This team shouldn't have to rely on winning 1 to 0 games. We have too much offensive potential, and spend way too much money to get just one run.
Having said the above, I won't fret too much about Brian Wilson's meltdown on the mound this evening. He came into the game in the 8th inning to close the door, but instead left open a gaping hole that allowed the Padres to score 3 runs. Seth Smith hit a game-tying home run that appeared to rattle Wilson. Then, a flurry of walks, hits and defensive misplays buried him. Overall, he gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits, 1 walk and 2 errors on the field (one of which was his own).
Unfortunately, the Dodgers loss wasted an excellent outing by Hyun-Jin Ryu. After shaking off some early butterfly's in the game, Ryu went on to go 7 strong innings. He gave up just 3 hits, walked 3, struck out 7 batters while not allowing a run. It was an excellent way to start the season back in the States.
The Dodgers offense was nowhere near as good. The top-5 batters in the order went a collective 1 for 19. They struck out 7 times and left 4 runners on base.
Frankly, it's way to early to worry about much of anything. The team is 2 and 1 for the season, and there are still 159 games left to play before the season ends. BTW, the Dodgers lost 3 to 1. Go here for a complete sumamry of the game via YahooSports.
I thought I would add that Don Mattingly is absolutely correct about what he said in postgame discussions. You have to feel good about giving our bullpen the lead going into the late innings. Sure, it didn't work this time around, but overall I'll take a game like this any time. After all, more often than not, the Dodgers bullpen will shut it down.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of Dodger Baseball left to be played.
Pic at the very top of Hyun-Jin Ryu, via @Dodgers on twitter.
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