It was almost a game. Pirates had two solo shots in the second; Dodgers return with two runs in the top of the third (Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier RBI). Pirates get two more runs in the bottom of the third; A.J. Ellis knocks in two in the top of the sixth.
but with A.J. Ellis on second and one out, the Dodgers keep Paul Maholm (who took over for Josh Beckett in the fourth) to bat. Maholm Ks, and Dee Gordon flies out. And then immediately afterward, Maholm gives up two leadoff singles, is replaced by Jamey Wright, but the floodgates are open and the Pirates score four runs.
The Dodgers come back to make it 8-6, in the top of the seventh, with a two-run A-Gon shot. And we get one more back on a solo Scott Van Slyke shot in the eighth to make it 8-7.
And then Don Mattingly gets his second ill-fated idea of the night, to go to Chris Perez in the bottom of the eighth. Perez gets one out and then delivers four straight walks; Brandon League tries to relieve Perez and gives up two straight singles. 12-7 is the score through eight, and that's all she wrote.
Mattingly tried very, very hard to go with the freezing cold hand tonight, depending on Maholm and Perez to...screw things up. What a missed opportunity.
7 comments:
Win tonight to take the series and get to .500 on this mideast/west swing vs +.500 teams, then on to SF with our big guns all queued up. Cmon, Danny, we need a good one from you tonight
question about Beckett. Was he pulled early for ineffectiveness, pitch count, injury, all of the above?
What's also scaring me is that the Giants have started to hit again
Fred - all the above re Beckett. Plus, the pizza chicken delivery guy showed up early.
I heard in Pittsburgh they put french fries on their pizza
I didn't know Perez had gotten an out. That TOTALLY justifies leaving him in to die.
Steiner and company jinxed Perez. They were talking about how he had found his lost form and had only one earned run in his last 8 appearances spanning 9 and a third innings. Oops.
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