Friday: Dodgers 4, Rockies 3
Turning Point
Having watched his team score four runs in the seventh, Dodgers manager Joe Torre brought in closer Jonathan Broxton after Hong-Chih Kuo loaded the bases with one out in the eighth. Broxton, who threw 17 of 23 pitches for strikes, struck out Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Iannetta to escape that jam and struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his fourth save.
At the Plate
The Rockies had three hits and scored three runs in the first when Garrett Atkins doubled home a run and Brad Hawpe followed with a two-run homer but managed just three hits in the final eight innings. …Andre Ethier, a left-handed hitter, tied the game in the seventh with a double off left-hander Alan Embree, who was unable to escape a mess created by Matt Belisle. Mark Loretta, facing Jason Grilli, flared a single to left and drove home what proved to be the winning run. Loretta went 2-for-4, and Manny Ramirez went 2-for-5, including a single that drove in the Dodgers’ first run in the seventh.
On the Mound
LHP Glendon Rusch relieved starter Jorge De La Rosa with one out and runners on first and second in the sixth. Facing pinch-hitter James Loney, who bats left-handed, Rusch got him to ground into an inning-ending double play. …Matt Belisle took over in the seventh, faced three batters and didn’t retire any of them. Rafael Furcal led off with a single. Belisle then walked Orlando Hudson, gave up a single to Ramirez and gave way to Embree. He got Matt Kemp to ground into a run-scoring force out, but gave up Ethier’s double that tied the game. …Dodgers starter Randy Wolf threw 17 pitches and got two out in the first but needed 19 more pitches to get through the inning. Wolf then retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced. He allowed just one more hit over the next five innings, a single by Atkins with one out in the sixth. …Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa threw 104 pitches in 5 1/3 innings with four walks, two each in the fifth and sixth. Rusch rescued him in the sixth, but De La Rosa, who held the Dodgers hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position, struck out Ethier to strand runners at first and second in the fifth. De La Rosa got Kemp to ground out and struck out Ethier with runners at first and second in the first, and after his throwing error put runners at first and third with two out in the second, De La Rosa for Furcal to foul out.
Numbers Game
13 strikeouts for the Rockies, who have struck out 39 times in their three games on this road trip.
OK all you Rockettes, how about we talk a little strategy?
The Rocks are fortunate to have two pitchers that can close a game. I like to think Streets problems over those earlier games is just an abberation every pitcher goes through on occassion.
I remember a manager that used to not wait until the 9th inning to bring in his closer/best reliever, but can not remember his name. Perhaps Tracy or Jack can help me out there. But his thoughts were, why wait until the ninth inning to bring in your best reliever? The game could be lost by then.
Now I was hoping the Rocks would bring in Street in the seventh after Belisle let the first three runners on base, with one scoring. Since they have two pitchers capable of closing, isn’t it somewhat confining to wait until the 8th and 9th innings to bring one of them into the game?
Yeah yeah, I know I have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight here, but like I said, I’m just talking strategy.
I would have to disagree. Embree generally gets the job done. He took the loss, but came in with the bases loaded and no one out. The first two runs were actually charged to Belisle, who hasn’t shown much that I’ve seen since he’s joined the Rocks. Look for him to receive less important roles from this point forward. Does he have any options? As for Embry and Grillie, I’d be comfortable with either or both pitching the 7th again.
On another note, I was encouraged by De La Rosa’s start. He didn’t have his best stuff, didn’t have a clean inning all day, but he kept his head and battled. That would have been a blow-out Dodger win on another day. That having been said, he started walking guys in the 5th, and was up over 100 pitches, so he clearly was out of gas and should have been removed.
Is any one concern that after the coaching staff preached quality at bats all off season and spring training the Rockies are 4th in the National league with 81 strike outs?
Trip, Torre is one of those who brings the closer in prior to the ninth. He has had okay results wiith it, but not outstanding as far as success ratio.
Bringing Street into the seventh is an interesting idea in that situation. The one reason I can think of that it didn’t happen — and I’m merely throwing this out — is that the idea of moving Street out of the closer role was to let him catch his breath and try and get back to the aggressive pticher the Rockies saw at the end of spring training. To throw him into bases-loaded, nobody-out wouldn’t be easing him back in, by any means.
Stock, I would say the coaching staff has to be a little concerned. It’s an area that will be addressed time and again. It cannot be ignored.