Hard-throwing Roy Halladay and the NL East-leading Phillies vs. Hard-luck Hiroki Kuroda and the 13th-in-NL Dodgers. If everything went right tonight, we might have had a chance. We got three runs (two off of singles and one off of a Casey Blake ground out). We got Kuroda into the seventh inning (6.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB and 4 Ks). We knocked Halladay out in the seventh inning, amassing nine hits off him (and outhitting the Phils 13-11). We had both Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp to the plate in the ninth inning, each vying to be the tying run.
And yet, it wasn't enough. Probably because James Loney's second-inning double clutch of a ground ball turned a potential double play into a first-and-third, none out situation (two Phillie runs ended up scoring that frame). And because with two runs scored, two RISP and two out (down by a single run), Tony Gwynn Jr. inexplicably decided to BUNT (and was out at first, 1-3 on the play). And because in that bottom of the ninth inning and down 5-3, Ethier fouled out and Kemp struck out on three pitches.
Because we can't beat the Phillies, a team that has had our number for years and has a far superior lineup, with "good enough". We have to be perfect in order to have a shot at beating these Phillies. And we weren't good enough, not tonight.
UPDATE 12:00m: Had to laugh when reading Tony Jackson's recap on ESPN.com, "Dodgers simply outclassed by Phillies". It talks about how the Phillies are rolling, how they're expected to win, how they're the best team in baseball. And best of all, it comes with the paragraph:
The Dodgers have a roster that has Eugenio Velez on it.
8 comments:
Better than losing it in the ninth off a Ruiz HR I suppose.
This turned out better than I expected.
Mr LA SC: Better than expected still isn't good enough.
Sax, it's August. We have arguably the best hitter AND best pitcher in the league, and we're ten under .500.
Better is all I've got.
Better is all the Dodgers have got.
It's better than nothing.
true true.
updated post linking to T-Jax' article. Hilarious.
@Sax - I have some EMO postings for you, if that makes you feel better. It's even chock full of Marvel goodness.
Being at the game last night, I can tell you the most disturbing sight was the amount of Philly phans around the stadium.
Worse than fucking Cubs' fans, I tells ye.
Also these observations:
Compared to a year ago, waaaay more LAPD and security. They also seemed more proactive.
Still tons of people getting toe up on overpriced booze (cc: Sax, DB)
Still the most beautiful ballpark in the nation.
A sad sight; all those empty seats with a WS contender in town.
Dodger defense lost this game. 10 hits v. Halladay should = WIN.
What
The
Fuck?
Phiwwie fans always turn out in DROVES.
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