News
Ethier benefiting from move to No. 2 spot
Los Angeles (65-40) vs. Milwaukee (52-53), 7:10 p.m. PT
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
08/03/09 3:00 AM ET
ATLANTA -- With Casey Blake out of Sunday's lineup, manager Joe Torre resisted the temptation to return Andre Ethier to the cleanup spot.Since Torre moved Ethier ahead of No. 3 hitter Manny Ramirez instead of after him, Ethier has regained his stroke for power and average. He had three more hits Sunday night and went 7-for-14 in the series against the Braves with two homers.
"He's such an important bat for us. Even with Casey out of the lineup, he's just too important to move," said Torre. "He appears comfortable."
So Ethier figures to be batting second when the Dodgers open a seven-game homestand Monday night against Milwaukee.
With Ramirez slumping and Blake now dealing with a wrist injury, Ethier becomes the Dodgers' primary power source, backed up by Matt Kemp.
With 22 home runs, he has eight more than Kemp, who slugged No. 14 on Sunday night.
More impressively, Ethier has more than he's had at any level in seven professional seasons.
Ethier said he's not sure where the power is coming from, but offers a couple possible explanations -- a swing adjustment and physical maturity.
The swing adjustment is a release of the top hand on the follow through.
"I did it on and off last year, but I've worked a lot with Donnie [Mattingly, hitting coach] this year developing this type of swing," said Ethier. "I used to be two hands all the way through. This way, I'm not tied up and my swing is looser and I can reach for balls in front that I couldn't do when keeping both hands on the bat throughout the swing."
The maturity, he said, is just filling out his frame.
"You get stronger over time," he said. "Different people reach peak strength at different ages. I still feel like I'm maturing in my 6-2 frame and I'm learning how to use it."
Ethier is on pace for a 30-homer/100-RBI season.
"I still think he's got some more once he gets the hitting zone figured out," said Torre. "The thing is, it seems so easy, the ball coming off the bat the other way. He's complex at times. He gets frustrated. But he's really swinging the bat well right now."
Pitching matchupLAD: LHP Clayton Kershaw (8-5, 2.76 ERA)
Kershaw couldn't pitch much better than eight scoreless innings against the Cardinals hitters, only for Jonathan Broxton to blow the save and cost Kershaw a deserved win. Since mid-June, Kershaw is pretty much the best pitcher in the game with an 0.79 ERA. He's 5-0 with four no-decisions in that time, holding opponents scoreless in five of nine starts. MIL: LHP Manny Parra (5-8, 6.50 ERA)
Parra walked in a pair of Nationals runs with two outs in the second inning on Wednesday but nonetheless notched the win thanks to a mid-innings Brewers comeback. Parra worked six innings and struck out seven, but alarmingly, given his orders to throw strikes, he issued five walks. He's been charged with nine runs on 19 hits and eight walks in 11 innings over his past two starts. In other words, he remains a work in progress. Tidbits
A scoring change after Saturday's game made one of the four runs allowed by Dodgers starter Randy Wolf unearned. ... Because of the late start time to accomodate ESPN, the Dodgers flew Monday night starter Kershaw and Tuesday night starter Hiroki Kuroda back to Los Angeles before the game, while the rest of the club was slated for an all-night flight. ... James Loney is batting .350 with seven RBIs in his past nine games. ... Jason Schmidt's pinch-hit Sunday was the first of his career. ... Seven of the Dodgers' nine runs scored with two outs. Tickets
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• Tuesday: Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 3-5, 4.44) vs. Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 10-7, 3.13), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Wednesday: Dodgers (Jason Schmidt, 2-1, 4.50) vs. Brewers (Braden Looper, 9-5, 5.03), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 5-6, 3.47) vs. Braves (Derek Lowe, 11-7, 4.21), 7:10 p.m. PT
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
