Three out of four isn’t too bad. Not only did the Dodgers beat down a division rival, but they also leaped over the San Diego Padres. The net result is a half game lead in the NL West, which is the ultimate goal.
Jeff Kent came back on Monday and he made an immediate impact. He went two for five with three RBIs and a homerun. Kenny Lofton also had a good game with three hits in the 7-2 win. Brad Penny improved to 12-5 and he gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts over eight innings.
The Dodgers made it eleven in a row on Tuesday. Greg Maddux pitched six solid innings but he left the game down 2-1. Fortunately the Dodgers scored three unanswered runs and won it 4-2. Wilson Betemit had a big day. He had three hits, a run, an RBI and a stolen base.
The winning streak came to an end on Wednesday. Derek Lowe threw a solid game but he was outdueled by Jeff Francis. The game was tied until the ninth inning when Lowe was tagged for two runs. The only run for the Dodgers came on Lowe’s sac. fly.
Fortunately the Dodgers got back on track yesterday. Kenny Lofton came through with a walk off RBi single to win it for the Dodgers. Lofton finished the game with three hits and two RBIs and Rafael Furcal had two hits and two runs. Chad Billingsley walked six in five innings but only gave up one run and Takashi Saito picked up the win despite blowing the save in the top of the ninth.
The Dodgers stick in the NL West and this weekend is a three game set against the Giants. The Dodgers just have to keep on winning and the rest will take care of itself.
