I wasn't quite sure what to title this blog... "Massacre in Manhatten," "the Night the Baseball Died in L.A.," "L.A. Baseball Gets Offended"... I had lots of ideas, but none of them seemed to fit perfectly, so I just went with the "total destruction" outcome... combined last night, the Dodgers and Angels managed to give up 22 runs and 42 hits!!!
While I was at the gym last night, my friend Barb & I watched the Dodgers' Mark Hendrickson bob and weave through the first two innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. Hendrickson had stranded five Phillies, including leaving the bases loaded in the second inning. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Hendrickson actually didn't allow a run to score the next two innings. In the fourth inning, it all just fell apart for Hendrickson and the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Six consecutive Phillie batters would reach base, punctuated by a two-run Ryan Howard home run. The 3-0 game had suddenly turned into an 8-0 rout! And it would get worse! After the Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies put up three more in the fifth, with Howard once again hitting a two run homer - a MASSIVE opposite field moon shot deep into the left field pavilion. By then it was 11-1. The Phillies would tally two more runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth... the Dodgers added two in the bottom of the eighth for a 15-3 final. It was a record setting night in many ways. The Phillies tallied 26 hits in the game, the most ever for an Dodger opponent in their 46 year history of playing games at Dodger Stadium. Two Phillies - Shane Victorino and Aaron Rowand had five hits, and Victorino also had SEVEN at bats in the game, a very rare occurance for a nine inning game...
Just before heading to the gym, I watched as the Angels took on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Ervin Santana was pitching for the Angels at Tropicana Field. Need I say more? Not to sound like a broken record, but this is Ervin Santana pitching on the road and I think you know by now what that means - if you have a little money, and are the gambling sort, it's not a bad idea and go to Vegas and place your bets against the Angels. Such was the case again last night. Santana was able to bob and weave for most of the first four innings, only allowing two runs while giving up nine hits and a walk. In the fifth inning, the Angels actually scored two runs off of D-Ray starter James Shields... However, the law of averages finally caught up with Santana in the bottom of the frame as he walked two batters and gave up five hits. Five runs would score and the Rays now held a 7-2 lead. For Santana, it was just his latest road blowup... Angel manager Mike Scioscia had no mercy for some reason, leaving him in to finish off the inning and then pitch the sixth - he actually retired the side in order that inning. The final line: 14 hits allowed, seven earned runs, four walks allowed. Yes, that's 18 baserunners! Sorry to say this, but someone in one of my main fantasy leagues actually picked him up for this start! OUCH!!! The Ryas would get another run in the seventh. For Shields, the night went very well... In seven innings, he would only give up those two runs, while scattering seven hits and walking a batter. He only struck out two batters, but the main thing for his owners is that he got his eighth win of the year as the pen allowed the Angels a single run in the ninth to close out an 8-3 win.
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And just for you Nats fans, look who is leading the league in hitting now!
2007 NL Leaders (thru 7/18/07)
Batting Avg
1. D. Young WAS .341
2. C. Utley PHI .338
3. C. Jones ATL .338
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