Dodgers Move Runners, Beat Brewers 7-5 For Fourth Win In Five Games
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Dodgers were hoping to continue steering in the right direction to open their home series against the Brewers, and there were rockets throughout most of the night -- and we're not talking about the post-game fireworks display.
Adrian Gonzalez doubled twice and had three RBI, including the tying run in the fifth, and the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Dodgers beat the Brewers 7-5 on Friday night.
The Brewers came into Dodger Stadium having won nine of their last ten games, after overcoming a rough 2-8 start. Meanwhile, the Dodgers, in the works of overcoming a less-than-peachy run themselves, took two out of three from the Mets, and earned their first home win against the Brewers in their last five meetings at Chavez Ravine.
Mark Ellis, who has the second highest average against the Brewers amongst active players, continued his hitting streak to six games in the first inning with a single, and Andre Ethier hit a 2-out blooper into left-center to bring him in, making it 1-0.
Carl Crawford made it 2-0 when he connected on a pitch to lead off the bottom of the third with a shot into the right field pavilion - his second homer of the season.
Five-time Silver Slugger Ryan Braun got the first hit of the night for the Brewers with two outs in the fourth inning, connecting on a 3-1 pitch for his seventh homer of the year. Beckett would get out of a jam later in the inning, after giving up a single to Jonathan Lucroy and a walk to Rickie Weeks.
Brewer first baseman, Yuniesky Betancourt, playing his first season at first base, tied it up at two to lead off the fifth with a home run to left. The Brewers would take the lead later in the inning off an RBI single by Jean Segura, connecting on a cutter, that seemed to be Beckett's go-to pitch throughout the evening.
Gonzalez doubled into right, his first double of the night, to score Crawford and tie the game at three.
However, Matt Kemp had an incredibly uncharacteristic error in centerfield on a single by Norichika Aoki. Aoki hit a grounder right up the middle, and the ball seemed to go right under Kemp and roll all the way to the wall, allowing Alex Gonzalez to score and give the Brewers a 4-3 lead, and sending Aoki all the way to third.
But Adrian Gonzalez wasn't done at the plate.
In the bottom of the seventh, Gonzalez hit a deep ball over the head of Carlos Gomez, who was playing shallow in center.
That ball reached the wall as well, as Justin Sellers and Nick Punto both scored to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.
The key was that the bottom of the Dodgers lineup was contributing at the plate.
A pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth by Luis Cruz was followed by a double by Justin Sellers, who went 2-for-4 on the night. Luis would come in to score on a ground out by Jerry Hairston later in the inning.
Crawford brought Sellers home on a single through the hole into left to give the Dodgers three runs of insurance going into the ninth, where Brandon League earned his seventh save of the season, despite giving up two hits and making an error on a throw to first after Segura lined a pitch off League with two outs.
Dodgers trainer Sue Falsone came out to the mound to check on League, who stayed in the game and got Ryan Braun, who represented the tying run at the plate, to ground out to end the game.
With two games left in the series, and after rallying twice on Friday night, the Dodgers made a statement, that with runners in scoring position, the club can finish what they start.
