Dodgers can't touch Cole Hamels in 2-0 loss to Phillies

Opportunities were going to be precious. Someone would have to blink first, which figured to be the game the way Hiroki Kuroda and Cole Hamels were going.

It was a tight pitchers’ dual on a hot, humid Wednesday night in Philadelphia. After the Phillies finally scored in the sixth, the Dodgers wasted a prime scoring opportunity the next inning.

And that was the Dodgers’ offense for the night.

The Phillies tipped their caps in thanks, and went on to a 2-0 victory behind Hamels’ eight shut-out innings.

Kuroda was cruising along through four innings, having allowed just one single. He picked up the first two outs of the fifth and seemed on his way to another easy inning.

Until Michael Martinez tripled and Kuroda suddenly couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked Hamels. He threw a wild pitch that sailed behind Shane Victorino. In a break for the Dodgers, the speedy Martinez did not attempt to score. Catcher Rod Barajas fielded the miscue, threw to Kuroda covering home and hit Victorino in the butt. When Hamels took second, Kuroda intentionally walked Victorino to load the bases.

Kuroda seemed to be melting in the humidity. He worked Domonic Brown to a full count, before getting him to line out to Andre Ethier in right and exhale.

Despite how he labored, manager Don Mattingly curiously let Kuroda bat in the bottom of the fifth. Second batter Kuroda faced the next inning, Ryan Howard, homered to right.

It was the first home run for the Phillies this month.

The Dodgers, however, had a terrific opportunity to tie it back up the next inning after Ethier doubled and Matt Kemp singed him to third to lead off the seventh.

And has happened too often this season, after Ethier and Kemp, all the air went out of the Dodgers’ offense.

Juan Uribe mysteriously swung at Hamels’ first pitch and popped it up. A single swing, and it was one of the Dodgers’ worst at-bats of the year.

And it didn’t get any better. Marcus Thames struck out to keep him a perfect 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Barajas popped up to short, to end the inning and leave him 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position.

Runners at the corner with no outs, and again, nothing to show for it.

The Phillies added one more in the bottom of the inning off Matt Guerrier after Victorino tripled and beat Jamey Carroll's thrown home on Placido Polanco's ground out.

Hamels (8-2) struck out nine, did not walk a batter in his eight innings. He allowed six hits.

Ryan Madson blanked the Dodgers in the ninth to earn his 14th save.

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Photo: Hiroki Kuroda delivers a pitch during the first inning of the Dodgers' 2-0 loss Wednesday. Credit: Tom Mihalek / Associated Press

Comments

[mti312]

I think a key play was Ethier's baserunning. I like the guy, but with his team getting shut down by Hamels and down by 1 run, he should be thinking of scoring from 2nd base. Kemp hit the ball well and looked like a base hit from the start. He hesitated on the base paths was only able to advance to 3rd.
I knew they were not going to score because Uribe and then Thames were next at bat. Uribe who swings at everything popped up. Thames struck out. And that killed the rally.

[16blows]

"Ethier doubled and Matt Kemp singed him to third to lead off the seventh."

- slappy didn't score?

Did he injure his 'wheels' on that long trek from 2nd to 3rd base?

Maybe an matter of his 'Leadership' weighing heavy on his back?

I know... he wasn't used to being on 2nd base and got confused...

________

dudger hokey pokey continues: back to 5 games under .500, 1 game from hitting the cellar... no dee, rubby or jerry for to save us tonight.

[Labeldude]

Imagine - messers Uribe, Thames and Barajas not being able to plate a runner from third. Why it almost boggles the mind.

[HI Dodger Fan]

can i second guess donnie? okay, i will anyway. even after gordon's great debut, why trot him out at leadoff against one of toughest lefties in the league? He benches a vet like loney because of the lefty but keeps gordon in, and bats him leadoff too? he could have gotten carroll and sands in the game if he had the guts to sit gordon. then, why does he bat loney for gordon in the eighth? if he can't hit lefties, why bat him in that situation when he had navarro and sands available? add to that the curious handling of kuroda and i'm wondering what the heck is donnie doing?

[Los Doyers]

Same ole punchless dudgers... please, for the love of god, can someone tell why Thames is still in the line-up?? ive seen enough of the right handed Garrett anderson??

[Matthew Erb]

Perfect 0 for 11? Perfectly awful.

[First Baseman]

I know if Jackie Robinson was on 3rd base with no outs or even 1 out, he would have stolen home. The score would have been 2-1 and the runner at 1st would have taken 2nd on the steal of home. A single would have brought the runner from 2nd to home for a 2-2 tie. Instead with runners on the corners with no outs, the Dodgers tried to hit a home run which they are incapable of doing. Play baseball Dodgers, not tittely winks.

[Can't see the ball tonight]

You never close your eyes
anymore when I kiss your lips

bye - bye McCrap
June 15 can't get here soon enough.

[JimH]

Well, you get what you pay for.
Oh wait, not with Neddy!!
Uribe, Thames, and Barajas, 9.25M for crap. Throw in another million for Navarro. More money wasted on players from the baseball dung heap!!! You can go with replacement level players and get the same production(little to nothing) for much less money. These guys don't have any value over replacement players and didn't when Ned signed them. This team is going nowhere until Frank and Ned are gone.

[FormerLifelongDodgerFan]

Cole Hamels completely sucks against every other team but just owns the Dodgers. Ugh.

[matt]

andre didnt know what it was like being on second? yeah clearly since his obp has been around .400 all year, good point 16blows. you nailed that one.

[16blows]

In an MLB world of tape measure homer-hitters, slappy 'e' is master of the 90 foot salvo... for $9.5 mil, one expects more than bill buckner lite.

His extra base hit percentage is 28, which is to say 72% of all his hits are of dee gordon proportion... for comparison sake, kemp sits at 39%; barajas 35%, uribe 32%, blake 31% - h*ll, even a sands is at 48% despite his rookie struggles.

Like I said, when slappy makes it to 2nd base, anything beyond is foreign territory for him & he gets lost... tonight was proof positive.

[bleednblue]

Teams that win Championships, play mentally fundamental baseball. It's not about what's between the lines, it's about what's between the ears! And the Dodgers are far from being mentally sound. Fundamentals are preached from little league to the pro's, and I am not talking about the physical errors of the game. I am talking about being mentally ready, playing smart baseball. It's the little things in playing smart fundamental baseball that creates rallies, and changes ball games. Moving the runner over, taking a pitch on 3-0, and remembering scouting reports. All the little things can be boring to the fans, but it wins ball games! The Dodgers are not mentally sound, and it starts with management. Dodgers had their chances with Cole Hamels, but failed to execute. Even Cy Young with 511 wins, LOST 316 TIMES! You just have to execute when the situation presents itself.

[Car Insurance Seattle]

We are the best! We need some heat this year boys!

[alanw19]

Coulda, shoulda, woulda been a 10-game winning streak!

That's a team hitting worse than the Dodgers - yep, Phightin' Phils are .247, we're .252.

And yet, Honeycutt's staff does the job and we lose anyway.

In fact, Honeycutt's staff gets credit for a pretty good last seven days.

We've now lost 2-0, 3-1, 2-1, 3-0 since June 1. And if you're figuring, yes, that is how close we have been to a 10-game winning streak. And 3 above .500.

bring the bats to the thin air, help 'dem pitchers,
beat the rockies

[BlueinAZ]

On a team that has so many things to complain about you can't number them, 16blows can only complain about one thing every day: Andre Ethier. And while he usually complains about his failure to produce the extra-base hit, last night Ethier led off the 7th inning with a double. So 16blows had to find something else to complain about -- Ethier's baserunning. What a surprise. Not Juan Uribe. Not Marcus Thames. Not even Rod Barajas. Ethier's baserunning. The reason this team is in 4th place is because of ---------- Andre Ethier's baserunning. There you have it.

[Native Angeleno]

Lost in the Ether are the posts listing the sheer volume of incompetence by this amateur manager. Some one please stop him before he fills out the lineup card again.

[16blows]

So much mediocrity his to choose from - a veritable cornucopia of journeyman delights!

Where to begin & how much time do we have?

Only a limited supply internet paper confines!

The internet pen groans under the weight possibility...