It is not as exciting as a walk off home run but given how many base-runners had been left at 2nd and 3rd in the series it was not a given we would get that run in. So when Andre was allowed to swing with 1st base open, and delivered it marked the end of an incredibly long series. That was Andre's tenth career walk off hit. Probably more then the whole Dodger team combined minus Manny.
It sure looked like the the Dodgers were going to lose their third straight series to open the season but thanks to some clutch hitting in the 9th, and a Stephen Drew FedEx throw into the stands the Dodgers found a way to get this game to Jonathan Broxton who made sure the game was tied when they came to bat in the 10th.
Blake DeWitt who had entered the game as a pinch hitter started the rally with his fifth single of the season, and his first hit of the series. Furcal sacrificed him to 2nd, Kemp was walked, but a passed ball put DeWitt at 3rd, and Kemp at 2nd. Simple decision, pitch to Andre with 2nd/3rd or Manny with the bases loaded. They choose option A and Andre delivered with a deep fly ball to CF to win the game.
Quite a back and forth game. Kuroda pitched a gem but found himself down 3 - 0 in the 6th due to some shoddy fielding and out of synch hitting. In the 2nd Manny singled, Loney singled, Loney advanced to 2nd and the Dodgers had 2nd/3rd no outs but Blake and Martin struck out. Blake led off the fourth with a double near the Dodger bullpen but Martin grounded out. In the sixth Manny and Loney again found themselves on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Casey got one in on a ground out, but Martin struck out again. Matt Kemp decided to take matters into his own hands and crushed a two run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th. Dan Haren had thrown 120 pitchers and left with a 3 - 1 lead but it only took one pitch from Aaron Heilman to make everything Haren did a moot point. That was Matt Kemp's third home run of the series each one a no doubter. His defense has certainly slipped but the power is in full bloom.
Justin Upton decided to show Kemp he's not the only stud in the West and blasted a Jeff Weaver offering 2/3 of the way up the pavillion. It was the 2nd monster home run for Upton in two games. Upton wasn't done inflicting damage as he went into the wall to catch a vicious line drive by Garrett Anderson keeping the Dodgers from tying the score in the bottom of the eighth.
Sherrill came into the 9th and gave up a run, helped by a Casey Blake error. So down 5 - 3 with solid closer Chad Qualls on the mound things looked bleak at the ravine. Chad Qualls started his own problems by walking Furcal to start the 9th. Matt Kemp flied out after a wild pitch sent Furcal to 2nd. Andre then grounded out sending Furcal to 3rd. Two outs, down two runs with only one runner on base. Manny stepped us as the tying run. Manny slapped a single into left field cutting the deficit to one run with Loney coming up. Loney continue his solid game with a line drive single to center field for his 3rd hit of the game. So here we were again, Manny and Loney on the base with Blake at the plate. Casey topped a ground ball to SS that looked like it would be an infield single but Drew tried to make a play and Garvey'd the ball ten rows into the stands allowing Manny to score the tying run.
Broxton came out the 10th and showed the bullpen how it is done.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE: With his two-run homer in the seventh inning, Matt Kemp has now homered in three or more consecutive games for the third time in his career, previously doing so in a three-game stretch from June 1-3, 2006 and slugging a homer in four-straight contests from August 29-September 1, 2009…Kemp has now hit safely in five straight games, batting .375 (9-for-24) since April 10, and leads the team with four homers and 13 RBI.
RONNIE BE GOOD: Ronnie Belliard singled and scored after pinch hitting for Hiroki Kuroda to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning, raising his overall average to a team-high .571 (8-for-14) mark…Joe Torre announced in his pregame media session that Belliard was likely to start on both Saturday and Sunday against the Giants to give Casey Blake and James Loney days off.
NO BEARD NEEDED: Casey Blake has now hit safely in his last five games, batting .381 (8-for-21) with four doubles, a homer and six RBI during that stretch…continued his red-hot Spring Training, when he hit .352 with a homer and 10 RBI in 21 games.
HOUSTON ROCKET: James Loney went 3-for-5 to post his fourth-consecutive multi-hit game, batting .450 (9-for-20) in that span….he also picked up his third steal in nine games on the young season and on pace to shatter his career high of seven stolen bases, which he set in both 2008 and 2009.
So while James Loney has not hit a home run during the home stand he is hitting line drive after line drive.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers boxscore