This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LA Dodgers defeat San Francisco Giants 1-0. To offset the embarrassment going on concurrently in Delaware, the Dodgers and Giants sent their best to the mound for a matinee performance. With a Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum pitched affair, it really came as no surprise the game would be a 1-0 hemorrhoid-inducing tight walk.
Unexpected was the play of Dodgers’ catcher Dioner Navarro. When the Giants tried to steal second base in the first and second innings, Navarro couldn’t throw the ball anywhere near the base committing his third and fourth errors of the season. Fortunate for him, his errors did not allow a run to score.
As if those errors were still gnawing at him, Navarro looked down the barrel to lead off the seventh inning and hit a Lincecum fastball into McCovey Cove. He joined catcher Todd Hundley as the only Dodgers to hit a splash hit at AT&T (Or Pac Bell, or SBC, or whatever it was called) Park.
That was all the Dodgers needed since Kershaw continued to lift the team on his shoulders. He walked only one batter and struck out a season-high 12 hitters in his eight innings of work. Despite making more than 100 pitches, he struck out the side in order in the eighth inning lifting his pitch count to 111. Looking he could go the ninth, Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly had Trent Oeltjen pinch hit for Kershaw in the ninth. Oeltjen inexplicably would lay down a sacrifice bunt, something Kershaw could have easily done.
Nonetheless Javy Guerra came in the ninth inning to get his sixth save in as many opportunities.
Meanwhile in Delaware, Judge Kevin Gross was hearing arguments to decide which funding the Dodgers would take: the hedgefund loan or the MLB option. After ten hours of arguments that resembled bickering teenagers, Gordon told the courtroom he would have a decision by the end of business Thursday. Obviously McBankrupt likes the hedgefund loan despite the usurious nature of the loan. Fox, MLB and the creditors like the MLB option. For people who want some resolution to this mess, don’t hold your breath unless you’re suicidal. Thursday’s decision might start setting things in motion, but the motion is akin to a starfish attacking prey.
LA Angels defeat Texas Rangers 9-8. For one night Angel Stadium morphed into Coors Field in Denver. No lead was safe due to huge offensive explosions. It all started in the first inning when the game was essentially a carbon copy of Monday night’s game: back-to-back two-out hits by Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre led to the Rangers taking the early 1-0 lead, this time victimizing Dan Haren.
But rather than standing there paralyzed, the Angels got into action right away with Howie Kendrick hitting a two-run single with the bases loaded to give the Angels the lead. Torii Hunter added a solo homer in the third inning while the Rangers pulled to a tie in the fourth inning with a two-run blast by David Murphy. Then all hell broke loose.
Haren was knocked out in the fifth inning in what ended up being a five-run inning for the Rangers taking an 8-3 lead. A normally insurmountable deficit took quite the turn in the sixth inning when the Angels treated Rangers’ starter Derek Holland in kind posting a six-run sixth inning to take a 9-8 lead.
The fallout: both starters were tagged with seven earned runs and the lead changed hands three times. Scott Downs and Jordan Walden locked the game down for the Angels who now trail the Rangers by four games for the division lead.
LA Galaxy defeat Columbus Crew 1-0. Sean Franklin knocked in his first MLS goal in the 70th minute to extend the Galaxy’s MLS unbeaten streak to 13 matches.
TONIGHT’S ACTION
Texas Rangers at LA Angels. 12:35 p.m. FSWest, AM 830 KLAA.
