Before the first pitch of the season, the key question around the Dodgers was around pitching, and recently Eric Milton became the eighth starting pitcher the Dodgers have used this year.
Tuesday night he became the eighth to get a win.
The former All Star pitcher returning from reconstructive elbow surgery threw five solid innings for the Dodgers allowing just one run. That was more than enough for a Dodger lineup featuring the suddenly hot Casey Blake and Los Angeles cruised to a 7-1 win.
The Dodgers are now 10-3 in their last 13 games, all without that dreadlocked slugger many thought they would struggle without. But everything that has gone right for the Dodgers all season and since Manny Ramirez was suspended went right again.
Juan Pierre had another three hits, raising his batting average to .410 since Manny left and Pierre inherited the starting role. Also remaining hot was Orlando Hudson, who was 2 for 3 on the night and now has a 16-game hitting streak.
But maybe the hottest bat on the Dodgers belongs to the guy who drives those players in —Blake. He hit his eighth home run of the season and also had an RBI double that gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning. That was more than enough for Milton and the Dodger bullpen, which pitched four hitless innings to preserve Milton’s victory.
The Dodgers win combined with the first Padres loss in a week-and-a-half increased the Dodgers lead in the West to 8½ games.
