IT'S A DREW DAY FOR THE DODGERS OUTFIELDER DRIVES IN BOTH RUNS, INCLUDING GAME-WINNER IN NINTH DODGERS 2, CHICAGO 1.Byline: VINCENT VINCENT Vital Information Necessary Centralized (movie, The Black Hole) BONSIGNORE Staff Writer Kenny Lofton Kenneth Lofton (born May 31, 1967 in East Chicago, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball outfielder. He bats and throws left-handed. He currently plays left field for the Cleveland Indians, with whom he has spent 10 seasons during three separate stints. has spent his entire professional baseball career playing in an era of power hitters and long balls. As a result, he thinks people forget there's another side to offense, one that's equally as effective as the home run when utilized correctly. ``People overlook speed,'' Lofton said. He made sure they noticed it Tuesday. In the blink of an eye, Lofton got the Dodgers back on track after a frightful four-day offensive slump, drawing a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tied game against the Cubs, then stealing second to put himself 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 . J.D. Drew took care of the rest, slicing a liner to right field to score Lofton and send the Dodgers to a 2-1 victory in front of 37,342 at Dodger Stadium • • [ . The win was set up by Lofton, whose long at bat against Chicago reliever Will Ohman William McDaniel Ohman (born August 13, 1977 in Frankfurt, Germany) is a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago Cubs. Ohman made his major league debut in 2000 and also pitched in 2001, but had elbow surgery in 2002, and recovered from it in the not only resulted in a game-saving walk, it also gave Drew a chance to see just about every pitch in Ohman's arsenal. ``That was a big at bat,'' Drew said. ``He really worked (Ohman) pretty good and gave me a chance to get up there and do something.'' Once on first, Lofton immediately eyed second base. ``I've got the green light right there,'' Lofton said. ``It's my call.'' Ohman did what he could to keep Lofton honest, throwing over to first three times. But it didn't mater. Lofton easily made it to second for the first stolen base in his short Dodger career. ``A lot of people don't think speed guys are important but I think they're just as important as a power hitter,'' said Lofton, who spent the first two weeks of the season on the disabled list with a strained calf muscle The calf or gastrosoleus is a pair of muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—at the back of the lower human leg. The gastrosoleus complex is connected to the foot through the Achilles tendon, and contract to induce plantar flexion and stabilization of the . Drew drove in both runs for the Dodgers, and now has 10 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 through the first 15 games of the season. His double off Carlos Zambrano Carlos Alberto Zambrano (born June 1, 1981 Puerto Cabello, Venezuela) is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Chicago Cubs since 2001. He is signed with the Cubs through the 2012 season. in the fifth gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Zambrano picked up Tuesday right where the ageless Greg Maddux Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is a pitcher for the San Diego Padres. He was the first pitcher in Major League history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years (1992-1995), during which he had a 75-29 record with a 1. left off Monday, limiting the Dodgers to just a run on four hits through the first six innings. But thanks to Derek Lowe Derek Christopher Lowe[1] (born June 1, 1973 in Dearborn, Michigan)[2] is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He throws and bats right-handed. , the Dodgers never lost sight the Cubs. The veteran right-hander was even more effective, going seven innings while giving up a run on five hits, a walk and six strikeouts. It was performance worthy of a win. Unfortunately for Lowe he didn't figure in the decision because the Dodgers couldn't muster more than one run for him. ``I was just a small part of it,'' Lowe said. ``It was a big, big win for us.'' Just as important was the perfect two innings of relief delivered by Takashi Saito to keep the game tied. Saito struck out four of the six hitters he faced and didn't allow a hit. The Cubs tied it 1-1 in the seventh on back-to-back singles Jacque Jones Jacque Dewayne Jones (born April 25, 1975 in San Diego, California) is an American outfielder who currently plays for the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball. Early life and Matthew Murton followed by a fielder's choice field·er's choice n. Baseball A play made on a ground ball in which the fielder chooses to put out an advancing base runner, thus allowing the batter to reach first base safely. Noun 1. by Neifi Perez to score Freddie Bynum, who was running for Jones. The Dodgers had a chance to push the go-ahead run across in the bottom of the eighth inning, putting runners at first and second with in out against Cubs' relief pitcher Bob Howry. But Howry got Olmedo Saenz to pop up to short and struck out Dioner Navarro to end the inning. The Dodgers have scored just seven runs over the last five games, which is in complete contrast to the 41 runs they scored during the 10-game road trip that proceeded the current homestand. That's why he was focused solely on getting on base in the bottom of the ninth. ``That's how it works a lot of times,'' Lofton said. ``A bunt here, move the runner over. Especially in a situation like tonight when the pitchers on both sides are doing so well. You've got to give them credit, but you've got to find a break here or there and that's what we did today.'' vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3612 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) J.D. Drew pumps his fist after hitting the winning single to score Kenny Lofton in the bottom of the ninth. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (2) Dodgers starting pitcher Derek Lowe allowed one run on five hits in seven innings on Tuesday against the Cubs. Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer Box: DODGERS vs. CHICAGO - Vincent Bonsignore |
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