Dodgers find their patsy, down Astros, 6-1
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There now, doesn’t that make you feel better?
As disappointing as the Dodgers have been this season, there’s one thing they’re happily not: The Houston Astros.
Now that’s a bad team. A truly bad team. Too young, little skilled and overmatched even by the Dodgers.
Of course, the Dodgers had their Big Two -– Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp -– on full display Saturday night in their 6-1 victory over Houston before a crowd announced at 36,111.
Kershaw didn’t allow the Astros to score until the eighth, and Kemp hit a two-run homer in the first inning following the first of three Houston errors.
The Astros also threw in a passed ball, baserunning mistakes and several plays they just failed to make. Otherwise, they looked just like the Phillies.
All this followed Friday’s contest in which the Astros failed to score a run in 10 innings.
The victory left the Dodgers 54-64 and 12 games back of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. And the loss left the Astros a stunning 38-82 and 31 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central.
Look! It really could be worse!
It all made for an easy night for Kershaw, who went to 14-5 on the season and 9-1 at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw went eight innings, holding the Astros to six hits. He walked one and struck out nine.
After Kemp’s 27th home run gave the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead, they essentially put the game away with two more in the fifth.
Tony Gwynn Jr. singled, his second of three hits, stole second and went to third on shortstop Justin Seller’s first major league hit. Kershaw was asked to sacrifice, and his bunt died on the dirt near home plate. Gwynn broke for home on the play and catcher Carlos Corporan was drawn just a step too far out from the plate to tag Gwynn, who avoided his swiping attempt.
After a sacrifice bunt, a throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Casey Blake, and the Dodgers had a 4-0 lead they weren’t going to relinquish against the Astros.
The Dodgers added single runs in the sixth and seventh on a throwing error and a Juan Rivera single.
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--Steve Dilbeck