News
Dodgers adept at halting brief skids
Los Angeles (48-26) vs. Seattle (37-36), 7:10 p.m. PT
By David Ely / MLB.com
06/27/09 1:34 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers square off against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday for the second of three games at Dodger Stadium, the club will do so with a fresh victory in the pocket after dropping the final two of its three-game set vs. the White Sox in Chicago. |
Under normal circumstances, a single win isn't anything of note, but in the Dodgers' case it represents another reason why the team currently is the best in the big leagues.
With Friday's 8-2 win against the Mariners, the Dodgers avoided their first three-game losing skid of the season. They remain the only team in baseball that hasn't suffered such a streak. The game also marked the seventh time this season the Dodgers faced the prospects of a third straight defeat. And as was the case Friday, three of the other six streak-ending wins came via blowout. Before Friday's win, a reporter asked Dodgers manager Joe Torre what he thought was the reason for his team's ability to halt losing streaks at just two games. Torre was frank with his assessment. "We've been lucky a lot," Torre said. "We've played a lot of close games, our record in close games is very good." The Dodgers are 16-8 in one-run games, and are 6-2 in extra-inning affairs. Torre attributes a lot of that success to his bullpen, which entered Friday's game with a 3.49 ERA and a 20-9 record. "The bullpen has been doing an amazing job," Torre said. "When we left Spring Training we really weren't sure what it was all about, our bullpen. So you have to credit the bullpen." Taking the mound Saturday for the Dodgers as the team looks for its second straight win is left-hander Eric Milton. For the first time in nearly a month, Milton will start a game for the Dodgers. This marks Milton's first start since May 31 at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. The southpaw has been on the disabled list since June 7 with a strained back. Pitching matchupLAD: LHP Eric Milton (2-0, 2.89 ERA)
Milton returns to action and the rotation as the fifth starter after nearly three weeks on the disabled list with a back strain. Milton, resurrecting his career after two years idled by Tommy John surgery, pitched well in four starts with a 2-0 record and 2.89 ERA. He relies on location and not velocity and seemed to have regained the feel for his breaking ball before going to the sidelines. He pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his final rehab start Sunday. SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (7-3, 2.74 ERA)
The ace right-hander had his personal scoreless inning streak reach 20 frames before it ended on a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Diamondbacks. Hernandez had to pitch out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the second inning to keep the streak alive. Even so, he has now surrendered five earned runs in his past 45 innings and continues to bid for his first All-Star Game invitation. This will be Felix's second career start against the Dodgers. He is 0-1, having lost to the NL club at Dodger Stadium. Tidbits
Andre Ethier now has five multi-homer games this year, best in the Majors. ... Friday was Ethier's first three-homer game of his career. ... The Dodgers are 9-7 in Interleague Play after Friday's win. ... The lone walk issued by Clayton Kershaw on Friday tied for his lowest number of free passes in a start this season. ... The Dodgers optioned reliever Corey Wade to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday to make room for Milton. Tickets
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• Sunday: Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 2-3, 3.44) vs. Mariners (Garrett Olson, 2-2, 4.95), 1:10 p.m. PT
• Monday: Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 3-3, 3.64) vs. Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez, 6-7, 3.83), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Tuesday: Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 9-3, 3.10) vs. Rockies (Jason Marquis, 9-5, 4.22), 7:10 p.m. PT
David Ely is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
