Incredible Dodgers Rally To Win Fifth Straight

Ok now I get why the Blue Jays are so bad this year. Yeesh. I kind of feel for Blue Jay fans now. The Rogers Centre is like the Coors Field of the American League. Man, the balls fly out of that park! So it was no surprise when the two clubs combined to score 19 runs in tonight’s game.

The Dodgers are incredible though. They are on some streak right now. The club rallied from a five run deficit to score seven runs and narrowly beat Toronto 10-9. The Dodgers scored 10 runs on 13 hits, pounding the Toronto pitching staff again. The blue Jays bullpen is supposed to be really good, but they couldn’t figure out the Dodger offense. The Boys in Blue scored one run in the sixth, three in the seventh, and four more in the eighth. Adrian Gonzalez hit a huge three-run home run that bounced off the black seats in center field to put the Dodgers ahead 9-8 in the eighth. Gonzalez, Ethier, and M.Ellis all drove in three runs each. There were six home runs in the game, three by each team. The Dodgers had home runs from Gonzo, Ethier, and Hairston. The Blue Jays had homers from Reyes, Bautista, and ughhh Mark DeRosa.

Mattingly has balls of steele-John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers had to overcome a lousy start from Chris Capuano though. Capuano has never faced the Blue Jays, and pitching in an American League Park, I was expecting mediocrity and well he was. Capuano allowed five runs on seven hits, before being removed in the fifth. The game featured the debut of Carlos Marmol who was added to the roster after the club announced Jose Dominguez was placed on the DL with a strained quad. Of course Marmol’s performance was wonderfully Marmol. He allowed three runs on four hits in an inning and a third. He wasn’t missing bats at all, and walked one and threw a wild pitch. Honestly I don’t understand what the Dodgers fascination is with these Bum relievers, but I did give Marmol a chance. The Dodgers have to see what he has, and Dominguez is hurt anyways, even though the team originally announced he had been optioned. I am far too nice I guess.

So in a game that saw Capuano, Marmol, and Brandon League all pitch in the same game, the Dodger offense had to outscore these three pitchers, and that’s what they did. Actually I gotta give credit to Don Mattingly. Yes I am giving credit to Mattingly. No you are not in an alternate reality. Mattingly has some huge cojones bringing in Marmol, and League in the same game that was still within reach. Mattingly did it, and it’s like the Dodgers didn’t care. I mean the guy looked almost certain death in the eyes and didn’t even blink. That takes some major balls to do that. The boys in blue just kept coming back. This team is tenacious.

The Dodgers had to figure out journeyman Todd Redmond, who somehow kept the Dodgers scoreless until the fourth. How these Kevin Millwood types always stymie the Dodgers I will never know. Redmond allowed three runs on seven hits and whiffed six, but was removed with a 5-2 lead in the sixth frame.

The Dodgers survived a late ninth inning rally from the Blue jays. Jansen was a little shaky allowing one run and two hits, but was able to hang on for the win. Brandon League now more confident that his crown of King bum has been passed on to Marmol, picks up his fourth win in relief. The Dodgers had a little luck too. Arencibia’s sixth inning double almost went out, hitting the top of the wall. The Dodgers had a tough break though on a blown call at home plate on a potential force out from a Nick Punto liner. So I guess it all evened out. Anyways, on to the highlights!

Redmond with a scoreless top of the first, getting Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to ground out, and Yasiel Puig whiffs. Capuano tosses a scoreless frame his own in the bottom of the first. A pop up of Jose Reyes, A ground out to Melky Cabrera, but a walk to Jose Bautista extends the inning. Fortunately Edwin Encarnacion flies out to right.

Redmond retires the side in the top of the second. Hanley Ramirez, and Mark Ellis whiff, and Andre Ethier lines out to right. Capuano returns the favor with a scoreless bottom of the frame. Adam Lind, and Rajai Davis go down swinging, Mark Derosa lines out to Puig.

The Dodgers get their first hit of the game against Redmond in the top of the third. That’s a Tim Federowicz infield single that bounces off of Redmond’s glove. Nothing happens though as Punto’s force out, and Crawford’s fly ball end the frame for the Dodgers. Capunao in turn, turns the game over to the Blue jays by serving up two runs in the bottom of the third. Brett Lawrie a single, and comes around to score Reyes’s RBI double. 1-0 Toronto. After Cabrera’s grounder moves Reyes to third, Jose Bautista’s single up the middle scores him to hand Toronto a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers respond with a scoring rally in the top of the fourth. Yasiel Puig reaches on an infield single to third. Gonzo’s force out erases Puig on the base paths. Hanley singles to third, and Andre Ethier ground-rule doubles home Gonzo. The Dodgers have to hold Hanley at third. The score is now 2-1 Blue Jays. Mark Ellis immediately singles home Hanley to tie the game at 2-2. Redmond battles back though to whiff Hairston and Fedex to end the frame.

Capuano then serves it right back in the bottom of the fourth. Capuano commits a huge sin allowing a one-out solo home run to Mark DeRosa, who I am sure by now is about a hundred years old. Rajai Davis follows with a double off the wall, and J.P. Arencibia gives the Dodgers a perfect double play ball right back to the box, but butterfingers Capuano cant glove the ball, and it rolls into nowhere-ville. Davis goes to third. Lawrie’s sacrifice fly to center scores Davis to put the Blue Jays up 4-2.

Jose Bautista’s 23 home run puts the Jays up by a 5-2 score in the bottom of the fifth. With one out in the frame, the Dodgers are forced to remove Capuano for extreme incompetence. Don Mattingly makes the pitching change and brings in guess who? Yes, it’s Carlos Marmol.  Capuano finishes the day by allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 lousy frames. Marmol in his Dodger debut gives up a single to Encarnacion, and then retires Lind on a foul out. After DeRosa walks, Marmol finally gets out of the inning when Davis grounds into a force.

The Dodgers fight back again in the top of the sixth. After Ethier and M.Ellis pop out, Hairston smashes a monster home run over the wall façade in left. The score is now 5-3 Toronto. Fedex then follows with a double, and the Jays make a pitching change. Enter Brett Cecil who whiffs Punto like a statue.

Marmol continues his suckathon in the bottom of the sixth. Arencibia doubles off the top of the wall in center. Marmol wild pitches him to third. Lawrie singles him home to make it a 6-3 game. Then Reyes homers over the wall in right and we have a blowout at 8-3. Carlos Marmol sucks, there’s our answer. Cabrera and Bautista make out, but it’s more than likely over at this point.

The Dodgers won’t go down quietly and rally again in the top of the seventh. Crawford flies out. Puig beats out another infield single, on a grounder to third. Gonzo singles him to second. Cecil uncorks a wild pitch to advance the runners to second and third. Toronto pitches around Hanley, walking him to load the bases. Ethier also draws a walk, to force in a run. That makes the score 8-4. Toronto makes another pitching change, bringing in right hander Dustin Mcgowin. M.Ellis delivers with a two-run single to left, which makes it the sore 8-6.

Hairston is hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Fedex whiffs on a 2-2 pitch for the second out. Punto a line drive back to the box that deflects off of Mcgowin’s body. The hot smash is picked up by Mcgowin who granny underhand tosses to Arencibia for a force out on Ethier at the plate. Arencibia looked like he had juggled the ball while Ethier was sliding into home, but the umpires called Ethier out. That keeps the score at 8-6 Toronto.

In the bottom of the seventh, J.P. Howell retires the first batter, and then is removed for you know who. Yes I am talking about everyone’s favorite game blower Brandon League. Pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis reaches on a throwing error on Jhair. Fedex then throws out Izturis trying to steal. With two outs, Davis singles, and goes to third while attempting to steal second because Fedex threw the ball into center field. A rare mistake by the young catcher. With Davis at third, League whiffs Arencibia to end the frame.

Photo from John Blacker, AP

Top of the eighth sees thousand year old lefty Darren Oliver come in to pitch for Toronto. Crawford singles, Puig walks, and then Gonzalez absolutely crushes a monster three-run shot off the center field black seats to put the Dodgers up 9-8! Incredible! Ethier gets into the act too with a home run in the right field corner. It’s now 10-8 Dodgers!

Ronald Belisario enters to pitch the eighth inning. Lawrie grounds out, Reyes whiffs, but Colby Rasmus singles to right. Belisario recovers to get Bautista swinging on a 3-2 pitch and the Dodgers are out of it!

Juan Perez pitches a scoreless top of the ninth, and we go to the bottom of the ninth, with the Dodgers leading 10-8. It’s Kenley time! Kenley Jansen enters to finish the game. Encarnacion flies out. Lind doubles over the wall. Izturis walks to put runners at first and second. Davis flies out to right. With two outs, Arencibia singles home a run to cut the lead to 10-9. With two on, Lawrie sends a drive to deep left, sending Crawford to the wall, but he makes the catch! The Dodgers hang on and win it 10-9!

That was close! The Dodgers improve to 52-47 on the season, and have now five in a row! It is very clear that Carlos Marmol can never ever be brought into a game with a lead. We now know that Marmol has taken League’s place as the worst reliever on the team. The Dodgers go for a series and road trip sweep tomorrow at 4:07 PM. Ricky Nolasco will counter Esmil Rogers. Esmil Rogers?!!? Good lord Toronto. Oh well, Go Blue!