[0] DREIFORT SETTLES DOWN IN TIME FOR DODGERS DODGERS 8, TEXAS 4.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer With players going down with injuries at the mere suggestion of a baseball game Noun 1. baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League , with a pitching staff being held together by hope and a Band- Aid, Darren Dreifort He nearly caused hysteria. Dreifort came possibly within a pitch of failing to complete the first inning, erratic in every aspect and beckoning thoughts to his brutal two-plus innings of his last start. But Dreifort recovered, as did the depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d Dodgers, and battled through 5 2/3 innings to defeat former teammate Mike Judd Michael Galen Judd (born June 30, 1975, in San Diego, California) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9th round of the 1995 MLB amateur draft, Judd would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on and the Texas Rangers Texas Rangers, mounted fighting force organized (1835) during the Texas Revolution. During the republic they became established as the guardians of the Texas frontier, particularly against Native Americans. 8-4 Tuesday at Dodger Stadium • • [ . Hiram Bocachica Hiram Colon Bocachica (born March 4, 1976, in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball player, currently playing outfield for the San Diego Padres. He is 5'11" and weighs around 195 pounds. , starting at second base in place Mark Grudzielanek Mark James Grudzielanek (born June 30, 1970 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a second baseman in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Kansas City Royals. Previously, Grudzielanek played with the Montreal Expos (1995-1998), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2002), Chicago Cubs , who was placed on the disabled list earlier in the day, hit his first major- league home run to pace the offense. Tom Goodwin The night wasn't without frustration for the Dodgers. Left fielder Gary Sheffield was ejected by home-plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth for arguing a third strike in the seventh inning. It was the second time Sheffield has been ejected from a game this season. Dreifort allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out four, but control again was an issue as he matched a season high with five walks. He's walked 17 in his last four starts and his 36 this season places him in the top 10 among National League pitchers. Matt Herges was called upon to get Dreifort out of one final jam in the sixth inning. With one run already in and the Dodgers leading 8-4, Herges faced Alex Rodriguez with two on and two outs. Herges got the all-star shortstop to ground to third to end the inning. Dreifort was in line for the win, but the start wasn't the type of domination the Dodgers hoped to see to help ease the workload of a beat-up and tired bullpen. Dreifort threw 40 pitches, walked three, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch as Texas scored three times on one hit in the first inning. An error on a routine grounder to Dave Hansen at first base contributed to the ugliness, but a two-run double by Rafael Palmeiro did the most damage. It was so tenuous at one point that lefty Jeff Williams, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Las Vegas, was warming up in the bullpen. But Dreifort got out of the inning when he struck out Judd on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. It was eerily similar to Dreifort's last outing, an abomination in Arizona in which he yielded a career-high eight earned runs while failing to record an out in the third inning. Luckily for Dreifort and the Dodgers, Judd was about to display the type of pitching that got him traded from the Dodgers during spring training and waived from Tampa Bay two weeks ago. And he wasn't helped by a shoddy defense that led to three unearned runs. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs and walked three in his first start for the Rangers. Hansen's RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in groundout in the first made it 3-1, and the Dodgers took the lead in the second with three runs. Alex Cora started the rally with a one-out solo homer to right field. Dreifort and Goodwin singled to put runners at the corners. The two then executed a double steal, with Dreifort sliding safely into home. It was the Dodgers' first theft of home since Todd Hollandsworth did it Sept. 13, 1999. Sheffield's two-out single to left field scored Goodwin as the Dodgers went ahead 4-3. The Dodgers knocked Judd from the game in the third, when Goodwin reached via an infield single to load the bases. Former Angel Mark Petkovsek relieved and promptly yielded a two-run single to Lo Duca as the Dodgers took a 6-3 lead. Shawn Green led off the fourth with a single and Bocachica increased the lead to 8-3 when he belted Petkovsek's 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Darren Dreifort almost didn't get out of the first inning Tuesday against Texas and recorded a season-high-tying five walks. Kim D. Johnson/Associated Press |
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