Jonathan Broxton couldn't find the strike zone tonight, and the Dodgers couldn't find a win, dropping a game to the Cubs 4-1 at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs scored three runs in the ninth inning, after Broxton was removed for throwing two walks on eight pitches earlier in the inning. The Dodgers fell under .500, at 15-16.
A positive for the Dodgers on the night was that Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games, tied for the second-longest in franchise history. He picked up a single in the fourth inning off Ryan Dempster. Both Dempster and Chad Billingsley allowed one run in seven innings on the night.
At True Blue LA, I wondered if Broxton's time as closer is done:
Regarding Broxton, this may have been the final straw in terms of keeping his closer spot. After the game, Don Mattingly told reporters that Broxton was still his closer, but didn't sound convincing. "When guys tell you they're fine, you believe that. The inconsistency in velocity concerns me. You don't know if you're getting the whole story. We need to figure this thing out," Mattingly said.
Carlos Peña hit his first home run on the season for Chicago, a solo shot off Billingsley in the seventh. The rubber game of the series is a day game Wednesday afternoon, with Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano starting on the mound.
For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.