pro Dodgers only thread

[ticklingfeet4fu]

I saw probably the most memorable games of all-time. The Dodgers came up in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 9-5. Jeff Kent came up and hit a solo homerun on a 1-0 pitch. That made the score 9-6. That homerun was off of Adkins. Adkins fell behind J.D Drew 2-1 and then Drew crush a no doubt about it homerun. Russell Martin hit the first pitch he saw from Trevor Hoffman for a homerun and then Marlon Anderson finished off the comeback with his 2nd homerun of the game on the first pitch he saw from Hoffman. The 4 straight homeruns by the Dodgers was only the 4th time in baseball history that that was done. It was done by the Milwaukee Braves, the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians. Then the game went to the tenth inning where the Padres scored to make the score 10-9. Rudy Seanez came on in the bottom of the tenth to try and save it. He walked Kenny Lofton to lead it off and then Nomar Garciaparra hit a walkoff game-winning two run homerun to lead the Dodgers to an 11-10 victory. More importantly, it leapfrogged the Dodgers back over the Padres and into first place by a half game over the Padres. What a game. Dodgers win 11-10. Here is how the game looked in the boxscore:

LA Dodgers 11, San Diego 10, 10 innings

Preview - Box Score - Recap


(78-71)
Final 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E

San Diego 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 10 15 0

LA Dodgers 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 2 11 19 2


WP: A. Sele (8-6)
LP: R. Seanez (1-2)


(79-71)



Box Score Play by Play


Scoring Summary
Top 1st: San Diego
- M. Piazza doubled to deep center, A. Gonzalez scored

- M. Cameron tripled to deep right, M. Piazza and R. Branyan scored

- G. Blum singled to right, M. Cameron scored


Bot 1st: LA Dodgers
- J. Kent doubled to deep center, R. Furcal scored


Bot 2nd: LA Dodgers
- M. Anderson homered to deep right


Bot 3rd: LA Dodgers
- R. Furcal homered to deep center

- J.D. Drew ground rule double to deep left, J. Kent scored


Top 8th: San Diego
- J. Barfield doubled to deep right center, G. Blum scored, J. Barfield to third advancing on throw

- T. Walker singled to center, J. Barfield scored


Bot 8th: LA Dodgers
- W. Betemit singled to center, M. Anderson scored


Top 9th: San Diego
- A. Gonzalez scored, J. Bard to third, M. Cameron to second on wild pitch

- G. Blum hit sacrifice fly to center, J. Bard scored, M. Cameron to third

- J. Barfield singled to right, M. Cameron scored


Bot 9th: LA Dodgers
- J. Kent homered to deep center

- J.D. Drew homered to deep right

- R. Martin homered to deep left

- M. Anderson homered to deep right


Top 10th: San Diego
- J. Bard singled to right, B. Giles scored, A. Gonzalez to third


Bot 10th: LA Dodgers
- N. Garciaparra homered to deep left, K. Lofton scored


San Diego
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Season Avg
D. Roberts lf 6 0 0 0 0 4 2 .297
B. Giles rf 6 1 2 0 0 1 1 .270
A. Gonzalez 1b 4 2 3 0 1 1 1 .296
M. Piazza c 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 .278
K. Greene pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
M. Alexander 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
P. McAnulty ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250
R. Seanez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R. Branyan 3b 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 .311
J. Bard ph-c 3 1 2 1 0 0 2 .322
M. Cameron cf 4 2 2 2 2 0 3 .266
G. Blum ss 4 1 2 2 1 0 3 .260
J. Barfield 2b 5 1 2 2 0 1 2 .282
J. Peavy p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .179
T. Sledge ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
A. Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C. Meredith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T. Walker ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .285
S. Linebrink p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Cust ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333
J. Adkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T. Hoffman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Bellhorn 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .190
Totals 41 10 15 9 8 9 18

Batting
2B - M Piazza (17, B Penny); G Blum (16, B Tomko); J Barfield (31, J Broxton); J Bard (16, T Saito); B Giles (32, A Sele).

3B - M Cameron (8, B Penny).

S - A Gonzalez , M Alexander.

SF - G Blum.

RBI - M Piazza (65), M Cameron 2 (69), G Blum 2 (30), J Barfield 2 (55), T Walker (52), J Bard (35).

2-out RBI - M Piazza, M Cameron 2, G Blum, J Barfield, J Bard.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cameron 2, D Roberts 1, G Blum 2, B Giles 1.

GIDP - J Bard.

Team LOB - 12.
Base Running
SB - T Walker (2, 2nd base off J Broxton/R Martin).

CS - M Cameron (9, 2nd base by B Penny/R Martin), J Barfield (5, 2nd base by B Penny/R Martin).
Fielding
DP - 2 (G Blum-J Barfield-A Gonzalez, C Meredith-M Piazza-A Gonzalez).


LA Dodgers
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Season Avg
R. Furcal ss 6 2 2 1 0 0 3 .297
K. Lofton cf 5 1 2 0 1 2 3 .302
N. Garciaparra 1b 6 1 2 2 0 1 3 .305
J. Kent 2b 5 2 4 2 0 0 1 .288
J.D. Drew rf 4 1 2 2 1 1 2 .276
R. Martin c 5 1 1 1 0 0 4 .286
M. Anderson lf 5 3 5 2 0 0 0 .295
W. Betemit 3b 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 .267
J. Lugo pr-3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .225
B. Penny p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .188
B. Tomko p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .120
O. Robles ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .172
J. Beimel p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Broxton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
O. Saenz ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .287
T. Saito p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A. Ethier ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
A. Sele p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .192
Totals 44 11 19 11 3 7 19

Batting
2B - J Kent 2 (25, J Peavy 2); J Drew (30, J Peavy); N Garciaparra (30, J Peavy); K Lofton (15, S Linebrink).

3B - M Anderson (3, S Linebrink).

HR - M Anderson 2 (9, 2nd inning off J Peavy 0 on, 1 Out, 9th inning off T Hoffman 0 on, 0 Out), R Furcal (14, 3rd inning off J Peavy 0 on, 0 Out), J Kent (14, 9th inning off J Adkins 0 on, 0 Out), J Drew (17, 9th inning off J Adkins 0 on, 0 Out), R Martin (10, 9th inning off T Hoffman 0 on, 0 Out), N Garciaparra (18, 10th inning off R Seanez 1 on, 0 Out).

S - O Robles.

RBI - J Kent 2 (67), M Anderson 2 (30), R Furcal (60), J Drew 2 (88), W Betemit (48), R Martin (59), N Garciaparra 2 (84).

2-out RBI - J Kent, J Drew.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - N Garciaparra 2, J Drew 1, R Furcal 1, R Martin 2.

GIDP - N Garciaparra, K Lofton.

Team LOB - 10.
Base Running
SB - M Anderson (4, 2nd base off J Peavy/M Piazza).
Fielding
E - R Furcal (25, throw); W Betemit (11, ground ball).

DP - 1 (W Betemit-J Kent-N Garciaparra).


San Diego
IP H R ER BB K HR Season ERA
J. Peavy 5.0 9 4 4 1 5 2 4.25
A. Embree 0.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.44
C. Meredith 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.82
S. Linebrink (H, 30) 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 3.67
J. Adkins 0.0 2 2 2 0 0 2 3.51
T. Hoffman (BS, 5) 1.0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2.09
R. Seanez (L, 1-2; BS, 1) 0.0 1 2 2 1 0 1 8.31

LA Dodgers
IP H R ER BB K HR Season ERA
B. Penny 5.0 7 4 4 3 6 0 4.13
B. Tomko 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4.96
J. Beimel 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.08
J. Broxton 1.0 2 2 2 1 1 0 2.83
T. Saito 1.0 3 3 3 1 0 0 2.28
A. Sele (W, 8-6) 1.0 2 1 1 2 0 0 4.40


WP - J Broxton, T Saito.

IBB - J Drew (by J Peavy), M Piazza (by J Beimel), M Cameron (by T Saito), A Gonzalez (by A Sele).

Pitches-strikes - J Peavy 93-59; A Embree 14-9; C Meredith 18-12; S Linebrink 23-18; J Adkins 6-3; T Hoffman 11-9; R Seanez 11-4; B Penny 109-67; B Tomko 13-8; J Beimel 13-6; J Broxton 22-11; T Saito 20-13; A Sele 23-12.

Ground balls-fly balls - J Peavy 7-3; A Embree 1-0; C Meredith 5-1; S Linebrink 0-1; J Adkins 0-0; T Hoffman 0-3; R Seanez 0-0; B Penny 2-5; B Tomko 1-0; J Beimel 3-0; J Broxton 0-2; T Saito 2-1; A Sele 0-3.

Batters faced - J Peavy 24; A Embree 3; C Meredith 6; S Linebrink 6; J Adkins 2; T Hoffman 5; R Seanez 2; B Penny 24; B Tomko 4; J Beimel 4; J Broxton 6; T Saito 7; A Sele 7.

Game Details
Umpires: HP--Gary Cederstrom. 1B--Jim Reynolds. 2B--Kerwin Danley. 3B--Tim Welke.
Time: 3:53.
Attendance: 55,831.
Weather: 80 degrees, clear.
Wind: 4 mph, out to right.


Game Notes

THE HOME RUNS BY LOS ANGELES' JEFF KENT AND J.D. DREW IN THE NINTH INNING WERE HIT BACK-TO-BACK.

THE HOME RUNS BY LOS ANGELES' JEFF KENT, J.D. DREW, RUSSELL MARTIN AND MARLON ANDERSON IN THE NINTH INNING WERE HIT BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK.

 

[milagros317]

Monday's game: Dodgers 11, Pondscum 10

4 Consectutive HR's in the 9th, Walk-off HR by Garciaparra in the 10th Brings Vcitory to the Dodgers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heads were shaking in both clubhouses. Nobody could believe what they had just seen.

And no wonder -- what they saw hadn't happened since 1964.

Los Angeles hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the 10th lifted the Dodgers to an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night and back into first place in the NL West.

"That was the greatest game I've ever seen. I've never seen anything like that," Dodgers reliever Brett Tomko said.

"It was a great baseball game -- two good teams going at it. They got the last big hit," said Brian Giles, who scored in the top of the 10th to give the Pondscum a short-lived 10-9 lead.

After Los Angeles tied it in the ninth with four straight homers -- just the fourth time that's happened in an inning in major league history -- the Pondscum went ahead on Giles' double and Josh Bard's two-out, single off Aaron Sele (8-6).

But Rudy Seanez (1-2) walked Kenny Lofton to begin the bottom half, and Garciaparra followed by hitting his 18th homer deep into the left field pavilion.

The capacity crowd of 55,831 at Dodger Stadium stood and cheered for several minutes afterward.

Garciaparra had to talk his way back into the lineup after not starting two games because of a strained left quad. Manager Grady Little relented.

"I wanted to play. I was telling Grady: 'Let me play, let me play,'" Garciaparra said. "I'm glad I was in the lineup. But you know what won that game? It was that ninth inning. No one was giving up."

Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew opened the ninth with homers off San Diego's Jon Adkins. Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson then went deep on the first two pitches thrown by Trevor Hoffman, who entered with 475 career saves -- three shy of Lee Smith's major league record.

The last time a team hit four consecutive homers was on May 2, 1964, when the Minnesota Twins accomplished the feat against Kansas City in the 11th inning.

Anderson, acquired by the Dodgers from the Washington Nationals on Aug. 31, had a career-high five hits, and Kent had four as Los Angeles moved a half-game ahead of the Padres.

"I can't explain it. It's absolutely the most wonderful night of my career, for sure," Anderson said. "And to be able to do it on this stage -- in a pennant race -- it was awesome. The guys pulled together and stuck together. That was absolutely the most wonderful game I've ever seen in my life at any level."

Fans who had left the game and were in the parking lot starting streaming back into the ballpark during the long-ball display.

The Pondscum took a 9-5 lead in the top of the ninth by scoring three runs off Takashi Saito on a wild pitch, Geoff Blum's sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Josh Barfield.

Then came the stunning bottom of the ninth.

"You wouldn't expect anything different the way this division has gone the last couple of years," Giles said. "There are a lot of ups and downs in this game. This is going to go down to the wire. It would be nice if both of us got in the playoffs."

The Pondscum have a 1½-game lead over Philadelphia in the wild-card race.

Hoffman said he didn't remember giving up homers on back-to-back pitches.

"Marlon's been in a groove," Hoffman said. "You've got to tip your cap. It was just a pretty impressive ballgame on both sides of the field."

Hoffman would have started the ninth had the Padres not scored three times to take a four-run lead, which took him out of a save situation.

"It's something we've been done for the last 13 or 14 years. I prepare to go in there when there are two guys on. Unfortunately, there were two guys in," he said with a smile.

The Pondscum snapped a 4-4 tie in the eighth against Jonathan Broxton on a run-scoring double by Barfield and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Todd Walker.

The Dodgers made it 6-5 in the bottom of the inning when Anderson tripled and scored on a single by Wilson Betemit. Scott Linebrink struck out Garciaparra with runners at second and third to end the inning.

The Pondscum took a 4-0 lead in the first after Brad Penny retired the first two batters. Adrian Gonzalez singled and scored on Mike Piazza's double. After Russell Branyan drew a walk, Mike Cameron hit a two-run triple and Blum followed with an RBI single.

The Dodgers battled back against Jake Peavy to tie it on Jeff Kent's RBI double in the first, solo homers by Anderson in the second and Rafael Furcal in the third, and back-to-back doubles by Kent and Drew later in the third.

Penny was lifted after allowing seven hits and four runs in five innings. He walked three and struck out six. Peavy was also taken out after five innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out five.

😀 😀


Elias Says

With apologies to Jack Buck, we don't believe what we just saw at Dodger Stadium. Three other teams had hit four straight home runs in one inning, all of them in a four-year span. The Milwaukee Braves did it in the seventh inning at Cincinnati on June 8, 1961 (Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock, Frank Thomas), the Indians did it in the sixth inning against the Angels on July 31, 1963 (Woodie Held, Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona and Larry Brown) and the Twins did it in the 11th inning at Kansas City on May 2, 1964 (Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall and Harmon Killebrew).

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Monday's game: Dodgers 11, Pondscum 10

4 Consectutive HR's in the 9th, Walk-off HR by Garciaparra in the 10th Brings Vcitory to the Dodgers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heads were shaking in both clubhouses. Nobody could believe what they had just seen.

And no wonder -- what they saw hadn't happened since 1964.

Los Angeles hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the 10th lifted the Dodgers to an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night and back into first place in the NL West.

"That was the greatest game I've ever seen. I've never seen anything like that," Dodgers reliever Brett Tomko said.

"It was a great baseball game -- two good teams going at it. They got the last big hit," said Brian Giles, who scored in the top of the 10th to give the Pondscum a short-lived 10-9 lead.

After Los Angeles tied it in the ninth with four straight homers -- just the fourth time that's happened in an inning in major league history -- the Pondscum went ahead on Giles' double and Josh Bard's two-out, single off Aaron Sele (8-6).

But Rudy Seanez (1-2) walked Kenny Lofton to begin the bottom half, and Garciaparra followed by hitting his 18th homer deep into the left field pavilion.

The capacity crowd of 55,831 at Dodger Stadium stood and cheered for several minutes afterward.

Garciaparra had to talk his way back into the lineup after not starting two games because of a strained left quad. Manager Grady Little relented.

"I wanted to play. I was telling Grady: 'Let me play, let me play,'" Garciaparra said. "I'm glad I was in the lineup. But you know what won that game? It was that ninth inning. No one was giving up."

Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew opened the ninth with homers off San Diego's Jon Adkins. Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson then went deep on the first two pitches thrown by Trevor Hoffman, who entered with 475 career saves -- three shy of Lee Smith's major league record.

The last time a team hit four consecutive homers was on May 2, 1964, when the Minnesota Twins accomplished the feat against Kansas City in the 11th inning.

Anderson, acquired by the Dodgers from the Washington Nationals on Aug. 31, had a career-high five hits, and Kent had four as Los Angeles moved a half-game ahead of the Padres.

"I can't explain it. It's absolutely the most wonderful night of my career, for sure," Anderson said. "And to be able to do it on this stage -- in a pennant race -- it was awesome. The guys pulled together and stuck together. That was absolutely the most wonderful game I've ever seen in my life at any level."

Fans who had left the game and were in the parking lot starting streaming back into the ballpark during the long-ball display.

The Pondscum took a 9-5 lead in the top of the ninth by scoring three runs off Takashi Saito on a wild pitch, Geoff Blum's sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Josh Barfield.

Then came the stunning bottom of the ninth.

"You wouldn't expect anything different the way this division has gone the last couple of years," Giles said. "There are a lot of ups and downs in this game. This is going to go down to the wire. It would be nice if both of us got in the playoffs."

The Pondscum have a 1½-game lead over Philadelphia in the wild-card race.

Hoffman said he didn't remember giving up homers on back-to-back pitches.

"Marlon's been in a groove," Hoffman said. "You've got to tip your cap. It was just a pretty impressive ballgame on both sides of the field."

Hoffman would have started the ninth had the Padres not scored three times to take a four-run lead, which took him out of a save situation.

"It's something we've been done for the last 13 or 14 years. I prepare to go in there when there are two guys on. Unfortunately, there were two guys in," he said with a smile.

The Pondscum snapped a 4-4 tie in the eighth against Jonathan Broxton on a run-scoring double by Barfield and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Todd Walker.

The Dodgers made it 6-5 in the bottom of the inning when Anderson tripled and scored on a single by Wilson Betemit. Scott Linebrink struck out Garciaparra with runners at second and third to end the inning.

The Pondscum took a 4-0 lead in the first after Brad Penny retired the first two batters. Adrian Gonzalez singled and scored on Mike Piazza's double. After Russell Branyan drew a walk, Mike Cameron hit a two-run triple and Blum followed with an RBI single.

The Dodgers battled back against Jake Peavy to tie it on Jeff Kent's RBI double in the first, solo homers by Anderson in the second and Rafael Furcal in the third, and back-to-back doubles by Kent and Drew later in the third.

Penny was lifted after allowing seven hits and four runs in five innings. He walked three and struck out six. Peavy was also taken out after five innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out five.

😀 😀


Elias Says

With apologies to Jack Buck, we don't believe what we just saw at Dodger Stadium. Three other teams had hit four straight home runs in one inning, all of them in a four-year span. The Milwaukee Braves did it in the seventh inning at Cincinnati on June 8, 1961 (Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock, Frank Thomas), the Indians did it in the sixth inning against the Angels on July 31, 1963 (Woodie Held, Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona and Larry Brown) and the Twins did it in the 11th inning at Kansas City on May 2, 1964 (Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall and Harmon Killebrew).

I like the way I recapped the game better. Especially since I saw the game live. Also they are still the Padres. Not the name you call them. 🙁

 

[milagros317]

I don't stay up late enough to see their night games on the west coast live. So I only saw the video highlights on the Dodgers' own website and read accounts of the game. I wish I had seen it live.

The San Diego team will always be that other name to me, just as the SF team will always be the hated jints. 😀

 

[milagros317]

Thursday's game: Dodgers 5, Pirates 2

Dodgers Get a Much Needed Win and Set the Franchise Attnedence Marik
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olmedo Saenz was one of Jim Tracy's favorite players when he managed the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tracy is running the Pittsburgh Pirates now, but his affection for Saenz hasn't changed.

Saenz hit a two-run homer, Marlon Anderson drove in a run with a suicide squeeze bunt, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pirates 5-2 Thursday night -- avoiding what would have been a crushing three-game sweep with nine games left in the regular season.

"It's not a coincidence when you look over the course of this guy's career that the teams he's played for have found themselves in situations like the Dodgers are in -- with a chance to play in the postseason," Tracy said of Saenz.

The victory gave the Dodgers a half-game lead over idle Philadelphia in the wild-card race and kept them a half-game back of NL West-leading San Diego, which beat Arizona 3-1. The Pirates next three games are at San Diego, while the Dodgers host the Diamondbacks.

"At this stage of the season, it looks big," Saenz said of his 11th home run. "But every RBI and every win that we get means a lot. There's no room right now for a loss. You've got to come out and play your best because it's do or die. Nobody's going to give you anything. You've got to earn it."

With Nomar Garciaparra out of the starting lineup for precautionary reasons to rest his sore left quad, Saenz started at first base and gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the first. He drove an 0-1 pitch deep into the pavilion seats in left-center after a leadoff single by Rafael Furcal.

Saenz is 22-for-47 lifetime against the Pirates with six home runs. He was 8-for-14 with two homers and seven RBI during the Dodgers' four-game series at Pittsburgh in mid-April.

"He's a professional player, he's a professional person, and he's a winner," Tracy said. "He's at his best in a lesser role, when you don't have to overuse him. He's a damaging player on your bench against left-handed pitching, and his numbers will bear that out."

Rookie Chad Billingsley (6-4) allowed two runs and six hits over five innings. In his previous start last Saturday, he lasted only one inning and gave up three runs in an 11-2 loss to the Padres.

"He had confidence in his stuff, and you could tell," catcher Russell Martin said. "He was really aggressive and he just pounded the strike zone. He had a sharp breaking ball tonight and had better command of his fastball and his cutter."

Pirates left-hander Shane Youman (0-2) was charged with three runs, three hits and four walks over 4 1/3 innings in his second major league start. Youman filled in for Paul Maholm, who had soreness in his rotator cuff.

"He did a fine job," Tracy said. "But he obviously left a pitch up and out over the plate to Olmedo Saenz. And when you're a left-handed pitcher and you do that to Olmedo Saenz, it's going to be a real loud noise."

Youman departed with runners at the corners and one out in the fifth. Josh Sharpless struck out Saenz on a nasty breaking ball that tailed way out of the strike zone, but walked Jeff Kent on a 3-2 count and walked J.D. Drew on four pitches to force home Furcal and put the Dodgers ahead 3-2.

The Dodgers got a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on Martin's RBI single, followed by a suicide squeeze bunt by Anderson that scored Drew.

"I'm glad I got it," Anderson said of the squeeze sign. "We talked about it before I left the dugout. If the opportunity came, just be aware. That extra run was a big run late in the game like that. It doesn't have to be pretty. But as long as the job gets done, we're OK."

Takashi Saito got three outs for his 20th save in 22 chances.

The Pirates tied it at 2 on RBI singles by Freddy Sanchez in the third inning and Youman in the fifth, the rookie's second hit of the game and first RBI in the majors.

Sanchez was 2-for-4, increasing his NL-leading average to .347 -- nine points ahead of Florida's Miguel Cabrera, who has missed the Marlins' last two games because of a strained left shoulder. If Sanchez maintains his lead, he'll become the first Pittsburgh player to win a batting crown since Bill Madlock in 1983.

"They don't have a big payroll, but they've got a lot of guys who know how to play baseball and they bust their tail every night," Anderson said. "Every time I face them, it's the same thing."

Game notes
The crowd of 48,567 increased the Dodgers home attendance to 3,614,942 -- breaking the franchise record with three games to spare. The 1982 club drew 3,608,881.

 

[milagros317]

Friday's game: Dodgers 2, Dickheads 0

Lowe Pitches 7 Shutout Innings in Dodger Victory
-------------------------------------------------

Derek Lowe seemed to be the only one who didn't think he pitched well.

"It was beyond a struggle, a game that I had to try to figure out how to get through it," Lowe said Friday night after throwing seven effective innings for Los Angeles in a 2-0 win over Arizona that kept the Dodgers a half-game behind NL West leader San Diego.

Los Angeles catcher Russell Martin thought Lowe, who scattered five hits, walked three and struck out three, pitched great.

"He was a little fatigued, I think. But sometimes he's maybe a little too active out there, so maybe it kept him calm," Martin said, smiling.

Dodgers manager Grady Little appreciated Lowe's performance, whether it was a struggle or not.

"It certainly came at a great time for us as a ballclub, and for Derek. As little as he likes to let on, he's an outstanding athlete and has got ice water in his veins," Little said.

Dickheads manager Bob Melvin certainly didn't notice if Lowe was having an off night.

"He kept us off-balance enough with his breaking ball and a couple of changeups, but he's got a sinker going that starts out at the knees and goes to the bottom of the knee and below," Melvin said.

J.D. Drew broke a scoreless tie with a leadoff homer in the seventh. Russell and Marlon Anderson hit consecutive doubles two outs later to make it 2-0.

The victory kept the Dodgers a half-game in front of Philadelphia for the wild card. The Padres defeated Pittsburgh 6-2, and Philadelphia beat Florida 5-2.

Drew led off the seventh with his 19th homer, driving Claudio Vargas' 0-1 pitch into the pavilion seats in right-center. That made him 8-for-23 lifetime against the right-hander with five homers and 10 RBI.

Two outs later, Martin doubled and Anderson doubled him home while pinch-hitting for Lowe (15-8), chasing Vargas after 105 pitches.

"I felt good out there and used all my pitches. I just missed on one pitch up and over the middle of the plate and it was a home run," Vargas said. "Drew's hit me good in my career, but he's a good hitter anyway."

Vargas (11-10) allowed two runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.

Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito replaced Joe Beimel with two outs and runners on second and third in the eighth and caught Eric Byrnes looking at a fastball on the outside corner for a called third strike. Saito also pitched the ninth to record his 21st save in 23 chances, tying Yhency Brazoban's club rookie record for saves.

Lowe and Vargas kept the opposing offenses quiet through the first six innings.

The Diamondbacks put together a mild threat in the first when Craig Counsell drew a leadoff walk and Orlando Hudson followed with an infield single. But Lowe got Luis Gonzalez to ground into a force play at second, then Byrnes grounded into a double play.

Arizona also had two on in the fifth, but Counsell grounded to first for the third out.

😀 😀

 

[milagros317]

Sunday's game: Dodgers 5, Dickheads 1

Garciaparra's Grand Slam With Two Outs in the Ninth Yields Dodger Victory
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nomar Garciaparra hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a much-needed 5-1 victory over the Arizona Dickheads on Sunday.

Garciaparra hit a 2-1 pitch from Luis Vizcaino over the left-center field fence for his 19th homer of the season. It was Garciaparra who hit a two-run homer in the 10th Monday night in an 11-10 victory over San Diego after the Dodgers matched a big league record by hitting four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game.

Garciaparra came out of the dugout a few minutes after his homer to acknowledge the cheering fans.

By winning their regular-season home finale, the Dodgers remained 1 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading San Diego Padres and a half-game behind Philadelphia in the wild-card race. The Padres beat Pittsburgh 2-1 and the Phillies topped Florida 10-7 earlier Sunday.

The Dodgers have six games left; the Padres and Phillies each have seven remaining.

Marlon Anderson started the winning rally by singling off Luis Vizcaino (4-6), and Russell Martin sacrificed. Oscar Robles grounded out, moving Anderson to third, and Rafael Furcal was walked intentionally. Kenny Lofton drew another walk, which loaded the bases for Garciaparra.

Takashi Saito (6-2), the third Dodgers pitcher, pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to earn the victory.

Arizona took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the third off Hong-Chih Kuo. Stephen Drew walked, took second when third baseman Wilson Betemit mishandled Chris Snyder's grounder for an error and scored on Carlos Quentin's two-out double.

Los Angeles tied it in the fifth against Livan Hernandez but blew a chance for more. Kuo doubled with one out for his first big league hit, took third on Furcal's single and scored on a single by Lofton. Garciaparra walked to load the bases, but Jeff Kent fouled out and J.D. Drew grounded out.

Kuo was outstanding in his fourth big league start, allowing four hits in a career-high seven innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. But he left after throwing 100 pitches with nothing to show for it.

Hernandez also went seven innings, allowing five hits. He walked five, struck out two and threw 118 pitches.

Conor Jackson hit a one-out double in the Arizona eighth, but Jonathan Broxton worked out of trouble by striking out Eric Byrnes and Scott Hairston.

Notes: The final regular-season game this year at Dodger Stadium was played before a crowd of 49,822, lifting the total for the year to a franchise-record 3,758,545 - the sixth-highest in NL history. That surpassed the previous Dodgers high of 3,608,881 in 1982, but that figure was the turnstile count while this year's total was tickets sold. ..
😀 😀

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Wow!!! They won a game. To bad the Phillies moved ahead of you guys. I was looking forward to my team dusting you guys off first. I guess the Phillies will get that honor. 😱

 

[milagros317]

In fact, they have won 82 games, with 6 more to play. We will see within a week if that is enough to reach post-season play.

 

[milagros317]

Tuesday's game: Dodgers 11, Rockheads 4

Nomar Keys Offense In Dodger Victory
------------------------------------------------

The Los Angeles Dodgers' 11-4 rout of the Colorado Rockheads on Tuesday night gave them the lead in the NL wild-card race. The best part of the win, however, may have been that Greg Maddux was able to hand the ball over to the bullpen after just 76 pitches. That means he will be able to take the mound again this weekend at San Francisco if needed, manager Grady Little said. Maddux doesn't foresee any problems pitching on short rest. "I don't get as sore as I used to," the 322-game winner explained. "I don't throw hard enough anymore to get sore."
😀 😀

 

[milagros317]

Wednesday's game: Dogers 6, Rockheads 4

Dodgers Rally From 4-1 Deficit to Win
------------------------------------------

Big and ugly is how the Los Angeles Dodgers described their latest win over the Colorado Rockheads.

Derek Lowe won his seventh straight decision despite a shaky outing and the Dodgers held onto their lead in the NL wild-card race by overcoming a three-run deficit for a 6-4 victory on Wednesday night.

''Right now it doesn't matter how we win, only that we win,'' center fielder Kenny Lofton said after helping the Dodgers stay one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, who beat Washington 8-7 in 14 innings.

The not-so-stylish Dodgers also pulled within one game of NL West-leading San Diego, which lost to St. Louis 4-2.

''Still, our No. 1 goal is to win our division,'' said Lowe (16-8), who got the win despite scuffling through six innings and getting roughed up for four earned runs and 10 hits.

Lowe said he won't look back with any regrets on his performance because at Coors Field, outfielders play deep and fly balls that are outs at other ballparks fall in for hits here, and the runners often take the extra base.

''This is the only place where I try to go into the game and all I think about trying to stay in the game longer than the other starting pitcher,'' he said. ''It doesn't matter what the score is because runs are going to be scored here.

''It was an exceptionally good win because of the time of the year it came.''

Jonathan Broxton pitched two hitless innings of relief and Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances.

The Dodgers fell behind 4-1 entering the sixth with Rockheads right-hander Aaron Cook (9-15) in command. But J.D. Drew's two-run triple put Los Angeles within striking distance, and the Dodgers scored three times in the seventh to secure their 14th win in 18 games against Colorado this season.

''They have been like this (against) us all year,'' Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said. ''They get the clutch hits, and they did all the little things to win ballgames, and that is why they are in the race right now and we're not.''

Andre Ethier, pinch hitting for Lowe, tied it at 4 with a run-scoring single, and a bad throw by shortstop Troy Tulowitzki allowed Wilson Betemit to score the go-ahead run. Jeff Kent followed with a run-scoring double.

Rafael Furcal and Lofton each hit potential double-play ground balls during the three-run inning but beat the relay.

''Those were the keys to the whole inning,'' Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. ''I tell you, the hustle that we got out of some baserunners kept us right in there for a chance at a couple of big hits, and that was the difference.''

Cook allowed six earned runs and 11 hits in 6 2-3 innings but felt good about his outing.

''There is a whole different level of energy when someone is in the playoff race and the position they are in,'' Cook said. ''They are just going to fight and scratch the whole game to try and pull out a win, and they were able to do it tonight.''

Betemit gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with a 437-foot homer into the second deck in right-center field above the bullpens in the third.

The Rockheads erased that deficit in the fourth when Helton singled home a run and Matt Holliday scored when Brad Hawpe grounded into a double play.

They added two runs in the fifth, thanks in part to a balk by Lowe.

Jeff Salazar, who reached on a one-out single, was balked to second just before Garrett Atkins grounded a double down the left-field line, allowing Salazar to score. Holliday followed with an RBI-single.

Dodgers shortstop Nomar Garciaparra tied his season high with three hits despite a sore side muscle and a sore quadriceps, which limited him to a single when he hit a ball off the wall in the first inning. Little said he probably won't start Garciaparra against the Rockies on Thursday. Garciaparra said he'll be ready to pinch hit, however.

Little said that because Lowe was limited to 90 pitches, he will pitch on three days' rest Sunday at San Francisco if the Dodgers need to win that day to wrap up a playoff berth.

''If the Dodgers played us all the time, they probably would win the World Series this year,'' Cook said.

😀 😀

 

[milagros317]

Thursday's game: Dodgers 19, Rockheads 11

Dodgers Slug Season-high 19 Runs in Wild Victory
----------------------------------------------------

Rookie James Loney tied the Dodgers' franchise record with nine RBI, including a grand slam and a two-run homer, and Los Angeles outslugged Colorado 19-11 Thursday to keep the pressure on San Diego and Philadelphia.

The Dodgers started the day a game ahead of Philadelphia in the NL wild-card race and a game behind San Diego in the NL West. Both the Phillies and Padres played later Thursday.

Getting the start at first base with Nomar Garciaparra dealing with sore side and thigh muscles, Loney hit a grand slam in the first, a two-run double in the third, a run-scoring single in the fifth and a two-run homer in the seventh before striking out in the eighth.

That tied the club record for RBI set by Gil Hodges for Brooklyn on Oct. 31, 1950, against the Boston Braves. It's the first nine-RBI game in the National League since Sammy Sosa did it at Coors Field on Aug. 10, 2002.

The wild win was the Dodgers' 15th in 19 games against the Rockies this season. They blew a five-run lead when Colorado scored seven times in the fourth to take a 10-8 lead, but the Dodgers tied it in the fifth and then put together a seven-run rally themselves in the sixth.

Kenny Lofton (third) and Marlon Anderson (12th) hit back-to-back homers off Ray King (1-4), and Wilson Betemit added a two-run double off Jose Mesa, who also served up Loney's two-run shot. Lofton came around on an error to make it 17-10.

Left-hander Mark Hendrickson (2-7), the fourth Dodgers pitcher, picked up the win. He gave up an unearned run on one hit in two innings.

Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny left the game after one inning with stiffness in his lower back and is day to day, the team said. Penny, who has struggled since the All-Star break, allowed four hits, including a three-run home run to Matt Holliday, as the Rockies batted around in the first inning.

Penny was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the second, right after Loney's grand slam off Byung-Hyun Kim gave Los Angeles a 4-3 lead.

The Dodgers scored four more times in the third to push it to 8-3. Kim walked J.D. Drew with the bases full and allowed a run-scoring single to Russell Martin before giving way to Justin Hampson, who gave up a two-run double to Loney.

The Rockies bounced back to take a 10-8 lead when the scored seven times on eight singles in the fourth.

Chad Billingsley allowed RBI singles to Todd Helton, Jeff Baker, Troy Tulowitzki and Vinny Castilla before Joe Beimel came on and gave up a run-scoring single to Ryan Spilborghs and a two-run single to Garrett Atkins.

The Dodgers got the runs back in the fifth on RBI singles by Betemit and Loney off Mike Venafro, tying it at 10 and setting up LA's big seventh-inning outburst.

😀 😀

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Thursday's game: Dodgers 19, Rockheads 11

Dodgers Slug Season-high 19 Runs in Wild Victory
----------------------------------------------------

Rookie James Loney tied the Dodgers' franchise record with nine RBI, including a grand slam and a two-run homer, and Los Angeles outslugged Colorado 19-11 Thursday to keep the pressure on San Diego and Philadelphia.

The Dodgers started the day a game ahead of Philadelphia in the NL wild-card race and a game behind San Diego in the NL West. Both the Phillies and Padres played later Thursday.

Getting the start at first base with Nomar Garciaparra dealing with sore side and thigh muscles, Loney hit a grand slam in the first, a two-run double in the third, a run-scoring single in the fifth and a two-run homer in the seventh before striking out in the eighth.

That tied the club record for RBI set by Gil Hodges for Brooklyn on Oct. 31, 1950, against the Boston Braves. It's the first nine-RBI game in the National League since Sammy Sosa did it at Coors Field on Aug. 10, 2002.

The wild win was the Dodgers' 15th in 19 games against the Rockies this season. They blew a five-run lead when Colorado scored seven times in the fourth to take a 10-8 lead, but the Dodgers tied it in the fifth and then put together a seven-run rally themselves in the sixth.

Kenny Lofton (third) and Marlon Anderson (12th) hit back-to-back homers off Ray King (1-4), and Wilson Betemit added a two-run double off Jose Mesa, who also served up Loney's two-run shot. Lofton came around on an error to make it 17-10.

Left-hander Mark Hendrickson (2-7), the fourth Dodgers pitcher, picked up the win. He gave up an unearned run on one hit in two innings.

Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny left the game after one inning with stiffness in his lower back and is day to day, the team said. Penny, who has struggled since the All-Star break, allowed four hits, including a three-run home run to Matt Holliday, as the Rockies batted around in the first inning.

Penny was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the second, right after Loney's grand slam off Byung-Hyun Kim gave Los Angeles a 4-3 lead.

The Dodgers scored four more times in the third to push it to 8-3. Kim walked J.D. Drew with the bases full and allowed a run-scoring single to Russell Martin before giving way to Justin Hampson, who gave up a two-run double to Loney.

The Rockies bounced back to take a 10-8 lead when the scored seven times on eight singles in the fourth.

Chad Billingsley allowed RBI singles to Todd Helton, Jeff Baker, Troy Tulowitzki and Vinny Castilla before Joe Beimel came on and gave up a run-scoring single to Ryan Spilborghs and a two-run single to Garrett Atkins.

The Dodgers got the runs back in the fifth on RBI singles by Betemit and Loney off Mike Venafro, tying it at 10 and setting up LA's big seventh-inning outburst.

😀 😀

Milagros, you having been around since that time it surprise me that you posted October 31st, 1950. You know baseball was NEVER played that late in the year. I will let you know that the Boston Braves was right but Gil Hodges did it on August 31st,1950. Just thought you should know. 😀

 

[milagros317]

Milagros, you having been around since that time it surprise me that you posted October 31st, 1950. You know baseball was NEVER played that late in the year. I will let you know that the Boston Braves was right but Gil Hodges did it on August 31st,1950. Just thought you should know. 😀

I stand corrected, Gil Hodges did have his 9 RBI day on August 31, not October 31.

 

[milagros317]

Fridays's game: Dodgers 4, hated jints 3

Ninth Inning Rally Gives Dodgers Victory Over hated jints
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All about the dramatic are these Dodgers.

Russell Martin scored the go-ahead run on Mike Stanton's wild pitch in the ninth inning after pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz singled in the tying run, and Los Angeles beat the hated jints 4-3 Friday night to tie San Diego for the NL West lead.

Last Sunday, it was a game-winning grand slam by Nomar Garciaparra. This time, a gutsy ninth-inning catch over a railing along the left-field line by third baseman Ramon Martinez.

J.D. Drew hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Dodgers, who overcame a 3-0 deficit to win their fifth straight. Los Angeles and San Diego also share the wild-card lead, two games ahead of Philadelphia, and each team would clinch a playoff berth with one more win or a Phillies loss.

"Tonight definitely was a big win," Drew said. "We could have stayed right where we were with San Diego and lost a game to the Phillies."

Los Angeles got a scare when Garciaparra came out of the game after re-injuring his left side on a swinging strikeout in the eighth. He could be seen hunched over in the dugout being attended to by the training staff. He was scheduled to be re-evaluated Saturday.

"He was in a lot of pain in the dugout," manager Grady Little said. "That's about as much grimace as I've seen in his face."

Eliezer Alfonzo singled in a run in the second and scored on Randy Winn's fifth-inning double, but Stanton (7-7) couldn't hold the lead for Noah Lowry, whose winless stretch reached five.

Jonathan Broxton (4-1) got the final out of the eighth for the win. Takashi Saito pitched a shaky ninth for his 23rd save in 25 chances.

Steve Finley and Winn singled with one out to put runners at the corners, and Omar Vizquel then fouled out to Martinez, who leaned way over the railing to make the catch. Pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney then took a called third strike, sending the Giants to their seventh loss in eight games.

"That is the usual way that we lose," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "We've had a few games like that the last couple of years."

Noah Lowry gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings, retiring his first 10 hitters before Kenny Lofton's one-out single in the fourth.

Vizquel made two great defensive plays in the first three innings to back Lowry and doubled in the third against Hong-Chih Kuo. Shea Hillenbrand also singled in a run for San Francisco.

Given a 3-2 lead, Stanton blew a save for the third time in 11 chances.

"It's frustrating. I made some good pitches, and sometimes good pitches don't work," Stanton said. "That one hurts. I didn't do my job. The wild pitch was on a split that hit the plate and didn't come up."

After Jeff Kent's leadoff single, Drew struck out and Martin walked. Saenz was replaced by pinch-runner Delwyn Young and Julio Lugo grounded into a fielder's choice that moved Martin to third. He scored on a wild pitch moments later.

"Every night it's somebody different," Martinez said. "That's what a championship team is made of."

Little announced before the game that Derek Lowe would start Game 1 of the division series as long as he isn't needed to pitch in Sunday's season finale.

Even if the Dodgers were to clinch the wild card in the next two days, Little said he would still hold out Lowe for the playoff opener rather than try to win the NL West.

"I'd go with Derek Lowe," Little said. "We're not going to be comfortable until we're able to get the job done. When you have your fate in your own hands, it makes it a lot easier."

Barry Bonds was back in the lineup after sitting Tuesday and Wednesday against Arizona to rest his tender left elbow, which will undergo a cleanup procedure to remove bone chips after the season. The slugger, who has 734 career home runs, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Kuo, making his fifth major league start, allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings, struck out six and didn't walk a batter.

😀 😀

 

[milagros317]

Saturday's game: Dodgers 4, hated jints 2

DODGERS ADVANCE TO PLAY-OFFS ON PITCHING GEM BY MADDUX

Ned Colletti recalls several nerve-racking days after he dealt for Greg Maddux at the deadline, emotions to be expected after pulling off such a blockbuster trade.

The Dodgers' rookie general manager had only spoken to the 300-game winner by phone.

Two months later, Maddux pitched Los Angeles back into the playoffs, a key second-half piece on a remade roster put together to bring this franchise back to respectability after an awful 2005.

Maddux outdueled rookie Matt Cain, hit a single and even stole a base as the Dodgers won their sixth straight game, beating the hated jints 4-2 Saturday.

That deal for Mad Dog sure did pan out.

"I wasn't with the team when we made the trade and I didn't come back for about a week," Colletti said, drenched from a champagne dousing in the raucous visitor's clubhouse. "The first time I felt good was when he walked into my office. That was the first time I was able to calm down."

Maddux was among the first to make his way into the clubhouse for a wild postgame party of champagne and beer after the Dodgers danced on the mound, celebrating in their archrivals' ballpark.

"That's the greatest thing that can happen to you," said Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda, who guided the Dodgers to eight NL West championships in 20 years before stepping down in 1996 following a heart attack.

"If you're going to cinch it, you want to cinch it against the San Francisco Giants," he said. "That's why this is sweeter than ever. ... Everybody in Los Angeles thought we weren't going to amount to anything."

Who could blame the fans considering what the Dodgers did last year?

After winning the NL West in 2004, Los Angeles went 71-91 in 2005, among the worst seasons in franchise history.

Los Angeles and San Diego head into the season's final day tied for the division lead. The Dodgers' victory ensured them and first-year manager Grady Little at least the wild card -- the rest of the NL playoff picture was still to be sorted out. The Padres hold the tiebreaker for the West based on head-to-head record.

It was fitting that Maddux (15-14) had much to do with the Dodgers' return to the playoffs. They acquired the 40-year-old from the Chicago Cubs on July 31 to give them a veteran arm for the stretch run -- and he won six games in Dodger Blue.

"It feels great," Maddux said. "I had a great time in Chicago. I'm glad I got traded to Los Angeles, so it's been a very good year for me personally. Hopefully it'll get better. I wasn't expecting to be in the playoffs until I got traded."

Los Angeles, which led the NL West from Aug. 10 to Sept. 16, had its share of dramatic wins to get to this point -- including a 4-3 victory in Friday night's series opener.

Colletti left his job as assistant GM of the rival Giants and overhauled the Dodgers last winter, hiring Little to replace Jim Tracy.

"It started off with a complete change from top to bottom," said pitcher Derek Lowe, set to be the Game 1 playoff starter. "We spent money in the right places. I give them credit. In spring training they told us that throughout the year they were going to get it right and make changes."

Julio Lugo hit a sacrifice fly in the first for the Dodgers and the Giants tied it in the bottom half on Lance Niekro's RBI groundout.

Lugo doubled in a run in the third before Niekro's solo homer leading off the fourth. J.D. Drew doubled in a run in the Los Angeles fifth.

Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra missed the game after re-injuring his left side on a swinging strikeout in the eighth inning Friday.

Last season marked the Dodgers' second-worst finish since moving west from Brooklyn in 1958.

"I'm glad that it happened the way it did," Little said.

Los Angeles also added Garciaparra and Kenny Lofton to join holdovers Jeff Kent and Drew, then dealt for Maddux.

"I've always wanted to be in position to get back to the World Series, and we have that here," said Kent, who played in the 2002 World Series for San Francisco. "It's been an emotional roller-coaster for us this year, all of the winning and losing streaks and personnel changes. It has been gratifying everyone has been able to maintain it without the boat tipping over."

Garciaparra moved from shortstop to first base, and Los Angeles also brought in shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Bill Mueller and pitcher Brett Tomko as free agents.

"I'm very proud of these guys," Colletti said. "I'm glad we won, but we are just getting going. We've got a long way to go to get where we want to be."

Maddux allowed three hits and two runs, struck out four and didn't walk a batter in seven strong innings. Takashi Saito finished for his 24th save in 26 chances.

Los Angeles reached the playoffs despite not having closer Eric Gagne for most of the year. He has spent two stints on the disabled list after undergoing surgery to remove a nerve in his elbow and also an operation on his back.

Cain (13-12) allowed nine hits and four runs, struck out four and walked two in 5 2-3 innings.

"It's well deserved," Giants manager Felipe Alou said of the Dodgers. "We have to accept the truth that they were better."

Hated jints outfielder Randy Winn was a late scratch because of a left calf strain. Slugger Barry Bonds had the day off and was set to play in Sunday's season finale.

😀 😀

 

[milagros317]

Sunday's game: Dodgers 4, hated jints 3

Dodgers Complete the Sweep, Still Only Get Wildcard
---------------------------------------------------------

Greg Maddux had little preference on the Los Angeles Dodgers' playoff opponent.

"Yeah, go to New York," he said.

Maddux will start Game 2 against the Mets after the Dodgers wound up as the NL wild-card team Sunday.

Los Angeles beat San Francisco 4-3 in what might've been Barry Bonds' last game for the hated jints, and ended up even in the standings with San Diego. The Padres held the tiebreaker based on head-to-head record and earned the West crown.

"We're looking forward to getting this thing started," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "What's taken place here started last year. Everything has been positive."

The Dodgers went 5-13 against the Padres. San Diego will open the postseason at home against St. Louis.

"We did everything we could do but beat San Diego," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "I think the division is a lot better than people give it credit for. Last year was an aberration."

Ramon Martinez hit a tying, two-run double in the sixth inning for the Dodgers. Jason Repko stole a base and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on Julio Lugo's single.

Bonds made good with his final swing against the archrival Dodgers, hitting a double in the sixth and then calling it a day. He wasted no time making his exit, packing every souvenir he could -- including the nameplate from above his corner locker, which was empty but for a few hangers.

Only baby powder, a spit cup and a water bottle remained on top of his personal TV.

After his hit, Bonds raised his batting helmet in his left hand and waved it to the noisy crowd and hugged Dodgers third baseman Olmedo Saenz as he came off the field, lifted for pinch-runner Fred Lewis.

Bonds left to chants of "Barry! Barry!" and the cheers continued through Shea Hillenbrand's at-bat before the slugger emerged again from the dugout and waved, this time holding two bats in his left hand.

No. 25, always loved in San Francisco despite the steroids accusations and other personal problems, received a warm ovation when he took his spot in left field. The 42-year-old slugger finished 1-for-2 with a run scored to end his 14th season in the Bay Area and 21st of his big league career.

"Hey, Barry, we'll see you next year!" one man hollered as Bonds stood in the on-deck circle in the third.

Bonds' five-year, $90 million contract is up after the season, but the hated jints are likely to do everything they can to bring him back.

Bonds has 734 career home runs, 21 from tying Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755 -- and San Francisco hosts the All-Star game in its waterfront ballpark next July. Bonds is a big reason the team has drawn 3 million fans in all seven seasons of the stadium's existence.

The seven-time NL MVP waved to the crowd when he walked to the on-deck circle before leading off in the second. He backpedaled to make a nice running catch on a liner by starting pitcher Eric Stults in the third.

Bonds tied his godfather, Willie Mays, for the all-time San Francisco mark for runs scored with 1,480.

"It's been ridiculous what he's still capable of doing," rookie Giants pitcher Matt Cain said.

Chad Billingsley (7-4) replaced Stults and pitched the seventh for the win. Joe Beimel finished for his second save.

Jason Schmidt struck out seven in six innings in likely his final start for San Francisco after 5½ seasons with the Giants. He is one of 11 potential free agents on the club, which is expected to announce as soon as Monday that manager Felipe Alou won't return for a fifth season as skipper.

"I really wanted it, but this was a typical finish the way the season has gone," Schmidt said. "I have no idea what will happen. I'll just have to wait and see. It's hard to say goodbye because we don't know what the future brings. Everybody's unsettled."

Alou's son, right fielder Moises, is another who might be gone -- and he received loud cheers as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He singled to raise his average to .301.

Brad Hennessey (5-6) was the loser for the hated jints, who missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

Stults, a rookie left-hander, made his second major league start and sixth appearance overall in place of Derek Lowe, who will be the Dodgers' Game 1 playoff starter. Stults allowed three runs and four hits in five innings, struck out one and walked two.

Little, who has guided this team back to the playoffs after an awful 2005, rested many of his regulars. First baseman Nomar Garciaparra sat for the second straight day after tweaking his left side on a swinging strikeout in the eighth inning Friday night.

😀 😀

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

NY Mets 6, LA Dodgers 5

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Series Breakdown


(88-74)
Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

LA Dodgers 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 5 11 1

NY Mets 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 X 6 9 1


WP: G. Mota (1-0) S: B. Wagner (1)
LP: B. Penny (0-1)


(97-65)



Box Score Play by Play


Scoring Summary
Top 2nd: LA Dodgers
- M. Anderson doubled to left, R. Martin scored


Bot 4th: NY Mets
- C. Delgado homered to deep center

- C. Floyd homered to deep right


Bot 6th: NY Mets
- D. Wright doubled to deep right, C. Delgado and P. Lo Duca scored, D. Wright to third advancing on throw


Top 7th: LA Dodgers
- R. Furcal singled to center, M. Anderson scored, W. Betemit to second

- N. Garciaparra doubled to left, W. Betemit and R. Furcal scored


Bot 7th: NY Mets
- C. Delgado singled to left, J. Reyes scored, C. Beltran to third

- D. Wright doubled to right, C. Beltran scored, C. Delgado to third


Top 9th: LA Dodgers
- R. Martinez doubled to deep right center, W. Betemit scored


LA Dodgers
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Series Avg
R. Furcal ss 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 .250
K. Lofton cf 4 0 0 0 0 3 3 .000
R. Martinez ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.000
J. Repko pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
N. Garciaparra 1b 5 0 1 2 0 1 3 .200
J. Kent 2b 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .500
J.D. Drew rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 .250
R. Martin c 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .250
M. Anderson lf 4 1 2 1 0 1 1 .500
W. Betemit 3b 3 2 2 0 1 0 0 .667
D. Lowe p 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
M. Hendrickson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Lugo ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
B. Penny p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Broxton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
O. Saenz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 36 5 11 5 2 12 15

Batting
2B - M Anderson (1, J Maine); N Garciaparra (1, G Mota); W Betemit (1, B Wagner); R Martinez (1, B Wagner).

S - D Lowe.

RBI - M Anderson (1), R Furcal (1), N Garciaparra 2 (2), R Martinez (1).

2-out RBI - M Anderson, N Garciaparra 2, R Martinez.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - N Garciaparra 2, D Lowe 1, J Kent 1.

Team LOB - 7.
Base Running
SB - R Furcal (1, 2nd base off G Mota/P Lo Duca).
Fielding
E - J Kent (1, line drive).


NY Mets
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Series Avg
J. Reyes ss 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 .000
P. Lo Duca c 5 1 2 0 0 1 1 .400
C. Beltran cf 2 1 0 0 3 0 1 .000
C. Delgado 1b 5 2 4 2 0 1 3 .800
D. Wright 3b 4 0 2 3 0 1 2 .500
C. Floyd lf 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 .333
A. Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B. Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S. Green rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .000
J. Valentin 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
J. Maine p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
P. Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C. Bradford p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Tucker ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G. Mota p 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
E. Chavez lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 34 6 9 6 5 9 16

Batting
2B - D Wright 2 (2, D Lowe, B Penny).

HR - C Delgado (1, 4th inning off D Lowe 0 on, 1 Out), C Floyd (1, 4th inning off D Lowe 0 on, 2 Out).

RBI - C Delgado 2 (2), C Floyd (1), D Wright 3 (3).

2-out RBI - C Floyd.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Delgado 2, S Green 2, G Mota 2, D Wright 1.

Team LOB - 10.
Base Running
SB - J Reyes (1, 2nd base off B Penny/R Martin).
Fielding
E - J Valentin (1, throw).

Outfield assists - S Green (J Kent at Home).

DP - 1 (S Green-J Valentin-P Lo Duca).


LA Dodgers
IP H R ER BB K HR Series ERA
D. Lowe 5.1 6 4 4 2 6 2 6.75
M. Hendrickson 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
B. Penny (L, 0-1) 1.0 2 2 2 2 1 0 18.00
J. Broxton 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.00

NY Mets
IP H R ER BB K HR Series ERA
J. Maine 4.1 6 1 1 2 5 0 2.08
P. Feliciano 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
C. Bradford 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
G. Mota (W, 1-0; BS, 1) 2.0 3 3 3 0 4 0 13.50
A. Heilman (H, 1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
B. Wagner (S, 1) 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 9.00


IBB - W Betemit (by J Maine), C Floyd (by D Lowe).

HBP - J Valentin (by M Hendrickson).

Pitches-strikes - D Lowe 94-57; M Hendrickson 7-5; B Penny 24-12; J Broxton 26-16; J Maine 80-49; P Feliciano 6-4; C Bradford 2-2; G Mota 33-26; A Heilman 17-14; B Wagner 20-13.

Ground balls-fly balls - D Lowe 5-5; M Hendrickson 0-1; B Penny 1-1; J Broxton 1-1; J Maine 2-4; P Feliciano 0-0; C Bradford 1-0; G Mota 2-1; A Heilman 2-1; B Wagner 0-1.

Batters faced - D Lowe 24; M Hendrickson 3; B Penny 7; J Broxton 6; J Maine 19; P Feliciano 1; C Bradford 1; G Mota 10; A Heilman 3; B Wagner 5.

Game Details
Umpires: HP--John Hirschbeck. 1B--Ted Barrett. 2B--Eric Cooper. 3B--Ron Kulpa. LF--Mike Winters. RF--Brian Onora.
Time: 3:05.
Attendance: 56,979.
Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 13 mph, right to left.



Game one goes according to the Mets plan. The Dodgers pitchers had no answers for Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Cliff Floyd as they went 7 for 12 with 2 homeruns, 3runs scored and 6 RBI. The Mets ended up beating the Dodgers 6-5 and going up one game to none in the best of five series. Game two tomorrow night at 8:09pm. Kuo vs Glavine is the starting pitching matchup. Mets win!!!

 

[milagros317]

The post above doesn't belong in this thread, although it certainly belongs somewhere in this subforum.

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Hey, George!

Maybe for '07 you could start a Mets blog on here, much the way Millie has for the San Pedro Beach Bums here...

Food fuh thawght, as we'd say back on Francis Lewis Boulevard.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

The post above doesn't belong in this thread, although it certainly belongs somewhere in this subforum.

It belongs in the Dodgers/ Mets threads. So it hit the Dodgers thread and the Mets thread. Fact is, I am trying to keep your thread alive. You wont be posting here too much longer this season. 😛

 

[milagros317]

Gee, you're only trying to keep my thread alive. I should have realized that. How altruistic of you. 😛 😛

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Gee, Mil...looking at above posts, finding stuff like "Dodgers 2, Dickheads 0"...

Geez, that's showin' us the Mother Teresa side of ya...

I'm thinking of doing something like this. Just running commentary about baseball in general, starting next February. Having other fans offer opinions... and making it a fun thread all the while. Blog style.

Just an idea.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

NY Mets 4, LA Dodgers 1

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Series Breakdown


(88-74)
Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

LA Dodgers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 1

NY Mets 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 X 4 7 0


WP: T. Glavine (1-0) S: B. Wagner (2)
LP: H. Kuo (0-1)


(97-65)



Box Score Play by Play


Scoring Summary
Bot 3rd: NY Mets
- J. Reyes grounded out to shortstop, E. Chavez scored


Bot 5th: NY Mets
- P. Lo Duca hit sacrifice fly to left, J. Valentin scored


Bot 6th: NY Mets
- J. Franco grounded into fielder's choice, C. Floyd scored, J. Valentin to third, E. Chavez out at second

- J. Reyes singled to center, J. Valentin scored, J. Franco to second


Top 8th: LA Dodgers
- W. Betemit homered to deep center


LA Dodgers
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Series Avg
R. Furcal ss 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .143
K. Lofton cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
N. Garciaparra 1b 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .250
W. Betemit 3b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .750
J. Kent 2b-1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .500
J.D. Drew rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .125
T. Saito p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R. Martin c 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 .143
M. Anderson lf-rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
J. Lugo 3b-2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .250
H. Kuo p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
B. Tomko p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Hendrickson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R. Martinez ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .500
C. Billingsley p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A. Ethier lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 32 1 5 1 3 4 11

Batting
2B - J Lugo (1, T Glavine).

HR - W Betemit (1, 8th inning off A Heilman 0 on, 1 Out).

RBI - W Betemit (1).

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - K Lofton 1, R Martin 1.

Team LOB - 7.
Fielding
E - B Tomko (1, throw).


NY Mets
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Series Avg
J. Reyes ss 3 0 1 2 1 1 0 .143
P. Lo Duca c 3 0 1 1 0 0 4 .375
C. Beltran cf 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 .000
C. Delgado 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .556
D. Wright 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .375
C. Floyd lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .286
J. Valentin 2b 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 .000
E. Chavez rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .400
T. Glavine p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Franco ph 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000
P. Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A. Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B. Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 29 4 7 4 3 7 13

Batting
2B - P Lo Duca (1, H Kuo).

S - J Valentin , T Glavine.

SF - P Lo Duca.

RBI - J Reyes 2 (2), P Lo Duca (1), J Franco (1).

2-out RBI - J Reyes.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Delgado 2, P Lo Duca 1, C Beltran 1.

Team LOB - 7.


LA Dodgers
IP H R ER BB K HR Series ERA
H. Kuo (L, 0-1) 4.1 4 2 2 2 4 0 4.15
B. Tomko 0.2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0.00
M. Hendrickson 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
C. Billingsley 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
T. Saito 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00

NY Mets
IP H R ER BB K HR Series ERA
T. Glavine (W, 1-0) 6.0 4 0 0 2 2 0 0.00
P. Feliciano 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
A. Heilman 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 4.50
B. Wagner (S, 2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.50


WP - H Kuo.

IBB - J Reyes (by H Kuo).

Pitches-strikes - H Kuo 85-53; B Tomko 22-13; M Hendrickson 10-7; C Billingsley 13-8; T Saito 17-11; T Glavine 93-59; P Feliciano 22-16; A Heilman 20-13; B Wagner 16-9.

Ground balls-fly balls - H Kuo 3-6; B Tomko 2-1; M Hendrickson 3-0; C Billingsley 1-0; T Saito 1-1; T Glavine 11-5; P Feliciano 0-2; A Heilman 0-2; B Wagner 3-0.

Batters faced - H Kuo 19; B Tomko 6; M Hendrickson 4; C Billingsley 3; T Saito 3; T Glavine 24; P Feliciano 4; A Heilman 4; B Wagner 3.

Game Details
Umpires: HP--Ted Barrett. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Ron Kulpa. 3B--Mike Winters. LF--Brian Onora. RF--John Hirschbeck.
Time: 2:57.
Attendance: 57,029.
Weather: 60 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 8 mph, in from left.


Game Notes

LOS ANGELES FIRST BASEMAN NOMAR GARCIAPARRA LEFT THE GAME IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING WITH AN UNDISCLOSED INJURY.


Updated on Thursday, Oct 5, 2006 11:22 pm ET
Top Batters
LA Dodgers

W. Betemit
1-1, 1 HR
1 RBI
NY Mets

J. Reyes
1-3
2 RBI


Series at a Glance
Series at a Glance
Mets lead series 2-0


Game 1: at NYM
NYM 6, LAD 5
Recap | Box Score

Game 2: at NYM
NYM 4, LAD 1
Recap | Box Score

Game 3: at LAD
Sat, Oct 7 - 7:35 pm EDT
TV: FOX
S. Trachsel vs. G. Maddux

*Game 4: at LAD
Sun, Oct 8 - 4:05 pm EDT
TV: ESPN
O. Pérez vs. B. Penny

*Game 5: at NYM
Mon, Oct 9 - 8:05 pm EDT
D. Lowe vs. T. Glavine

* - If necessary

Series Overview


MLB Box Scores
Thu Oct 5, 2006
Detroit 4
NY Yankees 3
Final

St. Louis 2
San Diego 0
Final

LA Dodgers 1
NY Mets 4
Final





What can I say, I am just an altrustic kind of guy. Now to the baseball game. The Mets tonight went up 2-0 in their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 4-1 win. The Mets starting pitching which has been questioned coming into this series is pitching to a 2.50 ERA in these first two games. The Dodgers played sloppy and the Mets capitalized on their opportunities and then gave the ball to Tom Glavine. To those that thought that the Hong Chih Kuo could out pitch a man who came into this game with 302 wins including his previous post-season wins, well you were sorely mistaken. Tom Glavine held the Dodgers to NO runs on 4 hits in 6 innings then left the rest up to the BEST bullpen in the National League. Next game is Saturday in Los Angeles where Greg Maddux tries to stave off elimination against either Steve Trachsel or Oliver Perez. 57,029 came to Shea and only two of those fans left unhappy that would be Mia Hamm ( wife of Nomar Garciaparra ) and Milagros. Final Score from Shea: The Mets 4 - The Dodgers 1.

 

[milagros317]

This thread is only for comments from Dodgers fans or that are sympathetic to the Dodgers.

You are clearly violating the original purpose of this thread. Just as clearly, you don't care. So be it.