For two months all Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins has heard is how he has declined in his old age and it's time for the team to call up the heir incumbent Corey Seager from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Rollins silenced those critics on Thursday going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored as the Los Angeles Dodgers shutout the Chicago Cubs 4-0 to earn a series split with the boys from Wrigley.
It was a bizarre week in the Windy City over the past four days as we've seen golden sky sunsets, lights going out, games being played under protest, fans catching foul balls holding babies, players losing balls in the lights, and aces losing.
On Monday and Tuesday, it was Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke who could not pitch their team to victory. On Thursday, it was 3-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Jon Lester who was beaten around the ballpark by the Boys in Blue.
Lester allowed four runs on four hits with four walks in just four innings as LA strung together back-to-back two-run innings off Lester in the first and second to jump out to an early lead.
Rollins was reinserted into the second spot in the lineup before the game as new leadoff hitter Yasiel Puig missed his second consecutive game with a blood blister, and Rookie of the Year candidate Joc Pederson did not get the start due to the lefty-on-lefty matchup at the plate.
Rollins got things started with a bunt single and then advanced to second after a walk to Justin Turner. Rollins stole third a few pitches later, but Van Slyke looked at ball four on the play and the stolen base was wiped away. With the bases loaded and one out, Howie Kendrick hit a two-run double and the Dodgers were rolling.
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"I've faced him [Lester] quite a bit in the American League over the years. I had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to do to me, so when he made a mistake over the middle I was able to get a bat on it," Kendrick said. "I've never seen so many strange things happen in one series, it was a fun series, but there was a lot of strange things we've never seen before."
An inning later it was Rollins again who kept the momentum going. After a leadoff walk, Kiké Hernandez followed with an RBI triple, and Rollins knocked in Hernandez with a single to center.
Carlos Frias picked up the victory for the Dodgers, allowing no runs on seven hits in five innings. Frias (5-5) got the Cubs to hit into two, inning-ending double plays as got an outfield assist as Alex Guerrero gunned down Chris Coghlan at the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning to keep the Cubs scoreless.
The Dodgers bullpen was brilliant for the second straight game as the combination of Joel Peralta, J.P. Howell, Yimi Garcia and Kenley Jansen each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
Game Notes:
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was robbed multiple times on the day. Turner was robbed of an RBI in the top half of the second after Chicago center fielder Chris Coghlan made a spectacular driving catch.
Turner was robbed of a home run in the top of the 7th after he hit a triple off the wall in left that appeared to have gone out of the ballpark and bounced back into the field of play. After a replay review, there was not enough video evidence to overturn the call and Turner was credited with a triple.
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