Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – James Loney ripped a base hit down the right-field line with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to give the Dodgers a much-needed 3-2 win over the Nationals in the second of three games from Chavez Ravine.
Jonathan Broxton (4-3) fired two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win for Los Angeles, only its third in 11 games.
Sean Burnett (0-6) started the bottom of the 10th and walked pinch-hitter Ronnie Belliard to start before Scott Podsednik singled to make it first and third. One out later, Andre Ethier was intentionally walked to load the bases and Loney turned on a 1-0 slider to plate the winning run.
Ryan Zimmerman launched a two-run homer, his 22nd of the season, as Washington continued to alternate wins and losses over the last eight games.
Zimmerman’s homer followed a leadoff walk to Roger Bernadina to start the game, but Dodger starter Hiroki Kuroda went into shutdown mode from there.
A pair of singles from Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Kennedy in the second inning served as the final two baserunners he allowed. The Japanese import retired the last 17 he faced and fanned eight with just the one walk and three hits charged to his line.
“It would have been a downer if we didn’t pull this one out. Kuroda did a great job. He was electric after the first inning,” said Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
Washington starter Livan Hernandez was cruising until Ryan Theriot singled in the fourth and Ethier doubled to right to put both in scoring position. Loney drew a walk to load the bases and Matt Kemp just missed on a grand slam that right fielder Mike Morse rose up and snagged at the lip of the wall.
It resulted in only a sac fly for Kemp, but turned into more when Kennedy received the relay throw at the edge of the outfield grass, wheeled and threw to nobody in particular at first. The error saw Ethier cross home with the tying run.
LA loaded the bases again in the sixth, but Hernandez recovered to get Jamey Carroll to ground out to third. Hernandez ended up going seven innings and allowing just the one earned run on five hits and three walks.
“Hernandez continues to give us seven innings. It wasn’t that we lost it defensively. We had a chance to win it, we couldn’t score enough runs,” said Nationals manager Jim Riggleman.
Hong-Chih Kuo took over for Kuroda and filled the bases full of Nats with two away for Adam Dunn, who popped up to end the threat. Broxton escaped trouble twice, getting Morse to bounce into a double play in the ninth and fanning Zimmerman with two aboard in the 10th.
Hernandez had won two of his last three starts coming in, while Kuroda had dropped back-to-back starts. He remains 1-5 over his last seven outings…It was Loney’s fourth career walk-off hit. It moved LA to 7-3 in extra-inning games this season. Washington fell to 1-8 in such situations…Loney had the lone multi-hit effort for either side.