Monday, June 4, 2012

Dodgers Start It Off Right in Philadelphia

So we meet again... My apologies for the infrequency to what was becoming pretty frequent banter. So much was happening with this Dodgers club and so much was happening for yours truly at work, that I've just been flat out exhausted trying to keep up with it all. I know, I know... No excuses, blog like a champ.

ANYWAYS... as I'm typing the Los Angeles Kings have now taken a three games to none lead over the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals. While my main concern is normally getting that big trophy with all the little flags on it in Los Angeles, it will definitely be fun seeing Lord Stanley's behemoth of a silver cup hoisted around tinsel town. As a child of the 90's, the only hockey that I've ever been interested in was the roller hockey in the cultisac after gaining inspiration from Emilio Estevez and the mighty ducks on VHS. So I haven't been glued to this series but I know some are, and for that... congrats Kings fans, its allllllmost wrapped up!

Alright Dodger fans, back to what we really care about... Baseball. Or should I say injuries with a SIDE of baseball. When we last spoke, Matt Kemp was about to make his triumphant return from a hammy issue and Juan Rivera was soon to follow. Instead what we got was about 24 hours of Kemp in uniform, before an Andre Ethier double to the Left Center gap at Dodger stadium not only scored Kemp from first base, but more importantly led to the re injury of said hamstring. So now we could now be without Matt for an even LONGER stint (rumors are that he might just wait to come back after the all-star break).

Right as Matty was making his comeback, Dodger fans were feeling good about themselves with the next-best San Francisco Giants 5.5 games back. But just as quickly, Matt was gone again and the Dodgers would then lose 6 of 7 games. A stretch that saw the Dodgers, who hadn't even lost 3 in a row in 2012, lose 5 in a row. The division lead had shriveled down to 3 games going into the morning of June 4th, and with the Giants beating up on the hapless Cubs early on Monday, the Dodgers were beginning a 4-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies. With the opposing starting pitcher Worley still in the process of coming back from injury, his pitch count for game one was set at 75. The Dodgers cracked into that count early with a 2 run first inning, and 1 run 2nd.  But as Worley settled down, Kershaw's efficient start disappeared just as quickly on a Placido Polanco 2-run home run to the porch in left field.

After the Dodgers had some grief with balls and strikes called in the middle innings. Two Dodger ejections left the away team without a manager. The rest of the game was a chess match as acting manager Tim Wallach and Charlie Manuel. The tie was broken in the 9th inning as Dee Gordon's lead off triple off of Jonathan Papelbon was followed by an Elian Hererra RBI single through the left side. The Phillies manager had called the infield in to prevent the runner scoring from third, and the ball was hit hard enough between 3rd and SS to allow Gordon to walk his way to home plate. Of all the young guns who've been thrown into action in the wake of all these injuries, Hererra has done enough to keep himself in play for an everyday roll and without his mini-stint of reliability, the Dodgers might have given up their division lead altogether. His heroic diving catch in the 9th inning, preserved Kenley Jansen's save and all but ensured he'll be in the lineup tomorrow.

While Kershaw technically might still be fighting his demons with the no-decision against a Phillies team that doesn't have much power (Howard, Utley on DL), the reality is that he did enough to keep the Dodgers in position for a late game win. He was effective enough to stick around 7 full innings in a hitter friendly park like Citizen's Bank Field. The Dodgers are now 34-21 and refuse to relinquish the MLB's best record. During a very daunting stretch of 20 games in 20 days, where the Dodgers play 4 straight in Philadelphia before flying all the way to Seattle for inter league play, getting wins on days that Kershaw starts is key. So step one has been accomplished, and the Giants are kept at bay for the time being. Its important to get wins against good teams on days where the team that is chasing you (Giants) plays a bottom dweller like the Cubs. 

See you all tomorrow on twitter for game 2 as the Dodgers try to ensure, at the very least, a series split.

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