The Dodgers are fighting for a playoff spot with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. They are now two games behind the Cardinals and a half game behind the Brewers.
Bronson Arroyo is the elder statesman of the Reds' pitching staff at the age of 35. Needing one more victory to secure the NL Central crown, Arroyo took it all upon himself but got very little help from his teammates..
He allowed just five hits through the first seven innings but two were by Hanley Ramirez and Luis Cruz, leading off the second inning. Ramirez score on a ground out to Brandon Phillips, scoring Ramirez but that was all the slumping Dodgers could muster off of the veteran righthander.
Dodgers' starter Joe Blanton stymied the Reds as well with just a first inning Joey Votto single to tarnish his pitching line over the first 4 2/3 innings. Pinch hitter Xavier Paul getting a start over the slightly hobbled Ryan Ludwick, hit a ground rule double to deep left center. Dodger skipper Don Mattingly decided to walk Ryan Hanigan to pitch to Arroyo. On cue Arroyo tied the game with a sharp single to left.
Arroyo allowed a bloop single to Andre Ethier with two outs in the eighth but got the dangerous Matt Kemp to fly out to Drew Stubbs in centerfield.
"Bronson pitched a phenomenal game against a pretty potent lineup. We just couldn't get anything going," acting manager Chris Speier said.
"It was nice to tie the game. I definitely wouldn't have been able to go out for the eighth if we didn't tie it up. It was a playoff atmosphere. The Dodgers are fighting for their lives," Arroyo said.
The Dodgers' bullpen handle the Reds through the eighth, stranding three Reds' baserunners with two out in the sixth when Shawn Tolleson struck out Paul.
Former Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton took over for Arroyo in the ninth. Broxton retired Adrian Gonzalez, Ramirez and Cruz in order, setting up Jay Bruce to lead off the ninth against Ronald Bellisario. Bruce clinched the 2010 NL Central crown with a leadoff ninth inning home run off Tim Byrdak of Houston.
The home run was on the video board as Bruce stepped to the plate.
"When they're playing on the screen, you obviously can't help think about it," Bruce said. "Once I started the at bat I was just trying to take a good at bat. I thought about it before the at bat too. It was a pretty big moment in my career, I didn't forget about it. I felt like it was a playoff atmosphere it was a must win for them. They played us tough.
This time Bruce struck out. Stubbs and Paul followed suit, taking the game to extra innings for the fourth time in 10 games.
Sam LeCure, who has pitched effectively down the stretch, started the 10th inning.
LeCure got two strikes on Elian Herrera, then nicked him on the sleeve with a pitch. Catcher A.J. Ellis bunted. Votto's low throw allowed both runners to reach base. Pinch hitter Nick Punto bunted the runners over. Mark Ellis walked. Speier brought Sean Marshall into the game to face the lefthanded Ethier.
Marshall struck out Ethier on three pitches. He got ahead of Kemp 0-2 but the Dodgers' slugger dumped a two-run single into rightfield.
"The way the inning played out, I'd have like to see it by taking the out with Joey being aggressive. Herrera is a good runner. Then we just made a mistake on an 0-2 pitch," Speier said.
The Reds found a silver lining. By not clinching their manager Dusty Baker may be able to make it back to join the celebration.
"Of course everybody in here and in the organization wants him to partake in this. The reality is that you stay focused. Thinking about his health and well being is first and foremost. Would it be great to have him here? Yeah, but I think everybody in here really, really wanted to get it. It's going to happen and to me the sooner the better," said Speier, who is 6-1 as the Reds acting manager since 2008.
 |
| Professionally edited by ML Schirmer for proofreading services Call 513-240-3120 |
No comments:
Post a Comment