SB Nation Los Angeles - Loney Ends Well-Pitched Game With Another Walk-Offhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48949/la-fave.png2010-08-08T09:57:18-07:00http://losangeles.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13749772010-08-08T09:57:18-07:002010-08-08T09:57:18-07:00Dodgers Use Extra Effort To Defeat Nationals, 3-2
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<p>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.</p>
<p>Jonathan Broxton (4-3) fired two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win for Los Angeles, only its third in 11 games.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/8/8/1612157/dodgers-3-nationals-2Eric Stephen2010-08-07T09:41:59-07:002010-08-07T09:41:59-07:00Kuroda, Dodgers Look To Limit Dunn, Nationals
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<p>(Sports Network) - If the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/LOS">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> have any plans on making a run at the playoffs, they must stop <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/WAS">Washington Nationals</a> slugger <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/418/Adam_Dunn">Adam Dunn</a>. The two powers will collide once again tonight in the second installment of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p>Dunn cracked a pair of three-run homers off of Los Angeles young starter <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/33951/Clayton_Kershaw">Clayton Kershaw</a> in Friday's 6-3 win and leads the National League with 30 blasts this season. Toronto's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/389/Jose_Bautista">Jose Bautista</a> is tops in the majors with 33. Dunn has hit at least 30 home runs in seven straight seasons, while it could have been a different story for Kershaw, who struck out nine batters in six innings and was victimized by two of his seven hits allowed.</p>
<p>"Clayton didn't look like he had a good rhythm early, after the second homer he settled down. We have to hit with more consistency. We fall behind and it's an uphill battle," said <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/LOS">Dodgers</a> manager Joe Torre.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/891/Andre_Ethier">Andre Ethier</a> hit a two-run homer and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/91/Casey_Blake">Casey Blake</a> drove in the other run for the Dodgers, who have lost two straight and eight of their last 10 games to fall seven games off the wild card lead and remain eight games off the pace in the National League West Division.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31266/Hiroki_Kuroda">Hiroki Kuroda</a> hopes to stop a dreary streak of his own when he takes the mound tonight for the Dodgers. Kuroda has lost two straight starts and is 1-5 with a 4.96 earned run average over his previous six outings.</p>
<p>Kuroda was on the losing end of a 10-5 decision versus San Diego on Monday, as he permitted five runs -- four earned -- and seven hits in four innings. The loss dropped him to 8-10 in 21 starts this season and raised his earned run average to 3.70. Kuroda is 4-4 in 11 home starts in 2010 and will face Washington for the second time in his season.</p>
<p>The Japanese righty won in DC on September 22, 2009, when he gave up two unearned runs in six innings of a 14-2 demolition of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/WAS">Nationals</a>.</p>
<p>Dunn, meanwhile, has shaken off trade rumors to hit .294 with 13 home runs and 30 RBI since July 1. He was placed on waivers this week and apparently an unknown team put a claim in on the big man. Dunn's efforts made a winner out of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/1104/John_Lannan">John Lannan</a>, as he lasted six innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- and five hits.</p>
<p>"Adam is a special guy. To hit it out like that is a God-given talent. He's a smart hitter," Nats skipper Jim Riggleman said.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/611/Tyler_Clippard">Tyler Clippard</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31278/Sean_Burnett">Sean Burnett</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/106952/Drew_Storen">Drew Storen</a> went the rest of the way to preserve the win, with Storen notching his first save in the process for the Nationals, who have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games.</p>
<p>Taking the hill for the Nationals tonight will be veteran <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/759/Livan_Hernandez">Livan Hernandez</a>, who has won two of his last three starts. Hernandez started the run with a complete-game effort at Cincinnati on July 22, but lost to Atlanta six days later.</p>
<p>Hernandez then toed the rubber in Monday's 3-1 win at Arizona and held the lowly D'Backs to a run and five hits through 7 1/3 innings. He pushed his road mark to 4-4 in 10 starts and is 8-7 overall in 22 trips to the hill.</p>
<p>The right-hander has plenty of experience versus tonight's opponent, as he is 9-15 with a 4.86 ERA in 31 career starts against the Dodgers.</p>
<p>The Nationals took two of three at home over the Dodgers back on April 23-25 and have won eight of the last 12 meetings overall.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/8/7/2318991/kuroda-dodgers-look-to-limit-dunn-nationalsEric Stephen