Dodgers bullpen runs out of arms as rally is extinguished in 8-5 loss to Giants
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Bad bench, shaky and tired bullpen, one more Dodgers loss.
They did manage to make it interesting Wednesday night, rallying with three runs in the eighth to tie it up, but Cody Ross hit a three-run homer off the last truly available Dodgers pitcher, Lance Cormier, in the ninth, and that was that.
The Dodgers were left with another painful defeat, this one 8-5 to the Giants before an announced crowd of 30,421.
It was the most runs the Giants have scored since they also scored eight on April 18.
Giants right-hander Matt Cain left after 7 1/3 innings, having held the Dodgers to three hits. And got a no-decision.
It was looking like the Giants would slip away with a fairly routine, 5-2 victory when their bullpen betrayed them in the eighth.
The Dodgers, 0-18 when trailing after seven innings, got a lead-off single from Jamey Carroll in the eighth off reliever Javier Lopez. After Aaron Miles popped up, Sergio Lopez struck out Andre Ethier. Matt Kemp then singled. The Giants quickly brought in closer Brian Wilson to face Juan Uribe.
Uribe, the ex-Giant, lined a double into the left-center gap to score Carroll and Kemp.
James Loney then hit a bouncer between first baseman Aubrey Huff and second baseman Freddy Sanchez. The ball was closer to Huff, but he never moved, watching it dribble into right field to score Uribe, the tying run. It was Loney’s first RBI of the month.
The Dodgers, however, were out of arms. Manager Don Mattingly had already used Scott Elbert, Javy Guerra and Mike MacDougal. Clayton Kershaw, who entered the game having thrown 23 2/3 scoreless innings against the Giants, went only five innings Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits.
Meanwhile, Matt Guerrier had thrown the past two days, Kenley Jansen had thrown in four of the last five, and Vicente Padilla was unavailable with a forearm strain.
Which left it to Cormier to pitch into the ninth.
A pair of singles, and then Ross crushed his third home run of the season.
-- Steve Dilbeck