The good news for the Dodgers is that their offense showed up, scoring five runs and reaching base 19 times. The bad news is that the Padres offense also showed up, scoring a 10-5 victory over Hiroki Kuroda and the Dodgers.
The Dodgers at one point in the first and second innings had five consecutive hits but failed to score a run. Much like in the game in Anaheim earlier this season, the Dodgers had a runner thrown out on the bases (James Loney, at third base) for the third out of the inning before the runner from second (Matt Kemp) touched home plate, negating the run.
Clayton Richard allowed 10 hits, three walks, and hit a man, and he got the win. The last pitcher to allow 14 baserunners to the Dodgers and still win was Kenny Rogers, who beat them while with the Mets on September 12, 1999.
Matt Kemp had five hits tonight, including a home run and a double, for his first career five-hit game. He previously had four hits in a game five times, the last coming on August 4, 2009, a performance Prince Fielder was so happy about that he tried to enter the Dodger clubhouse after the game, no doubt to congratulate Kemp.
Halfway To A Record Nobody Wants
Kuroda struck out looking in the second inning tonight, his only at-bat, pushing his season total to 35 at-bats without a hit (he does also have two walks and seven sacrifices). The record for most at-bats in one season without a hit is 70, by Bob Buhl, who went hitless in 1962.
Most At-Bats Without A Hit, Single Season | |||
Player | Year | Team(s) | Hitless AB |
Bob Buhl | 1962 | Braves/Cubs | 70 |
Bill Wright | 1950 | White Sox | 61 |
Ron Herbel | 1964 | Giants | 47 |
Karl Drews | 1949 | Browns | 46 |
Randy Tate | 1975 | Mets | 41 |
Ernie Koob | 1916 | Browns | 41 |
Jason Bergmann | 2008 | Nationals | 40 |
Joey Hamilton | 1994 | Padres | 40 |
Ed Rakow | 1964 | Tigers | 39 |
Darryl Kile | 1991 | Astros | 38 |
Harry Parker | 1974 | Mets | 36 |
Hiroki Kuroda | 2010 | Dodgers | 35 |
Hal Finney | 1936 | Pirates | 35 |
Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com |
Every player on that list was a pitcher, excpet for Finney, who was a catcher. Kuroda last got a base hit on September 22, 2009 against Saul Rivera of the Nationals, in Kuroda's penultimate at-bat of the season, so his current hitless streak is 36 at-bats.
Notes
- Before the All-Star break, the Dodgers had 29 intentional walks in 88 games, an average of 0.33 per game. Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers have 17 intentional walks in 18 games, including two tonight, for an average of 0.94 per game
- Chase Headley had four hits for the Padres, including a home run and a double, with three runs and three RBI. He is the third player to collect four hits in a game against the Dodgers this year, joining his teammate Will Venable and Marlon Byrd of the Cubs
- The Padres have beaten the Dodgers two out of three games at Dodger Stadium this season, and both wins were by the same 10-5 score
- Andre Ethier had a single in five at-bats in his first game back after missing two games to be with his wife for the birth of his second child.
- A must read: Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts described his appreciation for Vin Scully
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Ted Lilly makes his Dodger debut tomorrow night, against Mat Latos.
WP - Clayton Richard (9-5): 5 1/3 IP, 10 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 1 HBP, 6 strikeouts
LP - Hiroki Kuroda (8-10): 4 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 1 walk, 1 strikeout