Dodgers Make Jackie Roll Over In Grave With Embarrassing Loss To Padres

My optimism and patience are waning here. It seems like we watch the same thing every game. The Dodgers have terrible hitting. They strand hundreds of runners per game, and the bullpen is pathetic. It was more of the same tonight for the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson night. Terrible clutch hitting, poor base-running, fringy players, and an ineffective bullpen, which led to another frustrating pathetic loss to the Padres 6-3. A costly Tootlban in the bottom of the eighth inning didn’t help things either, but the base-running has been non-existent this season anyways.

Bills giving up a home run to Stults basically put the game on ice-Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Chad Billingsley pitched ok, allowing three runs through six frames, but allowing a three-run home run to Eric Stults, yes Stults! That pretty much put the game out of reach already, with the flaccid offense! Just all kinds of bad. Then the Dodger bumpen, decided to give away the game during the last three innings. Dodger pitching issued eight walks, (six from the blowpen) and three runs over the last three innings.

Former Dodger lefty Eric Stults pitched six effective innings to earn his second win of the season. Belisario picked up a much deserved loss for his erratic pitching at the end of the game.

Not like it mattered anyways, because the joke of a Dodger lineup left nine more runners stranded against San Diego pitching. Honestly, Jackie Robinson would roll over in his grave, if he saw this crap.

Quentin is serving his suspension so he is not with the Padres, and will not be playing in the series. There was no bad blood between the two teams tonight, and nobody beat anybody up. Hey you would think that would make it a good night right? Well, yes until the Dodgers had to actualy play a game that is.

The Dodgers were able to tie it at 3-3, by scoring one run in the third, fourth, and fifth frames. The Dodgers scored their three runs on RBI singles from Carl Crawford, and Mark Ellis, and an RBI double from Adrian Gonzalez. Crawford had three hits, and Kemp, Mark Ellis, and AJ all had two hits each. So I still am confused as to how they managed to lose this game to a team that broke their second best pitcher’s collar bone last week. Oh wait, yes I do, they suck. Hey why not just give them another win?

Top of the first- Chad Billingsley starts Jackie Robinson Day by allowing a single to Everth Cabrera. Will Venable sacrifices Cabrera to second. Yonder Alonso’s grounder moves Cabrera over to third. Bills is able to end the frame, by retiring Kyle Blanks on a fly ball to center. Allow deflating first inning runs is always annoying, so thank you Bills.

Bottom of the first.-Carl Crawford leads off and uses singles up the middle. Mark Ellis follows with a single of his own to put runners on first and second. Matt Kemp a fly ball for the first out. Adrian Gonzalez a shallow pop to short. A.J. Ellis walks to load the bases, but that’s like the ring of death this season for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have yet to get a hit with the bases loaded. That drought continued when Andre Ethier whiffed on a called strike three.

San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Stults (right) is congratulated by Alexi Amarista (left) and Cameron Maybin (center) after hitting a three-run home run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres take the lead in the top of the second in shocking fashion. After a one-out walk to Alexi Amarista, and after John Baker flied out, Cameron Maybin singles to left. Opposing starter Eric Stults takes a full count Billingsley meatball out of the stadium for a three-run home run. I wish I was joking, but alas I am not. That’s Stults’ first home run of his career. Stults then returns to the mound and sets the Dodgers down 123 in the bottom of the second.

Billingsley recovers to pitch around a Kyle Blanks single to toss a scoreless top of the third frame. If the Dodgers didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any. They finally score in the bottom of the third, but a ground-rule double actually prevents a second run from scoring. Crawford singles. After M.Ellis flies out, Kemp singles to left, sending Crawford to second. Gonzalez smacks a ground-rule double that bounces over the wall. Crawford scores, but Kemp has to stop at third. Then well, that’s all. A.J. and Ethier both fly out, and the Dodgers are trailing 3-1 after three innings.

Billinsley struggles through the top of the fourth, but tightropes his way out of trouble. Amarista singles, and Baker walks. But Bills gets Maybin to ground into a double play, and then he finally is able to retire Stults when he whiffs him to end the frame. The Dodgers fight back again in the bottom of the fourth. Luis Cruz finally gets a hit, and is sacrificed to second on a Billingsley bunt. Crawford collects his third hit of the night, a single between first and second, which scores Cruz from second. The San Diego lead is now 3-2.

Billingsley wiggles out of another jam in the top of the fifth. Yonder Alonso strokes a two-out double, but Bills strands him there by whiffing Blanks. The Dodgers plate a run in the bottom of the fifth, for the third straight inning. Kemp leads off with a double, and moves to third on a Gonzo grounder. A.J. singles through the drawn-in San Diego infield, and the Dodgers tie it up at 3-3.

Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson (left) with Rachel and Sharon Robinson.

Both starters are out of the game by the seventh inning. Billingsley is removed for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth, Bills tosses six frames, allowing three runs on seven hits. He walks two and whiffs three. The three-run home run by Stults killed him. Bills leaves with the game tied, and picks up a no-decision. Stults is also removed after six frames. He allows three runs on nine hits, walks one and whiffs four.

But of course the Dodger bullpen blows the tie in the top of the seventh. Right hander Ronald Belisario enters the game. Maybin, and Cabrera walk, and Jesus Guzman’s single loads the bases. Don Mattingly comes out and brings one of his infamous bases loaded hooks, and brings in Paco Rodriguez. Note he brings in Paco with the bases loaded and none out, so that’s basically setting him up for failure. Not surpisingly Paco walks Chris Denorfia to force in a run to make it 4-3 San Diego. Paco induces Yonder Alonso to ground into a 1-6-3 double play. Guzman scores, and Cabrera moves to third. That makes the score 5-3 Padres. Matt Guerrier is called in, and gets Kyle Blanks to ground out to finally end this nightmare of a frame for the Dodgers.

Brad Brach is the guy who replaces Stults on the mound in the bottom of the seventh  for the Padres. Mark Ellis singles. But Kemp whiffs, and Gonzo hits into an inning ending double play.

The bottom of the eighth has so much stupid going on that it burns my eyes. But let’s get right to it. With Luke Gregerson on the mound, the Dodgers mount a rally. A.J. singles, and Ethier walks to put runners at first and second. Cruz sacrifices the runners over to second and third. Here’s where the stupid comes in. Skip Schumaker pinch-hitting for Sellers, taps a little roller to the third base side of the mound. Gregerson throws out Schumaker at first, and then AJ tries to score from third for some reason. He is easily thrown out by Alonso, and the Dodgers run themselves right out of the inning, with one of the worst Tootblans I have seen in some time.

Hey Magic, you guys spent 200 million for this garbage?-Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres score another run in the top of the ninth inning on a Kyle Blanks sacrifice fly off of rookie Josh Wall, who was just called up to replace Shawn Tolleson, who was placed on the DL today because of back problems.The Dodgers went down sadly in the ninth off of San Diego closer Huston Street. Jerry Hairston singled, but Crawford lined out. M.Ellis grounds into a force play, and Kemp flies out to end the game. The Dodgers had won 11 of the last 15 games at Dodger Stadium against San Diego. But as Vinny noted, six of those games were decided by one run. The Padres always are a thorn in our side, but let’s face it, it’s nor hard to beat the Dodgers right now.

The Dodgers are now 8-2 all time on Jackie Robinson night, and fall to 7-6 on the season. Game two of the series continues tomorrow. Join us tomorrow evening for more coverage of the next Dodger embarrassment. Chris Capuano, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Zack Greinke, will counter San Diego right hander Jason marquis at 7:10 PM.

Jackie Robinson, we thank you for your sacrifices! #42 forever

Before we sign off, I would like to extend my thoughts and condolences to the victims and the families of the victims of the tragedy at today’s Boston marathon.