This looks familiar: Dodgers lose another tight one, 3-2 to Reds, to fall eight games back
Tuesday looked like too many Dodgers games this season: a close contest, a big hit that never came, a struggling bullpen, another defeat.
The Dodgers wasted a strong outing by Clayton Kershaw, falling, 3-2, to the Reds as the relievers faltered once again.
The loss dropped the Dodgers to 31-38 and a season-high eight games back of the San Francisco Giants.
It was a pretty terrific pitching duel, though as it’s been going for the Dodgers lately, not quite terrific enough for their starting pitcher.
Kershaw, who pitched well early in his last start before struggling in the sixth and seventh innings and losing to Colorado, held the Reds without a hit through the first three innings.
By then he was up, 1-0, thanks to an unearned run the Dodgers scored in the first inning.
Dee Gordon led off with a single to center. Jamey Carroll walked to advance Gordon to second.
Andre Ethier then hit a ground ball that should have resulted in a double play. But Brandon Phillips’ relay to first went wide for an error. First baseman Joey Votto retrieved the ball quickly, but not quickly enough to even make a play on the speedy Gordon, who scored without a throw.
Yet just when it appeared he might escape the inning, Kershaw walked Jay Bruce and gave up a run-scoring double to Scott Rolen.
Bruce also tried to score on the play, but the Dodgers turned a perfect relay from Tony Gwynn Jr. to shortstop Gordon to catcher Rod Barajas, who nicely blocked the plate before applying the tag.
With right-hander Johnny Cueto matching Kershaw, it remained 1-1 through seven innings.
Kershaw left after seven, having allowed the one run and four hits. He walked two (one intentionally) and struck out four. He had thrown 104 pitches but still appeared to be throwing comfortably.
Regardless, Blake Hawksworth took over in the eighth and almost immediately surrendered the go-ahead run.
Pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo singled, Stubbs’ bunt sacrificed him to second and a Phillips’ single sent him to third. At that point, Manager Don Mattingly called on left-hander Scott Elbert to face Votto, who promptly singled in Cario.
The Reds added one more in the ninth against reliever Mike MacDougal on Stubbs’ RBI single for what proved to be the decisive run.
The Dodgers tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth after Matt Kemp walked, stole second and scored on a James Loney single. Trent Oeltjen pinch-ran for Loney and stole second -- going in standing up and just beating the throw -- but Barajas popped out to end it.
-- Steve Dilbeck
Photo: Dodgers catcher Rod Barajas tags out Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce at the plate during the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss Tuesday. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times
ugggh
june 22 can't come soon enough ... i have many eggs in said basket (rightly or wrongly)
Posted by: alanw19 | 06/15/2011 at 03:26 AM
If there's no one at Dodger stadium to see the Dodgers eliminated from contention does that mean they're still in it?
Posted by: Dodger Tony | 06/15/2011 at 06:04 AM
Honestly not much to say. Is Colletti fired yet? Is McCourt out of the league and/or in jail yet? Wake us up when that happens and we'll care again, possibly.
Posted by: FormerLifelongDodgerFan | 06/15/2011 at 06:48 AM
Win or lose Dee Gordon is making it a lot more interesting and fun to watch (on TV that is...wouldn't buy a McTicket or McParking to go to a McGame or buy a McBeer or McDog even if I still lived in SoCal).
Posted by: NorCal Dodger | 06/15/2011 at 07:58 AM
Not much I can add to this tale of woe (SHOCKING, I know!) except to echo, 'yes', this is familiar.
kershaw said he could have gone on, but wasn't going to question his removal or the bullpen's call... maybe he should have x2 - severally in 2011; 'he is 23 if not 18 and the dudgers still don't know what they want', Alice Cooper nod. What is it exactly they protecting clayton from? Certainly not the la bullpen. Overuse? Certainly not the bulllpen.
So it goes if not a pitcher's growth, so much for that complete game shutout vs Florida 4 starts ago. Any time he doesn't toss another get on the dingwa - "dugout to pen, we have a problem." He's a 'good' young pitcher - still not if ever to become great (that word is tossed around too casually nowadays re: pitchers or slappy's- er, hitters.) Still, if he's just a bit overhyped to date the Reds Johnny Cueto is a guy who is 'under' as it were.
Pitching in his home Great American 'Bandbox' Park in Cincy as well on the road NL, he pitched even better than kershaw - Cueto's only run in his time was unearned, Reds vs ck was gotten the old fashioned way...they earned it.
Cueto's era on the season is now a microscopic 1.68 - that's almost 2x better than kershaw's, and highlights the rub. When a great pitcher meets a merely good, something's/somebody's gotta give/lose... per the usual 2011, was the dudgers.
The 'Dodgers' of the 1960's variously had hitting that makes this current crew of hitters look like the '27 Yankees in comparison. The 'difference' thence was they also had a couple guys named Koufax - greatEST - and a Drysdale - great. Add a good pitcher like Osteen & round out your (then) four-man or later five with 1-2 more midlin if not likewise good guys and viola!, you have the recipe for '60's Dodger success.
Upshot: when a kuroda or billingsley or lilly or kershaw meets a Cueto 2011 or a Halladay or a Hamels or... well, you have seen what happens more often than not. Until (over)hype meets reality & any the aforementioned becomes more for the dudgers than consistently good & inconsistent (perhaps a de la rosa will?), second best will be the result.
As a former NFL Head Coach said upon his retirement (aft being shown the door), "you can't just order up world class athletes on a plate."
Nor can you expect to replace a Sandy or Don with one guy a left arm and another an right and call it even.
Nor for that matter will anyone ever know if said is possible shy allowing the kid (any) to get out of the shallow end the pool. C'mon dudgers, live a little - this dieing night after night ad nasueam is way past old...
Posted by: 16blows | 06/15/2011 at 08:17 AM
At least Dodger fans got to see a star born. Dee = amazing.
Posted by: JamesB. | 06/15/2011 at 09:45 PM