Rubby De La Rosa Returns, but Dodgers Get Swept By Giants

Dodgers 4 12 0

Giants 8 8 0

WP- Cain (13-5)

LP- Capuano (11-9)

HR- Arias (3)

For the first time since 2007, the Dodgers were swept by the San Francisco Giants in three games at home. Shaky first innings by all three starting pitchers netted the Giants early leads which the Dodgers could not overcome. Chris Capuano had four good innings bookended with really bad first and sixth innings. He ended up allowing 6 earned runs in 5 innings. Joaquin Arias, the hero of the night for the Giants, came up with 3 hits and 5 RBIs. Has he been ordering juice from Melky’s website? With the sweep, the Dodgers sink back further in the NL West standings to 2 1/2 games back. After a hot road trip, their bats have been oddly ice cold at home at Dodger Stadium. Tonight was more of the same as Matt Cain held the Dodgers to one run over seven innings. The Giant bullpen had a mini meltdown in the eighth, and the Dodgers scored three runs off four hits and a walk. But it was too little too late. One of the only bright spots in this game was the return of Rubby De La Rosa. Rubby made 20 pitches, and 10 were for strikes. He walked two batters, but he got up to 96-mph.

Angel Pagan leads off the game with a double to left field. Déjà vu from last night. Marco Scutaro singles, and Pagan stops at third. Pablo Sandoval‘s sacrifice fly plates the first Giant run once again in the first inning. Chris Capuano strikes out Hunter Pence. Pence is 0-for-9 in the series so far. Joaquin Arias bounces a homerun off the top of the center field fence, and the Giants take a 3-0 lead just like that. The inning finally ends on a groundout from Hector Sanchez, but heavy damage is done.

Shane Victorino and Mark Ellis both foul out against Matt Cain in the bottom of the first. Matt Kemp flies out, and the Dodgers go down 1-2-3.

Cappy settles down in the second, and he retires Belt, Christian, and Cain consecutively.

In the home half of the second, Andre Ethier grounds out, Hanley Ramirez strikes out, and Loney grounds out.

Cappy has another good inning in the third as gets Pagan and Scutaro to fly out, and then he whiffs the Panda.

A.J. Ellis doubles to right field in the bottom of the third, but Arias makes a stupendous play from the hole at short to rob Victorino of a base hit and end the inning.

The Giants go down in order again in the top of the fourth.  

Mark Ellis opens the bottom of the fourth with a long double. Ellis advances to third base on a Matt Kemp groundout. Ethier’s fly ball is too shallow for Ellis to tag up on. Hanley Ramirez grounds out to third, and the Dodgers come up empty.

Capuano is cruising now as he retires the Giants in order in the fifth. Too bad about that first inning, because Cappy has pitched perfect since.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers manage another little failed rally. James Loney singles to lead-off, and A.J. singles  with one out (his second hit of the game). Capuano’s sacrifice bunt moves the runners to second and third, but Shane Victorino strikes out swinging to strand them both.

In the sixth, the Giants strikes again as Pagan singles to left to start off. That’s the first San Francisco hit since the first inning. Scutaro hits a ground-rule double over the left field fence, and the Giants have runners at second and third with nobody out. The Dodger bullpen begins to stir. Sandoval’s single brings in Pagan for the fourth Giant run, and they now lead 4-0. That’s going to be all for Capuano. Shawn Tolleson comes in for relief. Hunter Pence, who is really struggling, strikes out again. Another run is tacked on as Arias doubles in Scutaro. Sanchez strikes out. They intentionally walk Brandon Belt. Tolleson walks Christian to load the bases up with two outs. Matt Cain whiffs to finally end that miserable inning.

Chris Capuano pitched 5 innings, allowing 6 hits, 6 runs, no walks, and 2 strikeouts on 71 pitches.

Andre Ethier hits a ground-rule double to right field with two-out in the bottom of the sixth. That’s Dre’s 30th double of the season. It also makes Dre the first Dodger to have 30 doubles in six straight seasons! Hunter Pence awkwardly tries to catch it, but it bounces over his head and then the fence. The Dodgers finally score on a RBI single by Hanley Ramirez. Loney pops out to end the frame.

Rubby De La Rosa will come out of the bullpen for his first appearance since coming back from Tommy John surgery a year ago. He walks the first batter he faces, Angel Pagan on ten pitches. His fastball was clocked between 94-96 in that at bat. Pagan steals second with Scutaro at bat. Scutaro pops out, and Brandon Crawford flies out. Rubby walks Pence on four pitches, and that will be it for Rubby. Don Mattingly makes a double switch to bring in Jamey Wright and Juan Rivera. Wright promptly serves up a double to Arias which scores another two runs for San Francisco. It’s now 8-1.

Luis Cruz leads off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Justin Christian makes a unbelievable diving catch in left field to rob Juan Rivera of extra bases. Victorino strikes out again, and Cruz is stranded.

Jamey Wright retires the side in order in the eighth.

Clay Hensley comes out of the San Francisco bullpen to pitch the bottom of the eighth in relief of Cain. Mark Ellis comes up with his second double of the game to start off the inning. Matt Kemp’s ground-rule double scores Mark Ellis, and the Dodgers pick up their second run of the game. That’s five doubles for the Dodgers tonight. Bruce Bochy goes to the pen for a lefty to face Ethier. Jeremy Affeldt tries to come inside on Dre, and he proceeds to single to right. Hanley strikes out. Juan Uribe draws a rare walk to load the bases up for Luis Cruz. The Giants have to go to the pen again, this time for Santiago Casilla. Cochito Cruz comes up clutch again with a broken bat single to center, and two runs cross the plate! 8-4 Dodgers. A.J. Ellis hits into an inning and rally ending double play.

Matt Cain pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 run,  no walks, and 5 strikeouts on 101 pitches.

Kenley Jansen will pitch the ninth to get some work in, and he sends the Giants down 1-2-3.

Casilla is still in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Rivera flies out. Victorino singles. Mark Ellis strikes out. Kemp strikes out.

The Dodgers fall to 67-58, and they are now 2 1/2 games back of the Giants.

Tomorrow is a much needed off day, and then the Miami Marlins comes into town for a three-game set. Chad Billingsley will counter old friend Nathan Eovaldi on Friday night. Can the Dodgers turn things around this weekend, or will their poor offense at home continue?