The Dodgers sanwiched a win in between two losses to the Giants this weekend to set their regular season record at 84-78.
Russell Martin drove a pinch-hit two-run homerun in the ninth on Friday to send the game to extras before Jason Johnson gave up a run in the tenth to take the loss. Jeff Kent gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a homerun in the fourth before the Dodgers rallied for three in the ninth. Martin drove the go-ahead homerun in the ninth but his throwing error in the bottom half allowed the Giants to tie it up. Johnson picked up the loss with giving up an RBI-single in the tenth. He was the eighth pitcher used, with Lowe making the start before being lifted after three.
The Dodgers came back on Saturday with a 2-1 win. Greg Maddux tossed a two-hitter through six, giving up a solo homerun in the fourth. Blake DeWitt gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the third with a solo homerun before driving in the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Nomar made his debut as the Dodgers’ manager on Sunday, but the boys took a 1-3 loss in the 2008 regular season finale. The Dodgers were held to six hits, scoring just one run in the third on Ethier’s RBI-single. Hiroki Kuroda tossed five shutout innings before Chan Ho Park took the loss after giving up two runs in the seventh.
The Dodgers get two days of rest before heading to Chicago to take on the Cubs in the NLDS on Wednesday. Derek Lowe will make the start in Game 1 and will face Ryan Dempster, who had 17 wins in the regular season. The Dodgers went 2-5 against the Cubs this season, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley.
