Dodger Bumpen Gives Away Another Game In Extra Inning Loss To Colorado

The Dodgers finished May with the worst May record in franchise history (10-17) and were hoping to start June on a winning note. Unfortunately the losing just follows them no matter what month we are in.

The Dodgers haven’t won a series at Coors Field since 2010. That’s three years of losing every single series they play there. Personally I hate Coors Field. I would not shed a tear if that place burned to the ground, without anyone in it of course. The games in that joke of a ballpark are always the same. High scoring slugfests that eat up your entire bullpen. The Dodger bullpen already sucks enough as it is. Last night’s game went ten innings and the Dodgers actually won. Today’s game also went ten innings, but this time the Dodger’s pathetic bullpen blew another game, as the Dodgers lost to Colorado 7-6.

This was a back and forth game that saw the lead change five times. The Dodgers had a 3-1 lead in the third. They scored three in the top of the third when Tim Federowicz hit his first major league home run. Then a single from Greinke, and a double from Crawford, and a sacrifice fly from Gonzalez gave the Dodgers the lead. The Dodgers added one more thanks to a costly LeMahieu error, and an RBI single from Jerry Hairston. Carl Crawford came up lame with a leg cramp after his double and had to be removed. According to the club he is day-to-day for now.

Colorado scored three runs in the fifth off of Birdman Greinke. Torrealba singles, and moves over to third on a passed ball and a sacrifice. After Fowler’s infield single scored one, Cargo slams a two-run shot to put Colorado ahead 4-3.

Oh sure the Dodgers did battle back, but it was all for not. They scored two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. A two-run double from Fedex, and a run scoring single from Schumaker gave the Dodgers a 6-4 lead. But that was all the offense would do. The bullpen just gave it right back.

In the bottom of the seventh, Colorado tied it on a two-run home run from Cuddyer. Three consecutive singles in the bottom of the tenth against Matt Guerrier put the game away. Torrealba , Rosario, and Fowler all with hits, Fowler’s the game winner, and Colorado evens the series with a 7-6 win.

Greinke had another shaky outing. He lasted only 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits while walking and whiffing three. He made 108 pitches and was not involved in the decision.

Colorado reliever Matt Belisle picked up the win, and Gurrier took the loss. The Dodgers got 11 hits, and were 4 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Crawford, Hairston, Schumaker, and Fedex all had two hits each, but in a losing cause. Colorado had six players with two hits today. Don Mattingly was ejected from the game in the sixth frame, and Trey Hillman managed the rest of the way. The Dodgers fall back to 23-31 and continue their campaign for a last place finish. Well here’s how the lowlights went……

Carl Crawford leads off the top of the first with a double down the right field line. Mark Ellis follows with a sharp grounder to first to move Crawford over to third. Todd Helton makes a nice stop and feeds to pitcher Jhoulys Chacin at the bag. Colorado pitches around Adrian Gonzalez, walking him. But of course Andre Ethier hits into an inning ending double play. The Dodgers waste Crawford’s double. Same old, same old. Zack Greinke gets Dexter Fowler on a two-hopper to Gonzo for the first out in the bottom of the first. DJ LeMahieu whiffs, and Cargo flies to left. No score after one.

Chacin retires Jerry Hairston on a fly ball to right in the top of the second.  Schumaker whiffs, and Nick Punto grounds out to first. Greinke’s bottom of the second inning is not as quiet as Chacin’s. Colorado uses three consecutive hits off of Greinke to plate a run. Troy Tulowitzki begins the inning and grounds to third. Michael Cuddyer drops one into center for a base hit. Helton a single to right, and rookie phenom Nolan Arenado’s double to right scores Cuddyer to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Yorvit Torrealba draws a walk to load the bases. Luckily Greinke gets the opposing starter Chacin to ground into an inning ending 4-6-3 double play. The Rockies get on the board though, and lead 1-0.

The Dodgers tie it up and take the lead in the top of the third. Tim Federowicz playing in place of the injured A.J. Ellis hits his first major league home run, a line shot to left just going over the wall. Dodgers tie the game at 1-1. Greinke who is a great hitting pitcher singles, and Crawford immediately doubles Greinke to third. But of course Crawford pulls up lame to second base and has to be removed from the game. You guessed it, a strained hammy. Scott Van Slyke pinch-runs for Crawford at second. Mark Ellis is hit by a pitch and the bases are loaded. Colorado has a meeting on the mound to try and stop the bleeding.

The Dodgers take the lead when Gonzo’s sacrifice fly scores Greinke. 2-1 Dodgers. Ethier’s grounder to second was a taylor made double play, but LeMahieu bumbles the ball, and everyone ends up safe. Needless to say it’s a huge error on LeMahieu. Hairston’s single through the hole at short scores Van Slyke, but M.Ellis is easily gunned down at the plate thanks to a great throw from Cargo. The Dodgers lead 3-1. Schumaker’s grounder ends the frame, but the Dodgers have taken the lead.

Greinke preserves the 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third. The Birdman whiffs Fowler and LeMahieu. With two outs, Cargo triples into the right field corner. Greinke gets Mullet Man to fly out, and the inning ends. Both pitchers exchange 123 scoreless fourth innings, and we go to the fifth with the score 3-1 Dodgers.

Chacin works around a two-out Gonzalez single in the top of the fifth, and Chacin has really settled down now. In the bottom of the fifth, Torrealba leads off with a single. He advances to second on a passed ball charged to Fedex. Chacin sacrifices Torrealba to third. Hairston is unable to handle Fowler’s grounder to third. He makes a diving stop, but can’t make a throw. Torrealba scores to cut the Dodgers lead to 3-2. Then Fowler steals second. Lemahieu hits a sharp comebacker, Greinke pounces off the mound to snare it look back the runner at second and make the play at first. Nice work. Too bad Cargo would immediately homer to left, and Colorado takes the lead 4-3. Then Mullet singles, and Cuddyer walks, and it starts to look like the game could be broken open. Greinke gets out of the inning finally by retiring Helton.

The Dodgers re-take the lead again in the top of the sixth. With one out, Schumaker singles to right, and advances to second on a passed ball from Torrealba. Punto singles up the middle, but Schumaker hesitates and has to stop at third. Fortunately he scores anyways, when Fedex doubles over Fowler’s head to score Schumaker, and Punto and the Dodgers lead 5-4. Greinke’s grounder moves Fedex over to third. Van Slyke walks but M.Ellis makes out.

Colorado threatens the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Arenado singles. Torrealba strokes a liner back to the box. Greinke puts his glove on the ground to make what looks like a catch, but he actually trapped it. Greinke throws to first to get the out, but Arenado moves to second. The Dodgers argue, and Don Mattingly ends up getting tossed in the process. So with a runner at second and one out instead of nobody on and two outs, Greinke misses to Pacheco and walks him to put runners at first and second. The Dodgers finally pull Greinke and bring in Paco Rodriguez. Paco gets Fowler to pop out for the second out. And then gets LeMahieu to ground into a force.

Greinke goes 5.1 allowing four runs on nine hits with three walks and three whiffs. The right hander made 108 pitches.

Josh Outman replaces Chacin in the top of the seventh. After Gonzo and Ethier make out, Edgmer Escalona a right hander is called in from the Colorado bullpen, and gives up a double to Hairston. Then Schumaker smacks a base hit to center, Hairston scores to extend the Dodger lead to 6-4. Paco Begins the bottom of the seventh by whiffing Cargo. Then inexplicably he is removed for Ronald Belisario. Remember Mattingly is ejected, so bench coach Trey Hillman is calling the shots. Belisario after getting the save last night, was ineffective this time around. Mullet Man singles, then Cuddyer homers to center, a booming shot that ties the game at 6-6. This is Coors Field Baseball people. Belisario whiffs Helton and retires Arenado on a grounder to end the pain in the seventh.

The Dodgers go down 123 in the top of the eighth, and lefty J.P. Howell returns the favor in the bottom of the eighth by whiffing the side. (Torrealba, Eric Young, and Fowler). Move to the top of the ninth.

Left hander Rex Brothers is called in from the Colorado bullpen for the top of the ninth and retires M.Ellis on a grounder. Gonzo draws a 4-pitch walk. Ethier whiffs for the second out. Hairston whiffs as well, and we move to the bottom of the ninth in a 6-6 tie. Hillman leaves in Howell on the mound. LeMahieu reaches on another Dodger error, this one charged to Mark Ellis. The Dodgers lead the majors in errors. Cargo lines out to center. Mullet Man lines out to second, and Cuddyer flies out to left. We go to extra innings!

Matt Belisle is the new pitcher for the Rockies in the top of the tenth. Mullet makes an off line throw on Schumaker’s grounder, but Helton tags him on the back. Punto and Fedex both ground out, and we move to the bottom haff. Howell comes out for the bottom of the tenth and whiffs Helton for a big out. Then he’s removed and in comes Matt Guerrier. I’m pretty sure you all know how this will end by now right? After Arenado grounds out, Torrealba singles. Rosario an infield single as well. Fowler another hit into right. Torrealba scores, and the Dodgers keep on sucking.

The Dodgers are a last place team for a reason. Probably because they play pathetic crappy Baseball like today’s game. You now what they say, good teams find a way to win close games, and bad teams find a way to lose close games. The rumors are still swirling about Yasiel Puig, and apparently he was not in today’s lineup for the Lookouts. Will we see Puig tomorrow at Dodger Stadium? We’ll find out soon.

The injuries keep mounting. According to the club, Hyun-jin Ryu’s foot is still hurting him after he was hit in the foot on a line drive during his last outing. The Dodgers are unsure if he will be able to make his scheduled start tomorrow. The team has said Ryu is unable to go, then rookie Matt Magill will start in his place. Colorado will counter with Jorge De La Rosa. Game time tomorrow is at 1:10 PM. We’ll keep you updated on the slew of injuries. Visit us tomorrow as the Dodgers continue this suckfest of a season. We’ll be here to chronicle all of their 2013 failures. Good day everyone!