After all the whirlwind events of this day, a day dominated by news of the Manny Ramirez suspension, the game was supposed to provide a welcome relief. After a six-run first inning, highlighted by a Matt Kemp grand slam, Dodger fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief.
We're going to be OK without Manny Ramirez.
Randy Wolf pitched six strong innings, giving up only a solo homer to Josh Willingham in the sixth inning. When he left with a 6-1 lead, I was ready to write about the club's 14th straight win at home.
We're going to be OK without Manny Ramirez.
However, the bullpen provided no relief tonight. Six different pitchers allowed 13 hits and ten runs in only three innings, as the floodgates of an exhausting day simply burst open, turning a 6-1 lead into a 11-7 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth.
However, this resilient team rallied for two more runs, and amazingly put the tying run on base. Casey Blake batted with two outs needing only a home run -- that's right, only a home run -- to complete the cycle, on the 39th anniversary of Wes Parker's cycle at Shea Stadium (or as it has come to be known this year, "the other cycle"). Blake didn't homer to give the Dodgers the win; in fact, he popped out to end the game. But the important underlying point about the offense was that I still had confidence that they would come back. That's got to count for something right?
We're going to be OK without Manny Ramirez.
Tomorrow brings the Giants to town for a weekend series. Last time I checked, 13-1 at home is still pretty stellar, and the ace Chad Billingsley starts tomorrow against Barry Zito.
We're going to be OK without Manny Ramirez.