OK, this is just getting ridiculous. After beating the New York Mets with a ninth-inning comeback and 12th-inning walk off the Dodgers have won eight games in a row, 13 of 14 games in August, and 40 of their last 48 games.
Tuesday's 5-4 victory did not start off in the Dodgers favor. In the second inning, Chris Capuano gave up three hits for one run, but it could have been much worse if not for Yasiel Puig's rocket-arm catching Marlon Byrd as he tried to advance from first to third on a single. Instead of runners on first and third with no outs, it was a runner on first with one out.
Capuano got out of that situation with one run scoring, but was not so lucky in the third when he gave up singles to Daniel Murphy and Josh Satin. Then Byrd made up for getting caught by Puig the inning before with a three-run blast over the left-center wall, putting the Dodgers down 4-0.
After five innings, ten hits, four earned runs, two walks, and three strikeouts, Capuano's night came to an end. It was his first start in his last 10 that he did not give up either zero or five runs.
The Dodger bats finally got to Dillon Gee in the sixth when Adrian Gonzalez singled, Hanley Ramirez doubled, and Skip Schumaker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mark Ellis grounded to shortstop, reaching on fielder's choice but getting the RBI as Gonzalez scored.
Jerry Hairston followed with a sharp grounder up the middle that deflected off the mound, scoring Ramirez, and cutting the Dodgers deficit in half 4-2. If it hadn't hit the mound it was most likely an out, seems like every ball is bouncing in the Dodgers favor lately, right?
They were still down 4-2 in the ninth as Mark Ellis led off with a single. Jerry Hairston grounded to the pitcher, LaTroy Hawkins, but the ball hit him in the groin, preventing him from turning a double play.
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Hawkins was obviously uncomfortable, but the Mets left him in as the Dodgers pinch hit Andre Ethier for Tim Federowicz. Ethier lifted it to the left field bleachers, tying up the game and pushing the game into extra innings.
The Dodger bullpen was rock solid from the sixth inning on, keeping the game close at 4-0 and preventing runs from scoring in extras. There were the usual suspects: Chris Withrow (two innings, three strikeouts, no hits), J.P. Howell (one inning, one hit, one strikeout), and Paco Rodriguez (1.1 innings, one hit, two strikeouts). Even the unreliable guys, Brandon League and Carlos Marmol, had good outings, with Marmol pitching two innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts.
The Dodgers were held hitless in extras until the 12th as Puig hit a grounder up the middle, it was just out of reach of the shortstop, Omar Quintanilla, who deflected it into center. Puig took advantage and stretched his single into a double on a fantastic hustle-play that caught the Mets off guard and put him into scoring position.
Adrian Gonzalez raked a double of his own to score Puig for the walk-off RBI, giving the Dodgers another ridiculous win at 5-4, a sweep of the Mets, and a sweep of the whole six-game homestand.
The Dodgers have an off day on Thursday, and are traveling to Philadephia for a three-game series against the Phillies.
Tweets From #Dodgers Nation
Dodger fans felt bad for LaTroy Hawkins, but still found humor at his expense
Ballsy move by LaTroy Hawkins #Dodgers — Dolf (@adlopezzz) August 15, 2013
My stomach hurts for LaTroy Hawkins. #Dodgers #Mets — Christopher Carley (@ChristophCarley) August 15, 2013
LaTroy Hawkins is still pitching? Cool. #Dodgers #Mets — Jon C. (@RunHillRepeats) August 15, 2013
Comeback struck Troy Hawkins in groin the batter before he gave up the 2 run homer to Ethier. Always gotta protect the mcnuggets #Dodgers — Allison Bantog (@allisonbantog_) August 15, 2013
This Dodgers fairy-tale is getting too good to be true!
Of course that's a 9th-inning, game-tying, 2-run HR by Andre Ethier. #Dodgers — Kathleen Brown (@KathleeBrown376) August 15, 2013
Did Andre Ethier really just hit a pinch-hit, 2-run, game-tying home run in the 9th? #OMG #Dodgers #WorldSeriesBound — david ogul (@ogul) August 15, 2013
And then, Puig, of course
Can't believe what I saw. Puig taking 2nd was crazy. #Dodgers — Aron Kader (@aronkader) August 15, 2013
Puig and Gonzales. Crazy comeback #dodgers — Seth hafner (@Sethizz) August 15, 2013
PUIG is my Dodger crush!hahah ;) Te amo! What a change in dynamics. DODGERS play 100% no way they can lose. #LA #dodgers #fb — Lizvivirlife (@Lizvivirlife) August 15, 2013
