Game 76 Thread: June 25 @ Diamondbacks, 6.40p

Dodgers start Brad Penny, RHP (9-1, 2.12) vs. Micah Owings, RHP (5-1, 4.06).

Dodgers: 42-33 (3rd place NL West, 1.5 GB, L2)
Diamondbacks: 44-32 (1st place NL West, 1.0 GA, W2)

From Dodgers.com, the scouting report on the starters:

Dodgers: Penny continued on his first-half roll in Toronto, allowing only one run in seven innings while striking out five and walking only one. All but two of his 15 appearances have been quality starts and he's been unable to complete at least six innings only once. He's allowed only two home runs in 97 2/3 innings and the Dodgers are 13-2 when he starts. He was the All-Star Game starting pitcher last year (10-2, 2.91), but his first half this year has been even better.

Diamondbacks: Owings sparkled through the first four innings Wednesday against Tampa Bay before struggling at the end of his start. He gave up four runs on seven hits in the final 1 2/3 of his outing after allowing just one hit through the first four scoreless innings, when he recorded all seven of his strikeouts. Overall, Owings' four earned runs marked only the second time he has allowed that many this season. He keeps the D-backs in the game every time out. Including his Minor League statistics last year, when he combined to go 16-2 at Double-A and Triple-A, Owings has lost just once since May 23, 2006.

COMMENTS:

• Orel may be telling us not to panic, but panic indeed is what the Dodgers should be doing after rolling over and playing dead the last two games of the Tampa Bay series. Saturday, the Dodgers left a mind-boggling 15 men on base, including multiple bases-loaded-no-out situations that resulted in no runs. The game ended when Dodger outcast Dioner Navarro punched a home run, the difference in a one-run game, effectively kicking Ned Colletti in the nuts. The Dodgers followed their LOB nightmare with a Joe Beimel nightmare in Sunday's matchup, as Beimel gave up five in the bottom of the seventh without recording an out. Way to get the team up against the AL, Grady!
• But on to other disasters. We open a four game set against NL West leader Arizona tonight, and over the course of the series LA will see Brandon Webb Wednesday and Livan "Humungo" Hernandez on Thursday. We will leave Arizona either back in the race, or left for dead. The way the Dodgers played against the Rays, you know what the odds-on favorite is.
• Nomar is feeling a little less "sniffly." I kid you not, that's the word used by mlb.com. Nice.

The lineup, from ITD/MLB:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Abreu, 3B
Penny, P

15 men LOB? Let's keep the same damn lineup. Brilliant.