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Reds' winning streak doesn't survive Dodgers
Monday, May 19, 2008
LOS ANGELES — In the shadow of the Hollywood Bowl, the Cincinnati Reds' six-game winning streak died a quiet death in Dodger Stadium.
Bronson Arroyo probably wishes he were playing his guitar in the Hollywood Bowl instead of frittering away a four-run lead that eventually led to a 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers victory.
Extras
Arroyo was given a 4-0 lead in the third inning, two coming on Adam Dunn's fifth home run in five games. But a flurry of two-out hits that led to five runs that enabled LA to catch up.
And while the Reds were mustering one hit over the final four innings, the Dodgers ended it in the bottom of the ninth with a bases-loaded hit to left field by Blake DeWitt after a throwing error by shortstop Paul Janish and two intentional walks.
It was the start of a seven-day, seven-game west coast trip and it was Cincinnati's seventh straight loss in Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers.
LA starter Brad Penny, a pitcher who once was very good, gave up runs in the first three innings.
Brandon Phillips singled home a run in the first and Corey Patterson's two-out single in the second made it 2-0.
Then came third-inning thunder — torched by Adam Dunn. His two-run homer made it 4-0 and like vitamins, his home runs are coming daily.
It was the fifth straight game in which he homered, tying the club record held by three noteworthy names — Ted Kluszewski, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Jr.
"That's pretty good company right there," said Dunn, speaking of a Hall of Famer (Bench), a Reds Hall of Fame (Kluszewski) and a surefire Hall of Famer upon retirement (Griffey).
And Dunn has driven in runs in eight straight games.
Bronson Arroyo pitched two scoreless innings, extending his streak to 14 straight innings without a run, and it should have been 15.
Arroyo created a mess by issuing a two-out walk and a double in the third, but that should have been it. But shortstop Jerry Hairston Jr. picked up Russell Martin's slow roller and threw an excavation ball into the dirt, permitting both runs to score.
"We've been playing such great defense, too," said Baker, referring to the throwing errors by Hairston and Janish. "We made a couple of errors and they capitalize big-time. We had Penny on the ropes early and a couple of more hits would have blown that game open."
Dunn struck again in the fifth after Phillips tripled, tagging a hard single to right for another run and a 5-2 lead.
That lead evaporated in a flash flood of two-out hits in the LA fifth, four straight singles after Arroyo had two outs and it tied the game, 5-5.
"I had the opportunity to get out of that inning, man on first with two outs," said Arroyo. "I had James Loney 1-and-2 and he got a hit (for a run). They were decent pitches, good enough to get outs but they gave me tough at-bats, put the ball in play, and tied the game."
Baker wouldn't fault Arroyo for letting the lead disappear into the LA fog.
"Sometimes you have to give them credit for hitting," he said. "They got some opposite field hits and some two-out clutch hits. I don't think Bronson came apart."
By the end of the sixth, both starters were gone.
The Dodgers ninth opened with an infield hit to short by Martin that Janish threw on the fly into the Reds dugout, putting the runner on second;
After Jeff Kent moved Martin to third with a grounder to second, manager Dusty Baker ordered the next two hitters walked intentionally to fill the bases with one out and DeWitt pulled down the shades with a base hit to left field.
