Can Kuroda Ever Win Another Game?

Dodgers @ Angels
7:05pm
Game 1

Well here we are. Last place. 10 games back. 10 games under .500. The Dodgers have lost 5 of their last 7 games, and tonight are in Anaheim for more grueling defeat by the Angels. The Angels won 2 of 3 last week at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play 3 in Anaheim, then they will host the Mets for a 4 game series and the Padres for 3 games before the All-Star break.

Hiroki Kuroda (5-9, 3.10) will try for his elusive 6th win and his first win in over a month. Poor Hiroki has pitched well, but the offense just never helps him out. He's only allowed 7 runs in his last 5 starts. Tyler Chatwood (5-4, 3.64), the young righty, will go to the mound for the Angels. Hard throwing Chatwood is 3-0 against the NL, and has only allowed 2 earned runs in 21 innings of work. He's also decent with the bat, and is 2 for 3 at the plate.

Don Mattingly recently talked about how Kirby Puckett coined his nickname "Donnie Baseball" back in the 80's. Kirby was one of my favorite players growing up as a kid. Kirby played 12 seasons with the Twins and had a .318 career batting average, and 2,304 hits in 1,783 games. Kirby passed away in 2006 at the young age of 45 after a stroke.

Kirby Hits a HR in the 11th Inning of Game 6 of the 1991 World Series vs. Braves

Lineup:

Gwynn 7

Blake 5

Ethier 9

Kemp 8

Loney 3

Miles 4

Oeltjen DH

Ellis 2

Gordon 6

Oeltjen will get to DH tonight. Thank the lord Thames is not. 

Go Blue:)