Post Game Wrap-Up

Unbelievable! Stupendous! Remarkable!

That was all my mind could grasp as I sat in the blog section in the Vin Scully Press Box.

The Dodgers were down 5 runs to 2 in the bottom of the 8th inning. So far, Dan Haren had been in full control of the game. He had allowed 2 hits over 7 innings to the Dodgers. Ethier was the only player to figure him out as he accounted for the 2 Dodger hits against the ace starter. Haren just made the Dodger hitters look silly. Heck, he made Dodger pitchers look worse as he went 3 for 3 at the plate.

The bases were occupied by 3 speedsters- Pierre on third, Furcal on 2nd and O-Dog on 1st. James Loney was up to bat with two outs and would face a new reliever on the mound, Daniel Schlereth. This rookie had yet to allow a run in his short stint in the Majors. In 2 appearances he had given up one hit. Hardly enough experience to provide any insight into what could soon take place. Knowledgeable gamblers would refrain from placing a bet.

I sat on the edge of my seat with my hands clinched against my chin. My laptop screen had gotten in the way of my view so I pulled it down for a full panoramic effect.

Next thing I know Loney whacks a deep drive to the right centerfield gap. My eyes followed the trajectory of the ball. It sailed higher and deeper. Chris Young ran to his left and gave chase. I was sure, at the time, that Loney had hit a gaper to clear the bases, but it seemed to just hang in the air. Young was going to catch up. He leaped in the air as the ball headed towards the wall. Then, in a fortuitous act of fate the ball found its way out of his glove. It rested on the warning track dirt awaiting for its return home.

One run scored... then the second run crossed the plate... Orlando was close behind as he came home to tie the game. The stadium was a mass of cheering Blue heads. Folks were jumping up and down. Hugs were free for all who would accept them. All I could do was watch and smile.

While others clapped I clinched my hands tighter. When everyone cheered I bit my tongue. No fist pump. No standing with my hands outstretched above my head. No dancing to the impromptu song that was playing in my mind. I was trying to be as professional as all of the other folks in the media room. So, I stayed quiet, but, I'll tell ya what, I had the biggest smile on my face you could ever imagine.

By the time Casey Blake came up, before he followed up with a game winning single to drive in Loney, I was already resting comfortably in my seat. By this time I knew the game was ours. My smile had gone into full bloom. The Dodger are gonna win.

Game Blog

Here we go. On to the game.

• First pitch by Wolf and a single by Lopez. Second pitch is a seeing-eye single by Roberts. What a great start!
• I can't get over how beautiful this day has been.

7:22PM

• On that little grounder to the pitcher for the 2nd out of the 1st inning I had to stop myself from cheering Wolf's play. I don't think anyone heard me do a half-yelp.
• Wolf gets out cheaply enough in the 1st inning. He has allowed one run on 2 hits and a walk.

7:37 PM

• Wolf ain't sharp. Through 7 batters he has thrown 33 pitches. I'll take that back. He has actually thrown a lot of strikes. The DBacks are just fouling off a bunch.

7:46 PM

• It just got ugly. Upton hit his first career grand slam. DBack 5, Dodgers 0.

7:54 PM

• Ethier got all of that! We all knew it was out of here once the ball left the bat.

8:03 PM

• They just did a nice little tribute during the break to Sweet Lou Johnson.

8:23 PM

• The DBacks continue to hit it through the right side of the infield.
• Nevermind, Roberts gets doubled up on Upton's liner to Blake.
• Orlando does his best Jeter impression by jumping into the stands to catch the 3rd out.

8:45 PM

• Wolf done for the night. 6 innings and gave up 5 runs.

9:03 PM

• Nancy Bea and her husband Bill are celebrating their 52nd anniversary tonight.

9:19PM

• Tonight's attendance 32,853.

9:37 PM

• 8th inning Rally. Bases loaded and two out.
• Pena gets the hook after walking in the Dodger 2nd run.

9:44 PM

• Are you kidding me! Game all tied up now. Loney clears the bases with a double off of Schlereth.
• This team never gives up!
• Dodgers take the lead. Broxton in the pen to close it out! WooHoo!!!!!

9:49 PM

• It's now the 9th inning and the "Big Man" is coming to close it out. Go Brox!!!

9:59 PM

• Dodger win! I couldn't have gone to a better game. They come back from being 4 runs down to win it. Awesome!
  

Starting Lineup

Arizona Diamondbacks

Felipe Lopez 2B
Ryan Roberts 3B
Justin Upton RF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Eric Byrnes LF
Chris Young CF
Chris Snyder C
Augie Ojeda SS
Dan Haren P

LA Dodgers

Juan Pierre LF
Rafael Furcal SS
Orlando Hudson 2B
James Loney 1B
Casey Blake 3B
Andre Ethier RF
Matt Kemp CF
Brad Ausmus C
Randy Wolf P

UPDATE: Additional Notes. Man-O-Live! With all of the information the Dodgers provide the press I could spend all night adding to this list.

• Tonight is the half-way point of Manny's 50 game suspension
• In 24 games since Manny's suspension they are 14-10, have scored 128 runs, are scoring 5.3 runs a game and batting .291 with a OBP of .360. With Manny they are 21-8, have scored 161 runs, averaging 5.6 runs per game and batting .283 with a OBP of .376.
• Dodgers lead the Majors with .287 batting average and a .369 OBP, despite slugging only .415 (ranked 14th in Baseball).
• Dodger have the 2nd best ERA at 3.72.
  
• Dodger have the best home record in the Majors at 18-6.
• Wolf has pitched at least 6 innings in 9 of his 11 starts. He also has a lifetime record against Arizona of 7-3 with a ERA of 4.34 in 13 starts.
  

Early Random Photos

Here are some pics from today.

Below is my view from the press box.
Dodger batting practice.
View from the top of the park.
Here are some pics along the walls as I head out to the field.These pics are from the elevator to the Dugout Club.

Torre Pre-Game Rap

I was just on the field and sat in on Joe Torre's pre-game talk with the media. Here are some notes:

• Kershaw coming into last nights game was really only operative if Kuroda could not go 5 innings. He certainly would have been available if the game went into extra innings.
• Dodgers miss Manny's presence. He knows how to stay within the game- try not to do too much. He contributes with his personality.
• We can win a lot of close games since we do not depend on the home run. We have the ability to manufacture runs.
• "It's not how far you hit it, it's how often you hit it."
  
• Torre is very comfortable with the offense. We can score in a lot of different ways.
• Team has good balance.
• Someone asked if the 13-0 start at home and the following poorer record was indicative of anything. He basically said it is only natural for the team to revert to the mean after a start like that.
  
• Russell Martin didn't center a lot of balls last night that ultimately contributed to the wild pitches. His day off tonight has nothing to do with yesterday's game. Torre had already decided on Tuesday as a day off on the plane trip back from the recent road trip.
• Felt Kuroda overthrew a bit yesterday.
• Casey Blake is running better today. He brings a "grunt" mentality to the game.

Pre-Game Notes

I've just landed at my seat within the Vin Scully Press Box and figured out the internet. connection.

Here are some opening notes before I go wonder around and try to get lost.

• Here is a pic from yesterdays first pitch featuring Olympic Gold Medalist and "Dancing with the Stars" champion Shawn Johnson with her biggest fan Casey Blake- and when I mean biggest fan I'm not kidding. Look at the size difference. (Photo credits: LA Dodgers) Man-O-Live! She is small. Here, Michael Eaves is interviewing her.
• Chad Billingsley will host a group of 10 children from Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA on Tuesday as part of his Chad’s Champs community program. Each child will receive a T-shirt and a meal voucher courtesy of Panda Express and will get to meet with Billingsley on the field during batting practice and get his autograph.
• Shannon Garrison, a teacher at Solano Avenue Elementary School , will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game. Solano has been a Dodgers Adopt-A-School partner for 29 years and is currently rated as the ninth-highest elementary school serving inner city students in the state of California . Garrison has taught at Solano for 11 years and her fourth graders continuously score amongst the highest in the city on state tests. Earlier this year, the Milken Foundation honored Garrison as one of four Milken Educators of the Year for the state of California.
• If you haven't seen this yet then go ahead and click play. I found myself laughing like a banshee this morning at work.
  

Video Link: ESPN:
Hat Tip: Bugs & Cranks: