Dodgers Forfeit Another Game To The Giants

I hate Joe Blanton. Look I’m sure Joe Blanton is a very nice guy. This is in no way a representation of Joe Blanton the person. As far as Joe Blanton the major league pitcher? That’s a different story. He is by far one of the worst pitchers I have seen in some time, and I have seen a lot of bad pitchers in my time as a Dodger fan. Did we really jettison Stephen Fife for this Bum? Watching that Bum pitch all night made me want to vomit. Since joining the Dodgers, Blanton is 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA. His ERA on the season is 5.01. He has allowed 18 hits, and 14 runs in 15 innings. Stephen Fife doesn’t look so bad anymore does he? If anyone is pitching like Barney Fife, it’s Blanton. The guy has been a disaster in Dodger Blue.

It was another depressing pathetic loss to the Giants at home, as the Giants downed the Dodgers for the second night in a row by a score of 4-1. Joe Blanton the worst pitcher in the league was predictably horrible. The guy with an ERA of five allowed four runs on ten hits through 5.2 innings, including two deflating first inning runs before the chairs were warm. This guy has lost every game he has pitched so far in Blue. (note-he had a no-decision in his first outing. thanks to BleedBluecrew for reminding me. He still sucks though) The number cruncher boys continue to say he’s better than Fife. No way in hell.

As for the offense , it was another mind numbingly sad display of hopelessness. It was nothing but weak grounders and fly outs against a pitcher with an ERA of over five. Tim Lincecum who came into the game with a 6-12 record, held the useless Dodger offense to one run on five hits through 5.2 innings, to pick up his seventh win. The Giants bullpen filled in the rest of the way, as Javier Lopez notched his third save.

The Giants scored their four runs on a two-run single from Buster Posey in the first. The Giants tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth off of Blanton, on a single from Blanco, an Errant two-base pick-off throw from Blanton himself, a Brandon Crawford RBI single, and an Angel Pagan run scoring leg double.

The Dodgers had their only look at the game in the sixth inning when they scored one run on a Matt Kemp sac fly, and loaded the bases. However the inning was ruined by more terrible situational hitting, and a runner being thrown out at the plate. Here is how the game went. Try not to cry when reading.

Before the chairs are warm, Bumton starts serving up the runs like hotcakes. Angel Pagan singles up the middle. Marco Scutaro singles to right to send Pagan to third. Pablo Sandoval walks to load the bases. Another meatball to Buster Posey is smoked for a base hit. Pagan, and Scutaro both score, and Posey gives the Giants another early lead 2-0. Hunter Pence’s fly out to right advances Sandoval to third. Hector Sanchez grounds into a 3-6-3 double play to end the inning, and bail the Dodgers out of the jam.

The Dodgers go down pathetically 123 in the bottom of the first inning as usual. Remember when the Dodgers used to score in the first innings? Yeah those days are over. Tim Lincecum whiffs Shane Victorino on a ball three feet off the plate. Adam Kennedy grounds out to short. Matt Kemp flies out to right.

Blanton amazingly settles down somehow. Gregor Blanco, and Brandon Crawford are both called out on strikes, and Lincecum rolls out to first. The Dodgers again do nothing offensively in the bottom of the second. Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez, and James Loney all make outs against Lincecum.

Blanton is able to wiggle out of his own jam in the top of third. Pagan reaches on an infield single. With Scutaro at the plate, Pagan is caught stealing second for the first out. Blanton then uncorks a wild pitch, and Scutaro walks into second base. Sandoval lines out to Kemp. The Dodgers are forced to intentionally walk Posey. Pence hits into a force out, with Cruz making a nice play at third to record the final out of the frame.

Lincecum disposes of the Dodgers easily in order again in the bottom of the third. Luis Cruz, and A.J. Ellis both go down on strikes.

The Giants tack on two more runs in the top of the fourth, off of Senior Bum Blanton. After Sanchez leads off by whiffing, and Blanco singles into center. Blanton’s errant pick-off throw nearly bounces into the box seats, allowing Blanco to go all the way to third. Brandon Crawford’s dunker into left field scores Blanco for the third run for the Giants. Lincecum sacrifices Crawford to second. Pagan’s leg double past the diving Kennedy scores Crawford and the Giants go up 4-0 now. Hanley misses the tag at second, otherwise Pagan would have been out. Finally Scutaro whiffs to end this terrible inning.

Adam Kennedy singles in the bottom of the fourth, to give the Dodgers their first hit of the night. Any hopes of scoring are predictably dashed when Kemp hits into an inning ending double play. I think at this point the Dodgers lead the universe in grounding into double plays.

Move to the top of the sixth. Blanton gets Blanco to whiff. Crawford flies out to left. Lincecum pokes a blooper into center. Finally Mattingly has seen enough and hooks Blanton to our delight. You can close the books on Blanton, then possibly take the book and smack him in the face with it. Blanton allowed four earned runs on ten hits through 5.2 innings, walking two and whiffing six. Lefty Scott Elbert comes in to finish the inning.

Lincecum doesn’t last much longer than Blanton, as the Dodgers finally put together a little rally, but of course can only muster up one dam run. The inning starts with a walk to AJ. Juan Rivera, who was double switched into the game the inning before, singles AJ to second. Victorino singles into center, AJ tries to score from second and is gunned down at the plate. It looked like Posey just sat on top of the plate, and AJ slid right into his tag. Kennedy’s line drive single to right loads the bases. Matt Kemp who is 0 for his last 21, flies out to right to score Rivera and put the Dodgers on the board. The Giants hook Lincecum, and bring in their newly acquired lefty Jose Mijares to pitch to Ethier. As usual Ethier whiffs, and the Dodgers only get one run.

After getting the first two outs in the top of the seventh, the Dodgers bring in Brandon League to retire Posey, along with Mark Ellis at second base. League does his job and gets Posey to ground out. Santiago Casilla pitches a 123 bottom of the seventh inning. League retires the side in order in the top of the eighth.

With the Giants leading 4-1, Casilla stays out to pitch the bottom of the eighth. He boringly retires the side in order again. The Dodgers couldn’t hit out of a paper bag at home.

Garrett Anderson-2010-.181 2 HR 12 RBI in 163 PA

Juan Uribe-2012-.182 2 HR 17 RBI in 159 PA

Move to the bottom of the ninth. Enter Sergio Romo. The Dodger bench is weak, depleted and pitiful, the Dodgers have no choice but to use resident fatso Juan Uribe to pinch-hit for Jamey Wright. Uribe does what he does best and strikes out. Uribe’s average has now plummeted to the Auto out level of .181. Matt Kemp singles to right to break his 0 for 22 slump. That’s the first hit for Kemp in six days. It’s nothing but a lone murmur of protest though. The Giants bring in left Javier Lopez who gets Ethier to ground into the game ending double play. Game over.

The Dodgers are now 6-11 at home since the all-star break, and fall to a game and a half back of the Giants. What an embarrassment at home on Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead night. I already wrote about the Dodgers terrible plate approaches at home, and it continued throughout the night again. This performance at home is unacceptable. Something has to give here. The team played with no sense of urgency or heart. It was pitiful. One thing I do know, is that the Dodgers have got to stop starting Joe Blanton. He is utterly atrocious. That acquisition was a bust. The Dodgers need to accept that and find someone else to start in his place, whether that is Fife, or John Ely, or Rubby De La Rosa, or somebody else. I don’t care! Anyone but that Bum.

Now the Dodgers have to win tomorrow to avoid being swept. That is going to be very hard to do because Matt Cain is on the mound for the Giants. The Dodgers will counter with Chris Capuano. What else can we do? Not much but keep on grinding, keep on rooting, keep on cheering. Go Blue.