Deflated Dodgers Drop Game One Against Rival Giants

Dodgers 2 6 1

Giants 5 10 0

WP- Casilla (7-5)

LP- Beckett (6-13)

S- Romo (10)

HR- Kennedy (2)

Matt Kemp continues to struggle.

The down and out Dodgers were looking depressed and almost detached in the loss to San Francisco tonight. Josh Beckett pitched effectively until the bottom half of the seventh inning when Donnie pushed his luck even though Brandon League, who has been pitching well of late, was all warmed up and ready to come in. The Dodgers and Giants both scored a run each in the third and sixth innings, but the Dodger offense was completely shut down thereafter while the Giants scored three more runs in later innings. The biggest problem was and is the lack of production from the middle of the lineup. Matt Kemp, who looks as though he might be playing hurt, went 0-for-5, Adrian Gonzalez only mustered a walk, and Hanley Ramirez choked in key situations and struck out twice. The Dodgers failed to take advantage of Tim Lincecum‘s eye-popping seven walks over seven innings. The only highlight of the night for the Dodgers came from a Blue moon Adam Kennedy homerun in the sixth inning, yet he erased the run with a defensive blunder in the bottom half of the same said inning.

The game begins on a sour note as Tim Lincecum strikes out Mark Ellis looking. Shane Victorino comes up to the plate amidst a chorus of boos. Shane draws a walk. Adrian Gonzalez grounds out to second. Matt Kemp flies out to center to end the inning.

Angel Pagan grounds out to second against Josh Beckett to begin the bottom half of the first. Marco Scutaro fouls out to Gonzalez. Pablo Sandoval hits back to the box, and Beckett has a nice quick first inning. Josh only needs nine pitches to retire the pumpkin colored foes.

Hanley Ramirez makes out on a grounder to third in the second inning. Andre Ethier flies out to Brandon Belt who is playing out in left field. Adam Kennedy walks with two outs. A.J. Ellis singles to right center, and AK takes third on a nicely executed hit and run play. Beckett makes the third out on a little grounder, and the Dodgers are unable to cash in Kennedy from third.

Beckett retires Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, and Brandon Belt in order in the bottom of the second using only nine pitches again.

Mark Ellis leads off the third inning by singling to right field. Victorino draws his second walk of the game and Lincecum’s third free pass. Gonzalez grounds out to Scutaro who bumbled the ball and botches the double play allowing the runners to advance to second and third on the play. Ellis scores on a groundball to third by Kemp. Sandoval bumbles the ball a bit, and he has to go to first. Ramirez flies out to end the inning, but the Dodgers are first to notch a run.

In the home half of the third, the Giants respond by tying up the game. Hector Sanchez strikes out swinging for the first out. Brandon Crawford singles, and he moves over to second on a Lincecum sacrifice bunt. Pagan singles in Crawford to give San Francisco their first run of the game. Scutaro follows with a single, but the inning ends on a Panda line drive right into the glove of Hanley. It’s a 1-1 game.

In the fourth, Dre flies out and Kennedy strikes out. A.J. Ellis walks, and Lincecum has now walked one runner each inning. Beckett strike out to end the frame.

Beckett whiffs Posey to commence the bottom of the fourth. Pence and Belt are also retired, and Beckett pitches another 1-2-3 inning.

Lincecum continues his walk fest as he allows his fifth to Mark Ellis. We really have to take advantage of Timmy’s walks tonight. Victorino grounds into a force out. With Gonzo at the plate, Victorino steals his 33rd base of the season. Adrian grounds out to short, and Victorino takes third on the play. Matt Kemp strikes out looking on a fastball right down the pipe. I couldn’t tell you why he didn’t swing at that. Victorino is stranded at third.

Hector Sanchez strikes out to open the bottom of the fifth. Crawford pops out, and The Freak grounds out. Beckett is cruising now.

Josh Beckett pitched well, but the Giants offense chased him out of the game in the seventh.

In the sixth inning, Hanley and Ethier both strikes out. Then something rare and mystifying happens. Adam Kennedy, who we all complained about furiously before the game since he was starting in place of Luis Cruz, proceeds to hit a go-ahead homerun against Lincecum which just cleared the right field fence. Yes, Adam Kennedy hit a homerun. That’s his second homerun of the season, and with that it gives the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. After the solo shot, Timmy walks A.J. Ellis for the sixth walk of the game. Beckett grounds out.

Angel Pagan gets a lead-off single in the bottom of the sixth, and he steals second with Sandoval batting. Panda grounds out, and Pagan takes third on the play. Posey draws a walk. That’s the first walk allowed by Beckett tonight. Pence singles on a ball hit to Adam Kennedy which he botches as he tries to backhand the ball with his bare hand.  It’s ruled a hit, but we all know that should have been an error on AK. Pagan scores to tie the game up again. What Adam Kennedy giveth, Adam Kennedy taketh away. We learn subsequently that Adam Kennedy reinjured his groin, and he limped out of the game. Luis Cruz comes into play third the following inning.

Mark Ellis leads off the seventh inning with a soft dribbler infield single to third. Victorino strikes out on a foul bunt. Sigh. Gonzalez walks, and Lincecum has now allowed an amazing 7 walks in 7 innings. Bruce Bochy finally decides to take him out. Santiago Casilla comes out of the bullpen in relief. The runners move up to second and third on a groundout by Bison. Casilla strikes out Hanley Ramirez looking on a 95-mph fastball to end the inning and strand the runners.

Tim Lincecum pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, 7 walks, and 7 strikeouts on 119 pitches.

Tim Linceum walked 7 Dodgers over 7 innings in the no-decision.

Hector Sanchez leads off with a base hit in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch-runner Gregor Blanco steals second. Crawford walks. Emmanuel Burriss sacrifices the runners to second and third. They walk Pagan intentionally to load the bases up with one out. Even though Brandon League is ready to come in, Don Mattingly chooses to keep Beckett into pitch to Scutaro who promptly singles to right field. Two runs score as Ethier’s throw goes errant. They rule that a throwing error on Ethier. 4-2 Giants, and that will be that for Beckett. Brandon League is brought in, and he is asked to intentionally walk Sandoval to once again load the bases up with just one out. League strikes out Posey. Pence grounds out to finally end the torturous inning.

Josh Beckett pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts on 91 pitches.

Jeremy Affeldt is into pitch the eighth inning for San Francisco. A.J. Ellis gets a two-out single. The Giants go to their bullpen again, and Sergio Romo a.k.a. Blackbeard Jr. comes into face Juan Rivera. Rivera slaps a slider to left field for a hit. Mark Ellis strikes out looking, and the Dodgers strand both runners.

Randy Choate comes into pitch the bottom of the eighth. Brandon Belts leads off with a single to center. Blanco moves the runner over with a sacrifice. Crawford grounds out. Mattingly goes to the pen again, and Jamey Wright comes in to pitch to Joaquin Arias. Of course Arias single in another run. Pagan singles. Scutaro grounds out, but more damage is done.

Sergio Romo remains in the game for the ninth. Victorino grounds out. Gonzalez grounds out. Kemp grounds out.

The Dodgers fall to 73-66, and they drop to 5 1/2 games back in the NL West. Time is waning. The only thing they can do to recover is to come out and win tomorrow and then win on Sunday.

Tomorrow afternoon Chris Capuano will counter Matt Cain at 1:05 pm.