Joe Blanton, Home Runs Send Dodgers To Yet Another Loss

The Dodgers dug themselves a hole on Monday night, and Joe Blanton and the Phillies made sure they didn't climb out of it, delivering a 3-2 defeat to the Dodgers for their third straight loss. The combination of Blanton and home runs was supposed to help the Dodgers, but it ended up hurting them.

Blanton had allowed at least one home run in his last 11 starts, the second longest streak in baseball this season, but no Dodgers took him deep on Tuesday. He allowed two runs in eight innings, with seven strikeouts and no walks, picking up his eighth win of the year.

The game was ugly early for the Dodgers, and not just from the solo home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard off Nathan Eovaldi. Luis Cruz made an error in the first inning, giving the Dodgers eight errors in their last three games.

The Dodgers were on the sour end of two pickles, as Shane Victorino advanced to a vacant second base in the third inning and Mark Ellis was called out on his way home in the fourth inning despite not getting tagged, because he ran out of the base line.

Victorino got a triple in the fifth inning when his drive to left field found its way around Juan Rivera, who nearly threw Victorino out at third, only to have his throw bounce away.

The Dodgers were not immune to aesthetically awful play, as the Phillies made mistakes of their own. Victorino, after advancing to second base on the botched rundown, was caught too far off second base by catcher A.J. Ellis for the final out of the third inning. First baseman Ryan Howard bobbled a throw at first base in the sixth inning, a play originally ruled an out by first base umpire Wally Bell, who conferred with his crew and changed the call to an error, ruling that Howard did not lose the ball on the transfer.

Down 3-0, the Dodgers clawed back with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The two runs scored by the Dodgers came on a ground ball double play and a wild pitch.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season. No Dodgers stole home during the inning, though pinch runner Tony Gwynn Jr. did reach third base.

Notes

• Juan Uribe flew out as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning, and has one hit since June 20.
• Shawn Tolleson pitched scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh innings with three strikeouts, and has retired the last 12 batters he has faced.
• Matt Kemp, 0-for-4 on Monday, has gone 63 plate appearances since his last home run, which was hit on April 30.
• The Dodgers are 6-18 in their last 24 games.

Tonight's Particulars

Home Runs: Jimmy Rollins (9), Ryan Howard (1)

WP - Joe Blanton (8-8): 7 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts

LP - Nathan Eovaldi (1-6): 5 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Sv - Jonathan Papelbon (20): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout