Fife digs the groundball in effective debut

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Fanning one batter in six innings, Stephen Fife had the fewest strikeouts of any Dodger starting pitcher in his first major-league game since Sandy Vance went six whiff-free innings in 1970.

But Fife stymied the Phillies tonight, allowing no runs after Philadelphia leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins doubled and scored on a Shane Victorino sacrifice bunt (yes, a sacrifice against a Triple-A pitcher in his debut with a runner on second and none out) and a Chase Utley groundout. Matt Kemp threw out Ryan Howard trying to score from second base on a Hunter Pence single to end the sixth inning, and Fife’s happy debut was complete.

He allowed four hits and three walks, while recording 13 groundouts. That can be a dangerous way to live if those grounders come close to finding holes, but Fife thrived.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, delivered consecutive hits from Andre Ethier, Adam Kennedy, James Loney and Luis Cruz to score two runs in the bottom of the second inning against Roy Halladay, who came off the disabled list to make tonight’s start. “Stubbornly,” as Vin Scully put it, the Dodgers took that 2-1 lead into the eighth inning.

And now you don’t know the rest of the story …

  • KT

    Come on Belli…quite aiming

  • Anonymous

     Beli is impressive.  I mean, it’s really hard to do that much coke and drink that much rum in the clubhouse and not visibly scratch your nose or lurch at all.

  • http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

    Raise your hand if you have that feeling.

  • Anonymous

    Really ugly inning.

  • Anonymous

    unbelieveable

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

    we just find ways to lose now in the same way we were finding ways to win before. 

  • http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

    Can’t give up walks. That’s all.

    • KT

      or hit batters

  • Anonymous

    So, on the off chance matt and dre don’t snap out of it, Jansen gets the loss even though they were Beli’s guys, right?

    • Anonymous

      No, the runs go against Bellisario.

      • Anonymous

        But Jansen gets the loss, no?

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

          No.

  • Anonymous

    I would say unbelievable, but I have been witnessing this for about a month.  Basically, what can go wrong, does go wrong.  We can’t nail down the third out, and we fail to turn a decent inning into a big inning.  Bellisario gets the first two outs in the 8th, and then becomes a wild man, and Jansen fails for the second straight time.  Even in the inning where we scored our daily quota of two runs, a line drive is turned into a double play, putting the brakes on a potential big inning.   And on and one and on…. Wow.

    • Anonymous

      It can’t continue like this, but the front office needs to pick up at least one bat.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

    My poor son. About 4 weeks ago all of a sudden he just became obsessed with baseball. He is 4, 5 in Nov. All he wants to do is hit and watch the dodgers. today he’s like ya dad but why do the dodgers always get beat?  poor kid has intently watched the dodgers win 6 games out of their last 25 or whatever it is.

    • Anonymous

      I’m having the same experience.  I just try to explain that it’s his fault that he hasn’t made enough money to buy out the chicago people and fire Ned.  He doesn’t like that explanation.

      • Anonymous

        LOL.

    • Anonymous

      I empathize with you and your young son.   When I was a kid, my late father used to say that he could tell almost immediately after he first saw me whether the Dodgers had won or lost.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

         And I am trying to play it off and not get frustrated like maybe I used to. But like most of you a dodger win makes me pretty happy and a loss and I don’t wanna talk to anyone! It’s like a gut reaction I have that I don’t have with any other team I have ever followed.. I can now see why the Red Sox fans were so thrilled when they finally won…

  • Anonymous

    Painful but that was a beauty of a pitch :(

    • Anonymous

       I thought it was high and away.

  • Anonymous

    Questionable strike.

  • http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

    Some of those teams in the AL East gotta start selling soon, right? There’s gotta be some talent we can pluck from there.

  • Anonymous

    Does anyone have any stats on Ethier’s numbers against left-handed relievers?   I would love/hate to see them.   It seems to me that he strikes out in those situations far more than half the time.  If I were Ethier, I would take some of that mega-contract money I am now making and hire a couple of left-handed pitchers to throw to me on a regular basis during the next off-season.   

    • Anonymous

       Vin just said something like 220 vs lefties, no idea on SP vs pen.

      • Anonymous

         Thanks.

    • Anonymous

      before tonight, Ethier had 26 PA this season in the 9th inning. He was 3 for 19 with 7 K’s but had 5 walks and 2 HBP, The hits were single, double, and HR producing 5 RBI.

  • Anonymous

    Since when is middle of the plate, waist high, a ball?

    • Anonymous

       Wally has had a very, uh, “creative” and “impressionistic” night.

  • KT

    Don’s frustrated like the rest of us

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/MW2R2Q72LP22HKPEXB2ZZPHSZM dud dew

    A lotta poiseless Little League baseball the last while.
    On defense, by the end of eight, they had given the Phils eight free bases – four walks, two hit batters, and Ryan’s free passes to second on wild pitches (AJ gave it his best Russell Martin on the second) after the two walks without a single strike.
    On offense, Cruz gets doubled on a SOFT liner right in front of him, after Andre had an awful read on Kennedy’s double.
    Speaking of Howard and Eithier, the Phils have been killed the last couple years when Ryan has come up in game situations against almost any journeyman lefty late in contest.  Huge bucks for an essentially platoon performer.  Enter Andre….
    The moves by this front office (Anre’s contract, the change in trainers, the signing of an UNSCOUTED kid for 42 millions, the chase of Carlos Lee (apparently also unscouted) are collectively uninspiring -
    (like my unfavorite Master White’s everyday player picks the last half-dozen years).

    • Anonymous

      As you probably know in spite of your capitalization, the Dodgers claim to have scouted Puig extensively at international tournaments.    

      • Anonymous

        Puig hasn’t played in over a year.

        • Anonymous

          was this in reply to me? if so, wasn’t it clear I meant over the years when he was playing?

  • KT

    night all

  • Anonymous

    Wow this team is hard to watch, wish I could break my addiction.

    • Anonymous

      I often feel that way.  This site is the closest thing to Dodger Fan Anonymous.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

    can we still blame McCourt? 

    • Anonymous

       Sure.  He’s the reason Fields is our best option at 3b and we’re stuck with a guy at the other corner who has had 150 ABs without…  well, you know.

      And no matter who you blame, you can still give him your money every time you park.  Well, some of it.  In a trust owned by a kid.  Or the kid’s wife. 

      • Anonymous

        Not so. We could have had Youk at 3B for a bag of chips. Stan gets the blast for that one.

        • Anonymous

           That is a particularly painful couldashouldwoulda, true. 

          • Anonymous

            The facts that I was screaming for it before he even came off the DL and he is tearing it up since the trade make it even more painful to watch. Will be on the Pale Hose bandwagon as soon as the Dodgers are eliminated.

          • Anonymous

             Should be a fairly roomy bandwagon with plenty of elbow space compared to the yankee, rangers, and trout ones.

    • Anonymous

      Obama is still blaming Bush

  • Anonymous

    Painful loss but I love this maddening game.
    Lets go get them tomorrow.

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

    NPUT