LEAD NOT SAFE WITH DODGERS DOWN FIVE RUNS, ATLANTA RALLIES AND DEFEATS L.A. ATLANTA 9, DODGERS 8.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer If the first three games are any indication of what to expect from the Dodgers' revamped offense this season, hits and runs should come pretty easily. Keeping the other team off the scoreboard is another story entirely. Not to mention keeping their players healthy and in the lineup rather than the trainer's room. Between the good and the bad, Dodger Stadium • • [ figures to be an eventful place this summer. That was the case again Wednesday as the Dodgers and Braves exchanged offensive firepower for the third straight game, but for the second time in the series the Braves had just a little more in a 9-8 victory in front of 35,292 at Dodger Stadium. Ryan Langerhans' ground-rule double scored Marcus Giles Marcus William Giles (born May 18, 1978 in San Diego, California) is a San Diego Padres Major League Baseball player who most recently played for the Atlanta Braves. He is a second baseman and bats right-handed. in the eighth inning to give the Braves the winning margin. On the personnel front, an already crowded Dodgers trainer's room grew even more congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. when second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968 in Bellflower, California) is a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and a former MVP winner. Early career and first baseman Olmedo Saenz both left the game in the fourth inning with injuries. Kent gave way to pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez Ramon Martinez is the name of several people:
Kent suffered a bruised triceps triceps, any muscle having three heads, or points of attachment, but especially the triceps brachii at the back of the upper arm. One head originates on the shoulder blade and two on the upper-arm bone, or humerus. muscle and Saenz had a stiff back. Odalis Perez, who figured to have a short work night as it was in his first start of the season, couldn't get through the fourth while giving up seven earned runs on nine hits. Perez was fine through the first two innings, but ran into problems in the third when the Braves tagged him for five runs on five hits, including a two-run home run by Wilson Betemit Wilson Betemit, pronounced Bay-tah-mee [1], though many broadcasters mispronounce it Bet-uh-mit, (born November 2, 1981, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a 6' 3" switch-hitting Major League Baseball infielder for the New York Yankees. . After falling behind 8-5, the Dodgers rallied for three in the seventh to tie it 8-8. The Dodgers knew coming into the season good health would be the biggest concern after new general manager Ned Colletti reconstructed the roster by adding a number of veteran players. The hope was that older players like Nomar Garciaparra, Kenny Lofton, Bill Mueller, Brett Tomko and Alomar would add some much-needed experience on the field and in the clubhouse. The flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). was making sure they stayed on the field longer than in the doctor's office. Unfortunately, that's becoming a little trickier than first imagined. Lofton and Garciaparra started the year on the disabled list, and now comes Wednesday's injuries to Kent and Saenz. Both are listed as day-to-day. The Dodgers have scored five or more runs in each of the first three games, but their pitchers also have given up more than four in each game. Perez's inability to get through four innings ruined another fast start by the offense, which jumped on Atlanta starter Horacio Ramirez for four first-inning runs. Rafael Furcal and Jose Cruz. Jr. started the first with back-to-back singles followed by an 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 single by J.D. Drew to score Furcal furcal /fur·cal/ (fur´k'l) shaped like a fork; forked. fur·cal adj. Forked. furcal forked. to make it 1-0. Cruz scored on a sacrifice fly by Saenz, followed by an RBI single from Mueller and an RBI double from Alomar. The Dodgers added a fifth run in the second when Furcal walked, stole second then took third on a wild throw. Cruz knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. Perez wasn't expected to pitch more than five or six innings in his first start of the season, although he looked like he might go longer based on his quick work in the first and second and the 5-0 lead he had to work with. Then came the five-run third in which Perez surrendered the home run to Betemit, a double to Edgar Renteria and singles to Ramirez, Giles and Andruw Jones. The Braves added three more in the fourth - two of them charged to Perez - on an RBI single by Renteria, a bases loaded walk to Jones and a sacrifice fly by Jeff Francouer. Dodgers manager Grady Little was asked earlier Wednesday what he's got planned for Loney once Garciaparra comes off the disabled list in two weeks. Loney was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas when Garciaparra got hurt, and it's expected he'll return there when Garciaparra comes back. vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) The Dodgers' J.D. Drew takes a mighty cut, but strikes out against Atlanta's Horacio Ramirez. (2) The Dodgers' Jeff Kent slides safely into second base, beating the tag from Atlanta's Marcus Giles. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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