Five-Run Seventh Inning Rally Gives Dodgers Clutch Come From Behind Win

You know Wrigley Field is a dump. I’m sorry but it is. It’s like a hundred year old windy trash can. Sorry Cubs fans, but you know it’s true. I would love to see a game there one day, but it’s still a dump. And the wind! My god the swirling wind. Ask Matt Kemp, he’ll tell you.

The Dodgers used a five run seventh inning rally to overcome a  4-1 deficit to defeat the Cubs 8-4 and whittle their magic number to win the NL West down to 8. The Dodgers had to get pissed in order to do it. Nothing gets a first place club angry like losing to a last place club for a third consecutive game. The Dodgers just weren’t having any of that tonight. That was an actual come from behind win in the seventh inning. Huh.

Dodgers  8 13 2

Cubs        4 11 3

WP-Paco-1-0

LP-N.Ramirez-2-3

The Dodgers scored eight runs on 13 hits to do it. The Dodgers used five hits, three singles, two doubles, a force attempt error, a walk, three consecutive pinch-hitters, and a run scoring ground out to plate those five runs in that decisive rally. They were able to overcome two errors, two costly tootblans, and a poor outing from Zack Greinke. Clutch hitting and good relief pitching were the recipes for success tonight. Weird but we’ll take it.

Zack Greinke opened the four game series for the Dodgers and had a strange outing. The right hander allowed five runs over five innings, including two runs on three singles and a walk in the bottom of the first inning. He did however whiff nine batters, and wasn’t involved in the decision. He never looked comfortable out there, and he has never pitched well at Wrigley Field. Friendly confines my butt. What’s so friendly about it?

The Dodgers had a lot of trouble hitting opposing starter Japanese left hander Tsuyoshi Wada. He limited the Dodgers to one run on five hits across five frames, but was removed after making 80 pitches. He whiffed five and walked one.

There were five errors in the game, three committed by the Cubs. The Dodgers made some sloppy plays in the field too (One was a grounder that went right through Gonzo’s legs like Buckner), and they were fortunate those misplays didn’t come back to bite them in the butt.

In the bottom of the first the Cubs use three singles and a walk to take a 2-0 lead. Chris Coghlan singled to left, and an errant pick-off throw from Greinke allowed him to take third. It’s very rare to see the usually solid Greinke make a throwing error like that. Javier Baez, one of the Cubs new hot shot rookie prospects draws a walk. Then consecutive singles from Luis Valbuena and Jorge Soler knocked in both runs for the Cubs.

Dee Gordon would single and then get picked-off of first base in the top of the fourth. He would make up for this later in the game. Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez both singled, so Gordon’s tootblan cost the Dodgers a run. The Dodgers would come up empty in this inning because Kemp, and Hanley would both whiff.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

More sloppy base running would harm the Dodgers again in the top of the fifth. After Scott Van Slyke singled, Juan Uribe banged one off the ivy wall, but he hesitated rounding first base and was thrown out at second on a strong throw from Coghlan. Then A.J. Ellis grounded out, and Greinke’s soft liner ended the inning. The Dodgers get nothing.

Greinke allowed four consecutive singles in the bottom of the fifth, which put the Dodgers down 4-1. Baez, Valbuena, Soler, and Ryan Kalish all singled with one out. There was a sacrifice fly from Mike Olt that plated the fourth run for the Cubs.

That was Greinke’s final inning of work. Paco Rodriguez took over in the sixth inning, and pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his first win of the season. Good to see Paco back on the mound again. The Dodgers are going to need him.

The Dodgers finally had enough in the top of the seventh. They had to get mad in order to do it. It’s about time the club took out some aggression on the opposing club. Neil Ramirez started the frame by getting Kemp to fly out to deep left. It looked like Kemp had hit a home run, but the Chicago wind blew the ball back onto the warning track. That was the second of two Kemp drives robbed of a home run because of the Wrigley wind. Stupid wind.

Hanley followed with a single. Then Carl Crawford came off the bench to pinch-hit for Van Slyke against the right hander. He singled Hanley to third. Then Uribe smoaked a sharp grounder to second that could have been a double play, but second baseman Logan Watkins booted the ball and Hanley scored on the error. Next up Andre Ethier pinch-hit for A.J. and drilled a double to left to score Crawford and send Uribe to third. That made the score 4-3 Chicago.

Then the third straight pinch-hitter Justin Turner (pinch-hitting for Paco’s spot) grounded out to third, but his RBI grounder scored Uribe to tie the game at 4-4. Gordon then rips a double down the third base line to plate Ethier. The Dodgers take a 5-4 lead! Puig continues the party with a line drive single to center to score Gordon. The Dodgers now lead 6-4!

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Pedro Baez, the better Baez, takes over on the mound in the bottom of the seventh. Javier Baez singles, winning the Baez on Baez matchup. After Valbuena flies out to left, and Soler whiffs, Kalish singles Baez to third. But Pedro B, blows away Mike Olt to get the Dodgers out of the inning. Our Baez is better than yours Chicago!

The Dodgers would add another run in the top of the eighth. Hanley singled off of Brian Schlitter. After a Crawford whiff, Uribe singles Hanley to second. Pinch-hitter Joc Pederson walked, and Drew Butera also walked to force in the seventh run for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers scored once more in the top of the ninth when Puig and Gonzo singled, and Kemp’s sacrifice fly would score Puig. That put the Dodgers up 8-4.

Brian Wilson pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth, and Kenley Jansen whiffed two more, and shut the door in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are now 87-66 and improve their lead to 2.5 games over the idle Giants. The Dodgers have just nine games left to play. There is little room for error. The Dodgers will continue their four game series at Wrigley tomorrow with Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The Cubs will counter with former Dodger Edwin Jackson Friday afternoon at 11:20 AM.

The Dodgers magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now down to just

three

two.