+2
Kenley Jansen pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
The Dodgers open their interleague play schedule Friday night in Chicago against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Ted Lilly starts the opener of a three-game series for the Dodgers, while Phillip Humber toes the rubber for Chicago. Here are tonight's starting lineups:
Gwynn CF
Carroll SS
Ethier RF
Kemp DH
Uribe 2B
Loney 1B
Navarro C
Gibbons LF
Mitchell 3B
Matt Kemp is making his first career start at designated hitter, something Kemp himself leaked earlier on Friday via his new Twitter account. Since 2005, Dodgers designated hitters have hit just .235/.317/.317 with two home runs in 205 plate appearances.
Pierre LF
Ramirez SS
Dunn DH
Konerko 1B
Quentin RF
Rios CF
Castro C
Beckham 2B
Morel 3B
Today's 5:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.
The Dodgers have struggled of late, dropping five of their last six games, and hope they can turn things around Friday night as interleague play begins with a trip to Chicago to face the White Sox. The Dodgers have struggled in American League parks, with an 11-37 road record in interleague play dating back to 2005, including 1-5 in Chicago. Ted Lilly gets the start for the Dodgers, facing Phillip Humber of the White Sox.
Lilly is making his 10th start of the season, and second in the city of Chicago, where he made his baseball home for nearly four years, from 2007-2010. The former Cub started at Wrigley Field on April 23. Lilly has a 5.16 ERA in 11 career starts against the White Sox, though he has a 6-2 record.
Andre Ethier. who had a 30-game hitting streak snapped earlier in May, is now on the midst of an 0-for-21 slump, adding to the list of Dodgers who are struggling offensively. The Dodgers have scored just 17 runs in their last eight games, and are dead last in the National League averaging 3.44 runs per contest this season. They have had a hard enough time filling out a lineup card with eight hitters, and tonight have to have nine batters, with the designated hitter.
The White Sox, like the Dodgers, are 20-25, though they have taken a slightly different path to their record. Chicago began 7-4, then went into a 4-18 tailspin, but have now won nine f their last 12 games. Humber is 3-3 with a 3.18 ERA in nine games, including seven starts, this season.
Today's 5:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.
Dodgers Get Improbable Comeback Win, 6-4 Over White Sox
Russ Mitchell hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Dodgers rallied for three more runs in the 10th, giving them a 6-4 win over the White Sox in their interleague play opener at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Kenley Jansen pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, his first of the season. The game featured contributions from a number of unlikely heroes for the Dodgers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
The Dodgers were down 3-2 in the eighth inning when Jamey Carroll hit a double down the left field line that would have easily scored Jerry Sands from first base, only the ball happened to bounce over the fence. That gave the Dodgers runners at second and third base with no outs, and the heart of the batting order due up. However, Andre Ethier struck out and, after an intentional walk to Matt Kemp, Juan Castro struck out and James Loney grounded out to end the rally. Castro entered the game in the previous half inning on defense after Juan Uribe suffered a strained hip flexor.
The extent of Uribe's injury is unknown, but the Dodgers currently have eight players on the disabled list and have sent 11 different players to 14 DL trips this year. After Mitchell's home run, the first run allowed by Sergio Santos in 21 innings this season, the Dodgers touched up Santos for three more runs in the 10th inning. Both Castro and Loney drove in runs, as did Jay Gibbons.
Matt Guerrier began the bottom of the 10th inning, and was followed by Scott Elbert (who retired Adam Dunn, who is 0-for-30 against southpaws this season) and Mike MacDougal to close out the game. MacDougal became the fifth Dodger to collect a save this season.
Lost in the late heroics was a solid pitching performance from Ted Lilly. Lilly allowed three runs on five consecutive two-out hits in the second inning, but settled down to retire 16 of the final 18 batters he faced. Matt Kemp, who started Friday night at DH after starting the 45 previous games in center field, hit a two-run home run in the first inning, which was the only Dodger offense until Mitchell's blast in the ninth inning.
Mitchell had seven hits and 56 at-bats in his career before the home run in the ninth inning. Jamey Carroll picked up his first four-hit game as a Dodger, and the seventh of his career. The Dodgers are 4-0 in extra innings this season. Before tonight, the Dodgers were 11-37 in American League parks since 2005. Jon Garland, who pitched for the White Sox from 2000 to 2007, starts for the Dodgers on Saturday, against Mark Buehrle of Chicago.
For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.
May 20 9:14p by Eric Stephen