Kurt Streeter: Dodgers get little help from Russell Martin
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Sluuuuuump. Russell Martin at bat, bottom of the first inning, Manny Ramirez at first base after a walk because the Phillies have fallen into the habit of either outright walking him or giving him absolutely nothing in the strike zone and not giving a hoot if they reach ball four -– not so long as Russell Martin is the next batter and the All-Star catcher keeps playing like a zero and failing to provide any kind of productivity to aid Manny.
Martin is hitting a lowly .154 with and has a one RBI in this series so far. All that failure looks like it has gotten under his skin. He walks to the plate like he’s walking to a guillotine, like he has no self-belief with a bat in his hands, like he’s lost.
The fifth pitch to Martin is a fastball that he smacks –- not squarely -- to third base for an out, the last out of the inning. Martin now has two hits in 14 at bats, which would not be so utterly terrible were this not the NLCS. Martin plods with his head down to the dugout and the crowd, in a severe case of what have you done for me lately, barks out its disapproval with a stream of boos.
Oh, by the way, there’s the little matter of the score. Phillies up 1-0 on a Jimmy Rollins first inning home run. As I write, the third inning is now on its way…
-- Kurt Streeter
