Jonathan Broxton can't close it again as Dodgers lose another heartbreaker, 2-1, to Giants

And now for the mysterious case of Jonathan Broxton -- lights out one moment, struggling the next ... and then what?

There’s the good Broxton and the bad Broxton, the one the Dodgers cannot afford.

Broxton failed again Saturday, failed miserably and unnervingly, turning a much-needed Dodgers victory into a numbing 2-1 loss to the Giants.

Brought into the game with one on and two out in the bottom of the eighth and the Dodgers leading, 1-0, Broxton threw a 3-2 pitch to Pat Burrell that was lined over the left-field wall for a two-run homer.

Broxton (3-3) was coming off two scoreless outings. Which came on the heels of two miserable outings (including one against the Giants). Hot, cold, what?

The struggling Dodgers were trying to make the excellent starting pitching of Chad Billingsley and a solo home run by Casey Blake hold up for a badly needed victory.

Billingsley, volunteering to pitch a day short of his normal rest because of the suspension to Clayton Kershaw, pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings. He ran his overall scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five.

And deserved a much better outcome.

Hong-Chih Kuo took over for Billingsley, but when he hit Buster Posey with a pitch with two out in the eighth, Manager Joe Torre went to Broxton.

Broxton never seemed sharp, but then giving up two-run, game-winning home runs tends to influence appearances.

The Giants have won two consecutive games by one run against the Dodgers without their closer, Brian Wilson, who is injured.

The San Francisco comeback avoided making Barry Zito a hard-luck loser. He gave up three hits in his seven innings, but one was Blake’s 11th home run of the season.

The Dodgers’ feeble offense is officially back. It was held to three hits. It's the third time in four games that the Dodgers managed four or fewer hits. And they have lost all four games.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Comments

[sickofblue]

I'm sick of this. Broxton's fast ball is straight with NO movement. Anyone can hit him. Why was Kuo taken out. This makes me sick to my stomach.

[James Morrow]

This one was fantastic for the Giants - nothing better than rubbing salt into the Dodgers' wounds. Loved it!

It's a bit interesting that Broxton's stuff looks a little worse every month we get further away from steroid testing being instituted, right? He's about two months away from having late-era-Gagne-like stuff (once Gagne got off the juice).

It's also pretty much the same for Manny at this point, too... live by the juice, you die by the juice... he'll never play a full month of baseball uninterrupted by injury again.

[Michael Green]

Let's clear away some underbrush. Broxton came in DURING an inning, and while I may be wrong, he often has trouble when he does that. In addition, Torre fell prey to the Lasorda theory that no left-handed pitcher has ever gotten out a right-handed batter and took out Kuo. I am sure that Plaschke will attack the move but say that when Lasorda made the same kind of move, it worked.

[Since '58]

Why did Torre bring in Broxton when Jansen had been warming up? Jansen may be young, but he has gotten guys out. Broxton cannot win a big game. Never has, never will.

[Andres]

I think its time to part ways with Broxton, trade him now while the rest of the league thinks 'highly' of him and something anything in return, he's a head case at the moment and I dont think he has ever gotten over the home run he gave up to Stairs in the NLCS 2 years ago, funny enough I dont think that ball has landed either.

Farewell Broxton.

[Andrew]

As a Giants fan, I know that it's hard to give credit to the hitter but that was not Broxton's fault. You have to challenge right there and can't walk someone into scoring position. He threw it hard, Burrell was cheating with his swing and got lucky. When you're going bad, this is what happens. But the Dodgers seem to lose focus when they have runners on base, or they are pressing too hard. Furcal running himself into outs doesn't help either.

[Rob]

Once a closer loses his confidence, he's dead in the water. Broxton's once dominating demeanor seems to be a distant memory now.

[blakedewitt'seyeblack]

WHY OH WHY OH WHY OH DID YOU TAKE OUT KUO? JOE YOU'RE KILLING THIS TEAM!

[Higgins]

You can't blame Torre. If Kuo gives up a two-run shot to Burrell, then you guys would be like: "WHY DID YOU LEAVE KUO IN WHEN BROXTON WAS WARMING UP? WAAAH, WAAAH!!!!!1!!"

Pathetic.

[Jim McVeigh]

Broxton belongs on the most overrated Dodger team. He cannot close a must win or big game. He closed the all star game and was lucky in doing that. He needs a change of scenery He can close in Arizona or KC. Some place where they know they are not going to win. He needs to pitch where there is no presssure to win. All he does is hurt this team. Maybe even the Dodger affiliate at inland empire......

[Lakeshowinphx]

does anyone have the stats on how many blown saves broxton has had with billingsley pitching? when he blows them, billingsley is on the mound a lot, especially last year!

[Big Zeke]

Bad enough that fat boy craps the bed, but now Ned gives away prospects for situational players when they're down 7 games? As if Dotel and Podsednik are going to key a run for the division?

Colletti is giving away the future of the franchise to "only" finish five back of the Giants. If they had an owner that cared at all, Ned would be begging Sabean to have his old job back.

[MikeP]

Trade Broxton now, while people are still under the illusion that he's the greatest closer. Do it before they wake up from this.

[Ed Fogg]

Broxton gave up the homer, but how many Dodgers batters struck out ? How about Kemp swinging at two balls low and away that would have put him on base with a walk. At the end of the game they looked like wipped dogs.

[fatheadtorre]

too bad the trading deadline passed & dodgers didn't send the BIG, FAT, sloppy Georgia red-neck, i.e. broX-the-TON, packing, as only a senile old coot (i.e., torre) would choose to put this BIG, FAT red-neck slob into the game, in lieu of the FAR superior & more-talented Kenley Janson......

torre & broX-the-TON both MUST GO, & the sooner the better!!

[DE Dodger Fan]

Broxton is just bad under pressure. He is a hurler - not a pitcher. Yes, he throws 95 mph or more, but major league hitters can hit fastballs in the mid to upper 90s. And that is pretty much all he has. I liked Broxton much better as a setup man than the closer. It made me queasy when the Dodgers decided to make him the closer. I agree - trade him.

[Dr. Drill Sargent]

Its time for Broxton to shed that thick body and put some thick skin around him. Time for father Torre to stop babying this mambi pambi; get him some confidence, face adversity, and man up! Tired of this Bozo going full count on every freakin batter he faces; go after every hitter like an automatic out numbskull!

[bubbab]

Sunday afternoon, 4 run lead against the best team in baseball. About to take two of three from them and prove that we were serious. It was not to be. The season ended that day with a 40+ pitch inning from Broxton. He cannot pitch when it matters. Never could. Won a few meaningless games before the break after that but it mattered not. The season was over that Sunday afternoon. Whatever we might have thought of ourselves going into the ninth inning evaporated then and there. I will be there Monday night. If, and it is a big if, McCourt chooses to show, I will begin the chant. Sell the Team. Join me.

[KidKuo]

Since we already have the best reliefer in NL in Kuo, there is no need for Broxton. Starting with the NLCS 2 years ago, he has been choking in pressure or must-win game situations. Let's trade Broxton while he still has some market values. We need a dominant closer like Kuo whom the batters fear.

[Stan]

Regarding the Dodgers, I have run out of things to say so I will just second what TDS says.

[stever]

The gist of many of the emails I've read is that Broxton can't close out games, has no confidence and should be traded while we could get some value for him. That Torre has to go also for making terrible moves and the offense really sucks. You know, everyone pretty much has it right on for this team of under achievers. THIS TEAM STINKS FROM THE HEAD DOWN. I've got another aspect....Mattingly is supposedly the hitting instructor. Anything wrong with this picture?

[1955fan]

Broxton is now officially worse than Armando Benitez, who could at least get guys out all season long until imploding in the stretch run and playoffs.

[Nick]

I'm glad some posters here are taking on that redneck lard-butt Broxton. Mr. Reverse-Game-Over. Have another Moon Pie, hick. He's probably a Republican on top of it all. The notion that this guy is 'tough' out there is laughable. He nibbles and fools around and then serves something up. Prety soon the league's gonna notice and then we're stuck with him and his grocery bill.

[sequelnevaanygood]

dods ought to "un-retire" uniform #2, & then give it to broX-the-TON, as he is merely the "2nd-coming" -- the $equel -- of similar over-hyped (over-weight) reliever of some 20+ yrs ago, Tom Niedenfuer!!!!

[mti312]

It's time to demote Broxton to middle relief or mop up until he gets it. There's no time to keep putting him up there to put out a fire and hope he gets his mojo back.
Kuo should be the closer and Janson as setup.

[west coast ram]

The idea of throwing Broxton under the bus for the blown save is unwarranted. There is no way that a closer is going to have 100% success. Broxton has some lmitation but overall he is a very good closer and one we could win a world series with. Our problem is a lack of consistent power and before the trades a lack of team speed. Blake, Martin, DeWitt and who ever is playing left field are all producing less than average power numbers for the positions they occupy.

[ken]

Dodgers are done. 22 years without Workd Series and counting. With a con-man owner in McBroke, a senile manager who can only win when he has a $200 million payroll and liers and cheaters like Manny being owed money for the next 5 years.

This is what happens when you take a phony from the box seats in Boston and bring him to our town and our rich tradition of Doger baseball. We become the Oakland A's and the Giants and the Padres go to the playoffs.

Shame on you MLB for buckling to the demands of Fox to unload the Dodgers without cheaking his true net worth. Shame on you McCort for becoming the Berney Madoff of baseball. Shame on you Dodger fans for falling for this smoke and mirrors and spending your hard earned mony on the con job. The Dodgers are done for the next 3 to 5 years as they have traded away their prospects and we are left with George Sherill, Garret Anderson, Blake, Weaver, Manny Hood and guys who are just collecting checks.

Time to clean house. Get rid of everyone and start all over. Maybe we can hire the manager of the Giants or the Padres. You know the kind we used to have here in LA that plays Dodger baseball. Fundamentals!

We have been conned.

[Mike]

The problem is Joe Torre. He does not allow pitchers to become "studs". Bills pitching short days rest - I might buy a 95 pitch count, but he pulls pitchers too early all the time. He treats them like boys, instead of men and burns the bullpen.
When the bats and the bullpen are struggling and starters are kicking butt, ride them deeper into the game. Sometimes the best player on your team, that particular day, is your starter, so why would you take out your best player?
Joe should really consider a 120 pitch count, when his starters are "on". He's too locked into the roles of each guy in the bullpen.
I know they have reached the NLCS the past two years, which they didn't do under Little or Tracey, but those guys didn't have this team, either.
The bottom line is that the Dodgers are under achieving and the Manager needs to be held accountable for that.
On a more brighter note, my compliments to the grounds keepers for preventing Torre from wearing out a path to the pitchers mound.

[zopi]

The Lame Duck Dogs have officially tanked the season, mailed it in, sealed, signed and delivered.
That was our infamous Mota striking out Furcal and Kemp with runners on and one out in the 8th. That was our fading all-star closer blowing the lead pitching in the 8th!!, one-fat-batting-practice pitch for the game. And, finally to put the cherry on top, that was our one-time-star-catcher striking out on three bad pitches to end the game. To Guillermo Mota!!!
The "smoke screen" trades were not done to put the LAme Duck Dogs in contention for the playoffs but to help dig a deeper hole to accommodate all incoming and current dogs. Exactly two months to shift it on cruise control. At 54-50, an optimistic .500 finish will put them at 83-79, 12 games below last year.
Fortunately, they won't have Lame Duck Frank, Ned, Joe, and Manny next year.