Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The game tonight somehow didn’t rain out despite predictions of rain, flood warnings, and Tropical Storm Bill landing. Apparently the Dodgers didn’t get the memo that a game was tonight, as they started off EXTREMELY slow.
The offense managed just four hits (all singles) and a walk off Rangers starter Chi Chi Gonzalez, and only one baserunner advanced as far as second on the evening. The worst part is that usually when they struggled like this, it was because they didn’t run out their best lineup due to injuries or rest or whatever else. This time, however, the lineup was basically as close to optimal as possible, and they had the designated hitter in effect. This kind of stuff, of course, will happen, but it certainly wasn’t fun to watch.
Or at least, that’s what I was going to write until ninth inning, when a Howie Kendrick walk and a Justin Turner homer tied things up at two. Even with that, though, the Dodgers offense did struggle for eight innings, and while Gonzalez is a good prospect, he’s also a guy who now has 12 walks and 10 strikeouts in 30 innings of work.
On the flip side of things, Brett Anderson continues to be a pleasant surprise. Anderson got into trouble in the first and actually walked in a run, but he stranded the bases loaded. He settled down significantly from there on out, going eight strong innings and allowing just two runs, with one of them coming on an infield hit that could’ve been ruled an error. Anderson scattered eight hits and three walks while striking out four.
Unfortunately, after the Turner game-tying homer, the honeymoon didn’t last long, with Josh Ravin coming in and giving up a walk-off homer to whatever a Robinson Chirinos is.
I’m gonna assume Ravin just wanted us to catch the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Nice guy.
