Dodgers Accept Memorial Day Gifts, Beat Diamondbacks
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 9:27 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
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Who knew that Memorial Day was a gift-giving holiday? The Diamondbacks did everything but wrap up this game and put a bow on it for the Dodgers, as the Dodgers won 5-4 in the opening game of a homestand. In the eighth inning, Kelly Johnson booted a two-out grounder by Andre Ethier, allowing two tying runs to score, eerily reminiscent of the Stephen Drew gaffe in April. Then, in the ninth, the Dodgers had scored the winning run on a balk by Esmerling Vazquez.
With Andre Ethier back, it was only fitting that the Dodgers won in their final at-bat. But this time it was Casey Blake who distracted Vazquez from third base, inducing the game-ending balk. It was just the second time the Dodgers won on a game-ending balk since 1969, and the first since May 28, 1989 against Roger McDowell and the Mets. The last major league balk-off was Atlanta over Colorado on September 9, 2008. Back in February, the Baseball-Reference blog did some research on balk-offs in MLB history.
A balk-off was a fitting end to a perfectly crazy night at Dodger Stadium.
Just before the balk, with runners on first and second base and nobody out in the ninth inning, James Loney tried a mad dash to third base during a mound conference, and quickly aborted his attempt, but it was too late, as he was tagged out. Loney was so angry he ran all the way up the tunnel to the clubhouse once he got to the dugout.
Chad Billingsley himself had a crazy beginning. Through the first two innings, Billingsley faced 10 batters: he allowed three home runs, a double, and had six strikeouts. Billingsley gave up three home runs one other time in his career, on June 26, 2007, also against Arizona. Chris Young got Billingsley in both games.
After allowing four runs in the first two frames, Billingsley really settled down, allowing only a pair of singles over his final six innings, retiring the 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. With no walks and 11 strikeouts, Billingsley entered elite company. This was the third no-walk, 11-strikeout game of Billingsley's career, and just the 27th in Los Angeles Dodger history.
| LA Dodger 0 BB / 11 K Games | |
| Pitcher | Games |
| Sandy Koufax | 7 |
| Chad Billingsley | 3 |
| Don Drysdale | 3 |
| Don Sutton |
2 |
| Kevin Gross |
2 |
| 10 Others |
1 |
Rodrigo Lopez also pitched eight innings for Arizona, allowing four runs himself, although two of those were earned.
Jonathan Broxton ended his month with the most saves in any month in Dodger history, with 12, but he didn't get a save tonight. He got the win, his third of the season. In May, Broxton made 14 appearances, had 12 saves, and two wins.
The Dodgers are 6-1 against Arizona this season, and 16-5 against the NL West.
John Ely faces Dan Haren tomorrow night.
WP - Jonathan Broxton (3-0): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts
LP - Esmerling Vazquez (0-1): 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 balk
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I really didn’t mind the 3 homers. Billingsley went at every batter…that’s what we need out of him. Great outing; too bad he didn’t get the win.
Bills looked flat out dominant after those first two innings
Very nice to see him get 8 innings today, that was seriously awesome.
"You're the only woman to ever love me." "I never loved you." "I meant physically!"
Question -- when, exactly, was the balk?
I’ve watched the replay, and it seems like the second base ump starts running in and calling the balk when the pitcher raises his right arm (with the ball in it) toward third base. But the pitcher isn’t standing on the rubber at that point…. right?
Am I missing something?
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
It looked like Vazquez jiggled his front leg.
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I saw that jiggle. But no call from the ump at that point, right? First, he steps off. Then he raises his arm, and when his arm goes up, the second base ump goes nuts.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on May 31, 2010 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions
The camera from behind the plate shows the 2B umpire frantically running in making the call, just as Blake/Bowa were arguing for it with the 3B umpire
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
The front leg jiggle is fine, but (I think) that starts his delivery, and once that starts, he is not allowed to step off. That’s why the move with his arm caused grown men to jump around
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Ahhhhh, that’s it. Thanks, now I get it. Couldn’t figure out why raising the arm was the balk when he was clearly off the rubber.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on May 31, 2010 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions
My Guess Is that the movement before he took his foot off the rubber was the balk
Once he moved, it looked like he realized it could be called a balk so took his foot off the rubber and started making the arm motions.
Either the replay didn’t show it very good or there wasn’t much movement before the foot came off the rubber. I’d like to see it from a different angle than what FSN showed. From the angle they showed, I didn’t see a balk.
Hinch on the balk. . .
“I saw what he did,” Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said. “He flinched, both of his legs buckled, and he balked. It was pretty plain and simple to see, so I didn’t talk to anybody.”
Does Kemp lead baseball in runs scored with 42?
"You're the only woman to ever love me." "I never loved you." "I meant physically!"
Youkilis is ahead of him…he had 45 coming into today
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh ok
Thanks. If anything from Kemp at least he’s still scoring runs. His defense, at least statistically, has been horrid thus far, and his hitting had been faltering slightly until the last few days. His OPS is back up to .857, so that’s a plus.
"You're the only woman to ever love me." "I never loved you." "I meant physically!"
That’s good to hear, because I’ve been missing some games lately, and it seems like when I watch he doesn’t look good like he did last year. It’s just tough to see what he could do last year and what he has done this year in stark contrast.
"You're the only woman to ever love me." "I never loved you." "I meant physically!"
Agree with this, but his “numbers” keep slipping. His UZR is down to 13.6 and his +/ is -17. Those are historically bad numbers, but hes seemed fine every since those first 3 or 4 awful weeks.
by UCLADodger32 on May 31, 2010 10:57 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm guessing this
So much for an improved Chad #Billingsley. The #Dodgers pitcher has allowed three home runs through first eight batters. Dodgers trail 4-0
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
So much for an improved Chad #Billingsley. The #Dodgers pitcher has allowed three home runs through first eight batters. Dodgers trail 4-0.
She forgets that baseball is played in more than 2 innings…
by Julio Nievas on May 31, 2010 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Forgot to add this
That’s two wins for the Dodgers in four days after trailing 4-0.
Down four runs is their biggest comeback of the season.
That's awesome
PS- Will there be a June review? Just wondering..
by Julio Nievas on May 31, 2010 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Also
" The Dodgers closed the month with a 20-8 record, their second-best May in club history behind the 1962 team’s 21-7 mark."
Game notes from ESPN
College baseball
UCLA is hosting a regional next week with UCI, LSU and Kent State. UCLA finished 2nd in the Pac 10, UCI is ranked 3rd in the nation, and LSU is ranked 2nd in the nation.
Fullerton is also hosting a regional next week.
I believe
LSU is the No. 2 seed in the Regional and UCI is the No. 3 Seed, UCLA is seeded No. 6 overall.
by bhsportsguy on May 31, 2010 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions
From the Dodgers
“Fear the Beard”:
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 10:21 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
It would be a shame for us to pass on him.
by silverwidow on May 31, 2010 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Speaking of the Draft, it actually starts at 3 p.m. PT next Monday. I think I said 4 the other day.
by silverwidow on May 31, 2010 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions
He has us to pick Brett Eibner from Arkansas, a two-way player who will probably pitch. I’m more impressed with Cole
by Julio Nievas on May 31, 2010 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m also interested in Justin O’Conner, He is very raw but has enormous talent (can play SS, catcher, and throws 95 mph).
by silverwidow on May 31, 2010 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Read about him yesterday
Very raw as a catcher with plus range as a SS with power.
by Julio Nievas on May 31, 2010 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I don’t want a college pitcher. Logan needs to stick to what he knows — power HS arms.
There’s a kid named Stetson Allie that could be a mini-Broxton if he falls to us. Thick frame with upper 90s heat.
by silverwidow on May 31, 2010 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Baseball draft is always pretty quiet. I can't believe its only June 7th.
Is Bud Selig going to announce the first round from a nuclear shelter like he did last year?
Manny hit HR's #500 and #550
On the same day two years apart. Crazy.
Month in review coming tomorrow
but here’s a sneak peak…
Only four times has an LA Dodger hit .450 in a single month (min 50 PA); Andre Ethier (Sept 2008, May 2010) is the only one to do it twice
Just got back from the bizarre game.
The crowd was immediately taken out of it in the 1st inning and then compounded again in the 2nd. Luckily Manny’s homerun brought some life back into the stadium. It was fantastic to see Chad recover and end up going 8 strong innings.
The 8th and 9th innings were amazing and crazy, respectively. Even though Andre didn’t deliver in his typical fashion in the 8th it was awesome to see him still somehow be involved in another clutch play. The stadium was going nuts after the error. The balk caught everyone by surprise. It was funny looking around and seeing everyone trying to explain to each other what happened.
Got to see my first and I’m sure last walk off balk. Dodgers are now 2-0 in games attended by my son.
Almost forgot the Loney blunder.
What was he thinking? I actually thought he might be able to make it if he would’ve just continued full speed to third. Very, very smart of Blake to scamper to 2nd, though.
Yeah it seemed like he was at a point of no return; he might have been out of he kept going to 3B, but he was surely out once he stopped.
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions
some perspective from the boys
http://multimedia.dodgers.com/audio/05_may/
BTW, since you were at the game, what was that “inaudible sucks” chant in the 6th or 7th inning about? It seemed random, and I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but it was very loud.
My wife and I were trying to figure that out too.
It was coming from right above Mannywood. It might’ve had something to do with security, who earlier around the 4th had physically taken out some guy who wouldn’t put away a sign he had brought.
The celebration from the crowd stemmed out of confusion, so that it built like a crescendo. At least that’s how it sounded on TV.
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah it was weird.
Everyone kinda just started cheering because all the Dodgers on the field were cheering. Then it was a massive game of telephone as everyone started asking each other “What just happened?!?!”
it's a moot point now
but after watching the highlights over and over, the ultimate irony of Loney’s blunder is that had he not hesitated, he probably would have been safe! Sort of a reverse Artest- almost ended up the hero, but WOULD have been the goat, had it not been for Casey Blake. In Beard We Trust…
It was such a wacky play. I’m glad we can laugh about it now.
by Eric Stephen on May 31, 2010 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Upon further review of the videos
he would’ve had a good chance of making it. He and Ojeda may have reached third base at around the same time, but Ojeda would’ve had to have still turned around, caught the ball from Vasquez, and tagged Loney out.
But whatever, all is well in LA.
gosh what a weird ending to a game
but I’ll take it.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
interesting parallel between this and game 5 of Suns/Lakers
and this. Same cities, similar result. The pain of Phoenix sports fans must know no bounds now!
Tony Jackson Gives Billingsley his props.
What would have been equally excruciating for the Dodgers would have been to lose on a night when Chad Billingsley pitched so well. The Dodgers right-hander struggled through two innings, giving up three home runs to put the Dodgers in a 4-0 hole. But after that, Billingsley settled in and retired 19 of the final 21 batters he faced and went eight full innings for the first time since last July 5.
It was arguably Billingsley’s best performance of the season, an 11-strikeout effort in which he didn’t walk a batter. He wound up getting no decision and was almost stuck with a loss as the Dodgers could never really solve the normally solvable Rodrigo Lopez until a pair of two-out errors on the same play by Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson in the eighth allowed the tying runs to score.
Billingsley threw 120 pitches and said he could have easily gone longer.
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/columns/story?id=5237782
Yeah, I was out with a friend
very cheered by the Dodger win, and asked him how his Cards were doing. He pulled out his phone, looked for a second and went, “Holy shit. Padres are up 18 – 6”.
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
I picked up the Mets pitcher in fantasy for a spot start
by CarolinaDodger on Jun 1, 2010 6:06 AM PDT up reply actions
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