A WILD NIGHT FOR L.A. PENNY HAS CONTROL ISSUES, DODGERS ESCAPE WITH WIN DODGERS 6, CINCINNATI 5.Byline: RICH HAMMOND Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer By the grace of a workhorse catcher, a fortunate starter and an inept opponent, but the Dodgers put more distance between themselves and their National League West pursuers Monday night. After a spotty road trip, in which they lost five of nine games and displayed significant vulnerabilities, the Dodgers returned home against a slumping Cincinnati team and got back on track. Catcher Russell Martin
The victory, the Dodgers' third in a row, coupled with San Diego's loss to Arizona, allowed the Dodgers to move three games ahead of the second-place Padres in the NL West with 31 games remaining. They owe a debt of gratitude to the Reds, who still lead the NL wild-card race by a half-game but didn't capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. Penny's wildness, as they stranded four runners in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on in the first five innings. Monday night featured several strange twists and turns, perhaps befitting be·fit·ting adj. Appropriate; suitable; proper. be·fit  ting·ly adv.Adj. 1. a game that drew such star-crossed luminaries as Bill Buckner For the pitcher who currently plays for the Kansas City Royals, see . William Joseph "Bill" Buckner (born December 14, 1949 in Vallejo, California, United States) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, , newlywed tabloid heroes Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-born actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, TV personality, and author. and Pete Rose, as a guest of actor and Reds fan Charlie Sheen. They watched Penny (14-7), who was ejected from his previous start for balking balking, baulking see jibbing. about a tight strike, battle through five innings for the victory and Martin, the tireless catcher, deliver the big blow early. Martin, who has appeared in 15 consecutive games and started 13 of them, will rest today, but not before he delivered the big homer against Reds starter Chris Michalak (1-2), a former Dodger farmhand. Martin's homer was his eighth of the season and his second in his last four games. Michalak lasted only four innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent hit consecutive ground-rule doubles for a 3-1 lead in the fourth and Andre Ethier followed with a sharp single to score Kent for a three-run lead. Jason Repko, who went 3 for 4, hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh for a 6-1 lead. The Dodgers' offense did enough, even without much from the top of the order. Rafael Furcal, Kenny Lofton and Julio Lugo, the Dodgers' 1-2-3 hitters, had gone hitless through seven innings. Meanwhile, Penny tiptoed through trouble for five innings and managed to maintain the lead. Penny, who matched a career high with his 14th victory, lasted just five innings. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out three but walked five - three in the third inning - and threw 104 pitches. One of the weaknesses on display during the road trip was Penny, the staff ace who lost two games and allowed a combined 12 earned runs in 10-plus innings. The capper cap·per n. 1. One that caps or makes caps. 2. Informal Something that surpasses or completes what has gone before; a finishing touch or finale. 3. to the frustration came Wednesday in San Diego, when Penny was ejected in the fifth inning for complaining about balls and strikes. Penny managed to miss the Reds' bats in the early innings, but he also missed the strike zone often. Ryan Freel walked to lead off the game on moved to third on Penny's errant pickoff pick·off n. 1. Baseball A play in which a runner is caught off base and is put out by a quick throw, as from the pitcher or catcher. 2. Sports An interception, as in football. attempt but was stranded there. In the third, Penny issued three consecutive walks, the first two Michalak, but dodged trouble when Edwin Encarnacion bounced up the middle and into an inning-ending double play. Ken Griffey Jr. led off the fourth with a double and later scored on Todd Hollandsworth's fielder's choice groundout, but the Dodgers escaped significant trouble with runners on the corners and one out. That's when David Ross struck out and Brandon Phillips, attempting to steal second, got caught in a rundown. The Dodgers eventually threw to the plate and tagged out Hollandsworth to end the inning. The Dodgers made the Reds pay with their two-run fourth, which pushed their lead to 4-1, although the Dodgers missed a chance against reliever Ryan Franklin in the sixth. Martin got thrown out on an ill-advised attempt to score during a rundown, and later, with the bases loaded and two outs, shortstop Rich Aurilia made a diving catch of a line drive by Lofton. rich.hammond@dailynews.com (818) 713-3611 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Dodgers starter Brad Penny battled through five innings Monday night against Cincinnati to improve to 14-7, matching his career high for victories in a season. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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