Six solid innings by Hiroki Kuroda were enough on this day of rest for many Dodger regulars, as the Dodgers swept away the Pirates, 3-1 on Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Day II at Dodger Stadium.
After Kuroda pitched his six innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven, Matt Kemp turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Dodger lead with a two-run home run off Kevin Hart in the bottom of the sixth.
The five Dodger reserves who started today had five hits in 15 at-bats, with two walks. The one who did the most damage was Ronnie Belliard, who had a home run, a double, a single, and a walk. Belliard's eighth inning bomb gave the Dodgers an insurance run in the eighth inning.
The terrific trio of Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton (I really need to come up with a better nickname) did what they do: shut down the opposition. Nine Pirates came to the plate, and nine batters were retired, four by strikeout.
The Dodgers as a team had 11 strikeouts and no walks today, tying the season high for team strikeouts without walking a batter. The other two games that happened were the home opener, and August 16. Kuroda himself has not walked a batter in his last 16 innings.
Tomorrow is a rare home off day for the Dodgers. The Giants come to town this weekend for a three-game set. Vicente Padilla will face Jonathan Sanchez Friday night.
The Rockies and Giants finish their series tonight at 7:05pm. You can follow on Gameday here. The Cardinals lost to Florida today, so the Dodgers now have a three-game lead for the best record in the National League, over both the Cardinals and Phillies. The Phillies host the Nationals at 4:05pm.
Magic Numbers
To win NL West: 10
To clinch a playoff spot: 9
WP - Hiroki Kuroda (7-6): 6 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts
LP -Kevin Hart (4-7): 6 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Sv - Jonathan Broxton (35): 1 IP, 1 strikeout