Results tagged ‘ Andre Ethier ’
More Clutch Hitting From Ethier Salvages A Win In Brewers Series
For the 11th time in his short career and the 2nd time this season Ethier got the walk-off hit the Dodgers needed. This one was a grand slam to nearly dead center to put the Dodgers up 7-3 and prevent a sweep.
The Dodgers young pitcher Ely did a great job allowing just 1 run in just short of 7 innings. The trouble was a rusty Jon Broxton couldn’t get the save and finished the top of the 9th with the Brewers tied with LA 3-3 setting the stage for the bottom half heroics.
The Dodgers will have some folks returning soon. Weaver should be back tonight, Manny on Saturday, and Furcal back next week hopefully. These are three pretty important pieces of the team. Their absence is partially to blame for the Dodgers continued stay at the bottom of the division. They are 5.5 games behind the 17-11 Padres.
The Rockies will get into town today and start a 3 game series as the Dodgers close out their 10 game home stand. A series victory would put the Dodgers in around a 6-4 record on the stand which wouldn’t be bad at all. A sweep would secure a 7-3 road stand which would be pretty outstanding but at this point let’s hope the Dodgers go out tonight and win Game 1.
Ethier Jacks His 30th Home Run, 6th Walkoff Of The Year
An error looked to prove costly in the 13th for the Dodgers as a tired Casey Blake’s throw missed the target letting a runner on base that would eventually score to make it 4-3 Pirates. But can you believe it? Andre Ethier worked his walkoff magic for the 6th time this year jacking his 30th home run with Furcal on 1st.
I had a feeling the Dodgers would win this one before the first pitch but I just ended up feeling stupid for thinking that most of the game while the Dodgers caught just enough breaks to keep it interesting but could never get the lead.
So the Dodgers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat an incredible two times in this game. They did it once in the 9th when Ethier doubled to lead off the inning but were down to their last strike before Kemp’s clutch hit drove in Ethier to tie it. What seems like a day later Ethier was at it again.
Meanwhile, the Giants had already routed the Rockies for a 2nd day in a row and the Rockies losing streak was extended to 4 games. With the Dodgers victories last night and tonight that kept the Giants at 7.5 games while the Rockies went to meet them in the middle, a somewhat comfortable 5 games behind the Dodgers but just 2.5 over the Giants.
The Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 9-5 this month. The Dodgers real magic number is down to 12 with 16 games left to go, but here is my split prediction as it stands tonight:
Dodgers: 8-8 finishing 95-67
- Rockies: 14-2 (.875) to reach 96 wins: +12
- Giants: 17-0 (1.000) to reach 96 wins: +17
- Marlins: Elim (Need 19 wins with 17 left)
- Braves: Elim (Need 20 wins with 18 left)
- Cubs: Elim (Need 21 wins with 19 left)
Dodgers took what was a quick game to 9 innings and made it run so late that it’s almost a double header with the noon start to finish off the series. The Dodgers look for a sweep, their 3rd try for a sweep in 3 series having fallen the other 2 tries.
It was incredibly satisfying to stay up until 2:30 AM East Coast time to see this Dodgers victory. What an amazing game, what an amazing year. I love LA.
Dodgers Take 2 Of 3 From Reds While Giants Sweep Colorado
The Reds series for the Dodgers had lots of different facets. It had a heart breaker loss in Game 1 where the Dodgers left the bases loaded down just 2 runs in the 9th. It had a laugher, 1 sided Dodgers victory in Game 2 to even the series. Finally today it had a close pitchers duel in Game 3 that the Dodgers came out on top of after 12 innings to finish the series 2-1.
Meanwhile in San Francisco the Giants were busy paying back the Rockies for that 1-3 series the Rockies treated them to in Colorado last week. The Giants crushed the Rockies late in today’s game to get the sweep.
The Dodgers won 4 of the last 5 games while the Rockies were losing 5 straight and all of the sudden the Dodgers are right back in the comfort zone, 6 games ahead in the NL West.
The story for the Dodgers has been for the most part fantastic pitching. The Dodgers are averaging just 2.3 runs allowed per game over the last 10 and they won 7 of those 10. The bullpen hasn’t allowed a run in 21.1 innings stretching back 5 games. The last run allowed was the walkoff single the Rockies hit in the 10th inning 6 games ago.
The Dodgers hitting is starting to wake up a little too, though. Manny seems to have more good games now than bad while James Loney and Furcal have started to make things happen in a big way as well. Combine that with Kemp and Loney who never seem to slump lately and the Dodgers may just run away with the division after all.
Today’s game ended one of the more successful road trips in a while for the Dodgers having won 4 of 6. They head home to face the D-backs for 4 games and will try to get some revenge for the D-backs taking 2 of 3 last time they the two met.
The once hard charging Rockies have now lost 5 in a row and find themselves back in a tie for the Wildcard instead of looking at taking over the division lead from the Dodgers who they once trailed by only 2 games. The Dodgers will try to get a win tomorrow and finish the month of August with a 15-14 record.
King Of The Walkoff, Ethier Slams Huge 3 Run Shot
“From the looks of things, and from the sounds of things, the crowd is not disappointed that they won’t see Manny Ramirez.”
-Vin Scully (August 6, 2009 after Ethier’s 3 run walkoff homer with Manny on-deck)
It looked like one of those games for Randy Wolf again against Atlanta. He pitched decent and went deep into the game but was always in a jam and allowed 4 runs overall. Former Dodger Derek Lowe seemed to catch a few breaks when it mattered but the Dodgers scraped out 2 runs none the less. Both pitchers went into the 7th but when it came down to the bullpens Lowe was in line for his 2nd win against his former team.
All through this game I kept thinking about the poll on the side of this page asking which former Dodgers player fans missed the most. Derek Lowe is leading by a long shot and I have to say I miss him too. I keep picturing Lowe in the Dodgers lineup instead of Schmidt and I would like to think the front office is kicking themselves for not doing whatever they needed to do to keep Lowe in town.
After chasing Lowe and facing the bullpen the Dodgers missed chance after chance to tie the game in the 7th and 8th and it looked like the game was headed for a sad end. In the 9th though they didn’t even need an out to get the win. Back to back singles by Pierre and Furcal set the table for Ethier who’s homer made him the true king of the walkoff this year. This was his 3rd walkoff homer and his 5th overall walkoff at-bat this season.
Coincidentally Etheir hit the hard half of a cycle but wasn’t quite hot enough at the plate tonight to get the double and single that would have completed it. Still, his triple early in the game would end up being as important as his walkoff homer.
So the Dodgers squared their record to 5-5 over the last 10 games and 11-9 over the last 20. They added on to their lead for the first time in long time it seems, gaining 1 game on Colorado and a half game on the idle Giants. They sit atop the West now 6.5 games over the Giants again and 7.0 games over the Rockies.
For pride’s sake the Dodgers maintained their most wins record in baseball with the come from behind victory, just 1 game ahead of the Yankees who are sporting a 4 game winning streak. This was the Dodgers 21st 1-run win of the season, the best in baseball as well.
The Dodgers have bounced back from losing 4 in a row to win 5 of their next 8. This win brings the Dodgers back up to a .500 record in August with them going 3-3 so far. The Giants are 4-1 and the Rockies are 3-2. The Dodgers will roll out their 2, 3, 4 starting pitchers in the next 3 games of this 4 game series so they have a pretty good chance of splitting or even winning the series 3-1.
Dodgers Sweep The Reds On Manny’s Grand Slam
Reds 2 – Dodgers 6 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Manny was out of the lineup on his bobble head night. Disappointing? Yes, but at least he wasn’t still suspended. None of that mattered in the end though. With the bases loaded Manny hammered the first pitch of his pinch hit at bat straight into Mannywood to make it 6-2. The sellout crowd could not believe it and Manny was forced to do two different curtain calls because of all the excitement.
Chad Billingsley kept the Dodgers in the game through 6 despite giving up the tie runner on a wild pitch in the end before Manny’s big at bat. He finally got to the 10 win mark after reaching 9 pretty quickly and then stalling out over the last handful of starts.
Andre Ethier tied his season high in homers with his 20th shot tonight in the 1st inning. Ethier has plenty of time left to add to a new personal best.
The Dodgers have now won 12 straight in LA against the Reds and extended their current winning streak to 5 games in a row. They are 27 games above .500 with their majors leading 61-34 record. They have swept 7 series now so far this year and this wrapped up their 19th series victory of the season.
Colorado won today but San Francisco lost again. That keeps the 2nd place Rockies at 9 games back while the Giants fell back to 10.5 games. The Dodgers get tomorrow off while the Giants finish up the ATL series. The Rockies are off too before they play the Giants starting on Friday.
Dodgers Leave A Dozen, Lose 1 Run Game
Dodgers 4 – Mets 5 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
It’s become all too common lately to see the Dodgers strand a bunch and lose a close game. The Dodgers struck first and last but an unearned run on a Dodgers error ended up being the difference in the game.
The bullpen was good again though so there’s that at least. Practically all the hits and runs came against starter Kuroda who has been knocked around by the Mets in the past as well. The Mets starter Perez didn’t have his best stuff and the Dodgers did a good job working the count and getting him out in the 5th but they couldn’t catch up to the 1-5 deficit Kuroda left them in.
Several Dodgers struggled all night including Hudson, Manny, and Ethier. That killed the offense each time one of these guys came up. Manny finally hit a home run in the 9th leading off and it looked like the Dodgers were going to rally. It’s frustrating watching the Dodgers get 9 hits, 9 walks, leave 12 men on base, but go 2-11 with RISP lose by 1 run with the tie run on 2nd in the 9th because of a double play. Oh well, I guess.
The Dodgers send out Wolf to face the Mets’ Hernandez. Wolf should be the favorite to win the rubber match but if the Dodgers can’t cash in run opportunities then it gets hard to win. The Dodgers have lost the last 5 middle games but they’ve been pretty good in rubber match situations, winning 5 of the last 7 series because of that.
13th Inning Is Unlucky For Rockies, Dodgers Walkoff on Ethier Homer
Rockies 2 – Dodgers 4 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Apparently the Dodgers can only win lately when Ethier gets a home run. The Dodgers bullpen threw 7 scoreless innings and Ethier finally closed it with a 2 run shot in the 13th.
Randy Wolf looked good through 4 until he gave up a 2 run homer to the Rockies. A key crossup in that same inning between the batter Randy Wolf and the Rockies pitcher lead to a balk call which put 2 men in scoring position only to be driven in right after on a clutch hit by Wolf. Randy Wolf got an no-decision of course. What else would he get?
If it wasn’t for the fabulous Dodgers bullpen pitching out of several jams and shutting down the Rockies through 7 innings the Dodgers might have gone home feeling pretty stupid. The Dodgers were 1-9 with RISP and stranded 10 baserunners.
Pierre and Ethier had most of the hits between them. The 3 players between them in the lineup formed a trouble spot though. The Dodgers had chances to win the game in every inning from the 9th on practically but Furcal, Hudson, and Blake were a combined 0-15 in the game until Blake got a 13th inning hit.
Still, the Dodgers got the job done in fine fashion and they kept two streaks alive. They haven’t lost more than 2 in a row all year and they haven’t lost more than 5 games of any 10 game stretch. Also of note is the fact that the Dodgers have the best record in baseball in both 1 run games (16-8) and in extra innings (7-2). This is all about the bullpen and we can thank them for yet another fine performance.
The Giants pounded the Cardinals with their bats while Lincecum baffled them with his pitching. They won the game 10-0 and the Dodgers win kept pace with them to keep them 7 games back. The Dodgers win over the Rockies puts them 8.5 games back.
Ethier’s 3 Homers Blast Dodgers To Win In Game 1 Against Mariners
Mariners 2 – Dodgers 8 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Matt Kemp went 3 for 4 with a triple and 1 run scored, but no RBIs. It’s pretty hard to knock in runs when the guy batting before you hits 3 home runs in the game. That’s exactly what Ethier did with a 3 run, 2 run, and solo home run in the game for 6 RBI on the night. Those 6 runs were the difference in the game and the Dodgers keep their 2 game losing streak record intact with the win.
Kershaw had a 2nd good performance in a row allowing just 2 runs to score separately in different innings. His scoreless inning streak stretched to the 4th before he gave up a single run.
Dodgers fans have to ask themselves when the last time they saw the Dodgers winning a game that wasn’t down to the wire. I took a look and you have to go back to May 31 against the Cubs when the Dodgers won 8-2 in Chicago. In the 12 games won between May 31 and June 26 the Dodgers topped the other team by 3 runs twice, by 2 runs 4 times, and by 1 run 6 times. So thanks to Ethier the Dodgers had a more relaxed evening with very little pressure by the Mariners.
Meanwhile in the West the Giants lost to the Brewers, the Rockies beat the A’s, and Arizona and San Diego both lost again. The Dodgers moved back up a whole game to make their 48-26 record lead the 2nd place Giants by 8 games and the 3rd place Rockies by 9.5 games.
Tomorrow the Dodgers send out Eric Milton to try and prove himself as the Dodgers 5th starter. It could be a rough game though as the Dodgers will face off against the Mariner’s best pitcher, Hernandez.
Jeff Weaver Wins Battle Of Weavers, Dodgers Tie Angels Series
Dodgers 6-Angels 4 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
The exciting matchup between the Weaver brothers was proclaimed a dud by ESPN and other news sources but you won’t see many Dodgers fans feeling that way. The Dodgers Jeff Weaver topped his little brother with pretty good pitching and Dodgers bats backed him through the process.
Russell Martin hit his first home run of the year, a long time coming. Ethier’s 2 run triple ended up being the difference in the game. Jon Broxton was back from the toe injury that sidelined him for a few games. He started out shaky but got a couple of outs. He allowed the first home run of the year so far but it only cut the Dodgers lead in half and he was able to get the 3rd out and the save.
So now for the 3rd time in as many series, game 3 will be a rubber match to determine who gets the win. The Dodgers have a pretty good chance of coming out on top like they did against the Rangers and the Athletics. The Angel’s Lackey is not exactly their hottest pitcher but Kershaw hasn’t been all that good of late either. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
The Dodgers bring their record up to 45 wins and 24 losses, again tipping above 20 games over .500 and trying to stay there longer this time.
Elsewhere around the league the Giants walked off in extras on a wild pitch to win their 2nd straight and keep pace with the Dodgers. The Rockies stay red hot with Jim Tracy at the helm. They won their 4th in a row and their 15th out of the last 16 games. For the past few weeks the Dodgers have been keeping an eye on the Giants to see if they can widen that gap. It’s past time to start keeping an eye on the Rockies who trail the Giants just 1 1/2 games now. Both the Giants and Rockies are both well above .500 now.
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