Dodgers Charm Snakes with Homers and Pitching

The Dodgers came into Arizona on quite a roll. Some people might call it a mojo. They have won eight of their last ten games, and just came off of a rousing three game sweep at home of the defending world Series Champion Cardinals. Last night it was rookie Scott Van Slyke’s pinch-hit three run home run, that put the Dodgers ahead for good. What made it even more special, was that he hit it in front of his dad, Andy, former major leaguer, and while on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Prime Ticket was having some technical difficulties and were unable to show commercials. To bridge the time between innings, they used various videos and snippets. This was fine by me of course, because commercials sucks anyways, unless they are about the Dodgers.

Tonight the Dodgers begin game one of a three game series in Arizona. The Dodgers are 9.5 games in front of Arizona, who is in third place. The Dbacks have been struggling, and came into tonight having lost seven of their last eight games at home.

Don Mattingly shuffles his lineup again tonight. He uses his lefty heavy lineup against rookie southpaw Patrick Corbin. Interesting lineup, again, (check the lineup in Stacie’s pregame post, because you won’t believe it) the Dodgers win, scoring six runs, despite most of the lineup filled with minor leaguers. I swear it’s like there is a different hero each night. The Dodgers countered with Chris Capuano, who has been excellent this season. Tonight saw Scott Van Slyke play first base and bat cleanup. Jerry Sands played left field and batted fifth, and Ivan DeJesus got his first start at second base this year. We also learned that Jerry Hairston won’t be back until Friday. He was supposed to be back on Wednesday, but Mattingly wanted to give him an extra day. He will play in rehab games Wednesday and Thursday, before rejoining the team on Friday.

The Dodgers would win their fifth in a row, a 6-1 drubbing over the Dbacks. The Dodgers used three home runs, to score all six runs, and another quality start from Capuano. The Dodger bullpen was flawless, pitching three scoreless frames, and finally shedding the “bumpen” moniker, or box of pain, whatever we call the pen when they blow games. The boys in blue scored two runs in the second, when Jerry Sands singled, and Matt Treanor homered. The Dodgers Scored another run in the seventh off of an Andre Ethier bomb. They would add two more in the eighth, on a huge two-run shot from James Loney. Yes, I said Loney. Here is how the game went.

Top of the first. Gwynn grounder to the mound. Opposing pitcher Patrick Corbin beats Gwynn in a Foot race to the bag. Herrera bunts for a hit to third base side. Ethier whiffs. Van Slyke grounds to second. Bottom of the first. Willie Bloomquist fouls out to Ethier. Dre makes a nice running backhanded catch in foul ground. Aaron Hill pops out. Justin Upton grounds out.

Top of the second. Jerry Sands singles to center. Ivan DeJesus Jr. whiffs. Matt Treanor blasts a bomb into the right field seats. This is the 27 home run the opposition has hit against Arizona at Chase Field. Justin Sellers fouls out to Upton. Chris Capuano, and Tony Gwynn have consecutive singles, but Elian Herrera ends the frame with a shallow pop up to shortstop. The Dodgers lead 2-0. Bottom of the second. Miguel Montero flies out to right field. Chris Young whiffs. The first whiff of the game for Cappy. Jason Kubel grounds out.

Top of the third. Ethier grounds back to the box. Scott Van Slyke, last night’s hero lines out to Hill. Sands grounds out. Still 2-0 Dodgers. Bottom of the third- Paul Goldschmidt leads off the inning and whiffs. Former Dodger prospect Josh Bell, also whiffs. Opposing pitcher Patrick Corbin grounds out. Capuano has now retired nine in a row.

Top of the fourth- Dejesus grounds out to short. Treanor Walks. Sellers hits into a force play, with Treanor erased at second base. Cappy whiffs to end the frame.

Bottom of the fourth-Bloomquist leads off the inning with a triple off the wall in center field. The ball takes a weird hop off of one of those weird nooks in the center field wall, caroming away from Gwynn. Hill singles up the middle to score Bloomquist, and the Dodger lead is cut to one. Upton hits the ball hard, but right at Gwynn. Aaron Hill just beat the throw back to first. Montero flies out to Ethier. Chris Young a ground ball single to left. Kubel smashes a liner right into Cappy’s glove. The inning is over, and the Dodgers get out of it with their lead still intact.

Top of the fifth-Tony Gwynn grounds out. Herrera lines out to Upton. Ethier reaches on an infield single to short, and Bloomquist is unable to make a throw on. Van Slyke hits a routine grounder to deep second, that Hill underhands to Bloomquist to try and force Ethier at second. Dre slides feet first, and it appears that Bloomquist’s foot touched the bag before Ethier’s did. The ump still calls Ethier safe. Of course the crowd boos, but it didn’t matter. That’s because Jerry Sands immediately flies out to left, ending the inning.

Bottom of the fifth. Goldschmidt bloops a base hit into right. The Bell does not toll for Arizona, as Josh whiffs on a called third strike. Corbin sacrifices the opposing pitcher sacrifices Bloomquist over to second. Bloomquist grounds out to Herrera, and the Dodgers get out of it.

Top of the sixth- Dejesus leads off and draws a walk. Treanor pops out to center. Sellers reaches on a little dribbler that is bumbled by former Dodger prospect Josh Bell. (The one that was traded for George Sherrill in 2009). With runners at first and second now and two outs, Dbacks manager Kirk Gibson makes a pitching change and brings in lefty Craig Breslow. Cappy sacrifices the runners to second and third, staying in the game. Of course Gwynn’s grounder ends any hopes of scorin’.

Corbin comes out losing, after pitching 5.1, allowing two runs, on six hits, walking two, and whiffing three. Bottom of the sixth. Hill grounds out to Sellers. Upton walks. Then with former Dodger Henry Blanco at the plate, Upton is picked off of first base by Cappy. Nice nove Cappy! It looks to be a costly Tootblan for Arizona, as Blanco whiffs to end the frame.

Top of the seventh. In the seventh for the Dodgers, Herrera grounds out. Ethier bombs one over the center field wall and into the pools. Andre gives the kiddies of AZ a nice souvenir. That’s the ninth bomb of the year for Dre, and off a lefty too! Van Slyke whiffs, and Sands flies out. The Dodgers take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Bottom of the seventh. Ronald Belisario is called into pitch the seventh. Cappy leaves on top, and is in line for the win, if the Dodgers can hold on. Cappy goes six frames, allowing only one run, four hits, one walk, and five whiffs. He made 94 pitches. Young lines out to Van Slyke. Belisario gets Kubel to whiff on a sinker ball in the dirt. Goldschmidt falls victim to the same pitch, and whiffs to end the inning.

Top of the eighth-Brain Shaw comes in to pitch the eighth for Arizona. Dejesus leads off with a single. Sellers summons up some Sellblock power, and triples into the gap in right center field. DeJesus scores, and it’s 4-1 Dodgers. After Treanor whiffs, Loney crushes an absolute bomb into right field, for his second homer of the year, and the Dodgers tack on two more, and now lead by 6-1. Gwynn whiffs for the third out.

Bottom of the eighth. Javy is called in to pitch the bottom of the eighth, with the Dodgers up by five runs. Bell singles to right. Lyle Overbay, pinch-hitting for Shaw, hits into a force out. Loney double clutches, so is only able to get the lead runner. Bloomquist hits another grounder to Loney who gets another force out at second. Hill flies out to left to end things in the eighth.

Top of the ninth. Some noob for Arizona named Zagurski enters for the top of the ninth inning. Ethier walk Zagurski goes up the ladder to whiff Van Slyke. Bobby Abreu whiffs. Adam Kenned, who is in the game at third base, flies out. Bottom of the ninth. Jamey Wright in to pitch the last inning. Upton singles. Blanco pops out to third. Young whiffs for the second out. Jason Kubel grounds out to end the game. The Dodgers win 6-1, and have now won five in a row.

Check out this ish, the Dodgers are now 29-13, and have a 10.5 game lead on the Dbacks. Since Matt Kemp went on the DL, the Dodgers are 6-2, and have actually increased their division lead to seven games. Simply amazing. This season has been a joy. It all seems surreal. I love this season! The Dodgers will look to extend the streak to six games tomorrow night against the Dbacks, as this magical season goes on. Aaron Harang will take the mound for the Dodgers. The Dbacks will counter with Trevor Cahill. Another day, another Dodger win. This team is for real guys. What’s up now National League? Join us tomorrow Dodger fans. Don’t change that dial! Go Blue.