Game Recaps
Dodgers Fall As Phillies Capture 2nd Straight Pennant
by Eric Stephen on Oct 21, 2009 8:48 PM PDT
in Game Recaps
228 comments
| NLCS: Phillies vs. Dodgers | |||
| Phillies won series 4-1 | |||
| Game 1 |
Phillies 8, Dodgers 6 | ||
| Game 2 |
Dodgers 2, Phillies 1 | ||
| Game 3 | Phillies 11, Dodgers 0 | ||
| Game 4 | Phillies 5, Dodgers 4 | ||
| Game 5 |
Phillies 10, Dodgers 4 | ||
The Dodgers got to Cole Hamels for the second time this series, but forgot to hold up their pitching end of the bargain, as the Phillies won a slugfest 10-4, to capture their second straight National League pennant, again sending the Dodgers home in five games.
Vicente Padilla, who pitched so well for the Dodgers over the last two months, had his good run come to an end tonight. Padilla couldn't get an out in the fourth inning, allowing six runs on the night.
The Dodger bullpen, which figured to be a huge advantage this series, did not have a good series. In 21 innings, Dodger relievers allowed 13 runs and 32 baserunners, for a 6.00 ERA and 6.48 FIP. The starters didn't do any better, with a 8.72 ERA and 6.75 FIP while averaging a paltry 4.33 innings per start.
Jayson Werth hit two home runs tonight, including a three-run shot to right field in the first inning, after which the Phillies never looked back. The Dodgers staged a rally in the eighth inning, loading the bases with nobody out, but couldn't get closer than five runs.
In the series, the Phillies hit 10 home runs, scoring 23 runs of the long ball. Meanwhile the Dodgers, who hit three solo shots tonight, scored just seven runs on their six NLCS home runs. The Phillies hit four 3-run home runs in the series, compared to none for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have given up 10 or more runs in a game in just nine of their 173 playoff games. Two of those games came in Philadelphia in this series.
The Dodgers have lost seven straight playoff games in Philadelphia. Their last postseason road win over the Phillies was Game 2 of the 1978 NLCS.
Congratulations to the NL Champions, the Phillies, for playing a great series, and earning a well-deserved return trip to the World Series. Ryan Howard, who hit .333/.524/.933 with eight runs batted in in five games, was named the NLCS MVP.
As horrible as this series loss feels, we must remember the Dodgers had a great season. They won 99 games (95 in the regular season, four in the playoffs), but just came up short in their quest to get to their first World Series in 21 years. There are plenty of great memories of this Dodger season, even if they aren't leaping to the forefront of our minds tonight.
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Et tu, Brute?
by Phil Gurnee on Oct 20, 2009 9:50 AM PDT
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134 comments
It is a little tiring that TBLA has championed Broxton and Billingsley only to have them fail at inopportune times. After trying to convince everyone that Billingsley was an ace with the numbers to back it up, Billingsley decided to become a five inning pitcher and mock us. Eric has touted the brilliance of Broxton time and time again to anyone who doubts his status as one of the games elite closers. Is this anyway to pay back your biggest fan?
If game four of the NLCS in 2008 was like getting kicked in the gonads, then last nights game was a sucker punch by your best friend. No way to sugar coat last nights loss, it was as tough if not tougher then last years game four. That Broxton was at the receiving end of both of these defeats makes it even tougher. We know how good he is, even Darling moments before the hit was saying that he might have the best stuff he's seen this year. But baseball is baseball and Rollins did what he needed to do after Broxton opened the door for him with the most ill advised walk of his career.
Last night was a bad time for find out what the other team feels like when Andre was giving us walk offs during every home stand. Not a feeling I want to get used to, in the heat of the moment I can even understand dumping on Broxton but I'm sure if you follow the game at all, you know that even the best can be beaten by anyone. I was not as upset with the hit as I was with the four pitch walk. I could even understand walking Stairs given what he did to Broxton in the past, but four pitches? Anyway Stairs/Ruiz are the new Clark/Smith. Ruiz didn't do much yesterday other then score the winning run. These are the World Champions and a very very good team. We may be down 3 - 1 to but other than Sunday we have gone toe to toe with them. The Dodgers have their problems but as a team we are right there with the best in baseball. We didn't get the breaks last night, the umpiring was atrocious, and we still almost pulled off a victory on the road. So close.........
30 years ago I'd have let this loss ruin my week, possibly my winter, possibly my marriage. We have to shake it off, look toward the next game, and when there is no next game, look toward next year. Believe me, time moves so fast that wallowing in the present does no one any good. Who cares what the pundits say or the local writers with their own agenda's? They are dirt underneath our shoes that we should just scrap off on the doorstep as we enter our homes. Unless of course they like us or agree with our thoughts, then we should listen.
During the last thread we had some trolls invade our site, for the most part we responded like children involved in a name calling incident on the playground. You all know what the trolls want, you have a choice to feed them or ignore them. Some were asking for us to ban everyone who dared to mock us. I know Eric ended up banning a few of them plus a few of our shorter term members who never quite understood what we are trying to create here. In life you have to deal with the mockers, but in a thread that extends for hundreds of comments, the mocking comments will quickly get lost to history. If they persist they will be banned but I'd hate to remove everyone who happens to have a dissenting view.
Both Eric and I take the Dodgers seriously, or we wouldn't be spending the amount of time we do on this site. But after a loss like last night the last thing either of us wanted to do was read the comments of frustration that was sure to spill out. I may not seem like I'm here much but I read every comment every day to every thread or fanpost or fanshot. The negativity weighs me down so after the game I needed a break, and from what Eric said, he needed a break. Yes, maybe the site could have used some moderators, or maybe the folk who make up the TBLA membership could simply have shown restraint and ignored the flamers. I've seen just about everyone here make fun of MCC and their poster behavior but I'm not sure what differentiates them from us when we are in a bad mood.I I joined this site to write about the Dodgers, Eric joined to write about the Dodgers, I'm fairly certain neither of us opted to manage TBLA so we could wade through hundreds of "fuck this" comments when things go south. Luckily the Dodgers have had a hell of year, but I wonder if either of us would be able to deal with this blog if we were to have a 2005 meltdown. We are in the NLCS and I'm at a loss to understand the negativity.
We appreciate your membership and are glad you have chosen TBLA to follow and root for your team. Unlike Tommy Lasorda I don't believe that the Dodger fans are the best fans in the world. Every team in every sport has the same demographics of great fans - crappy fans. I had hoped that TBLA like Dodger Thoughts would cultivate a higher level of fan and for the most part it has lived upto that expectation. On a good day our members are bloody brilliant, ranging from funny to introspective and they keep us laughing and thinking. Just like a marriage I have to remember those good days when faced with a bad day to keep things in perspective.
We lost yesterday, but man wasn't it a great game? So many great moments, Matt Kemp putting the slug on, Manny with an improbable shoe string catch, Kuo doing what he does best, and Broxton in the 8th, doing what he does best. It is a shame that Manny's catch will now be a footnote but for a guy who is always made out to be a clown, the concentration on his face when he made that catch, that is what remains with me today.
Down 3 - 1 is not something that teams normally come back from, I have no expectations that we can defeat this team three games in a row as we face Hamels/Pedro/Lee but we will take one game at a time and hopefully this Saturday we will have a game thread.
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New Year, Same Game Four Result For Dodgers
by Eric Stephen on Oct 19, 2009 9:15 PM PDT
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501 comments
It happened again. The Dodgers again held a lead over the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLCS, this time in the ninth inning, but Jonathan Broxton and the Dodgers walked off the field with a heartbreaking 5-4 loss, and a crushing 3-1 series deficit.
Broxton again faced Matt Stairs, who homered off him last season, but this time Stairs was in a four-for-50 slump. With one out, Stairs walked on four pitches. Up stepped Dodger killer Carlos Ruiz, who was hit with the first pitch, putting the winning run in scoring position. Broxton retired Greg Dobbs, bringing Jimmy Rollins to the plate with two outs and two on. Rollins lined a shot to the gap in right center, bringing home the tying and winning runs.
The Dodgers had this game. Bottom of the order facing Broxton with a lead is easy money. I really don't know what else to say. There is no game tomorrow, so we have roughly 44 hours to hear about how this series is over. From where I'm sitting, I can't say I disagree.
WP - Brad Lidge (1-0): 2 batters, 2 strikeouts
LP - Jonathan Broxton (0-1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 walk
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Dodgers Get Blasted By Phillies, 11-0
by Eric Stephen on Oct 18, 2009 8:24 PM PDT
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232 comments
Worst losses in Dodger playoff history:
- 1959 World Series Game 1, 11-0 (Dodgers won series 4-2)
- Tonight, 11-0
The less said about this debacle, the better.
Game 4, aka The Equalizer, starts tomorrow at 5:07pm.
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A Great Game, A Great Comeback At Dodger Stadium
by Eric Stephen on Oct 17, 2009 3:15 PM PDT
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69 comments
Yesterday was a great experience at Dodger Stadium. I got to take in the game with both of my brothers, a rare occurrence since one lives on the other side of the country. From our vantage point high atop the reserved level down the left field line, we saw batter after batter walk back to the dugout after either striking out or not getting solid contact on the ball. Our rough count on site was 289 pop outs for both teams, but it turns out that estimate was a tad high (it was six, according to the box score).
Pedro Martinez was brilliant after a 15-day layoff, turning back the clock to the not-so-distant past when he was the best pitcher in the game. Vicente Padilla was nearly as good, his only blemish a curve ball blasted into the pavilion by Ryan Howard. Before Howard's fourth inning blast, my brother and I were talking about Padilla's woes against lefties (opposing LHB hit .303/.384/.453 off Padilla this year, .297/.380/.479 career) being a bad combination against Howard, who has feasted on right-handed pitching his entire career (.307/.409/.661 lifetime). Then, boom! Howard's rocket seemed to take two seconds to leave the park. But even with that, Padilla pitched a great game.
When the Dodgers were down 1-0 in the later innings, the seeds of doubt were beginning to sprout. We were getting close to heading to Philadelphia down 0-2 with the prospect of facing their best pitcher, Cliff Lee, in Game 3. However, the game was still just a one-run affair, and if this Dodger team has proven anything this season, it's that it won't go down without a fight.
The crowd was a good one, very lively through most of the game, even though there was so little action for most of the contest. But, every time Padilla needed to get one strike or one out to end an inning, the crowd rose to offer their support. During the eighth inning, it became a standing affair as the crowd was ready for a comeback off the Philly pen. We erupted on Ronnie Belliard's bunt single, as the deficit seemed a sure bet to be erased.
Russell Martin grounded into a sure double play, which was so deflating...until Chase Utley helped the team that first drafted him by wildly overthrowing Howard at first (shades of Mark DeRosa in the NLDS?), allowing Juan Pierre to Beast Mode his way home with the tying run. At that point, there was a tremendous sense of relief: imminent defeat left our doorstep, the game was tied, and now the go ahead run was on base. When Jim Thome ripped a single to right, the desired result was tantalizingly close. The go-ahead run was at third with only one out. Then Rafael Furcal walked, and high fives and high tens were exchanged by seemingly every member of our section, as we knew this game was ours.
Bases loaded, one out. Up steps The Bison. What a perfect time for the team MVP to come through. Matt Kemp struck out, of course, although reading through some of the comments here you would have thought Kemp broke up the McCourts' marriage, murdered a group of puppies, and gave the green light to the TV series "Cavemen." After Kemp's out, rather than the world coming to an end, the Dodgers still had one more shot with the bases loaded. Andre Ethier came to the plate, and I'm sure the people around me were getting tired of me bringing up that Ethier was hitting .305/.376/.610 against LHP at home this year. Once he took ball four, to bring home the go-ahead run, the stadium erupted, the comeback now complete. Even when Manny Ramirez failed to hit the grand slam we were all hoping for, we were still sitting pretty, with Jonathan Broxton coming in to slam the door on the Phillies in the ninth.
The top of the lineup was due for the Phillies, but all I could think was "don't let Ryan Howard bat, don't let Ryan Howard bat." Not that I wouldn't be confident in Broxton's ability to retire Howard (nine hitless at-bats with five strikeouts before yesterday in his career, including postseason), but I wasn't in the mood to deal with that pressure. Two groundouts and a lineout to Andre Ethier ended it, and it was time to sing along with Randy Newman yet again.
I have now seen five Dodger playoff wins in my lifetime, but this rates as the most thrilling. The others involved the Dodgers taking an early lead and never looking back:
- Game 2, 1988 World Series: Dodgers 6, Oakland 0 (a five-run third inning)
- Game 3, 2004 NLDS: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 0 (a two-run third inning, in The Lima Game)
- Game 3, 2008 NLDS: Dodgers 3, Cubs 1 (a two-run first inning, and the Dodgers closed them out)
- Game 3, 2008 NLCS: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2 (a five-run first inning)
I don't know how many times the Dodgers have to comeback and win before people stop using words like "quit" or "give up" or "it's over" with this team. It's as glaringly obvious as Craig Sager's jacket that the 2009 Dodgers don't stop believin'. Now, if they can just hold on to that feeeeeeeling for three more wins, it's World Series time at Dodger Stadium for the first time in 21 years.
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Dodgers chase away old ghosts - Defeat Pedro and Phillies 2 -1
by Phil Gurnee on Oct 16, 2009 5:22 PM PDT
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57 comments
This was what I wrote as the bottom of the eighth inning started.
Pedro Martinez outduels Vicente Padilla 1 - 0 as the Phillies take a commanding two game lead in the NLCS. For the 2nd year in a row the Phillies have won the first two games of the NLCS but this year they did it on the road. After two hard fought games the Dodgers now only have a 20% chance of winning the series according to Dodger simulator extraordinaire Xeifrank.
Never have I been happier to rewrite a recap. The eighth inning today will go down in the annuals like the 77 game three NLCS ninth inning when a simple Vic Davillio bunt single turned the game around along with the Mota fly ball off of Luzinski's glove, or the 81 World Series fourth game when Johnstone delivered a key two run home run but it was another error that allowed us to tie the game, or the ninth inning of the 2009 Division series game two.
Game one was supposed to be a pitching duel, but it turned into a slugfest, while game two was supposed to be a slugfest, which to everyone's amazement turned into a brilliant pitching duel. Pedro Martinez did not have his strikeout pitch working but everything else was working for him. For seven innings he kept the Dodgers off balance, allowing only two singles, and zero walks.
Vicente Padilla matched Pedro pitch for pitch for seven innings allowing only four hits, but one of those hits included a mistake to Ryan Howard. That mistake put the Phillies up 1 - 0 headed into the bottom of the eighth as Howard deposited it into pavilion. Padilla deserved better but the Dodgers could do nothing with Pedro who took his 37 year old arm to the mound and reminded Dodger fans once again about the biggest mistake in Dodger history. You would have thought we had paid that price already but he was back once more to extract even more revenge. However what started out as a bitter pill quickly turned into a dollop of molases, as the Dodgers finally chased the Pedro ghost away with as stirring a comeback as we've ever had considering the circumstances.
Headed into the bottom of the 8th the Phillies only had a one run cushion when they called upon their suspect bullpen to finish the job Pedro had started. Chan Ho Park who blew away Matt Kemp in a key situation last night was the first person out of the bullpen asked to hold the lead. The first batter he faced was Casey Blake who had been hitless so far in the NLCS. Casey proving that the past means nothing led off the 8th with a single, and Dodger fan hopes were raised with game two hero Division series hero Belliard striding to the plate. Juan Pierre entered as a pinch runner for Blake. Has anyone been hotter then Belliard since the Dodgers acquired him? Joe has run with the hot hand but instead of letting him swing away he had Belliard attempt to bunt. On the first pitch he fouled it off but on the 2nd pitch he got his clumsy bunt down and just like Daviilio in 77 he beat it out for a single. 1st and 2nd, no outs, down one run, Russell Martin takes his spot in the batter box. Martin tried to bunt then worked the count full only to hit a tailor made DP to 3rd base. Just like game two against the Cardinals instead of a DP to end the inning one of the best players in the game committed a costly error allowing Pierre to score and Martin to reach 1st. Belliard was out at 2nd but the Dodgers still had life and a tie game when Utely threw the ball away in an attempt to turn the DP. Dodger luck was again in play. Big Jim Thome strode up and they matched him with LHP Scott Eyre. Thome slammed a single in to right field putting 1st and 3rd with only one out. Go a head run was on 3rd base and all Furcal had to do was put the ball into play in the outfield. The Phillies countered with Ryan Madsen who was not upto the task, walking Furcal on five pitches, bringing up the Bison with the bases loaded. Kemp has delivered many times for the Dodgers which some seem to have forgotten but this time Madsen made him look foolish striking him out on four pitches. Two down, bases loaded, go a head run on 3rd base, who would you like up for the Dodgers? If you said Andre Ethier then you win the prize. The Phillies took out Madsen and brought in AJ Happ who like many other pitchers in this situation in 2009 lost the battle with the best clutch player 2009 has seen. Happ walked Andre on seven pitches and the Dodgers had a 2 - 1 lead with Big John Broxton warming up. We could have used more, but Manny grounded out to end the eighth.
The ninth wasn't nearly so dramatic. Three up , Three down and best home closer in baseball had done his job once again. With this win our series expectancy moves back to 51.9%. I'll take that as we head to Philly.
No mistake, this was a lucky win, if Utley makes the DP who knows how the inning turns out but he didn't and we ain't giving it back. This doesn't quite make up for Chase not signing with us when we drafted him but it helps.
How about Vicente Padilla???????? I've been on his case since we acquired him but it is time for me to admit I was simply wrong. That is the 2nd straight unbelievable playoff performance and this one was even more impressive against the cadre of Phillie hitters. Even I would now feel comfortable with Padilla pitching a clinching game six next Friday. Maybe even confident.
I mean how lucky are the Dodgers? They have Belliard and Padilla playing the best baseball of their careers when we needed them most, and these guys don't exactly have the pedigree of Jim Thome. Ned may be lucky but with players like Magic Marlon, Belliard, and now Padilla, he certainly has a little Lucky Charms in him and maybe just maybe we can find that pot of gold together.
Post Game Notes:
POWER OF PEDRO: Phillies starter Pedro Martinez pitched 7.0 innings today, marking the ninth time in his Postseason career that Martinez pitched at least 7.0 innings.....His last start His career Postseason high is 7.1ip in Game Seven of the LCS with Boston vs. New York on 10/16/03.
COMEBACK KIDS: The Dodgers recorded their third comeback victory of the 2009 Postseason (Game One, 10/7 and Two, 10/8 of NLDS) today.....The Dodgers recorded 42 comeback wins during the 2009 regular season.....Eight of those 42 comeback wins during the regular season came when trailing after seven innings.....Today was the Dodgers second comeback win of the 2009 Postseason when trailing after seven
innings (Game Two, NLDS).
SEVENTH HEAVEN: Dodger starting pitcher Vicente Padilla pitched 7.1 innings today, marking his second consecutive start with 7.0 or more innings pitched.....He joins the Phillies Cliff Lee as the only two pitchers to throw 7.0 or more innings twice this Postseason.....The Dodgers have won nine of Padilla’s last ten starts dating back to 8/27 at Colorado.
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Dodgers' Aces Felled By A Pair Of Treys
by Eric Stephen on Oct 15, 2009 9:43 PM PDT
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144 comments
What a strange game this 8-6 loss was. The pitching duel didn't materialize, as both Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels struggled, to varying degrees. Kershaw completely lost it in the fifth, giving up five runs, missing the ever-shrinking strike zone (same for both teams though) with more regularity. Two crushing blows stand out, a pair of three run homers. One was hit by Dodger nemesis Carlos Ruiz off Kershaw, the other was hit by Raul Ibanez off George Sherrill, who was something less than effective on this night.
Sherrill walked his first two hitters, then gave up the shot to Ibanez, turning a close game into an 8-4 Phillies' advantage. All season, Sherrill faced 86 lefthanded batters. He walked just six of them and allowed no home runs. Ryan Howard was one of the two walks issued by Sherrill (RHB Jayson Werth was the other), and the LHB Ibanez hit the home run.
The Dodgers showed life, with multiple rallies, getting the tying run on base or at the plate several times. Much like the Dodgers fell short in the end, I lack the energy to write a sufficient recap to this game. More cogent thoughts will surely follow.
Vicente Padilla faces Old Friend Pedro Martinez tomorrow in a 1:07pm start. I suggest limiting the three-run homers.
WP - Cole Hamels (1-1): 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
LP - Clayton Kershaw (0-1): 4.2 IP, 4 hits, 5 runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts
Sv - Brad Lidge (3): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk
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Padilla, Dodgers Finish Sweep of Cardinals
by Eric Stephen on Oct 10, 2009 6:10 PM PDT
in Game Recaps
111 comments
| NLDS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers | |||
| Dodgers Win Series 3-0 | |||
| Game 1 |
Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3 | ||
| Game 2 | Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2 | ||
| Game 3 | Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1 | ||
What better place to celebrate winning a division series than in front of The Greatest Fans in Baseball™? The Dodgers finished off the Cardinals, winning 5-1 to sweep the series, advancing to their second straight National League Championship Series.
Vicente Padilla, whose release prompted cheers from teammates in Texas, induced a different kind of cheer tonight, a congratulatory one from his Dodger teammates. When he was acquired in August, I don't even think the Dodgers expected Padilla to deliver like this. Let, there he was, etching his name into Dodger lore. Padilla was sharp all night, allowing just four hits and a walk in his seven scoreless innings. Padilla's game was the 18th in Dodger postseason history to pitch seven or more scoreless innings, and the first since Jose Lima in 2004.
Padilla, with just four wins as a Dodger this season (he was acquired on August 17), has the lowest seasonal win total by any winning Dodger starter in the postseason, narrowly beating the five wins by Roger Craig in 1955 (Craig won Game 5 that year).
The Dodgers battered Cards' starter Joel Pineiro with four singles, two doubles, and a home run, scoring four runs in his short four innings of work. On the night, the Dodgers scored all their runs with two outs:
- Manny Ramirez laced a double in the first inning to score Matt Kemp
- Andre Ethier hit a two-run home run in the third inning scoring Rafael Furcal
- Furcal singled home Ronnie Belliard in the fourth inning
- Manny Ramirez singled home Ethier in the seventh inning
Ethier and Manny were the catalysts tonight, each with three hits. Ethier finished a single short of the cycle, and Manny included two doubles among his three knocks. Furcal added two hits of his own. Furcal and Ethier each had six hits in the three-game series.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals struggled again with runners in scoring position, that is, when they had the opportunity. The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, but left them stranded. The Cardinals had one hit in eight at-bats with RISP (an Albert Pujols RBI single in the eighth inning), bringing their total for the series to just four hits in 30 at-bats.
The Dodgers play the winner of the Rockies-Phillies series beginning Thursday at Dodger Stadium. But there will plenty of time to dissect that matchup later. Tonight, we celebrate!
WP - Vicente Padilla (1-0): 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
LP - Joel Pineiro (0-1): 4 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 strikeouts
| 2009 Dodgers Checklist | |
 |
Make The Playoffs |
|
Win National League West |
|
Best Record in the NL |
|
Win NLDS |
| Win NL Pennant | |
| Win World Series | |
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