The Dodgers avoided a four-game sweep with a 5-3 win over the Cards on Thursday, followed by a 5-0 win over the Braves on Friday.
Hiroki Kuroda had a solid outing, spreading out two runs on four hits through six innings. He didn’t earn the decision as the game would head to extras. Mota allowed a run to score in the seventh that tied it up and sent the game to extras. The bullpen was shutout after the seventh though, with Hong-Chih Kuo, James McDonald, and Jonathan Broxton each tossing a hitless inning, with McDonald picking up the win and Broxton the save.
The Dodgers managed to squeeze just one run in off Kyle Lohse’s six innings. The Dodgers scored two in the seventh and Matt Kemp had the winning RBI’s with a two-run single in the tenth. Rafael Furcal also had two RBIs and Casey Blake notched three hits.
The Dodgers then opened a three-game series at Turner Field with a 5-0 shutout against the Braves on Friday. Jason Schmidt picked up his second win, allowing just one hit through six shutout innings. Sherrill and James McDonald both combined for three hitless innings after Troncoso allowed two leadoff hits in the seventh.
The Dodgers were scoreless until Andre Ethier broke the 0-0 tie with a three-run shot in the fifth, one of his two hits and three of his four RBIs on the night. Furcal, Blake, Martin, and Hudson also all had two hits apiece.
Randy Wolf will take the mound in Saturday’s second game of the series. He will face Derek Lowe, who is 10-7 with a 4.20 ERA.
