inning, but gets out of it, keeping his scoreless innings streak intact. poor infield defense hurt the Dodgers. with Uribe injured and awful, and the Dodgers trying to get more offense, put Miles at third, and Rivera at first base. its a trade off more offense for crappier defense.

with 1 out, herrera is safe at first on Rivera's fielding error. Helton walks, and then Kershaw has his first wild pitch of the season advancing the runners to second and third. but this is Clayton kershaw, he gets mullet man to pop out, and strikes out Wigginton. yesssssssss

the Dodgers go down 123 in the first off of Chacin, while next inning, Kershaw strikes out two, pitching around an Iannetta walk.

the Dodgers go down 123 in the second, and the Rockies are retired in the third, Helton grounding into an inning ending double play.

in the top of the fourth, Mullet man doubles, but kershaw gets out of the inning, strikes out Wigginton, and Ellis, and Spilsborghs ground out.

in the bottom of the fourth, two costly defensive lapses cost Colorado. Furcal leads off with a lazy fly ball to left, Wigginton had it but dropped it as the ball popped out of his glove, this puts Furcal at second base on the two base error. it was quite comical.
Chacin walks Ethier. hes clearly flustered. Bison ropes a double into the gap, scoring Hit Machine and Ethier, its 2-0 Dodgers! Kemp now has 75 RBI.
Miles ground out sends Kemp to third with 1 out. Rivera's fly ball to shallow right field, is caught by second baseman Ellis, as he makes the catch right fielder Spilborghs has to slide to avoide a collision and Ellis trips over him and falls flat on his ass. because of this good fortune, Kemp scores easily on the sac fly, its 3-0 Dodgers.

Kemp scores in the 5th

poor defense cost the Dodgers a run in the top of the 5th, with three consecutive groundball singles, the Dodgers range challenged infield couldnt get to.
 with two outs and nobody on base, Fowler hits a little dribbler behind the mound, Miles charges and fields but cant get the ball out of his glove. ruled a hit. herrera a groundball single through the hole at short with Furcal breaking to cover the bag. with Fowler at third, Helton hits another piddly seen eye single, just whispering through the hole between first and second, nobody could get to it. fowler scores, Herrera goes to second. Kersh though gets out of the inning by striking out Mullet. 3-1 Dodgers.

in the 5th inning with two outs, Gwynn triples into the gap, and Furcal is hit by a pitch, but Ethier pops out.

Kershaw pitches around a wigginton single, to get through the 6th inning.
and the Dodgers go down 123 in the bottom of the 6th in Chacin's last inning of work. Chacin goes 6 allows only 3 hits, 3 runs, only 1 earned walking 1 and striking out 2.

in the top of the 7th, young batting for Chacin, singles, Fowler another groudball single to right, Herrera's groundout sends fowler to second, with young at third. helton hits a weak grounder to first, Rivera just watches young score from third, without a throw. fowler goes to third, 3-2 Dodgers.

Kershaw by now has made 125 pitches (a career high). finally Donnie takes him out, and Double switches Loney into the game. Guerrier comes in and gets the last out, inducing Mullet man to tap out weakly in front of the plate.

Rex Brothers relievs Chacin in the bottom of the 7th and pitches around a carroll single.

guerrier pitches a 123 8th inning, retiring wigginton, Elis, and spilborghs.

Reynolds comes in to retire Furcal and Dre in the bottom of the 8th, then Betancourt is brought in and strikes out Kemp.

move to the top of the 9th, with the Dodgers up by a run 3-2, flamethrower Kenly Jansen comes in to close shop. he gets Iannetta to pop out, then blows away Smith and Fowler to end the game.
I like Guerra and hes done a fine job and all, but Jasnen should be closer with no questions asked. I mean come on hes blowing guys away.

Flamethrower Jansen gets the save

wow I love beating Colorado! it always puts me in a great mood. the Dodgers will try and go for the sweep tomorrow night, as Hiroki Kuroda will take the mound in what could be his last start with the Dodgers if he is traded. I hope not. the win puts the Dodgers just a half game behind the struggling Rockies for third place. game time tomorrow is 710 on PT. lets break out those brooms! go blue!

Kershaw looks to claim a Mountain of strikeouts for Dodgers

Dodgers Lineup
Gwynn7
Furcal6
Ethier9
Kemp8
Rivera3
Miles5
Navarro2
Carroll4
Kershaw1


Jhoulys Chacin-8-7 vs. Clayton Kershaw-11-4


so far the Dodgers have won 3 out of four on this current homestand, and 7 of their last 8 home games. the series with Colorado continues for game two, as the Dodgers try to secure a series victory.

as the trade deadline looms  ever closer, no trades are reported on the horizon just yet, and we will keep you posted.
tonight will be a very good pitching matchup, between Jhoulys Chacin, and Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw.

first off the Dodges for some reason can never hit Chacin. Chacin has shut out the Dodgers in his last two starts, and is 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA against the Dodgers. this year against the league he is 8-7 with a 3.60 ERA. however despite his success against the Dodgers, he has struggled latly. he hasnt won a start since june 15th, and has lost his last four decisions. his last start saw him allow five runs, and walk a career high 7 batters in a loss to Atlanta.

the Dodgers will counter with staff ace Clayton Kershaw. He has been unhittable of late. his last three starts he is 3-0 and has not allowed an earned run. to just say Kershaw is the Dodgers Ace is an understatement. not only is he the Dodgers ace, he is making a series consideration for the Cy Young. he is 11-4 with a 2.72 ERA. putting him 5th in ERA, and he leads the National League with 167 strikeouts, and a 10.3K per 9 rate. hes been dominating, hes lefthanded, hes our stopper. he is also in top 5 in wins, and WHIP, and innings pitched.
however against Colorado in his Career, Kershaw has been merly mortal, with a 5-4 record, 4.07 ERA, and 89 strikeouts. although the only Rockie that has had any kind of success against him of any kind, is Dexter Fowler, who is hitting .368 against Kersh in 19 at bats. so theres that.

should be quite a matchup tonight. lets hope the streak continues with another win tonight :) and thank the lordy Velez isnt playing tonight. I mean geez as useless players come, he has got to take the cake.
Uribe is still out with what is being diagnosed as a hip flexer. he had one of those earlier in the year, hes still out, but listed as day to day.
tonights game is on at 710 on KCAL. join us after the game for our nightly recap. go blue!

Rookie Rubby Rolls Over Rockies

Dodgers 8 12 1
Rockies  5 5 0
WP- De La Rosa (4-4)
LP- Nicasio (4-3)
S- Guerra (8)
HR- Ethier (10)

The Dodgers win their 3rd game in a row to continue the homestand on a positive note. Rubby De La Rosa out pitched Nicasio who is another young rookie Dominican pitcher. Rubby, Kenley Jansen, and even Matt Guerrier held the Rockies to only 1 run until a very ugly 9th inning ensued which we will get to in a bit.

Rubby starts off the game by walking 2 in the first, but the Rockies don't score. Dre draws a walk, and Kemp singles, but the Dodgers don't score either in the bottom half.

The Rockies get on the board first in the 2nd inning when Rubby gives up three singles in a row to Iannetta, Nicasio, and Fowler. Iannetta scores, 1-0 Rockies. The Dodgers go down in order in the bottom of the 2nd.

In the 3rd Rubby walks Mullet Man who steals 2nd, although on the replay he was clearly tagged out by Hit Machine. The Dodgers come back in the bottom half when Hit Machine doubles, and Miracle Miles doubles him home, 1-1. Dre promptly comes up and hits a no-doubt-about-it 2-run homerun giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead!

Dre Hits His 10th Homerun of the Season

Rubby strikes out the side in the 4th getting Stewart, Iannetta, and Nicasio to whiff. The Dodgers have two whiffs of there own in the bottom half when Navarro and useless Velez go down.

Both pitchers swap 1-2-3 innings in the 5th.

Mullet walks for the 3rd time in the 6th, but Smith hits into a double play to end any threat. The Dodgers add to their lead in the 6th when Dre walks, and Rivera doubles in Dre making it 4-1. Loney's long fly out sends Rivera to third. Navarro singles home Rivera, 5-1. Nicasio is lifted for Reynolds who gets Velez to line out to Ellis.

Nicasio goes 5.2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts on 98 pitches.

Rubby DLR goes 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts on 113 pitches.

Rubby Pitches Hard, and Picks Up Another Win

Guerrier comes in to pitch the 7th and strikes out Stewart, walks Iannette who takes 2nd on a typical Guerrier wild pitch. Spilborghs strikes out and Fowler whiffs as well so Guerrier ends up striking out the side. In the bottom of the 7th Carroll singles and steals 2nd. He is now 7 for 7 in steal attempts. Hit Machine singles and steals second as well. Miles grounds out. Dre hits into a fielder's choice and Carroll is out at home. Hit Machine and Dre take 2nd & 3rd on the play. They intentionally walk Bison. Lindstrom is brought in with the bases loaded and gets Rivera to fly out to center to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen aka Flamethrower comes in and strikes out Ellis and Helton and Gwynn robs Mullet of a near homerun on a great catch in left field. Rogers comes in for CO in the 8th and a Rockies meltdown begins....he walks Navarro, Gwynn singles, and Carroll singles to load the bases again. Hit Machine hits into a force allowing Navarro to score, 6-1. Miles singles over Ellis's glove and Gwynn scores, 7-1. Dre hits a high fly ball which drops in front of a stuck in the mud Spilborghs for a single allowing Hit Machine to score, 8-1! Kemp walks to load the bases, but Oeltjen strikes out to end the rally. 9 batters came up.

The 9th gets very sketchy for the Dodgers. Donnie brings in Kuo who is clearly not right. It is very sad. Smith singles and takes 2nd on defensive indifference. Kuo throws a pitch over the head of Navarro and Smith takes 3rd on the wild pitch. Young walks. Honeycutt visits the mound. Young takes 2nd on defensive indifference. Stewart grounds out and Smith scores on the play, 8-2. Iannetta walks. Finally Donnie had seen enough and brings in Dougie who can't get the job done either. He walks Spilborghs, and allows Fowler to single scoring Young, 8-3. Then a 100-year old Jason Giambi comes hobbling up to pinch-hit and reaches on a throwing error by Carroll and somehow they cannot get out the limping Giambi. Iannetta scores, 8-4. Helton then walks and Spilborghs scores, 8-5. FINALLY Donnie brings in Guerra who quickly gets the final two outs as Mullet pops up and Smith grounds out. Geeeeez.

Ok they won, but wow that 9th inning was ugly. Kuo's outing was concerning. It looks like he may be done for the season or his career, he's clearly not the same. Dougie couldn't get it done either. Velez is still batting .000. On the bright side, they did win. Rubby only allowed 3 hits, and has potential to be a very good pitcher. Hit Machine is hitting again. Miracle Miles is the best hitting player in the majors with RISP. Dre hit his 10th HR:)

Tomorrow Kershaw will go to the mound in hopes of continuing the winning streak! Go Blue:)

Rubby & Revved Up Dodgers Host Rockies

Rockies @ Dodgers
7:10pm
Game 1

What's with all this weekend winnin'? I'm not sure, but we'll take it. The Dodgers have won two in a row as they head into a three game series with the Rockies and then a weekend series with the D-Backs at home. CarGo is on the DL, but we'll still have to deal with the likes of Mullet Man and the pesky Helton. Colorado is 6 games under .500 and 11 games back in third place behind SF while the Dodgers are now 11 games under .500 and 13.5 games back in 4th place.

Two young rookie pitchers will go up against each other tonight at Dodger Stadium. Rubby De La Rosa (3-4, 3.73) will go to the mound for the Dodgers. He's pitched very well in the past month, and overall I've been impressed with his potential. I honestly didn't think he'd make it this far in the starting rotation after taking the injured Garland's spot. He's even had some fleeting moments of no-hitter brilliance, but often can't make it deep into games which is something a young arm needs to work up to anyhow. Juan Nicasio (4-2, 3.88) has been horrible this year on the road for the Rockies. He is 0-2 with a horrendous 9.00 ERA. Yet at home he is 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA.

Lineup:

Furcal 6
Miles 5
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Rivera 7
Loney 3
Navarro 2
Velez 4
De La Rosa 1

Oh boy, looks like Velez is getting a start at second base. Get ready for some errors!

Go Blue:)

Bills vetos Washington, Dodgers win series

Nationals 1  2 0
Dodgers   3  5 0
WP-Billingsley-9-8
LP-Marquis-8-5
SV-Guerra-7


you know that saying I am my own worst enemy? Chad Billingsley must know that saying well, as he almost single handedly beat himself by loading the bases with no outs in the first inning, but he would settle down and dominate the Nats through 7 innings of 1 run ball, as the Dodgers beatWashington 3-1
as Bills picks up his 9th win.

Bills fillibustered his way to a win

Aaron Miles drove in two runs with a two knock single, and Javy Guerra picked up his 7th save tying the team lead.

in the top of the first inning, Bills looked terrible. we all thought it was going to be a blowup. Bernadina walked, then Espinoza was hit by a pitch. Zimmerman's single loaded the bases with none out. Morse follows with a single to left, scoring bernadina, everyone moves up 90 feet. Bills is flustered angry. he then proceeds to strike out the next three hitters. Werthless, Ankiel and Flores all whiff. the Nationals would not be heard from again today.

the Dodgers come back and score two runs right away in the first inning. with 1 out, Furcal a groundball single to right, Ethier grounds into a force out at second, kemp singles Ethier to second. Miles ropes a two run knock to center, Ethier and Kemp both score, with Miles taking second on a bad throw. 2-1 Dodgers :)
Bills strikes out Bernadina and marquis in the second inning.

Kemp scores on Miles two run single in the first inning.

Bison slides in safe

bottom of the second has Carroll walking and stealing second, but hes left stranded as Bills and Gwynn both ground out.

Bills has another 123 inning in the third.

the Dodgers would score one more run, thanks to some completly inept Washington defense.
Furcal walks and steals second, Dre strikes out. Kemp beats out his little infield dribbler by a step first and third with 1 out.  Miles walks to load the bases. Loney hits a grounder to short that was a taylor made double play. Washington gets the out at second, but Miles take out slide prevents Washington from getting the double play they needed to get out of the inning. Furcal scores on the force play, Kemp to third, and Loney safe at first. 3-1 Dodgers. this inability to turn the double play would cost the Nationals dearly.
they would get out of this inning preventing further damage, after fatty walked, Carroll grounds out.

Bills walks Werthless, but strikes out Ankiel and Flores and gets through the 4th.

in the bottom of the 4th, the Dodgers would Leave Gwynn at second, after he bunts for a hit, and steals second. his hit was really just more of Washington being unable to play defense.

Bills pitches another 123 inning in the 5th, with the Dodgers still up 3-1, Bills is cruising.

the Dodgers also go down 123 in the bottom of the 5th, with Marquis still in the game.

Bills pitches anotther 123 in the 6th. Zimmerman grounds back to the box, Morse strikes out, and Werthless flies out.

the Dodgers go down 123 in the bottom of the 6th. in Bills last inning of work he strikes out Ankiel for his 10th strike out. he tosses another 123 inning. since the first inning, the Nationals only had one baserunner against Bills.

Burnett comes in to replace Marquis, and throws a scoreless frame.

top of the 8th with the Dodgers up 3-1, Jansen comes in from the bullpen. Bills was able to go to the mound to begin the inning, then left to a standing ovation. he earned it, great job!
bills goes 7 innings, allowing only 1 run on 2 hits, walking two and striking out 10

Jansen pitches a scoreless 8th. striking out old friend Alex Cora, (fondly remembered for his 18 pitch homerun for the dodgers several years ago).

Coffey pitches the bottom of the 8th for the Nats, allows a loney walk, but thats it.

move to the top of the 9th. Javy (ice man) Guerra comes in to save it. Zimmerman strikes out, Morse flies out, and Werthless strikes out to end the game. the Dodgers get a rare weekend of winning! two straight wins, and the Dodgers pick up the series victory. good job boys!

we now will have to deal with the bastards of Colorado. although without Cargo, as he is on the DL.
Colorado comes in for a three game series, so well just have to deal with Mullet man, and helton.
tomorrow night's game is on at 710 on PT. Rubby De La Rosa will take the mound for the Dodgers, while Colorado will counter with Nicasio.
join us for tomorrow night Dodger fans. have a great sunday! GO BLUE!

Dodgers/Nats rubber game on a lazy sunday

Dodgers Lineup
Furcal6
Gwynn7
Ethier9
Kemp8
Miles5
Loney3
Navarro2
Carroll4
Billingsley1

Jason Marquis-8-4 vs. Chad Billingsley-8-8

after last nights unbeleivable come from behind win, I guess anything is posible right? so the Dodgers take the field today with a chance to actually win a series. I know I know, amazing isnt it?

the pitching matchup for the rubber game, has Jason Marquis, who is well traveled pitching for the Nationals. the righty, has pitched well this year, going 8-4 with a 3.92 ERA. he has a pitching line this year of K/BB 35/70. in his career against the Dodgers hes done well despite several Dodgers having good sucess against him. Marquis is 5-3 vs the Dodgers, but with a 2.49 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

but keep in mind several Dodgers hit him well, Tony gwynn is hitting .455 in 11 AB.  Loney .571 with a homer in 14 AB. Miles hitting .300 in 10 AB, and most shocking of all, Uribe hitting .400 against Marquis.

the Dodgers will counter with Chad Billingsley. Bills has had an up and down year, he is 8-8 against the league with a 4.07 ERA. hes pitched pretty well against Washington before. hes 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA against the Nats, and no one really in particular from the Nationals, has really hit Bills hard. the only one to watch out for is Werthless, whos hit Bills at a .333 clip.

one last note, Uribe had to be taken out of Yesterday's game because of some kind of lower adominal pain. the Dodgers dont know what caused it. Uribe was taken out of yesterday's game in the 5th inning, and Carroll took over after being double switched into the game. Uribe is day-to-day. he also still sucks balls.

nothing new to report on the trade rumor front as of yet. we will keep you posted on any breaking Dodger news.

the game is on at 110PM on PT. so have some sunday brunch, and grab a chair, and watch the Dodgers and Nationals in the rubber game, at Dodger stadium. well see you after today's game for the postgame wrap up. GO BLUE!

Hit Machine walks off Dodgers to win

Nationals 6   9  1
Dodgers   7  14 0
WP-Guerra-2-0
LP-matheus-2-2


there was good news, and bad news tonight from Dodger stadium. the good news was that Ted Lilly made it through an entire start pitching 5 innings without allowing a homerun. the bad news?
he is Ted Lilly. he allows 6 runs, but oddly drives in three of the Dodger runs, on a sacrifice, and a two run single.
the Dodgers would come from behind and win in the 9th inning, in walk-off fashion.

Gorzelany was equally as terrible and didnt last long, allowing 5 runs through, 3.2 innings of work

the Dodgers scored 5 runs tonight, two on sac flys, and the rest were all driven in by Lilly.

the Nationals would score three runs in the first inning right away off Lilly. with 1 out,  Espinoza and Zimmerman both single, and Morse doubles in Espinoza. Werthless doubles to center over Kemp's head, driving in Zimmerman and Morse making it 3-0 Washington.
after Ramos grounds out, Werthless steals third off of Lilly, but Ankiel strikes out ending the inning.

the Dodgers get a run in the first inning off of Gorzelany, but could have scored more.
Furcal leads off with a single, Miles follows with a groundball that should have been a double play, but is bumbled by Desmond, eventually ruled a fielder's choice. Ethier singles to left, which loads the bases for Kemp. Kemp's sac fly scores Furcal. 3-1 Nats. Rivera grounds into a double play to end the inning.

Lilly gets angry at his suckitude, and strikes out the side in the second inning.

the Dodgers get another run in the bottom of the second. Loney leads off with a bloop single, and takes second on a wild pitch. loser uribe strikes out. Navarro's bloop single to center sends Loney to third base. Lilly now batting lays down a sacrifice to move Navarro to third, washington gets the out at first, but Loney keeps going and trys to score. very risky and foolish play by Loney. he would have been out, but as Washington Catcher Ramos is applying the tag, he loses control of the ball and juggles it. with the ball in the air, Loney's foot touches home plate, and the run counts. 3-2.
Furcal is hit by a pitch, but Miles strikes out.

Loney scores as Ramos juggles the ball

in the top of the third, the batting practice continues.  Zimmerman singles, and steals second. the league is running wild off of Lilly and his ridiculous high leg kick. Morse flys out, and werthless is intentionally walked. Ramos flies out to kemp and theres two outs. but as well all know from watching this team all year long, two outs is when the dynamite goes boom. and it does. Rick Ankiel doubles into right field over Ethier's head, scoring Zimmerman and Werthless. 5-2 Desmond's infield single eludes Hit Machine, Ankiel comes all the way around to score and its 6-2 nationals now. ughhh.

the Dodgers get two more in the bottom of the third, thanks to more defensive lapses by Washington.

with 1 out, Kemp doubles, and Rivera singles him to third. Loney's sac fly scores Kemp. 6-3.
Uribe gets a lucky seen eye single, and Navarro is intentionally walked, this loads the bases. with Lilly's spot due up, and him being awful, we all expect Donnie to hit for him. but he doesnt. so Lilly bats with the bases loaded and the Dodgers down by a run. were all flabbergasted, and Im ready to bitch slap Mattingly somehow. I know its early in the game, but Lilly sucks, and this is a good oppurtunity to score runs, and we all know how the Dodgers have been struggling to score runs.

Lilly drives in two with a single

we would all eat our words, as Lilly knocks a base hit to left, just past the diving Desmond's outstrecthed glove. two runs score, and its now 6-5. holy mediocre aging back end 5th starter batman!
you know this pitching thing isnt really working out for Lilly, but we do have a need at third base! lol

while were all picking our jaws off the floor, Furcal grounds out ending the frame.

both teams go down 123 in the 4th innings.
Ross Detwiler would relive Gorzelany. he was so bad he didnt last past the fourth inning.

move to the bottom of the 5th. Rivera reaches on a Desmond throwing error. Loney sacrifices him to second, but hes left stranded there.

Hawksworth relives Lilly in the 6th, allows a single to Detwiler, and thats it.

with two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning, Ethier and Kemp both single. Henry Rodriguez comes in for relief, and walks Rivera, but Loney grounds out to end the threat.

Hawksworth pitches a scoreless 7th inning, striking out two.

the Dodgers tie the game in the bottom of the 7th.  with 1 out, Navarro walks, and Velez pinch runs for him. Velez steals second and advances to third on Carroll's groundout. with the count 3-0 to Furcal, ball four is a wild pitch, Velez scores tying the game at 6-6 :)

with the game tied, Dougie pitches a scoreless top of the 8th.
Matheus pitching the 8th in relief of Burnet, allows a single to Rivera and thats all.

Guerra pitches a scoreless 9th, and we go to the bottom of the 9th, tied, but remember, the Dodgers are a perfect 5-0 in extra inning games this year for some reason.

well no extra innings were needed tonight. the Dodgers would win in walkoff style in the bottom of the 9th. heres how it happened.
with Matheus still pitching, Big Rod leading off singles. but the Dodgers have already used all their position players, and Navarro is already out of the game, so they cant run for him. oeltjen who came into the game earlier as a pinch hitterm trys to sacrifice Big Rod to second, but hes just too damm slow. Oeltjen puts down a bun right in front of the plate, and Big Rod is forced at second.
Carroll a bloop single to center sends oeltjen to second. Furcal (Hit Machine) drives in the winning run with his first walk off hit since 2000. Hit Machine's long drive to left goes over the head of Nix, and goes to the wall. Oeltjen scores the winning run, and the Dodgers have a rare come from behind win during a Lilly start.

Kemp and Hit Machine celebrate after Hit Machine's walk off hit

late great dodgers legend Don Drysdale was honered before and during the game. his two sons threw out the first pitch, and big D's number 53 was stenciled on the mound all night.

the Dodgers will play the rubber game tomorrow afternoon as Chad Billingsley takes the mound for the Dodgers against Jason Marquis. be with us tomorrow at 110PM as the Dodgers go for a series win.
good game tonight! GO BLUE!

punchless Dodgers take on Nationals in game 2

Dodgers lineup
Furcal6
Miles4
Ethier9
Kemp8
Rivera7
Loney3
Uribe5
Navarro2
Lilly1


Tom Gorzelany-2-6 vs. Ted "father time" Lilly-6-10


I wont even get into last night's awful fest. lets just say that Matt Guerrier sucks and move on. with the Trade rumors swirling, the Dodgers take on the Nationals for game two. the Dodgers are 13.5 games behind first place San Francisco, and are in last place. with the team sucking as bad as it is, the Dodgers are looking to get some prospects for next year, by possibly trading either Kuroda, Carroll, or Furcal, and a couple of other players are being shopped as well.

it is possible we might be able to get some decent prospects for Kuorda, and then resign him in the offseason, however I do believe that some Dodgers should be Dodgers forever, and Kuroda is one of those. it would be too painful to see Kuroda pitching for a different team. I just hope they dont do anything stupid. Im hoping they just keep Kuroda for the rest of the year, I would rather watch the Dodgers go 73-89 with Kuroda, then watch the team finish 65-97 without him., and believe me, if they have to patch the rotation with Ely, or Dana Eveland taking Kuroda's place, they WILL finish 65-97.

on to tonight's pitching matchups. former Cub Tom Gorzelany ( yeah we remember him) will take the mound for Washington. Gorzelany has put up similar numbers for Washington. he had to leave his last start early after injuring himself on a collision at home plate. he allowed four runs and seven hits, in his start before that. gorzelany is 2-6, and is 2-1 with a 5.16 ERA against the Dodgers.

the Dodgers will counter with Ted Lilly. the lefty is 6-10, and masterful at giving up homeruns. lets be real here, with Lilly on the mound, and the offense struggling to score runs, there is no way were winning tonight, but hey you never know right? Lilly has pitched well against Washington in the past though, a 4-3 record, and a 2.59 ERA with 50 strikeouts.

join us as we watch our beloved last place Dodgers take on the Nats at 710PM on PT. stay with us for the post game recap after the game. go blue!

Hairston & Nationals Slam It in Our Face

Dodgers  2 3 0
Nationals 7 9 2
WP- Lannan (7-6)
LP- Kuroda (6-12)
HR- Lannan (1), Hairston (4)

It's really quite amazing how a team like the Nationals who are now 3 games under .500 seem like a far superior team to the Dodgers. Even with two bumbling errors in one inning from their shortstop Ian Desmond, the Dodgers can't manage to score more than 2 runs which is their average offensive output for this month. Kuroda loses his 12th game, and you can't keep but think that all these trade rumors are getting into his head and stressing him out.

The Nationals score right away in the first inning. With 2 outs, Zimmerman singles and steals 2nd. Morse promptly doubles him home making it 1-0. Ethier singles in the bottom half of the inning but both Gwynn and Kemp whiff.

The League Knows They Can Steal On Our Catchers

In the 2nd, Desmond singles, and Lannan the pitcher, hits his first career homerun making it 3-0 Nationals. The Dodgers waste an opportunity when Rivera walks, Uribe hits into a force, Big Rod walks, but Carroll hits into a double play to end the inning.

Lannan Gets a W and a HR

In the 4th, Werthless ugly as ever with some sasquatch looking beard, singles. Nix walks. Ramos flies out allowing Werth to 3rd, but Nix is then caught stealing 2nd. Desmond draws a walk, and Lannan strikes out to end the threat. The Dodgers get some lucky breaks in the bottom of the 4th when Kemp walks, Rivera doubles, and Uribe's chopper draws an error on Desmond allowing both Kemp and Rivera to score, 3-2. Carroll hits a grounder to Desmond who hilariously tries to roll the ball to second base. I kid not, I've never seen that. Kuroda sac bunts Uribe to 3rd and Carroll to 2nd, but Gwynn grounds out to end the inning.

Both pitchers strike out 2 batters in the 5th and have 1-2-3 innings in the 5th and 6th.

In the 7th Kuroda walks Desmond and Lannan singles. He is pulled out and Elbert brought into pitch to Hairston who he gets to pop out on 6 pitches. Then Jansen comes in and strikes out Espinosa. Miles doubles to lead off the inning, and we ask ourselves why isn't he playing everyday instead of the useless Uribe? Burnett comes into relieve Lannan and Gwynn grounds out and Hit Machine strikes out.

Kuroda goes 6.1 innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts on 116 pitches.

Poor Hiro, Another Loss

Lannan goes 6.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts on 101 pitches.

Jansen continues his fire strike and blows away the side in the 8th getting Zimmerman, Morse, and Werth. Clippard sends the Dodgers down in order in the 8th.

In the 9th, Dougie is awful and promply serves up a meatball to Ankiel who doubles over Kemp's head. Ramos grounds Ankiel to 3rd, and then Desmond walks. Next pitcher is Kuo who walks Flores. Then Alpha Bum Guerrier comes in and does what he does best. Hairston grand slam. 7-2 Nationals. Storen strikes out Loney and Carroll and shuts the door on the Dodgers.

Things are really bad right now Dodger fans, there's no doubt about that. They can't hit. They can't pitch. Mattingly can't manage. Tomorrow, game #100 on the season, is a Lilly game at 7:10, and I'm not sure I can even stomach watching.

Go Blue:)

Hiro is Not Just a Commodity

Nationals @ Dodgers
7:10pm
Game 1

The Dodgers open a homestand hosting a series with the Washington Nationals amidst a last place position in the west and swirling trade rumors. Hiroki Kuroda (6-11, 3.13) will pitch for the Dodgers while stories are rampantly being run that he may be traded before the deadline this month. "This could be his last start as a Dodger..." they proclaim....didn't we hear this same thing last season around this time? Kuroda has a full no-trade clause in his contract, but I guess the Dodgers have discussed the trade possibility with him. I'm not sure why he's the focal point, and this attention to his commodity-like value must really put stress on his shoulders. Like I said before, of course other teams want him. If we are already going to lose a bunch of games this year, why trade him away for a couple of potential prospects when in all reality we could sign him to another deal for next year and have him when McCourt is hopefully gone and the team is refreshed. I just don't see how getting rid of one of our best starters and being left to plug in the hole with a lesser AAA pitcher will benefit the team. We have already lost Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla this year, so why further dilute the rotation?
Colletti had a meeting with Kuroda who claims doesn't want to trade Kuroda, but wanted to give him the opportunity to go to a winning team if he wanted. "I'm grateful that he took the time to talk to me," Kuroda said. "It was very thoughtful of him to speak to me directly instead of speaking to me through my agent."

Asked whether he would waive his no-trade clause, Kuroda said, "At this point, I don't know yet."

He said he didn't know what to make of his situation.

"I have very complicated feelings. I can't read the newspapers, so I don't really know what's happening," said Kuroda, who doesn't speak English.

Hiro Should Stay a Dodger

Hiro moved to the United States four years ago to play for the Dodgers. He has a career record of 34-41 with a 3.51 ERA in 102 games. Hiroki was born on February 10, 1975 in Osaka, Japan. Him and his wife, Masayo, have two daughters Hinatsu & Wakana.

 John Lannan (6-6, 3.62) is a lefty who will pitch for the Nationals. I guess he had recently got hit in the face with a line drive hit by Ty Wigginton in a game against the Rockies, but he's okay. Lannan is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA against the Dodgers in 3 starts.

Lineup:

Gwynn 7
Furcal 6
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Rivera 3
Uribe 5
Barajas 2
Carroll 4
Kuroda 1

With a lefty on the mound, Rivera will start at first base instead of Loney. Carroll is buried in the 8th spot again.

Go Blue:)

Pudjitos Bomb helps Kershaw win his 11th

Dodgers 1 5 3
Giants    0 3 1
WP-Kershaw-11-4
LP-Lincecum-8-8
SV-Guerra-6
HR-Navarro-3

the battle of the aces part 2, didnt dissapoint once again, with both pitchers locking horns the whole day. with the weak offenses, runs were at a premium.
the dodgers snapped a four game losing streak, and a 6 game losing streak against the Giants. until today the Dodgers had lost 9 of the last 11 games at AT&T park. the Dodgers would hang on and win 1-0 in front of another sellout crowd.
kershaw dominated today, as his star continues to shine bright for the Dodgers.
Kershaw went 8 allowing only 3 hits, and no runs, he walked only 1 and struck out a season high 12 giant batters.
Lincecum pitched well also, striking out 7 through 7 innings.

Kershaw improves to 11-4 on the year with a 2.72 ERA. he leads the majors with 167 strike outs, and picks up his third win against the Giants. today was the third time he has had 11 or more strike outs ina a game, and the 6th time with at least 10.
Dioner Navarro provided the only run of the game with a solo bomb into the water in the 7th.

Kershaw laid down the law against the giants.

here is the first of many times the Dodgers would strand a runner or runners in scoring position today throughout the game.
in the top of the first, gwynn singles, and advances to second on a rowand throwing error. Furcal strikes out, Ethier loops out to short, Gwynn steals third, for his 13th steal of the year, but Kemp flys out to end the inning.

The Giants would start out by getting a runner to third, in the first two innings, in large part due to two throwing errors by Navarro.
with 1 out, Fontenot walks, steals second, and takes third on a terrible throwing error by Navarro. Navarro a graduate of the school of terrible throwing of coarse.
however, Rowand and Ross strike out.

in the second, Burriss singles, and goes to third on another navarro throwing error, but hes left there as Crawford grounds out to end the frame.

the Dodgers leave two more runners in the third off of Lincecum.  Gwynn walks, Furcal singles, but with two outs, Ethier flys out.

Kershaw retires the side in order in the third, and Lincecum pitches around a rivera double in the fourth inning.

Kershaw rolls along and has a 123 5th inning.  with 1 out in the 6th, ethier doubles into the right field corner, but Kemp and Rivera both strike out.

Kershaw strikes out the side in the 6th, hes a K machine.
with the game still scoreless in the top of the 7th, Navarro attones for his errors earlier in the game.  while leading off the 7th, he hits a solo homer into the Mccovey Cove water in right field. its Navarro's third homerun this year. remember he had a go ahead homer one game, and a walk off hit in another.
this was the first time in 11 years, the dodgers have hit a homerun into the san francisco water. Todd Hundley was the last dodger to do it.

Pudjito goes splash, after hitting his solo homerun over the right field wall into the water.

with the Dodgers up 1-0, kershaw starts to roll. he pitches around a burriss single in the bottom of the 7th.
Lincecum starts the 8th by walking Furcal. Lopex relieves Lincecum, and walks Ethier. Sergio Romo (Blackbeard Jr.) A.K.A. Blackbeard's Mini-Me, comes in to strike out Kemp, Rivera, and retire Navarro on a fly ball.

Kershaw who is basically unhittable right now, pitches the 8th, and strikes out the side, to give him his 12 strikeouts, a season high. he retires, Scheirholtz, Torres, and Fontenot.

Casilla works the top of the 9th, and with 1 out, theres a walk to Carroll, Oetljen hits for Kershaw and Sacrifices, theres a wild pitch sending Carroll to third, but Gwynn flys out.

move along to the bottom of the 9th, with the Dodgers nursing a 1-0 lead, Javy (Ice Man) Guerra comes into close up shop. Sandoval who had the day off, comes off the bench to pinch hit, and flys out deep to right, Ross lines out to left, and Brandon Belt strikes out to end the game. no heart attack today Dodger fans. Kershaw picks up his 1th win, Guerra his 6th save, and the Dodgers snap a 4 game losing streak.
Kershaw is one of the best in baseball right now, and hes only getting better.  he is a pleasure to watch, a sure breath of fresh air during this awful year.

the Dodgers return home, tomorrow is an off day, and then they open a 9 game homstand on friday night against the Nationals. Hiroki Kuroda will take the mound on friday night for the Dodgers on a 710PM start time on PT. join us for friday night's recap. have a great day Dodger fans. GO BLUE!