"Never leave a fleece blanket game night in September. Just saying."
-BHSportsGuy
Much like the 4+1 game, fleece blanket night meant a very happy ending for fans at Dodger Stadium last night, as Andre Ethier provided his walk-off magic yet again. And much like that September 18, 2006 game, the Dodgers' next game was against the Pirates.
Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times noted that Ethier's 21 home runs at home are "the most in a season by a left-handed hitter in the stadium's 47-year history." Ethier's is also the 47th season in Dodger history with 30 home runs, and the first since Adrian Beltre hit 48 in 2004.
Today's game is the finale of a series, an early 12:10pm start. Casey Blake, Russell Martin, and Rafael Furcal are expected to rest today. Might this bring the 2009 debut of Chin-Lung Hu?
Hiroki Kuroda takes the mound for the Dodgers, fresh off his great start Friday in San Francisco. His eight-inning performance yielded a game score of 73, which was Kuroda's second best of the season, just behind his masterful performance against the White Sox on June 23.
Since joining the Pirates at the trade deadline, Kevin Hart is 1-5 with a 6.46 ERA in seven starts, and opposing batters are hitting .329/399/.559 against him.
The last time the Dodgers swept the Pirates was June 23-25, 2006 at Dodger Stadium.
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Check out Xeifrank's simulation of today's game here.
Don't forget to RSVP for True Blue LA Day at Dodger Stadium, on the next-to-last day of the regular season, October 3 against the Rockies.
Get your guesses in for our today's "One, Two, Three Strikes, You're Out," here.
Game Time: 12:10pm
TV: Prime Ticket