Hanley Shows You can Go home Again, As Dodgers Top Fish

Dodger’s infielder Hanley Ramirez proved today that you can go home again, even if it’s with an opposing team. Amidst much media attention, The Dodgers arrived in Miami for the first of a three game series. The series marks the return to his former home for Hanley Ramirez, who was met with a mixture of boos and cheers in his first at-bat, and then a chorus of boos in his following at-bats. Hanley shut-up the home crowd by going 3 for 5 with two two run singles, and a run scored. Matt Kemp was 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Juan Rivera smacked a two-run home run, to help lift the Dodgers to a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins, in the boys in blue’s first trip to the Marlins new ballpark.

Clayton Kershaw (the fisherman) dominated the Fish by tossing six frames of two run ball, and winning his tenth and whiffing seven fish batters. He defeated a tough opponent, Mark Buehrle.

The Marlins new ball park and uniforms, are tacky to say the least. The Dodgers were able to hold back the urge to vomit, even after Ruggiano slammed a home run, and we saw the ugly statue in center field, do whatever it is it does.

The Dodgers who were down 1-0 early, rallied to take the lead by scoring four runs in the top of the sixth, and adding another run in the top of the eighth, rallying in their typical scratch and claw style that has defined their season. Kenley Jansen would thwart a late Fish rally in the bottom of the ninth, to record his 23rd save. Here are the highlights……

Shane Victorino leads off and flies out to left. Buehrle whiffs Mark Ellis like a statue. Matt Kemp meets the same fate as M.Ellis and whiffs looking.

Donovan Solano fouls out to Rivera for the first out. The count goes full to Justin Ruggiano. Kersh thought he had him whiffed on a borderline pitch, but the ump squeezed him. Ruggiano then blasts a mammoth home run to left center field, that bounces off the side of that ugly statue. We see the eye sore go off, and glitz, and gyrate, and it’s really ugly. Carlos Lee, the man who turned down playing for the Dodgers because of the tax situation, pops out. Tax me that Lee. Giancarlo Stanton is called on strikes to end the frame.

Mixed reaction for Hanley Ramirez as he leads off the top of the second. We her some boos, and some cheers, as Hanley flies out to left. Andre Ethier grounds out back to the box.  Juan Rivera walks. Jerry Hairston flies out to right. Bottom of the second. Austin Kearns grounds out to third. Gregg Dobbs grounds out back to the box. Former Dodger Nick Green whiffs on a called third strike. Nasty pitch from Kershaw to end the inning.

Buehrle starts the top of the third, by whiffing A.J. Ellis. Kershaw grounds out to short, Green’s throw is wide, and Lee has to tag Kershaw on the back. Victorino flies out to right, and the Dodgers have no hits and no base runners through three innings. Miami Catcher John Buck leads off the bottom of the third with a fly ball to left. Kershaw then whiffs Buehrle, and Solano to end the frame.

Top of the fourth. M.Ellis grounds out to short. More boos then cheers rain down towards Hanley for his second at-bat. Ramirez waives those off and singles to center. Kemp moves to second. Ethier pops out. Rivera softly lines out of course, and the Dodgers don’t score. Kershaw gets redemption and whiffs Ruggiano to start the bottom of the fourth. Lee flies to left. Stanton whiffs as well, and the inning is over.

Hairston stars the top of the fifth, with a single to center. Of coarse AJ immediately hits into a double play, and Kershaw whiffs. That does that. Kearns whiffs  in the bottom of the fifth, and Kersh has retired seven in a row. Dobbs flies out to left. Green flies out to shallow center. Still 1-0 Miami, after five innings.

Top of the sixth. Victorino leads off with a double in the gap. M.Ellis follows with a little dribbler to third that advances Victorino to third. It’s ruled a sacrifice. Kemp scores Victorino with a leg double down the left field line. Beastmode baby! The game is tied., After Ethier whiffs, Hanley singles into right field. Bison races around third to score, sliding around the tag from Buck. 2-1 Blue! Rivera follows with a two-run blast into left field. Dodgers take a 4-1 lead. That’s Rivera’s sixth bomb of the year. The Dodgers score four runs in the inning.

Bottom of the sixth. Buck leads off with a single off of Hanley’s glove. Pinch-hitter Gorkys Hernandez reaches on an infield single to third. Jhair just holds onto the ball, and there are runners at first and second. Solano is safe at first on a grounder fielder’s Choice hit to Hanley. The throw to second is late, and Hernandez just beats the throw to second, and now the bases are loaded with none out. Sloppy defense. Ruggiano hits into a force out at home plate. Lee’s sac fly is the second out, but scores Hernandez to make it a 4-2 game. Stanton flies out to deep left, and Victorino makes the catch in front of the warning track. Phew!

In the top of the seventh, AJ singles to left off of righty Ryan Webb, who is now in the game in place of Buehrle. Kershaw tries to bunt but swings away and pokes a hit through the hole at short past the drawn in infield. Victorino pops out. M.Ellis’s little dribbler to first advances the runners to second and third. Miami obviously pitches around Bison and walks him to load the bases for Hanley. His little infield dribbler single up along the third base line scores AJ, and it’s 5-2 Dodgers. Nice hustle Hanley! Ethier grounds out to first to end the frame.

Buehrle goes six frames, allowing four runs, seven hits, one walk, and whiffed five. He comes out losing 5-2.

Bottom of the seventh. Kershaw begins to tire a bit. Kearns walks. Dobbs flies to center. Green reaches on another fielder’s choice because of more pathetic infield defense from the Dodgers. Hairston’s throw to second is off line and pulls M.Ellis off the bag. Kerhaw is hooked, and Jamey Wright is called in form the bullpen. Kershaw goes 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, one walk, and seven whiffs. He made 114 pitches and comes out leading 5-2. Wright whiffs John Buck. Mattingly brings a hook again, just because there is a lefty coming up. Once again, the lefty righty match-ups fail, as they usually do. Former Marlin, Randy Choate walks pinch-hitter Bryan Peterson, and the bases are loaded. Mattingly emerges again to make another pitching change, and brings in Ronald Belisario. Solano weakly grounds out to Jhair, and the Dodgers get out of it.

Chad Gaudin is in to pitch the top of the eighth. Rivera grounds out. Jhair singles. AJ flies out to left. Loney who was double switched into the game, bats in the ninth spot, and grounds out to end the inning.

Bottom of the eighth, and Belisario is still on the mound. Ruggiano whiffs. Lee’s grounder down the first base line is speared by Loney. James makes a diving back handed stop, and feeds to Belisario from a lying down position. Great play! I swear Loney’s glove is wizardly. Stanton grounds out to third. Still 5-2 Blue.

Gaudin starts the top of the ninth. Victorino grounds out to first. Mark Ellis walks. Gaudin recovers to whiff Kemp, and Hanley to end the frame. Move to the bottom of the ninth. Enter Kenley Jansen to close up. Kearns whiffs. Dobbs flies out to center. Green doubles into the gap. Pinch-hitter Scott Cousins, the guy that nearly killed Buster Posey, grounds out to Loney to end the game. Dodgers win!

The Dodgers improve to 61-52, and are only a half game behind the Giants. The Dodgers will await the result of the Giant game later, who are at home playing Colorado. If the Giants lose, the Dodgers will move into a first place tie. Otherwise they will remain a game behind. Arizona entered the day four games behind the Giants, and are at home playing Washington.

The Dodgers snapped Carlos Lee’s 14 game hitting streak. The Dodgers will go for the series win tomorrow. Joe Blanton will counter Ricky Nolasco for the Fish. Check in with us tomorrow at 410PM for another detailed Dodger game recap. Let’s keep those Fish in the water for at least one more day. Go Blue!