Dodgers Shake And Quake In Walk-Off Win To Even Freeway Series

Angels    4 6 3

Dodgers 5 14 2

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The ground shook in the middle of the second game of the Freeway Series between the Dodgers and Angels Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Maybe it was Hanley’s home run ball from the other night finally coming back into our atmosphere, and landing on Earth. Or perhaps it was the noise made by the Dodger fans when the boys in blue rallied from a four run deficit to tie and then eventually win the game in the bottom of the tenth. Oh yes, Dodger Stadium shook rattled and rolled in more ways than one on Friday night.

There was a 5.3 earthquake centered near Alhambra that hit during the fifth inning of the Dodger’s 5-4 win over the Halos in ten innings. Vin Scully announced the quake during the telecast. The Dodgers were making some aftershocks tonight as they rallied from a four run deficit to defeat the Angels 5-4 in ten innings and even the series at one game apiece.

Darnell Sweeney’s fly ball single past the drawn in Angel outfield scored pinch-runner Trayvon Robinson with the winning run in the bottom of the tenth, breaking the tie and giving the Dodgers the win.

The scheduled starter Stephen Fife, came down with the flu, so the Dodgers tapped super prospect Zach Lee to make the start. Lee had a bad first frame, but was able to recover enough to hold the Angel’s lineup to just one run the last three innings of his outing.

Good god the Angels are an annoying club. I can’t stand them. They’re bad luck too. Whenever they are around annoying things happen. Tonight they were supremely irritating, as per usual But I digress. Back to Lee.

The rookie threw four frames, allowed four earned runs on five hits, walked two, and whiffed two. He made 72 pitches and was not involved in the decision. Neither was his mound opponent hard throwing right hander Garrett Richards. Woooo doggy does this guy throw hard. Mid to upper 90’s regularly were reached on the radar gun. Richards had the Dodgers number until he started to waver in the sixth. Richards tossed 5.1 frames, allowing three runs on seven hits, and whiffing six, while walking just one.

The Dodgers were down 4-0 early, when the Angels scored three in the first, and one in the third, and then were not able to score again off of Dodger pitching for the rest of the game. The Dodger bullpen was fantastic throwing four shutout frames, and keeping the club in the game.

The Angels scored three runs in the first on one swing of the bat from Josh Hamilton. Kole Calhoun led off with a walk, and advanced to second on Howie Kendrick’s grounder. Albert Pujols singled, and there was runners at first and third. Lee then threw a meatball right into Hamilton’s wheelhouse, and he hit it out, over the right field fence for a three-run home run. 3-0 Halos in the first.

The Angels scored their fourth run in the third, when Pujols doubled, and scored when David Freese’s RBI single plated the veteran slugger, making the score 4-0 Angels.

The Dodgers would rally back though, with a run in the fourth, two in the sixth, and another in the eighth. The Dodgers used the power of the bloop single in the fourth, when they had three consecutive hits, which were all bloopers. Adrian Gonzalez’s bloop single landed over the head of Erick Aybar. Andre Ethier’s went to right field, and Juan Uribe’s blooper dropped into center field to load the bases. But the Dodgers could only get one out of it. A.J. Ellis’s double play grounder scored Gonzo, but ruined the rally. Dee Gordon’s ground out ended the frame.

Flash forward to the sixth, when the Angel’s defense fell apart. Hanley Ramirez singled, and Gonzo reached on an error from the starter Richards when he failed to cover first base in time on a grouder. There was another error from C.J. Cron, that allowed Ethier to reach safely. The Dodgers then got their bloop on once again, as Uribe’s pop fly single to right scored pinch-runner Corey Seager, and the Dodgers were now down by two runs, 4-2.

The Dodgers scored one more run on an A.J. Ellis grounder and the score was now 4-3 Angels after six innings.

The Dodgers added their fourth run to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Rookie outfielder Joc Pederson launched a solo shot off of Fernando Salas into the right field corner box seats. That’s his first home run at Dodger Stadium, and third of the exhibition season. Welcome to the big time Joc!

The Dodgers actually left the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Singles from Mike Baxter and Scott Van Slyke, and an Ian Stewart  throwing error on Chone Figgin’s sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with Dodgers. But, Seager whiffed, and Pederson hit into one of the strangest double plays Ive ever seen when Figgins screwed up and stopped halfway between first and second. Pederson’s grounder had gone into shallow left field, evading the Angel’s infield. But Matt Long fired to catcher Hank Conger for a force out at the plate, and then the second out was recorded at second base. Give Figgins a Tootblan on that one. (By the way there were five errors in the game, three by the Angels)

Meanwhile the Dodger bullpen was outstanding. Chris Withrow, Jamey Wright, Chris Perez, and Kenley Jansen all pitched an inning and needed very few pitches to do so. Withrow made just 13 pitches, Wright just 10, Perez only nine, and Jansen 11.

Sam Demel pitched the top of the tenth, and was able to escape a second and third jam, striking out Grant Green, and getting C.J. Cron to ground out.

The Dodgers finally won it in the bottom of the tenth. Justin Turner led off with a single off of Matt Shoemaker. After Rojas sacrificed him to second, Drew Buera’s infield single deflected off of Stewart to allow pinch-runner Trayvon Robinson to go to third. Next up Darnell Sweeney’s fly ball single past the drawn in Angel outfield scored Sweeney to win the game for the Dodgers.

With the exhibition season ending for the Dodgers tomorrow night, the club announced that left hander Hyun-jin Ryu will start Sunday’s stateside opener in San Diego. As for as tomorrow night’s Freeway Series finale in Anaheim, Dan Haren will get the start in his final tune-up before the regular season starts. He’ll draw youngster Tyler Skaggs at 6:05 PM Saturday night.