Juan Uribe’s Bat Comes Out of Hibernation in Dodger Win

Dodgers 7 15 0

Braves    2 7 0

WP- Capuano (2-0)

LP- Jurrjens (0-2)

HR- Ross (1), Uggla (3)

Luckily for my sanity I was attending the Mopar Spring Fling yesterday afternoon, and I missed the atrocity of a game. I don’t miss many games during the season, but I guess it worked out in my favor this time. When Scott texted me the score for the first time, it was already 6-0. Perhaps the Dodgers were out partying in Houston Saturday night, but once the Astros hit them with a morning shower of homeruns they sure had a wake-up call. Chad Billingsley said his poor performance was not due to his groin issue. The Dodgers will begin a six-game homestand by hosting the Atlanta Braves and then the Washington Nationals. They have yet to lose a game at home this season.

The Dodgers and Chris Capuano silenced the Braves tonight, and they collectively had 15 hits. Other than a couple of solo homeruns, the Braves couldn’t muster up much against Dodger pitching. Cappy went 7 strong innings, and he picked up his second win of the season. Most of the Dodger lineup had a multi-hit game, and Ethier had 3 while Uribe had 4 on the night. Jair Jurrjens only made it through three innings after the Dodgers singled him right out of the game.

Chris Capuano immediately walks the lead-off hitter Michael Bourn who is always a threat to steal. Martin Prado strikes out swinging on a good 78-mph changeup by Cappy. Freddie Freeman, National League Player of the Week, promptly singles to right field. The runners have nowhere to go after Dan Uggla flies out to center field. Matt Diaz walks to load the bases up for Jason Heyward. On a 3-2 count, Cappy strikes out Heyward for the final out. Heyward angrily throws down his bat. Capuano ends up making 27 pitches in the inning.

Jair Jurrjens, from Curacao, takes the mound for the Braves. Dee Gordon hits a single up the middle to lead-off the bottom of the first. Gordon then steals his ninth base of the year. Gordon advances to third on a fly ball by Mark Ellis. Matt Kemp draws a one-out walk. Andre Ethier bloops a single to right center field, and Gordon brings in the first run of the game, 1-0 Dodgers. Rivera hits in an inning-ending double play.

David Ross comes out of the gate swinging. Swinging for the fences that is, as he takes Capuano deep to center field, 1-1. Jack Wilson pops out, Jurrjens strikes out, and Bourn grounds out to short in the remainder of the top of the second inning.

James Loney drills a long double to start the Dodgers half of the second. Juan Uribe singles to right field, and Loney scores. Uribe takes second on the throw to the plate, 2-1 Dodgers. A.J. Ellis singles in Uribe, 3-1. Capuano bunts the runners over with a sacrifice. Gordon singles over Wilson’s head, and the ball tips off the top of Wilson’s glove. Gordon is caught stealing for the second out. Mark Ellis flies out to end the frame.

Freddie Freeman opens the third with a single. I’m glad I put him on my one-day fantasy league team since I ended up placing first. Pretty good for my first try at the fantasy baseball thing. Cappy gets Uggla to pop out and Diaz to fly out.

The Dodgers go down in order in the bottom of the third. Ethier hits a very deep ball to right field, but Heyward catches it right up against the wall.

Heyward singles in the first at bat of the fourth for Atlanta. Another walk is allowed by Capuano to David Ross. Heyward steals third with nobody out. Jack Wilson, local boy who went to the same high school as my husband, strikes out swinging. Ross advances to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Jurrjens. Bourn grounds out, and Capuano gets out of the jam.

Loney singles to begin the bottom of the fourth for his second hit of the game. It looks like he is slowly thawing out! Then, an even more unusual event occurs…another Uribe hit! Uribe’s bat somehow makes contact on a ball in the dirt, and Loney goes to third on Juan’s single. A.J. Ellis hits the third Dodger single in a row which scores Loney easily! 4-1! All this Dodger hittin’ runs Jurrjens right out of the game as  Fredi González makes the call to the bullpen.

Jair Jurrjens lasts just 3 innings, allowing 9 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, and no strikeouts on 50 pitches.

Livan Hernandez replaces Jurrjens, and Cappy puts down a good bunt to move the runners over. Gordon’s sacrifice fly brings in a standing Uribe for the Dodgers’ fifth run of the game. Mark Ellis grounds into the third out.

Chris Capuano is not making this game easy for himself. Cappy allows yet another walk to Prado to begin the fifth inning. Freeman strikes out. Uggla singles with one out. Diaz flies out. Heyward lines out to Loney for the third out, and Cappy escapes unscathed again.

Matt Kemp’s little dribbler up third is good for a lead-off infield single. Then on an Ethier single, we witness a double TOOTBLAN. Kemp attempts to score, and he’s thrown out by a mile at the plate. On the same play Ethier is caught off the bag at first. Wow, that was really bad. Rivera makes the third out, and essentially the Dodgers are sent down in order.

Chris Capuano has an easy sixth inning, and for the first time during the night the Braves are retired in order.

Juan Uribe comes up with his third hit of the night with a one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth. A.J. Ellis strikes out, and Uribe is out at second trying to steal on the play.

Michael Bourn beats out Capuano in a foot race to the bag on his drag bunt to break in the seventh inning. Cappy easily gets the next three outs including an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers go down quickly in order for the bottom of the seventh.

Josh Lindblom comes in to pitch the eighth inning for the Dodgers. He very quickly allows Dan Uggla to go deep for a solo homerun, and the Braves have their second run of the game, 5-2. Lindblom comes back and strikes out pinch hitter Juan Francisco. Heyward and Ross ground out to end the Atlanta eighth.

Chris Capuano pitches 7 solid innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts on 108 pitches. That was Cappy’s longest start of the season so far.

Kemp and Ethier’s back-to-back singles start the Dodger half of the eighth inning off. Adam Kennedy‘s sacrifice bunt moves Bison and Dre over to second and third. Livan Hernandez intentionally walks Loney to load the bases for Uribe. Juan Uribe comes up with a dunking single to right field, and two runs score! Uribe goes 4-4 on the night. That’s his first four-hit game since 2007. It’s now 7-2 Dodgers. Livan Hernandez’s evening is done, and he ends up pitching 4 1/3 innings in long relief, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 1 whiff on 61 pitches. Chad Durbin comes in and retires A.J. Ellis for the last out.

Scott Elbert, a.k.a. Lost Boy, comes in to pitch the ninth for the Dodgers. He quietly sends the Braves down in order and back to their respective hotel rooms for the night.

The Dodgers improve their record to 13-4 on the season, and they are now 7-0 at home.

Tomorrow night Aaron Harang will go up against Mike Minor at 7:10 pm in game two. Good night, everyone!

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