The Dodgers followed up their loss with the Brewers with a 17-4 win on Tuesday.
Hiroki Kuroda was aided by a four run lead after the first, and picked up the win after going six innings. He gave up three runs on nine hits but also notched seven K’s. Kuroda picked up his first win in six starts. Hong-Chih Kuo tossed an inning and then Mota came on for relief. He ran into trouble with two outs in the ninth when he drilled Prince Fielder with a pitch, and was then ejected. After the game, Fielder actually attempted to get into the Dodgers’ clubhouse to confront Mota about the pitch. Both Torre and other Dodger officials didn’t comment any further on the issue.
The Dodgers scored 17 total runs, the most they have at their home field since the 1979 squad. The offense started with four runs in the first, led by back-to-back singles by Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier. Casey Blake drilled a two-RBI double for the first two Dodger runs. Manny Ramirez then drove a solo shot in the fifth, one of his two hits on the night and one of three RBI’s. The Dodgers then exploded for seven runs in the sixth and then five more in the eighth, including a two-run homerun by Matt Kemp, who ended the night with four hits, three runs, and five RBI’s. Ethier and Martin ended with three hits and two RBIs each, and Mark Loretta knocked in two in his pinch-hit at bat in the sixth.
Jason Schmidt looks to give the Dodgers the series’ win in Wednesday’s rubber match. He will face Braden Looper, who is 9-5 with a 5.03 ERA but has lost his last two starts.
