Dodgers averaging 8.0 runs in undefeated July

Posted on by

The lowest moment of Death Valley Days might have been the consecutive errors by Dee Gordon in the third inning that dropped the Dodgers behind the Mets in the third inning tonight by a 3-1 score.

But lo.  And not only lo, but behold. The Mets made errors of their own, opening the door for the Dodgers to come back with seven unanswered runs that ended their seven-game losing streak, 8-3.

With eight runs tonight, the Dodgers matched their total from their previous eight games. Their four runs in the seventh inning were twice as many as the team had in their previous 57 innings entering tonight’s game.

Recovering from his miscues, Gordon ended up with two hits, three steals, an RBI and a run. A.J. Ellis had a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly. Juan Rivera had a double, walk and three RBI. Adam Kennedy had a single, double and sacrifice fly. Even James Loney had a two-run double and Juan Uribe two walks (after having none in June).

Clayton Kershaw survived a rough first inning, in which four Mets reached base but only one scored, and went seven innings, striking out nine. The one part of the Dodgers that has mostly been working the past 10 days, the bullpen, closed things out, with Ronald Belisario and Kenley Jansen each pitching a shutout inning.

If you can believe it, though, there appears to be another injury – or in this case, an injuree. Gordon pulled up as he ran to first base in the eighth inning and was replaced at short by Elian Herrera in the ninth.

The hottest team in baseball since sunset will also move on without Carlos Lee, after that proposed deal with Houston withered away.

  • Anonymous

    If hello kitty becomes our rally monkey…  well, whatever it takes.

    wouldn’t be downtown without the ravine or japantown.

  • Anonymous

    equal 3rd best runs scored in MLB for the month :) (Great headline Jon)

    • Anonymous

      Yes, great headline, made me LOL.

  • Anonymous

    Strike up the band. Hang the bunting. Set off the fireworks. Happy days are here again. Dodgers win! Dodgers win!

  • KT

    Jon must be nice to write about something besides a loss or shutout

    Glad the Mets didn’t get a 4 game sweep like the brewers
     
    I’m sure glad all the tweeters are no longer counting scoreless innings…
     
    Love that hitting is contagious…now that we are hitting and scoring again even though the Mets helped us
     
    Gained ground on the Mets, Cincy, Pittsburg, Atlanta and the Snakes…Good day

  • Anonymous

    Nice win today. So I’m looking at the Wild Card standings and the Dodgers, Pirates and Mets are all percentage points apart. Does anyone know how that would be resolved if the season ended like that?

    • KT

      Dodgers actually a game ahead but in case of a 3 way tie…two out of 3 of the teams will advance.

      • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

        Re my “guys… guys!” comment in previous thread, I was being very facetious btw, KT. Just wasn’t accustomed to Dodgers scoring, thought I was tripping.  :)

        • KT

          Yea I thought so but wanted to be sure just in case you didn’t have “eyes” for the game…always there to help the sight challenged because i like the help for the less than 5 games a year I usually find myself in the same perdicament

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      I believe they need to settle that on the field. 

      • KT

        me too but is it going to be a stuation like when we tied for 1st and lost the playoff game we lost out on the playoffs altogether even though we there was a 3 way tie at the end of the season

  • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

    I’m happy that AJ had a great day in the 2 hole. 

  • Anonymous

    >> Clayton Kershaw survived a rough first inning, in which four Mets reached base but only one scored
    .
    What made that first inning even worse (and odder) is that Kershaw only got one batter out while letting the other four reach base.

  • Anonymous

    So I looked at the schedule of which Dodger games will be broadcast on MLB Network during July.  There will be three, but none of them help me out at all.  One of them is on July 18, which is part of the post-All-Star week when MLB Extra Innings is free so I get to see them anyway.  And the other two are July 24 and 26, when I’ll be at the games at Busch.  Figures…

  • http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

    Ramona Shelburne on twitter:

    I sort of like @AJEllis17 hitting in the No. 2 hole. Heck, I could even be talked into liking him in the leadoff spot. Yes, a catcher!

    Thought you’d like that Jon.

  • Blue-eyed Gal

    Apropos of nothing, I need to come out and apologize for being irrationally hostile towards Belisario. I formed my impression of him in one of his first games in Houston a few years back when he just stood on the mound popping gum instead of covering a base, thereby giving away a run, and also threw the ball away during an intentional walk. After seeing a few similar zone-outs in the next handful of games, I came to feel that he lacked focus. When he flaked on the Visa the following year, my doubts hardened to certainties (this was before we knew of the more serious problems that might underlie the Visa snafu).

    Yet I’ve given a lot of other young players struggling with this and that more chances to redeem themselves. Now, by golly, he seems to have straightened out everything except his pitches. So, okay, if the kid can keep his head clear, I’m a believer. And good luck to him.

    (I’m watching the game archive very late after finishing work, and the movement on those pitches is just diabolical.)

    • Anonymous

      Funny, I remember having the same reaction during his first couple of games:  that he could obiviously pitch, but that the Pirates must have given up on him because he was somewhat flaky.

    • Anonymous

      I’m sure I’m like most of us, in that I expected absolutely nothing from him when the season began, but have been mightily impressed by his contributions out of the bullpen this year.  I figured Jansen would be lights out again, but Belisario’s been just as much so.

      We’ve had several pleasant surprises this year, and he’s one of them (along with Herrera, Abreu, Ellis, Ellis, etc).

      • KT

        ^_^

  • Anonymous

    Thank God the Lee threat is officially over. But I’m going to P O some people by saying I wouldn’t mind Ned getting Soriano from the Cubs for a year or two, IF he can be had cheap enough. Yeah, yeah, I know: Defense. But Abreau and Rivera aren’t all that much better, and we’d still have Gwynn or Hererra. I’m good with Soriano, Victorino, or Cody Ross, and all can be had. Fire away.

    • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

      My My that is a bold statement!

      • Anonymous

        The Banned Button must be out of order.

        • Anonymous

          It didn’t seem like that bad of a statement to me. I would take both Lee and Soriano over Loney, Abreu, and Rivera. How is that for presumptuous? ;)

  • Anonymous

    16883 – “The Banned Button must be out of order.”
    …
    I cannot think of the notion of being “banned” without thinking of Seinfeld.
    …
    There was a great episode where Jerry goes in to buy some fruit on behalf of Kramer, who had been banned from buying fruit at this guy Joe’s store.
    …
    Anyways, Joe figures it out by Jerry’s funny commentary and ends up banning Jerry from the store as well…. Classic!
     

    • Anonymous

      No soup for you!!!!

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    According to Elias, 66 consecutive innings without a lead for the Dodgers tied a 107-year-old franchise record.

    • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

      Hurrah! They only tied. Whew.  

      Anyone here remember that first streak?
      Here’s to starting a new streak, string of games in which Dodgers score, or even better, a… winning streak? 

      • Anonymous

        In 2008, the Dodgers followed an eight game losing streak with an eight game winning streak.

        Just sayin…  :)

  • Anonymous

    Was there any clearer evidence of Gordon’s lack of baseball brains than telling Ellis to slide into home? The ball was behind him yet somehow he “knew” there was going to be a play at home. I’m just glad Ellis didn’t get hurt.

  • Anonymous

    “The hottest team in baseball since sunset”…that’s funny :)

  • Anonymous

    I was just thinking yesterday, while mixing up formula for the baby…. just how differently we all approach our love of the Dodgers and participation here on DT. 
    ….
    In the few years I’ve been on DT, I’ve seen some really funny stuff between bloggers, and also some not-so-nice stuff as well.
    ….
    I always try to remember that, at the end of the day, we’re all Dodger fans…
    And that sometimes, things can get lost in translation when you type them vs. being face-to-face. 
    I truly believe that some of the conflicts I’ve read would have not happened if the participants were at a bar stool in a sports bar watching the Dodgers, and could see each others’ faces.
    ….
    Go Blue!  Bring on the Reds! :-)

    • Blue-eyed Gal

      You said it. And it’s everywhere online. (I remember some early IRC and bbs flare-ups while using a VAX in 1989-1990). 

      As far as I can tell, the psychological security of a semi-anonymous posting lowers one’s inhibitions much in the same way as alcohol. Everything comes out, for good and for ill. It certainly makes for a fascinating group Rorschach test, albeit an uncomfortable one! 

      • Anonymous

        Imagine the combination of semi-anonymous posting and single malt whiskey!

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    NPUT

  • William Lee

    Well we used to have Russell Martin and Paul LoDuca near or at the top of the order so why not have AJ Ellis get more ABs?  We need better OBP up top any way we can get it.  I hope Bills can somehow find something in himself to continue this 1 game winning streak and put up some zeros.  Time to come through for us, Bills.  We get Homer Bailey who has had his own struggles.  But then again we made Barry Zito look like he was a Cy Young candidate for the A’s.  Let’s go Blue!