The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their seven-game, eastern-division road trip by scoring a weeks worth of runs in one game, amassing a season-high fifteen runs on eighteen hits and routing the Philadelphia Phillies 15 - 9 in a game in which they never trailed.
Andre Ethier led the offensive attack by driving in three of the first five runs and reaching base all six times. Jay Gibbons continued to be the Fabreze that eliminates the stink of Garret Anderson's Dodger performance by collecting three hits in four at-bats and driving in three runs, including two on his two-run home run in the sixth to increase the Dodger lead to 11 - 4.
Casey Blake also drove in four runs, including two with a homer, and Scott Podsednik and Ryan Theriot combined at the top of the order to score five runs, one for each time they reached base.
Vicente Padilla did the minimum to earn a victory, allowing four runs in five innings on 83 pitches. Four Dodger relievers appeared, and all were scored upon except Octavio Dotel, who was summoned with two runners aboard with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers leading by eight runs. He allowed both of George Sherrill's (1 IP, 2 H, 20 pitches, 2 inherited runners stranded) inherited runners to score before retiring pinch-hitter Cole Hamels - the Phillies were out of position players - to end the game.
Unlikely number three hitter Ross Gload hit two two-run home runs for the Phillies in the losing effort.
Tomorrow the Dodgers send Chad Billingsley to the hill, while the Phillies counter with Roy Oswalt.
Notes:
- The eighteen hits were not a season high. The Dodgers twice had nineteen hits this season, June 15 in Cincinnati, and April 14 at home versus Arizona. They won only the former game.
- Per a tweet from mlb.com Dodger beat writer Ken Gurnick, Rafael Furcal will be going to the 15-day disabled list and the contract of Juan Castro will be purchased from Albuquerque. Chin-Lung Hu is still injured. Furcal last appeared on August 2, so he should be eligible to be activated on August 18 while the Dodgers are at home facing the Rockies.
- Ronald Belisario made his first appearance since being reinstated from the restricted list and pitched one inning, allowing only a solo home run.
WP - Vicente Padilla (6-3): 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
LP - Kyle Kendrick (7-5): 3 1/3 IP, 8 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), 2 walks, 1 strikeouts