The bats couldn’t get going against Sox starter Mark Buehrle as the Dodgers lose the opener, 6-1.
Buehrle held the Dodgers to just six hits in his eight innings. The lone run came in the fifth from Delwyn Young’s solo shot, his first homerun since last September and just the third of his career. Kemp and Loney each had singles to extend their hit streaks, eight for Kemp and 11 for Loney. Pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney also gave Buehrle his 1000th strikeout of his career in the eighth.
Derek Lowe went 7 1/3 innings and struck out a season-high eight batters, but was still tagged for the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits. He gave up a pair spread between the first and second innings to give the Nats a 2-0 lead. Over the next five innings, Lowe regained command and gave up just one hit and one walk. He fell apart in the eighth, led by a single followed by AL Player of the Week Jermaine Dye’s two-run shot. Lowe then gave up another single before being pulled. Lowe has just seven TOTAL runs of support in his seven losses this season. Cory Wade then took the mound and gave up an RBI-triple and an RBI-single. Ramon Troncoso then threw the ninth, but the game was already over.
The Dodgers look to tie the series today by sending Eric Stults to the mound. Stults is making his second fill-in start for Penny and Kuroda and his first Interleague start of his career. He gave up just one earned run to get his first win this season last Thursday. He will face Gavin Floyd, who is 8-3.
