Dem Bums – A Dodgers Blog

The Dodgers now find themselves in a 3-1 hole in the NLCS after the Phillies scored two in ninth to beat the Dodgers 5-4.

Randy Wolf had a decent outing, giving up three runs in 5 1/3. His only real mistake was a two-run homerun to Ryan Howard with two out in the first. He then gave up a run in the sixth and was pulled, still in line for the win. Belisario, Kuo, and Sherill all kept the Phillies scoreless, and Broxton came in the eighth to try and secure a four-out save with a one-run lead. Broxton got two out in the ninth, but Jimmy Rollins ripped a two-RBI double to give the Phillies the walk-off win and Broxton the loss.

The Dodgers were able to score four off Joe Blanton, including a go-ahead solo homerun by Matt Kemp in the fifth. Loney, Martin, and Blake also all had an RBI apiece in the game.

The Dodgers now have a day of rest before heading into a must-win game on Wednesday. Torre has decided to start Vincente Padilla, who is still undefeated while wearing a Dodgers uniform since joining the club in August. He will face Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels.

Hiroki Kuroda made just four outs before being pulled in the second as the Dodgers took a 0-11 shutout loss to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.

Ryan Howard drilled a two-RBI triple in the first for the Phillies’ first runs before Jayson Werth made it 4-0 with a two-run homerun. Kuroda was lifted in the second after allowing back-to-back doubles. Elbert, Billingsley, Troncoso, and Belisario then all worked out of the bullpen, with Billingsley giving up two in the fifth and Belisario a three-run homerun to Shane Victorino in the eighth.

Cliff Lee completely shut out the Dodger offense, striking out ten in his eight-inning shutout. The Dodgers managed just three hits, with two from Manny Ramirez.

The Dodgers are down, but certainly not out. Randy Wolf will make the start in his second postseason career start. He will face Joe Blanton, who pitched out of the bullpen in the NLDS but went 12-8 in 31 starts for the Phillies this year.

The Dodgers followed a 6-8 loss in Game 1 on Thursday with a 2-1 win on Friday before heading to Philly for Games 3, 4, and 5.

Clayton Kershaw couldn’t find his usual groove on Thursday, giving up five runs on four hits before leaving with two outs in the fifth. A three-run homerun by Carlos Ruiz in the fifth sent Kershaw to the clubhouse. Raul Ibanez also knocked a three-run homerun in the eighth off Sherrill to give the Phillies a four-run lead. James Loney got the Dodgers on board first with a solo homerun in the second, and Manny Ramirez cut the Phillies lead to one with a two-run shot in the fifth. The Dodgers added two more in the eighth, but also left two runners stranded that inning.

Vincente Padilla pitched a gem on Friday, holding the Phillies to one run (a Ryan Howard solo shot in the fourth), while notching six K’s before leaving with one out in the eighth. It was Kuo who picked up the win after closing out the eighth, and Broxton picked up the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Pedro Martinez held the Dodgers scoreless through his seventh innings, before Andre Ethier drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to tie it. Juan Pierre then scored the go-ahead run after a throwing error by Chase Utley.

The Dodgers and Phillies will be matched in up in the NLCS for the second year in a row. This time around, the Dodgers will have home field advantage.

During the regular season, the Dodgers went 4-3 against the Phillies, but outscored them by  a slim 26-25. Games 1 and 2 will be Thursday and Friday at Dodger Stadium before heading to Philly on Sunday for Game 3.

The Dodgers finished a three game sweep of the Cardinals on Saturday night to move on to the NLCS, but they are still waiting on the Phillies and Rockies series to see who they’ll play.

Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright had a pitcher’s duel in Thursday’s game, with Kershaw going 6 2/3 and holding the Cardinals to two runs. Sherrill picked up the win after tossing the ninth and having the offense win in walk-off fashion in the bottom half. After Wainwright held the Dodgers to just one run through eight–a solo homerun by Andre Ethier. Ronnie Belliard then singled home pinch-runner Juan Pierre to tie it in the ninth. The Dodgers then loaded the bases after Russell Martin walked, and Mark Loretta played hero and broke his 0-for-15 record against Cards’ closer Ryan Franklin, scoring Casey Blake with a walk-off RBI-single.

Vincente Padilla shut out the Cardinals through seven innings on Saturday to back the Dodgers as they finished their sweep of the series. Sherill allowed a run to sneak through in the eighth but Broxton came on to finish the eighth and ninth. The offense was led by Andre Ethier, who went 3 for 5 including a two-run shot in the third, Manny Ramirez, who had three hits and two RBIs, and Rafael Furcal, who went 2 for 5 with an RBI.

The Dodgers will have to watch at least two more of the Phillies-Rockies games to see who they’ll be facing in the NLCS, which is set to start on Thursday.

Despite leaving 16 men on base, the Dodgers came out with a 5-3 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Randy Wolf went 3 2/3 innings and earned the no-decision. He ran into trouble in the first, loading the bases with no outs and a run scored when some miscommunication between Matt Kemp and Ronnie Belliard allowed a potential pop-out to turn into a hit. The Dodgers then got a double play to escape the inning. Wolf was pulled with two outs in the fourth after allowing an RBI-double. Jeff Weaver picked up the win after finishing the fourth and fifth innings. Belisario, Kuo, and Sherrill tossed scoreless relief and Broxton gave up a run but picked up the four-out save.

Matt Kemp answered the Cards’ run in the first with a two-run blast. Casey Blake drove in Andre Ethier in the third to give the Dodgers a two-run cushion. Furcal, who went 3 for 4, and Martin each drove in a run in the fifth and sixth innings. The Dodgers and Cards combined for 23 hits and left a MLB playoff-record 30 runners on base.

The Dodgers hope to put themselves up two games before heading to St. Louis this weekend. Clayton Kershaw will take the mound tonight and face Adam Wainwright.

The Dodgers found themselves in danger of losing the NL West race as they took a 3-4 loss on Friday, but came back to win two straight and are now set to move on as NL West champs in the NLDS.

Randy Wolf suffered his first loss in two months, though he held the Rockies to just two runs through five. He didn’t get much offensive support to help him out, with Ubaldo Jimenez holding the Dodgers to one run on two hits. The Dodgers answered the Rockies’ two runs in the seventh with two of their own in the bottom half, including a leadoff solo shot by Russell Martin, but fell short in the loss.

Clayton Kershaw tossed a three-hit shutout on Saturday as the Dodgers clinched the NL West title. He also notched 10 K’s, but couldn’t pick up the win. Hong-Chih Kuo got the win, tossing a perfect seventh. The Dodgers were shut out at the plate until the seventh, where they rallied for five runs. Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, Manny, Belliard, and Loretta all knocked in a run apiece, with Belliard and Loretta getting pinch-hit RBI’s.

Vincente Padilla picked up the win in Sunday’s rubber match, holding the Rockies to one run on four hits while striking out 10 in just five innings. The Dodgers then used a handful of relievers before Troncoso picked up the save, though he did allow one run in the ninth. At the plate, Doug Mientkiewicz, Juan Pierre, and Hu all had multi-hit games, and Casey Blake knocked in two runs.

The Dodgers end the regular season with a 95-67 record. They are set to face the Cardinals at home in the NLDS on Wednesday. Randy Wolf will make the start for the Dodgers in his playoff debut. He will face Chris Carpenter, who, if he had not started off the season on the DL, would’ve likely been the front-runner for the NL Cy Young award. He had a 17-4 record with a 2.94 ERA this season, with only one of the losses coming since June 30.

The Padres shut out the Dodgers on Wednesday, 5-0, to keep the Dodgers’ Magic Number at 1 to clinch the NL West.

Jon Garland was roughed up in the loss, giving up a run in the first and then a three-run homerun in the third. He left with one out in the fourth and took his second loss as a Dodger. The bullpen shut out the Padres for the remaining frames, but the damage had been done.

Clayton Richard pitched a one-hitter, with Matt Kemp notching the lone hit. The Dodgers have Thursday off before heading into the biggest series of the season, hosting the Rockies for a three-game set. A win on Friday will seal the NL West, but a loss will put them just a game and a half up in the division. Ubaldo Jiminez is set to face Randy Wolf on Friday. The Dodgers look to get the usual consistency from Wolf, who hasn’t loss in two months back on August 1st.