Ethier's hitting streak stopped at 30 in Dodgers' 4-2 loss to the Mets
Willie Davis, your legend lives on. Also, your franchise-record hitting streak.
Andre Ethier was left one game shy of matching Davis’ 31-game hitting streak Saturday, when he failed to get a hit in five trips to the plate.
Then with the bullpen faltering again, the Dodgers completed a disappointing night, falling 4-2 when the Mets broke open a tie game with a pair of runs in the eighth inning.
There is something about hitting streaks reaching 30. Of the 53 hitters in baseball history to put together a 30-game hitting streak, 21 of them never made it to 31.
Chris Young was scheduled to start for the Mets, but was a last-minute scratch when he couldn’t get loose, which must have broken Ethier’s heart. Ethier was hitting .414 (12 for 29) lifetime against Young, and half his hits were home runs.
Dillon Gee, who had started a pair of games last month, was rushed to the mound. Ethier had never seen Gee, and the right fielder hit like it. Maybe he was just letdown. In his three plate appearances against Gee, he walked and flied out twice.
He failed to get a hit against a pair of Mets left-handed relievers in his next two at-bats. He bounced out in the sixth against Mike O’Conner and struck out swinging against Tim Byrdak in the eighth.
Jon Garland started for the Dodgers and put together his third consecutive strong outing. After a rough opening game following a trip to the disabled list with an oblique injury, he has a 2.04 earned-run average in his last three starts.
Garland fave up two runs Saturday on seven hits in his six innings.
The Dodgers' offense, however, continued to struggle. They left the bases loaded without scoring in the first, second and seventh innings. They left 14 men on base on the night and were one for 13 with men in scoring position.
A Dioner Navarro solo home run and an Aaron Miles single gave the Dodgers their only runs.
It was a 2-2 game in the eighth when the bullpen broke down, again. Mike MacDougal walked Jason Bay, Hong-Chih Kuo threw a sacrifice bunt halfway to the Atlantic for an error, Matt Guerrier walked the bases loaded and then gave up the game-winning hit when pinch-hitter’s Justin Turners’ drive went off the glove of Matt Kemp for two-run single.
The Dodgers have now lost six of their last seven games and four consecutive series.
RELATED:
Dodgers-Mets inning-by-inning recap
Frank McCourt might be able to keep stadium land even if he loses team
-- Steve Dilbeck
Photo: Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier returns to the dugout after striking out in the eighth inning against the Mets on Saturday night in New York. Credit: Ray Stubblebine / Reuters
This is a bad, bad team. Looking at a 95 to 100 loss season; with the only thing to keep McCrap's Disgraced Dodgers out of last place will be the equally pathetic Padres. This is going to get worse before it gets better--McCrap's gotta get out before anything can change for the good. Here's hoping McCrap can't make payroll on 5/31 & MLB seizes the organization & forces a sale. Trying to get McCrap out could be like trying to get Bin Laden (both are bad, bad men: one a mass murder, one a creep & a crook), it could take 10 years!
Posted by: KoufaxFan | 05/07/2011 at 08:16 PM
Congrats to Ethier on a fine streak. Hope his good hitting continues.
Wusspen collapse in the 8th - I am not surprised. C'mon guys, just like us the Mets are not that good, at least win one.
Posted by: alanw19 | 05/07/2011 at 08:17 PM
Well, there goes the only good thing this season had.
Posted by: FormerLifelongDodgerFan | 05/07/2011 at 08:24 PM
"Ethier's hitting streak stopped at 30"
- I am (almost) unspeakably wounded...
;'(
Somewhere, Willie D is smiling (and so is this author, reverence still for my childhood hero intact - #3 retains the greatest Dodger hitting streak ever.)
No one can say slappy 'e' didn't have his chances - 5 opportunities all told, a strikeout & 5 runners left twisting in the wind bases the result... runner-up nee second best will have to do.
Moving on, the dudgers are now 15-19 on the season... with a number of AAA Isotopes already on the lost angeles roster, further help will have to come by way Providence (one directly up 'North', rather than back East).
Posted by: 16blows | 05/07/2011 at 08:34 PM
Yes, the 8th was a mess, but if Kuo plays catch with Loney, Kemp would have put his head down and caught the ball hit to center. No runs scored.
Why not point the finger at the terrible offense? 3 x leaving the bases loaded? 2nd and 3rd with no outs and no runs scored?
I think the pitching will eventually be good, but I have no faith in the bats.
Posted by: HERE WE GO | 05/07/2011 at 08:41 PM
Nice run Dre :)
Let's string together W's for 30 consecutive games.
Posted by: aaron d. | 05/07/2011 at 08:48 PM
All this sturm and drang about a paltry 31-game hitting streak kinda puts DiMaggio's 56-game run into perspective, eh?
Posted by: LALfansince1961 | 05/07/2011 at 08:58 PM
Once again, Ethier's streak ended at 29 games when he sat one out. Consecutive means you don't get to take a day off and resume.
Posted by: NapaBill | 05/07/2011 at 09:27 PM
Oh dear. Looks like the karma bus has pulled in for me. Beep Beep!
Let us commiserate.
Posted by: WBB | 05/07/2011 at 09:55 PM
The rules may have considered it an unbroken streak (in the same absurd spirit that the rules give an broxton a save or win for example), despite what common sense would dictate.)
As such, not only was it 29 games due to slappy 'e's taking a day off during the run (gee, only missed one game... such an mercurial healer), he also got 2 'gifts' from the home (cooking) 'oaf'ficial scorer here who rendered no less 2 obvious errors by opposition fielders into hits for slappy... only in lost angeles.
Posted by: 16blows | 05/07/2011 at 09:58 PM
glad "the streak" was halted & Willie-D still reigns supreme...........
& Garland is "duds" 2nd-best starter/pitcher, & the fact that he's #5 just more evidence as to how HORRIBLE this team's overall mgt. truly is!!!
also, how lonnnnnnng are "duds" gonna delude themselves into believing that Kemp is a major-league-caliber CF?????
still, the losses continue to mount, in what's already been a verrrrrrrry lonnnnnnng season, & we haven't even reached mid-May/Mother's Day yet!!!
Posted by: StillLuvWillieD | 05/07/2011 at 10:47 PM
Don't look now, but those diabolical D-backs have passed our beloved bumbos. Hopefully Kershaw can keep things together long enough to get them back on track for our goal of a third place finish!
Posted by: WBB | 05/07/2011 at 11:00 PM
Time for the DL for Eithier.
Posted by: Hollywood Dodger Mark | 05/08/2011 at 12:16 AM
Why all the dourness? Is it just because this collection of rag-tag semi-pros couldn't even win in a beer league? Relax. This season's a highlight reel compared to next year when at best 11 and at worst 8 of these guys return next season in Ned's revolving door roster building. And I don't care who owns the team or is GM by then, you can't spend enough money to fix that.
.
Here's a not so bold prediction too - Frank & Furter will still be buyers at the trade deadline. Oh we may be 20 games out by then, but I'm sure with that acquisition of a Dotelesque or Sweeneyesque PVL, it'll get us right back in the race.
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Where are all the pundits now who picked this group to win the west? I'd like to know what they were smoking bacsuse that's some darn good stuff and I want to feel better too. Seems my pick of 4th for this mess may have been a tad optimistic.
Posted by: Labeldude | 05/08/2011 at 07:07 AM
I told 'ya!
Posted by: Willie Davis | 05/08/2011 at 09:55 AM
What's with this "Dre" tag added here by every metro-sexual north of the I-10?
Has Ethier ever endorsed this mispronunciation of his name?
Posted by: These Dodgers Suck! | 05/08/2011 at 12:27 PM
What's this pitting Willie Davis against Ethier? No matter who owns the Dodger record, he's still a Dodger. Willie's effort was more accomplished, hotter, than Andre's. That's all. You read some of these mentally ill comments from Giant trolls, you'd conclude Ethier sucks. When it's them who do.
Posted by: Native Angeleno | 05/09/2011 at 09:11 AM