The mishaps of the Dodgers’ much-maligned offense have been chronicled in many a-place, including this site. Despite a pitching staff that is reliable at worst and brilliant at best, the Dodger bats frequently cost the team victories in all ways imaginable: not drawing walks, hitting into double plays, failing to produce a big inning, not hitting for power, and failing to come up with enough hits. Earlier this year they scored exactly one run in five of six games, and throughout the year they have been at the bottom of the pack in nearly every offensive category. Derek Lowe probably has it worst, as he has made a living of surrendering one run in seven innings and still getting saddled with the loss; in the last year and a half I think he has lost 240 games by scores of 1-0 or 2-1.
On Saturday against the Angels, the Dodgers raised their game. And by “raised,” I mean they further refined the art of ineptitude, joining the ranks of Picasso and Mozart in becoming masters of an art, the fine art of offensive futility. In reaching yet another low, the Dodger offense recorded a whopping zero hits. Zero. Yes, I know it’s tough to believe, what with guys like Luis Maza, Angel Berroa and Mark Sweeney swinging the bat, but it’s true. You’d hope that for the money the Dodgers are paying they’d be able to buy at least a few hits, not to mention a run or two. On Saturday they couldn’t even buy a vowel.
Even more incredible for the Dodgers? They somehow won the game, a 1-0 shocker over the Angels, who recorded five hits but were unable to push across a run.
Remember that thing about the Dodgers’ pitching staff being capable of reaching brilliance? Well, it happened on Saturday night, with Chad Billingsley throwing seven fantastic innings to even his record at 7-7. Jonathan Broxton followed with a quick eighth, and Takashi Saito, despite running into a spot of trouble, nailed the game down for his 12th save.
The Angels’ pitching staff did not throw a no-hitter, as MLB defines that a no-no as consisting of at least nine innings, but Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo held the Dodgers to just three walks and a hit batsman. However, the Angels were done in by poor fielding, committing two errors in the fifth inning that led to the game’s only run, which was unearned. Matt Kemp hit a dribbler up the first-base line that spun out of Weaver’s glove for an error, and Kemp stole second and advanced to third when the throw from catcher Jeff Mathis sailed into center field. Blake DeWitt then brought Kemp home with a sacrifice fly to right field. It was ultimately a tough night for Weaver, who was tagged for the loss and was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning despite having a no-hitter going.
The Angels certainly had their chances, and none better than the ninth inning against Saito. With one out Casey Kotchman hit a screamer that seemed ticketed for right field, but Maza made a spectacular spear to throw him out. This was perhaps the first time that using a late-inning defensive replacement for Jeff Kent actually worked, and it proved valuable when the next batter, Howie Kendrick, smacked a double to Juan Pierre’s noodle arm in left field that might have scored Kotchman. However, after walking Mike Napoli, Saito fanned pinch-hitter Reggie Willits as a full Dodger Stadium erupted, cheering as their team got no-hit.
It’s been 18 innings at Chavez Ravine and the Angels have yet to score. And you thought the Dodgers’ offense had it bad. Can’t feel too sorry for the Angels, though, because they have John Lackey pitching Sunday. In an interesting twist, he goes up against Derek Lowe, another pitcher who earned the clinching with for a championship team (Lowe won Game 4 against the Cardinals for the Red Sox in 2004, and Lackey won Game 7 against the Giants in 2002).
Meanwhile, the Dodgers announced today that their trio of injury-plagued veterans – Nomar Garciaparra, Rafael Furcal and Andruw Jones – were to begin rehab assignments soon, with the two infielders eying the July 4th weekend at San Francisco as a possible return date. I can’t decide what to make of this news. The return of Furcal means that the Dodgers wouldn’t have been no-hit; if anything, Furcal would have three hits in an 11-1 loss. On the other hand, I don’t want to imagine the Dodger offense with Jones once again clogging the middle of the lineup. If they had no hits without Jones in the lineup, imagine what they’re capable of with him hitting cleanup? Is it even possible to record negative hits? Stay tuned.
Keywords: Andruw Jones, Angel Berroa, Blake DeWitt, Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, Jeff Kent, Jeff Mathis, Jered Weaver, Joe Torre, John Lackey, Jonathan Broxton, Jose Arrendondo, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Luis Maza, Mark Sweeney, Matt Kemp, Mike Napoli, Nomar Garciaparra, Rafael Furcal, Takashi Saito
