The Dodgers had their three-game win streak snapped last night by losing to the visiting Cardinals, 2-1.
The lone Dodger run came in the seventh after being down 2-0. Mark Sweeney got the pinch-hit RBI to score Chin-lung Hu. Hu and Russell Martin each had two hits on the night, with the only other Dodger hit coming off the bat of Matt Kemp for a grand total of five. An hour rain delay took place before Andruw Jones was put in to pinch-hit and struck out with the tying run at third in the bottom of the ninth. That left the team with an o for 9 with RISP.
Derek Lowe gave up just two runs but got lacked run support to take his fifth loss. He gave up five hits through seven, with his only mistake being a two-run shot to Ryan Ludwick in the third. In Lowe’s last six starts, he is 0-4 with a 7.29 ERA. Joe Beimel, Scott Proctor, and Cory Wade all combined for two scoreless innings.
The Dodgers and Cards go again today at 7:10. Rafael Furcal is still not activated and may even miss out on the road trip to Chicago and New York for the next couple of series. Jones is still aiding his knee and will not play the outfield. Torre said he will continue to use Jones as a pinch hitter, but he might want to reconsider after Jones left the tying run at third as he struck out to end the game last night.
Brad Penny will go for his sixth win and will face Kyle Lohse. Penny is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in his last three starts and has four losses on the season, which equals his total for all of last year. Lohse is 3-2 with a 4.71 ERA.
On Sunday, the Dodgers will have 20-year-old rookie Clayton Kershaw starting for his MLB debut. Yhency Brazoban and Esteban Loaiza were both designated for assignment to allow room for Kershaw, who is making his way up from Double-A Jacksonville after being a first-round pick in the 2006 draft.
