Results tagged “Dodgers” from Inside the Dodgers

The Dodgers have acquired infielder Ronnie Belliard from the Nationals in exchange for minor leaguer Luis Garcia and a player to be named later.
Belliard, 34, has hit .346/.406/.600 in August while platooning at second base for the Nats.
Garcia, 22, has posted a 2.92 ERA in 34 relief appearances this season for the Class-A Great Lakes Loons.

The Dodgers beat the Cubs today 2-0 at Dodger Stadium. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Charlie Haeger simply shut the down the Cubs today, going 7+ scoreless innings and earning his first win with the Dodgers. He allowed only three hits and four walks.

• Meanwhile, the Dodgers' two runs came on solo jacks from Matt Kemp and Casey Blake. Kemp's homer, a huge shot to left, came in the second inning, and Blake's was in the fourth.

• Interestingly, Jonathan Broxton -- who's posted a 3.86 ERA in August -- pitched the eighth, and George Sherrill pitched the ninth. Sherrill was a bit shaky in the ninth, but got the job done in his first save opportunity as a Dodger. He's still yet to give up a run since he was acquired.

ETC...ETC:

• In the eighth inning, Matt Kemp lost a fly ball while playing right field. It was ruled a double, and it put runners on second and third with one out for Aramis Ramirez, but Broxton shut the door.

• Haeger threw more fastballs today then the two he threw in his first start, but he still made his living with the knuckler. It'd be hard to not give him another go after that performance.

• The Rockies and Giants play at 5 p.m. If Colorado wins, they'll stay just 4.5 games back of the Dodgers.

ON DECK:

• The Dodgers try to sweep the four-game set with the Cubs, sending Chad Billingsley (12-6, 3.70) against Ryan Dempster (6-7, 4.28).

Today's lineups:

Cubs
Fuld, LF
Bradley, RF
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Fukudome, CF
Baker, 2B
Soto, C
Miles, SS
Lilly, P

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Ramirez, LF
Blake, 3B
Kemp, RF
Hudson, 2B
Loretta, 1B
Ausmus, C
Haeger, P

The Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 4-3 tonight in 10 innings. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• The big story for the Dodgers tonight was what happened to starter Hiroki Kuroda. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Arizona pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal lined a 2-2 pitch right back at Kuroda's right temple, and the 34-year-old righthander went down immediately. He did move, however, and CAT scans taken after the game at St. Joseph's Hospital were negative.

• Meanwhile, the Dodgers held a 3-1 lead into the ninth but closer Jonathan Broxton allowed back-to-back homers -- only his third and fourth homers allowed of the season -- to blow the save.

• The Blue couldn't put anything together offensively in the tenth, and the D'Backs came back with a perfectly executed bottom half of the inning off of Ramon Troncoso to get the win. Augie Ojeda singled, Dan Haren bunted him to second, and after two walks, Gerardo Parra hit a walk-off single.

ETC...ETC

• The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead, but Ryal's hit -- ruled a ground-rule double -- sparked the first run for the D'Backs. From there, the L.A. offense wasn't the same, with only two hits.

• Hong-Chih Kuo and George Sherrill both feasted on an Arizona lineup that was incredibly left-handed in scoreless seventh and eighth innings. The 1-7 hitters in the D'Backs order were lefties.

• Offensively, Brad Ausmus had an RBI single in the second, Doug Davis threw a pick-off away in the fifth to score Rafael Furcal, and Mark Loretta hit a sac fly to bring in Casey Blake in the sixth inning.

• Matt Kemp didn't have a hit but still wreaked havoc on the basepaths, reaching base via walk in the tenth inning and stealing second and third.

ON DECK:

• Randy Wolf (6-6, 3.43) tries to salvage a game for the Dodgers against Arizona's Yusmeiro Petit (2-6, 5.87) tomorrow at 1 p.m.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Arizona pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal. Ryal, replacing D'Backs starter Doug Davis, hit a 2-2 pitch right back up the middle. Kuroda reacted violently to the ball and hardly moved while on the ground. Ryal appeared apologetic; among notable Dodger reactions included 21-year-old lefthander Clayton Kershaw, who looked legitimately shocked. Eventually, a car came to take Kuroda away and James McDonald replaced him. We'll know more later.

Tonight's lineups:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Kemp, CF
Blake, 3B
Loretta, 1B
Hudson, 2B
Ausmus, C
Kuroda, P

Diamondbacks
Drew, SS
Oeljten, LF
Parra, CF
Reynolds, 3B
Montero, C
Tracy, 1B
Romero, RF
Ojeda, 2B
Davis, P

The Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 4-1 tonight at Chase Field. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Clayton Kershaw didn't have one of his better outings, lasting only 4 1/3 innings while walking four and giving up six hits. He was charged with four runs, all of which came in the second inning.

• The Dodgers were shut down by one of the better pitchers in baseball, as Arizona righthander Dan Haren went eight strong innings. The only run he allowed was a fifth-inning homer by Matt Kemp -- Kemp's 17th of the year.

• Manny Ramirez went 3-for-4 batting fourth, but the 1-3 spots in the order -- Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, and Andre Ethier -- were an alarming 0-for-10.

ETC...ETC

• The Dodgers announced the signing of second-round pick Garrett Gould to a $900,000 bonus. Ken Gurnick has more on the 18-year-old from Kansas.

• One good sign was the performance of the bullpen, which pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings once Kershaw exited. Ramon Troncoso, Ronald Belisario, and Guillermo Mota combined to allow only one baserunner in that time.

• Haren also hit the Dodgers well, knocking an RBI single off Kershaw in the second and hitting Andre Ethier in the eighth in an apparent retaliation. Belisario had hit Arizona' Mark Reynolds in the seventh.

• A Rockies loss to Florida means the Dodgers stay five games in front of Colorado.

ON DECK:

• Hiroki Kuroda (5-5, 4.21) and Doug Davis (7-10, 3.62) in game two in Arizona.

The Dodgers beat the Giants 9-1 tonight in San Francisco. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Randy Wolf was dominant in eight innings of work, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk. He got his sixth win of the year and lowered his ERA to 3.43.

• Manny Ramirez was truly a formidable force in the Dodger lineup, going 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI, as well as two intentional walks. No. 3 hitter Andre Ethier went 3-for-5.

• The runs for the Dodgers came in bunches -- four in the fifth and five in the seventh. Ethier led off the scoring with a fifth-inning two-run double, and Matt Kemp capped it with a three-run homer in the seventh.

ETC...ETC:

• Juan Castro made the start for the injured Orlando Hudson. Hudson's likely to miss tomorrow's series capper but is listed as day-to-day.

• Jeff Weaver was announced as the starter for tomorrow's game, replacing ace Chad Billingsley, who's out with a hamstring strain. Weaver has posted a 2-1 record and 3.47 ERA in five starts so far this season while working primarily out of the bullpen.

• The Giants had only one hit after the fifth inning, a single by Pablo Sandoval in the ninth. James McDonald retired the side in the ninth on just seven pitches by then getting Juan Uribe to ground into a double play and Ryan Garko to foul out.

ON DECK:

• Jeff Weaver (5-4, 3.90) faces Tim Lincecum (12-3, 2.20) as the Dodgers try to sweep San Francisco.

The Dodgers beat the Giants 4-2 tonight in the first of three games in San Francisco. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Timely hitting gave the Dodgers the victory tonight, even though they went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. All four runs came in the fourth on a Matt Kemp three-run double and Mark Loretta RBI single.

• Hiroki Kuroda turned in a solid start, giving up just one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. It was also his longest outing since June and gave him wins in consecutive starts for the first time this season.

• Joe Torre used his bullpen by the book. Hong-Chih Kuo faced one batter after replacing Kuroda, Ronald Belisario came in to set up a righty-righty matchup, and George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton pitched the eighth and ninth innings. Kuo, Belisario, and Sherrill all got holds. You hear a lot of criticism of the Dodger pen, but there are quite a few solid arms.

ETC...ETC:

• Broxton gave up a solo jack to Bengie Molina and a single to Randy Winn with one out in the ninth, but he got Fred Lewis to ground into a force out and Juan Castro made a nice play on a Ryan Garko grounder to end the game.

• Chad Billingsley won't make his Wednesday start with the hamstring injury, so the Dodgers will have to bring up another Triple-A starter or use Jeff Weaver, barring a waiver wire pickup. Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger has a 3.55 ERA in 22 starts with Albuquerque, and he averages nearly seven innings a start.

• The Dodgers victory puts them 6.5 games in front of the Giants in the NL West, but the Rockies -- on the strength of a cycle by Troy Tulowitzki -- stayed 5.5 back.

ON DECK:

• Randy Wolf (5-6, 3.55) and Joe Martinez (2-0, 5.87) take to the mound in the second game of the series.

The Braves beat the Dodgers 8-2 today to win the series 3-1. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Not a good day for the Dodgers. Eric Stults kept the game close in a spot start, but the bullpen couldn't keep the team in the game. Manny Ramirez went 3-for-4 but the team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

• Javier Vasquez was really dealing for the Braves. His stuff looked great throughout, and he shut the Dodgers down to the tune of eight innings of one-run baseball. The Blue had only two extra-base hits in the game, doubles by Manny Ramirez and Orlando Hudson.

• Matt Diaz homered in the second, but the Braves didn't really put together any significant on offense until the ninth, where five hits and a walk, capped by a two-run single by Martin Prado, made the score 8-1.

ETC...ETC:

• The Dodgers put together a brief rally in the ninth but Mark Loretta, starting for James Loney at first, flew out to end the game.

• Stults, recalled earlier today to replace Tony Abreu on the active roster, certainly did what we asked. He pitched five innings, giving up three runs while on just two days' rest after a Triple-A start Thursday.

• There's definitely cause to be worried about Ramon Troncoso. Since pitching back-to-back-to-back games July 18-20, his ERA has been a not-so-hot 13.50 in six innings of work. He's given up 15 hits and struck out just four in that time and was shelled in today's ninth inning.

• Don't look now, but both the Giants and Rockies are tied for the NL Wild Card lead 61-50 and are just 5.5 games back of the Dodgers in the West. The Rockies are a simply incredible 43-22 since Jim Tracy took over as manager on May 29.

ON DECK:

• Hiroki Kuroda (4-5, 4.44) and Jonathan Sanchez (5-9, 4.49 and of no-hitter fame) match up in the first game of a crucial three-game set in San Francisco. The Dodgers won't have to face Matt Cain but Tim Lincecum is set to take the ball Wednesday.

The Braves beat the Dodgers 2-1 in 10 innings tonight. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• For the second consecutive night, the Braves won it in extras -- this time in the tenth on a Kelly Johnson two-run homer off Guillermo Mota. Andre Ethier hit an RBI double but Matt Kemp grounded out with runners on second and first to end the game.

• The game had been scoreless until the tenth, as both Clayton Kershaw (7 innings, 2 hits, 10 strikeouts) and Kenshin Kawakami (7 innings, 4 hits) shut down the opposition. The Braves' Kris Medlen got the win by pitching two scoreless innings in relief.

• The Braves had three hits in the game. No typo. A double by Ryan Church to lead off the game, a Garrett Anderson single in the fourth inning, and Johnson's homer.

ETC...ETC:

• Ronald Belisario made a surprising early return from the disabled list and was effective in pitching part of the eighth. He walked one but got two outs before being removed for George Sherrill.

• Manny Ramirez went 0-for-4 to lower his average to .302. Tony Abreu, making his first start in the big leagues since 2007, went 1-for-3 with a walk.

• Tomorrow's starter still hasn't been announced -- but it's likely to be Jeff Weaver. Weaver last pitched on Monday against the Brewers. He's made five starts this season.

• The Dodgers have won just six of their last 16 games. They're currently 1 1/2 games back of the Yankees for the best record in baseball.

ON DECK:

• The Dodgers will attempt to salvage a 2-2 series split with the Braves tomorrow, with Javier Vasquez (9-7, 2.99) facing a TBD starter for the Blue at 1:10 p.m.

Tonight's lineups:

Tonight's lineups:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Kemp, CF
Loney, 1B
Hudson, 2B
Abreu, 3B
Ausmus, C
Kershaw, P

Braves
Church, CF
Prado, 2B
Anderson, LF
Escobar, SS
Diaz, RF
LaRoche, 1B
Ross, C
Hernandez, SS
Kawakami, P

The Braves beat the Dodgers 9-5 in 12 innings late last night. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• The Braves won it in the 12th on an RBI base hit that unlocked the 5-5 tie, then broke it open with a three-run homer by Ryan Church. Jonathan Broxton, who entered the game with a 5-4 lead in the ninth, blew the save.

• The loss went to Ramon Troncoso, who simply wasn't effective beginning the 12th inning. Scott Elbert, the Sunday starter (as announced today), then entered in relief and gave up the bomb to Church.

• Chad Billingsley pitched six strong innings but again exited early due to injury, this time with a left hamstring strain termed mild. Sunday he left early with a right hamstring strain. He allowed four hits and three walks in his six innings of work.

• Only two Dodgers had multiple-hit performances, as Casey Blake went 3-for-6 with a home run and Russell Martin went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .271.

ETC...ETC:

• Only James McDonald shined out of the bullpen tonight, as he pitched two perfect innings. Hong-Chih Kuo had his first bad outing since his return from the disabled list, getting only one of three batters out. George Sherrill wasn't charged with any runs but gave up three hits in 1 2/3 innings.

• It could be speculated that Broxton blew the save in part due to a fan that ran onto the field in the top of the ninth. From that point, he walked Nate McLouth and wasn't in control.

• Manny Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a walk before leaving in a double switch to start the ninth. Andre Ethier went 0-for-2 with, count 'em, four walks.

ON DECK:

• The Dodgers send LHP Clayton Kershaw (8-6, 2.89) against Braves RHP Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.38).

Tonight's lineups:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Blake, 3B
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Hudson, 2B
Billingsley, P

The Dodgers beat the Braves 9-1 today at Turner Field to win the three-game set in Atlanta. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• 19 hits for the Dodgers tonight, as Matt Kemp (3-for-5, HR, 5 RBI) and James Loney (3-for-6, 2 RBI) shined on national television.

• Chad Billingsley threw five solid innings but exited early with an apparent right hamstring cramp. He attempted to convince Joe Torre that he could stay in, so things don't look too serious.

• Jair Jurrjens has been one of the best hurlers in baseball thus far, but the Dodgers got hold of him pretty well in the fifth. He ended up with a line of 10 hits, two walks, and four runs in five innings.

ETC...ETC:

• When Jason Schmidt comes up to pinch hit and knocks a single, you know you're going good. Schmidt pinch hit for Billingsley in the sixth and eventually came around to score.

• Braves outfielder Matt Diaz on Ramon Troncoso: "I don't know what the role that last guy has on their team. But I know he has a 2.00 ERA and nasty stuff. He's not their setup guy and he's not their closer. So when you've got that guy just getting innings, that's a pretty deep bullpen."

• Casey Blake hurt his hand lifting weights over the weekend and was unavailable today, leading to a Mark Loretta start. X-rays on Blake were reportedly negative. Loretta had his first two-hit game since June 25.

• Scott Elbert pitched well in relief of Billingsley, going 2 2/3 innings and being charged with just one run. George Sherrill replaced Guillermo Mota in a double switch and got Chipper Jones to fly out to end an Atlanta mini-rally.

ON DECK:

• Clayton Kershaw (8-5, 2.76) and Manny Parra (5-8, 6.50) meet tomorrow at Dodger Stadium.

Tonight's lineups:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Loretta, 3B
Hudson, 2B
Billingsley, P

Braves
McLouth, CF
Prado, 2B
Jones, 3B
McCann, C
Anderson, LF
LaRoche, 1B
Diaz, RF
Hernandez, SS
Jurrjens, P

The Braves beat the Dodgers 4-3 today at Turner Field. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Randy Wolf turned in his seventh consecutive quality start but took the loss again, falling to 5-6 after allowing nine hits in his five innings of work.

• The Dodgers had two leads early on, 2-1 in the fourth and 3-2 in the sixth, but failed to hold on to both.

• Former Dodger Derek Lowe essentially matched Wolf, allowing three runs in six innings as well. The Braves' bullpen shut the Blue down. Rafael Soriano blew Casey Blake, James Loney, Matt Kemp away in the ninth to get his 16th save.

ETC...ETC:

• The Dodgers had only six hits as Manny Ramirez continued to struggle, going 0-for-3 to lower his average to .310 and .182 since the pinch-hit grand slam.

• Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo threw a scoreless inning. He hasn't given up a hit in 3 2/3 innings since returning.

• Reliever Ronald Belisario threw a simulated game today, and looks to be on pace to return sometime in mid-August.

ON DECK:

• Chad Billingsley (10-6, 3.96) and Jair Jurrjens (9-7, 2.69) start tomorrow at 5:15 P.M. PST.

Today's lineups:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Blake, 3B
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Hudson, 2B
Wolf, P

Braves
McLouth, CF
Prado, 2B
Jones, 3B
Anderson, LF
Diaz, RF
LaRoche, 1B
Ross, C
Hernandez, SS
Lowe, P

Tonight's lineups for the 4:35 P.M. start at Turner Field:

Dodgers
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Ramirez, LF
Blake, 3B
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Hudson, 2B
Schmidt, P

Braves
McLouth, CF
Johnson, 2B
Jones, 3B
McCann, C
Anderson, LF
Canizares, 1B (replacing Casey Kotchman, who was dealt today to the Red Sox for A. LaRoche)
Diaz, RF
Hernandez, SS
Hanson, P

George Sherrill will be available to make his Dodgers debut tonight.

The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 5-3 tonight to end their season-high four-game losing streak. For a full recap and boxscore click here.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS:

• Oh, was this one big. The Dodgers eeked out a victory to salvage a game out this four-game set with the Cardinals. Neither the pitching nor the offense was great, but the Blue found a way to win.

• Matt Kemp came up with the game-winning single in the top of the 10th, knocking in two runs with two outs against Todd Wellemeyer.

• The 1-4 hitters in the Dodgers lineup went 1-for-17, including a woeful 0-for-5 day for Manny Ramirez on the day his name came up in a New York Times report that said he tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

• Hiroki Kuroda turned in a quality start, going six innings and giving up two runs. Cardinal starter Kyle Lohse did him better, allowing only one run in his six frames.

ETC...ETC:

• The Dodgers revamped their bullpen today, trading for George Sherrill and replacing Brent Leach on the active roster with Scott Elbert. The 'pen did a solid job, allowing only one run in four innings -- a solo shot by Rick Ankiel off Guillermo Mota. It broke Mota's 20+ scoreless innings streak.

• Casey Blake went 4-for-5 and scored two runs. Matt Kemp had two other hits besides the game-winner and had an incredible stolen base in which he took off before Kyle Lohse even started his delivery.

• Jonathan Broxton got the save but didn't look all that impressive a day after he blew a crucial save attempt. His fastball didn't appear to have the same velocity as usual and he walked the leadoff batter, Joe Thurston.

ON DECK:

• Jason Schmidt (1-1, 7.88) and Tommy Hanson (5-1, 2.95) at 4:30 P.M. PST in Atlanta tomorrow.