The Dodgers failed to take a first-place tie on Saturday with a loss in extra innigs, and a 5-4 loss on Sunday gives them the series loss while moving them 1 1/2 games behind Arizona.
The Dodgers spread out four runs on six hits through seven innings off Matt Cain, and they had a 4-3 lead after seven until the Giants rallied for a ninth inning walk off win. Jeff Kent went 0 for 4 but tied it at 1-1 in the third with an RBI-groundout. Matt Kemp went 3 for 5 with 2 runs and was a homer short of the cycle, Andre Ethier was 2 for 4 with a run and RBI, and Manny had a two-RBI double in seventh for the go-ahead run. The rest of the Dodgers went hitless, including Russell Martin, who is now .156 with 11 K’s in his last 10 games.
Chad Billingsley gave up three runs on nine hits with 6 K’s through six innings, but the Giants’ ninth-inning rally gave Billingsley the no-decision, which still makes him undefeated against the Giants in his nine career outings against them. Ramon Troncoso pitched the seventh and one out in the eighth for the hold. Hong-Chih Kuo then came in and got out of the eighth and went into the ninth with a one-run lead; Billingsley was unavailable after three straight outings including a blown save on Saturday. Kuo let a ball roll by him before Angel Berroa bobbled it off the bat of Eugenio Velez to allow the winning run to score. The bases had been loaded because of a bobbled ball by Casey Blake that should’ve been a double play but ended up loading the bases. Kuo takes the blown save and the loss, despite 0 earned runs.
The Dodgers open a series with the visiting first-place Phillies tonight in front of a national ESPN crowd. Derek Lowe takes the mound and will face Kyle Kendrick, who is 10-5 with a 4.37 ERA. Lowe is looking to recover from his worst start of the year, giving up 8 runs on 13 hits in 3+ innings. Lowe pitches much better at home, though, with a road ERA nearly double of it at Dodger Stadium.
