6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Bottom 3rd: Manny Ramirez sent a laser into the seats just inside the foul pole down the third base line to make it 2-0 Dodgers. The Dodgers' only other run was Manny's solo homer in the first, so he's responsible for 100% of the Dodgers scoring so far. With these dingers, Manny has now hit home runs against every major league team. He also made up for a ridiculous gaffe earlier in the game, when he turned a fairly routine two-out fly off the bat of Seth Smith into a double, looking away from the ball (which was, in his defense, coming out of the sun). It didn't make any difference, as Billingsley worked around it.

Top 4th: Chad Billingsley isn't being terribly efficient, but he's getting the job done, retiring the side in order, strikingn out Troy Tulowitzky for the second time.

Bottom 4th: Aaron Cook gets a bit too fine with Andre Ethier at the plate, and he responds by crushing one into the seats in right with Brad Ausmus and Orlando Hudson on base to make it 5-0 Dodgers.

Manny strikes out to end the frame, but it's not a good start for Cook.

Top 5th: Billingsley continues mowing 'em down, retiring three more to make it seven straight. That includes pinch-hitter Dexter Fowler, substituting for Cook, whose day is over.

Bottom 5th: For the first time in the game, the Dodgers are retired in order, ending with a bounce out to second by Blake DeWitt. Jason Hammel records only the second zero frame by Colorado pitching in the game.

Top 6th: Billingsley finally gets touched up for two runs after walking Seth Smith and Todd Helton; he gave up an opposite field triple to Brad Hawpe which Manny badly misplayed in a drop-stop-and-roll sort of way. It's 5-2 Dodgers and still only one out.

Ian Stewart knocks a sac fly to deep right field, cashing in Hawpe from third, to make it 5-3 Dodgers. Troy Tulowitzki singled, but then Yorvit Torrealba bounced out to third; Orlando Hudson recovered nicely from DeWitt's high throw, which just barely avoided becoming an E5 and men on first and second with two out situation.

Top 7th: Guillermo Mota allows the first two men to reach, the speedy Dexter Fowler and pinch-hitter Jeff Baker. Mota's fastball is both slow and lacking movement from the last time I saw him as a Dodger in 2004, and it's no surprise he's getting banged up. The Dodgers pull him for Will Ohman; Mota could become the pitcher of record if Ohman doesn't come through.

Ohman gets Smith to pop up to third on a sac bunt attempt. Ohman is a little wild, and goes to a full count on Helton. It doesn't matter, as Todd Helton lines out to DeWitt, who tosses to second for the double play. The Dodgers dodge a bullet, and it's still 5-3 Dodgers.

Bottom 7th: Andre Ethier crushes a 2-1 fastball from Alan Embree into the right-field seats for his second home run, making it 6-3 Dodgers. The LOOGY thing isn't working too well; Ethier whacked him for an RBI double in yesterday's game.

Embree gets chased after he walks Manny Ramirez and James Loney reaches on second baseman Ian Stewart's fielding error. That gets Ryan Speier up for the Rocks, and Matt Kemp promptly greets him with an RBI single on the second pitch. 7-3 Dodgers. and there's still only one out with men on first and second.

Juan Castro mashes a sac fly to deep center that sends Fowler racing to make the catch, but catch it he does; 8-3 Dodgers. Reliever Will Ohman gets an RBI single and makes it 9-3 Dodgers; it's Ohman's first career RBI. This is having your cake and eating it too.

Hudson taps out to second, but it's been a four-run inning with some pretty implausible things going on.

Top 8th: Ohman promptly repays his manager by giving up a solo homer to Ian Stewart; Torre yanks him for Ramon Troncoso. 9-4 Dodgers. Troncoso retires the last batter of the frame, Tulowitzki, the only batter he faces, without incident.

Top 9th: Troncoso lets the first two men he faces walk, and Torre brings in Ronald Bellisario to face Omar Quintanilla. He strikes Quintanilla out but walks Smith to load the bases, and Todd Helton knocks in a run on a sac fly to make it 9-5 Dodgers. That's it for the Rockies as Garret Atkins strikes out to end the game. An excellent offensive game by the Dodgers, who used a day game at the Ravine to knock the opposition around.

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Labels: dodgers, live blogging, recaps, rockies