Cappy and Dodgers Stay Forever young in 7-3 Win Over Colorado

The Dodgers got their first look at the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer. Of course I use the word ageless very lightly. The 49 year old pitcher who became the oldest MLB pitcher ever to win a game earlier this year, made his debut against Chris Capuano and the Dodgers. Moyer who has been pitching for 25 years, first beat the Dodgers back in 1988. Meanwhile his opposing starter Chris Capuano entered the game with an 18.2 inning scoreless streak. Would he be able to keep his streak intact?

Cappy begins the first inning by getting Marco Scutaro to ground out to third base, with Juan Uribe making a nice backhanded sliding stop and throw. Jordan Pacheco pops out to Ellis. Cargo, who s hitting .383 against the Dodgers in his career predictably doubles into the right field corner. Why do we even pitch to him? Cappy goes full count to Mullet, before whiffing him on a nice sinker ball. Colorado, Denied!

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The Dodgers jump out in front off old man Moyer. The old guy was just throwing off-speed pitch after off-speed pitch. However for a little while, he was pitching pretty well. Gordon fouls out. Mark Ellis follows with a solo shot into the Dodger bullpen in let field. The first home run of the season for Mar Ellis puts the Dodgers up 1-0. Ellis fouled of three pitches before taking a hanging old man pitch into the seats. Bison whiffs, and Ethier grounds back to the box.

Notorious Dodger killer Todd Helton opens the top of the second with a single to right. Michael Cuddyer flies out to center. Ramon Hernandez, the Rockie’s new free agent acquired catcher, grounds into a force out. Helton’s take out slide prevents Mark Ellis from making an online return throw to get the double play. So with the inning still not over, Dexter Fowler comes up to bat, and weakly grounds out in front of the plate, to end the frame.

The Dodgers go down in order quite pathetically off of the 49 year old Moyer. With Uribe and Loney both whiffing on 73 MPH junk balls. Moyer is so old and slow, he looks like he is throwing a slow pitch softball game. Never once topping out more than 80.

We get out first looks at how senior citizens bat, in the top of the third. Jamie Moyer grounds out in his first plate appearance. Cappy retires the next two Rockies, and we go to the bottom half of the third with the Dodgers still leading 1-0.

Moyer sets the Dodgers down in order yet again with a litany of off-speed pitches. Cappy and Gordon both whiff, giving the old man five whiffs thus far. Cappy has another quick 123 inning in the top of the fourth. Nothing fancy, two flyballs, and a ground out, give Cappy nine batters retired in a row.

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With two outs in the fourth, Ethier finally breaks up the ohfers with his tenth double of the season, a long drive off the wall in center field.  Bobby Abreu, newest Dodger, who is only slightly younger than Moyer, slaps a base hit over the head of a leaping Mullet at short. Ethier scores the second run, as the Dodgers go up by a score of 2-0. Uribe ends the inning with a fly ball to right field. Cuddyer takes Kemp to the wall in center to lead off the fifth, fortunately Bison makes the catch with his back against the wall. Cappy keeps on rolling and retires Colorado in order again.

The Dodgers were in another one of their charitable moods in the bottom of the fifth. After Loney and Treanor led off the inning with consecutive singles, Don Buntingly decides that true giving comes form the heart. Therefore he must bunt! Joy! More bunting! Cappy tries to bunt the runners to second and third, and instead only bunts into a force play. Colorado cuts down Loney the lead runner at third. Then of course Dee Gordon tries to bunt next, and couldn’t do it, falling into an 0-2 hole. Instead he whiffs as usual, and the Dodgers have given the Rockies two free outs. Fortunately Moyer is really really old, and and decrepit, and gives up more scorage. Mark Ellis drives in two runs, with a double that hits off the top of the wall. The two-run double, gives Ellis three RBIs, on the night. That hit was very close to going out, which would have been his second homer of the game. Ethier immediately singles over Scutaro’s head, to score Mark Ellis, and the Dodgers now have a 5-0 lead. Finally Abreu whiffs on a called third strike to end the inning.

Cappy retired the side in the top of the sixth. Only allowing an infield hit to Scutaro, who reached because Gordon’s throw pulled Loney off the bag, although it was a great stop by Dee, who had to dive to make the stop, and keep the ball in the infield.

Moyer is lifted in the bottom of the sixth. The senior citizen who now pitches in the Senior circuit pitched five innings allowing five runs on seven hits, walked one and whiffed seven. I should probably stop trash talking on Moyer, but then again, would he be able to see this?  I mean my Nanna still has trouble with her answering machine.

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Right hander Carlos Torres is called in to replace Moyer on the mound. After a Uribe whiff, Loney walks, and Treanor singles him to second.  Chris Capuano does what no one else seems to be able to do, lay down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Of course Cappy’s bunt is for not, as Gordon whiffs on a called third strike pathetically. The suckfest of Dee Gordon rolls on.

Cappy’s scoreless inning  streak was at 24 I believe, but sadly comes to and end, when Cappy hangs a pitch to Cuddyer and he takes him deep into the left field pavilion seats. 5-1 Dodgers. Cappy gets through the inning which included a whiff of Todd Helton. Cappy goes seven strong innings, only allowing one run, four hits, walked none, and whiffed three. He made 103 pitches.

Torres remains in the game for the bottom of the seventh inning. M. Ellis walks, but Bison flies out to right, and Ellis was in LA LA land, so he is easily picked off. Bison seems to be in a mini slump right now, (1 for his last 10), and his average is now down to .375. Of course it can be expected, I mean he isn’t going to hit .400 all year long. Ethier now up with the bases empty, goes big fly off Torres to straight away center field, using his picture perfect swing. Number seven for Ethier, and the Dodgers lead is 6-1.

Guerra comes in to pitch the top of the eighth.  He whiffs Fowler. Then with two outs, he allows a hit and a walk, before Mattingly has to bring in Elbert who suprisingly whiffs Cargo for the last out in the eighth.

Esmil Rogers is brought in for the bottom half of the eighth, and has the infamous honor of allowing the first Juan Uribe home run since last June. Yes you read that right, Uribe hit his first home run of the season to right center field. 7-1 Dodgers. I swear I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

So of course Bumpen recluse and resident Bum Todd Coffey comes in to struggle through another inning. Mattingly figured with a six run lead it’s a good time to get Coffey some work in considering he hasn’t pitched in like weeks. Coffey was predictably terrible. Mullet and Helton both single. Cuddyer’s sacrifice fly into the right field corner scores Mullet to make it 6-2 Dodgers. Andre Ethier’s great sliding catch into the corner wall, was a huge play. Hernandez whiffs for the second out. Fowler then immediately triples in Helton, making it 7-3. Coffey is so bad, he forces Mattingly to bring in Belisario to get the final out. I just don’t get why the Dodgers keep hanging onto this guy. Haven’t the Dodgers seen enough of Todd Coffey? He sucks. Finally Belisario gets Nelson to grounds out to end the game, and the Dodgers win. Despite Todd Coffey’s best efforts to remain useless.

The Dodgers improve to 21-11 on the season, and 13-3 at home. Colorado falls to 7.5 games behind the first place Dodgers with the loss. Capuano gets the win, his fifth in a row. Forever young Jamie Moyer is charged with the loss. The Dodgers scored seven runs, and hit three home runs in the game. Mark Ellis drove in three runs with a home run and a double. Ethier hit his seventh home run of the year, and of course Juan Uribe also hit his first jack of the season.

Join us tomorrow for more Dodger Coverage. The Dodgers are in first place, and all seems right with the world. Go Blue.