The Dodgers beat the Nationals 7-6 in Thursday’s rubber match, cutting their magic number to one before heading to Pittsburgh for a weekend series with the Pirates.
By the time Vincente Padilla took the mound in the first, he already had a nice four-run cushion. He would need it, though, after giving up three runs in the second and another in the fourth before being taken out after five. He totaled six strikeouts and didn’t earn a decision. Ronnie Belisario was rocked in the sixth, giving up two runs on three hits and was unable to make it out of the inning. Troncoso came on with two runners on, but escaped the inning and ended up picking up the win after tossing the seventh. Broxton also tossed a perfect ninth for his 36th save.
The Dodgers came out strong, rallying for four runs in the first, keyed by a three-run shot by Matt Kemp. Blake DeWitt drove in two and Rafael Furcal drove a solo go-ahead homerun in the eighth, one of his four hits on the night.
The Dodgers can clinch today with either a win or a Rockies’ loss. Jon Garland will take on Jeff Karstens tonight. Garland is still a perfect 3-0 since coming over from the Dbacks, while Karstens is a fill-in man for the rotation, so the Dodgers should be able to produce some offense off of him.
