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Last night's festivities brought out the best in two players. The veteran Derek Lowe pitched a phenomenal 8 innings. He gave up only 1 run on 3 hits. An even more remarkable stat is that Derek needed only 79 pitches to win his 14th game of the year. Derek Lowe has a record of 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA over the last 9 games he has pitched. This streak includes a 3-inning stint as a reliever in a 16-inning marathon against the Cincinnati Reds. In that game, Derek was the winning pitcher; he gave up only 1 hit during this between-start appearance.
Matt Kemp, one of the Dodgers' most talked-about rookies this year, stepped back into the line-up. While with the AAA Dodgers affiliate Las Vegas 51’s, Matt hit a robust .337 with a .963 OPS. However, since being called up to the big club on September 1st he had only gone 1 for 8. Matt needed to fall back on the instruction and experience earned while in Las Vegas. Fortunately, he did just that.
With the Brewers leading 1-0, Matt Kemp opened up the 5th inning with a leadoff triple to left field. Rafael Furcal got him home for his 53rd RBI with a sacrifice fly ball to deep right field. The score was now tied at 1. His next plate appearance put the Dodgers on top for good. With the score still tied, Matt Kemp hit a RBI single to bring home Russell Martin, who had just doubled. This was all the scoring the Dodgers would get and need as they win their 74th game of the year.
The Dodgers maintain a 1-game lead over the San Diego Padres. With the season coming to a close, each game is more important that the last. There are only 23 games remaining in the season.
Tonight is the start of a 4-game series against the team with the best record in baseball, the New York Mets. Brad Penny will pitch against Tom Glavine, a future Hall of Famer. This series promises to showcase a potential postseason match-up.
AP photo by Morry Gash
