The Dodgers’ roster is assembled to win a certain type of ballgame. With power hitters and RBI machines nowhere in sight, the Dodgers know that to win they’ll need solid starting pitching, lockdown relief and opportunistic hitting. A typical Dodger game plan, for example, would have the starter going five to seven innings, the offense chipping in around three to five runs, and the bullpen passing the baton until the game is over.
The best of all game plans, it would seem for the Dodgers these days, would be to play the Cincinnati Reds as much as possible. They followed their game plan to a tee today, posting a 6-1 over the Reds and improving the Dodgers’ record against Cincinnati to 6-1 on the season.
The Dodgers won consecutive games for the first time in two weeks, and look to continue the good vibes when going for the sweep tomorrow. Regardless, the Dodgers will have won at least two out of three, making this the first series they’ve won since May 18-20 at Dodger Stadium against… the Cincinnati Reds.
Derek Lowe, moved up a day to compensate for the absences of Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda, went 5⅓ sparkling innings, surrendering only a solo homer to Edward Encarnacion in his 85 pitches. Lowe improved to 5-6 on the season and recorded his first road win since last August. Hong-Chih Kuo and Cory Wade pitched well in relief, as each lowered his ERA to under 2.00.
The offense, meanwhile, continues to look right at home at the Great American Ballpark. The Dodgers scored in five separate innings, scoring with small ball as well as the long ball. The Dodgers scored their first run on a wild pitch and their second on a single–stolen-base–RBI-single sequence that perfectly exemplified the “get ‘em on, get ‘em over and get ‘em in” approach.
The Dodgers added to their lead with something beyond the Dodgers’ modus operandi of dinking singles into centerfield. Juan Pierre tripled to score two in the seventh inning, and James Loney went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a walk, a double and a 430-foot solo shot halfway up the right field bleachers. Loney, by the way, is hitting .396 in the month of June. Andre Ethier added three hits on a night when Jeff Kent and Russell Martin combined for an oh-fer in the middle of the lineup.
The only bad news for the Dodgers is that after tomorrow’s game, they won’t play the Reds any more this season. If they could somehow persuade Cincinnati to move into the NL West, the Dodgers would be feeling good about their chances this season.
Keywords: Andre Ethier, Brad Penny, Cincinnati Reds, Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, Hong-Chih Kuo, James Loney, Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers
