The Los Angeles Dodgers (56-32) played their final game before breaking for the All-Star game. They took two out of three from the Milwaukee Brewers (45-43) over the weekend and capped off the first half with a 7-4 win on Sunday afternoon.
The offense kept on rolling for the Blue Crew as James Loney went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Brad Ausmus hit his first home run of the season, and All-Star second baseman Orlando Hudson homered from both sides of the plate.
Some guy named Manny Ramirez also went 3-for-3 with two doubles.
Dodgers’ southpaw Clayton Kershaw worked out of a bases-loaded first inning jam but then settled in under the retreating afternoon sun. He allowed a double and walked two to fill the bases with Brewers but then got Mike Cameron to strike out on 3-2 count.
Kershaw threw a biting slider down-and-in to the righty, which likely would have been ball four, but Cameron was fooled by the movement and swung right through it.
Kershaw didn’t give up another hit until Cameron led off the seventh with a double down the left field line. That hit ended Kershaw’s day at 103 pitches but the 21-year old tossed a two-hitter and gave up one run in six-plus innings of work.
Despite walking five, his scoreless innings streak was extended to 17 and his consecutive scoreless innings on the road went to 21 before Hiroki Kuroda allowed Cameron to come around and score in the seventh.
The Dodgers got things going right away when Yovani Gallardo issued a leadoff walk to Rafael Furcal to start the game. After an Andre Ethier strikeout, Manny Ramirez hit a double to deep to right field.
Loney singled home Furcal and Ramirez came around to score on a throwing error by center fielder Mike Cameron to put the Dodgers on top 2-0.
The single also extended Loney’s hitting streak to 11 games, which ties a season high for the first baseman (May 17-28).
In the top of the fourth, Ausmus ripped a Gallardo fastball over the left field wall and made it a 3-0 game.
Ausmus’ contributions came as a result of the quick turn around after a night game yesterday and he was giving Russell Martin a day off.
The Dodgers added two more runs in the fourth. Ethier singled and Ramirez walked, but then Gallardo hurt himself when he threw a wild pitch, which advanced the runners to second and third.
With the Brewers infield conceding the run, Casey Blake wisely bounced a groundball to the right side of the diamond to plate Ethier.
Loney followed that up with his second RBI single of the day when he lined a ball back up the middle and just over the head of the pitcher Gallardo, extending the Los Angeles lead to 5-0.
The Dodgers limited Gallardo to just five innings and racked up five runs on six hits against the Brewers ace. In addition to the wild pitch, Gallardo walked four batters while striking out just three.
In the sixth inning, the Dodgers added another run to make it a 6-0 game.
Orlando Hudson led off and greeted Brewers reliever Chris Smith unkindly when he hit the first pitch of the inning high into the right-field stands. It was the O-Dog’s first since Jun. 18 against Oakland.
Hudson led off the eighth inning in similar fashion.
Mitch Stetter’s second pitch of the game sailed over the left center field for Hudson’s seventh home run of the ’09 season.
This time, Hudson hit it from the right ride of the plate and gave the Dodgers a 7-2 lead after the Brewers had scored two runs in the previous inning.
Hiroki Kuroda struggled in a rare relief appearance. In one-and-one-third innings, he allowed three runs on two hits and walked Prince Fielder, who later came around to score.
The Brewers got a pair of runs in the eighth when James McDonald inherited two of Kuroda’s runners with no outs and allowed both of them to score.
Fielder came in on a long sacrifice fly by Cameron and the second run scored when McDonald threw a wild pitch, narrowing the margin to three runs at 7-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, Ramon Troncoso came on in the save situation because Jonathan Broxton has been shut down with a toe injury.
Frank Catalanatto was able to reach on a infield single and Jason Kendall laced a single into left field to bring the tying run to the plate for the Brewers with just one out.
But Troncoso buckled down and to earn his fifth save when Cory Hart flied to left and Ryan Braun popped out to short to end the game.
Los Angeles ends a nine-game road trip with a 6-3 record and will return home on July 16 after the All-Star game to face the visiting Houston Astros.
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WP: Kershaw (7-5)
LP: Gallardo (8-7)
SV: Troncoso (5)
Notes from Sunday afternoon:
Tough to Find a Hit
The Sunday matinee featured two of the most unhittable pitchers in baseball. Brewers’ starter Yovani Gallardo leads the Majors in opponents batting average against (.199) and Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw is third (.204).
Power Surge at Miller Park
The Dodgers hit 10 home runs in the three-game series against Milwaukee. Eight different players went deep (Andre Ethier hit two) and Casey Blake was the only starter not to leave the yard.
First-Inning Domination
The Dodgers notched two more runs in the first frame of Sunday’s game. They now have outscored opponents 70-29 in the first inning this season and are 43-14 when they score first.
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