Dodgers Labor Over Eleven but Capture Second Consecutive Walk-Off Win

Dodgers 4 11 0

Padres 3 10 0

F/11

WP- League (1-6)

LP-  Burns (0-1)

HR- Headley (24), Ramirez (24), Ethier (16)

The Dodgers had to labor on this Labor Day. The Giants and Cardinals had already won before the Dodger game started tonight, so the Boys in Blue were trying to not sink further in the standings. Joe Blanton made another successful start, and other than a first inning two-run homerun to Chase Headley and a bit of trouble in the seventh inning, he pitched admirably. Rookie pitcher Andrew Werner also pitched well, and he even picked up his first Major League hit. Neither of the starting pitchers would factor in the decision after Andre Ethier tied up the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with his 16th homerun of the year. Luis Cruz hit a career-high four hits, and the fan favorite is now hitting an impressive .308. It truly was a team effort tonight, and the bullpen pitched scoreless ball through 4 1/3 innings. A.J. Ellis, who has been the heart of the Dodgers this season, hit a two-out walk-off hit in the bottom of the eleventh to give the Dodgers their second walk-off win in as many days. The Dodgers are now 3-for-3 in the month of September and remain undefeated for the new month.

Joe Blanton is on the bump for the Dodgers tonight, and Everth Cabrera flies out to left field to start things off in the first inning. Will Venable singles to center. With Chase Headley at the plate, Venable steals second. A.J. Ellis’s throw bounces into center field. Chase Headley promptly homers on a 91-mph Blanton sinker, and the Padres take an early 2-0 lead. Yonder Alonso flies out. Chris Denorfia grounds out to end the frame, but the damage is done.

Andrew Werner, who is making just his third Major League start, goes to work against the Dodgers in the home half of the first. Mark Ellis and Shane Victorino both strike out against the rookie southpaw. Adrian Gonzalez draws a walk, but Matt Kemp flies out to end the inning.

Cameron Maybin strikes out in the second inning. Alexi Amarista flies out to Kemp. John Baker, the catcher, singles to center. Andrew Werner grounds into a force out.

Werner strikes out another Dodger as Hanley Ramirez goes down swinging in the bottom of the second. Andre Ethier also strikes out. Luis Cruz singles to center for the first Dodger hit of the game. A.J. Ellis strikes out, and Werner now has five Ks through two innings.

Cabrera drops a bunt for a single to lead off the third inning for San Diego. Cabrera then steals second with Venable at-bat. Will whiffs. Headley flies out to center. Alonso grounds out, and the Friars strand Cabrera.

Will Venable falls over the railing to snag a foul ball hit by Blanton for the first out in the bottom of the third. Mark Ellis singles to right field. Victorino pops up, and Gonzalez flies out as the Dodgers fail to score.

In the top of the fourth the Padres manage to load the bases up, but Blanton somehow wiggles his way out of the jam. Denorfia and Maybin hit back-to-back singles. The runners advance to second and third on a groundout from Amarista. They intentionally walk Baker to get to Werner. Blanton then strikes out both Werner and Cabrera, and the Padres leave the bases loaded!

The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth as Kemp and Ramirez both strikeout, and Ethier grounds out.

In the fifth, Blanton walks Venable the lead-off hitter. Headley grounds into a force out, and Alonso grounds into a double play.

Luis Cruz singles for his second hit of the game to lead-off the bottom half of the fifth. A.J. flies out. Blanton’s sacrifice bunt moves Cruz to second. Mark Ellis singles to left field, and Luis Cruz makes a nice slide around Denorfia’s throw home to avoid Baker’s tag. The Dodgers now trail 2-1. Victorino pops out in foul territory to end the little rally.

Blanton pitches a very nice 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, and he strikes out Denorfia and Maybin along the way.

In the bottom of the sixth with two out, Hanley Ramirez crushes his 10th homerun as a Dodger to tie the game up! The solo shot was dead to center. Cameron Maybin acted as if he caught it, but there was no way.

Andrew Werner gets his first Major League hit in the seventh with a one-out  ground single to center. With two-out, Don Mattingly will take out Blanton. Randy Choate comes into bat to pinch-hitter Logan Forsythe. Forsythe hits a sharp comebacker which hits off the bare hand of Choate. Forsythe reaches safely on the infield hit, and the athletic trainers have to take a look at Choate’s thumb. He has to come out of the game. Ronald Belisario has to come in to pitch to Headley. Headley of course singles up the middle, and a run scores with pinch-runner Clayton Richard from second giving the Padres a 3-2 lead. Alonso hits another comebacker, but this time Beli throws him out at first.

Joe Blanton pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts on 109 pitches.

Andrew Werner pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts on 85 pitches.

Nick Vincent, a righty, will pitch the bottom of the seventh for San Diego. The Dodgers are retired in order, and Amarista makes a diving catch to rob pinch-hitter Nick Punto of an extra base hit.

Jamey Wright will pitch the eighth for the Dodgers. Wright whiffs Denorfia. Maybin is out on a comebacker. Amarista grounds out, and Wright pitches a very nice 1-2-3 inning.

Dale Thayer comes out of the San Diego bullpen for the home half of the eighth. Mark Ellis strikes out on a high fastball. Victorino flies out. Bud Black brings in left-hander Tommy Layne to pitch to Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo singles up the middle on the first pitch. Black goes to the pen again, and the righty Luke Gregerson will try to battle the Bison. Kemp grounds out to short, and Cabrera just beats out the sprinting Kemp at first.

Wright pitches another good inning in the top of the ninth to retire the side in order.

The Dodgers are down to their final three outs, and Hanley strikes out against Gregerson. Andre Ethier a.k.a. Captain Clutch comes up with a solo shot to right field to tie the game up! Remember, San Diego’s closer Huston Street is hurt right now. Luis Cruz comes up with his third single of the night, and he becomes the winning run at first. A.J. strikes out. Bobby Abreu grounds out to first, and we are heading for the tenth.

Brandon League hopes to shut down the Pads in the tenth. League promptly hits Forsythe in the hand with a pitch. Forsythe steals second as Headley strikes out at the plate. They intentionally walk Alonso. The plan works, and Denorfia grounds into an inning ending 5-3 double play!

Brad Brach is the sixth San Diego pitcher of the night brought in to handle the bottom of the tenth. Mark Ellis grounds out to third. Victorino strikes out, and he goes 0-for-5. Gonzalez strikes out, and we go on to the eleventh.

League is in to pitch a second inning for the eleventh, and he allows a two-out single to Baker but that is all.

Cory Burns, a righty, will pitch the bottom of the eleventh. Matt Kemp pops out to shallow right center. Hanley grounds out. Ethier singles with two outs. Cochito Cruz comes up with his fourth hit of the night! Ethier gets to third on the play, and the Dodgers have the winning run 90 feet away. Cruz advances to second on defensive indifference. A.J. Ellis singles for a walk-off win for the Dodgers! The second walk-off win in as many games!

The Dodgers now have 10 walk-off wins on the season, and they are only behind Oakland for the most. They improve to 73-63, and they remain 4 1/2 games back of San Francisco in the NL West and 1/2 game back of St. Louis for the second Wild Card. The Dodgers are now undefeated in the month of September.

Tomorrow Clayton Kershaw will counter old friend Eric Stults in game two at 7:10 pm.