Penny Does a Walk-Through in Dodger Win

The only yelp came from hot-hitting Dodger catcher Jason Phillips when the last out was recorded.

The only leap came from the Dodger dugout, when players rushed into the rain to slap hands.

The only winces, flinches and cringes came from the four Dodgers hit by pitches, tying a team record set 105 years ago.

It must have seemed to Brad Penny as if more than a century had passed since he last pitched in a game that counted. He acutely remembered his last two outings, leaving the mound in pain both times, holding his injured right biceps.

But in Penny’s first start since September, he threw 83 pain-free pitches. His teammates did the rest, scoring five runs in the eighth inning to overcome another deficit and defeat the Colorado Rockies, 8-6, Sunday at Coors Field.

“It was the best day of my life,” Penny said. “I feel relieved. I finally got the first one out of the way, and I just hope I have 28 or 29 more starts this year.”

If so, the Dodgers could quickly become the favorites in the National League West. The victory gave them a 4-3 record on a three-city trip and improved their road record to 8-5. Today they begin nine games at home, where they are 5-0.

For those scoring at home or on the road, that’s a 13-5 record, best in the National League.

It was the fifth time the Dodgers have come from behind after the seventh inning and the five-run rally included contributions from several players who have produced consistently.

After J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent were hit by pitches in the eighth, Milton Bradley, Olmedo Saenz and Phillips each delivered run-scoring hits to right field. Then Norihiro Nakamura, batting .136, brought in two runs with a single to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 8-5.

The Rockies had four hits of their own to right field in the bottom of the eighth, but scored only one run because Drew threw out Brad Hawpe trying to go from first to third on a single to end the inning.

“That was a big out,” Drew said. “I’m surprised he went. I was pretty fired up when Nori blocked the bag and made that tag.”

No Dodger was more excited than Penny. He wasn’t going to pitch if the Dodgers determined it was too cold, but apparently 46 degrees with the threat of a downpour was mild enough in the Mile High City.

He had a hard time getting loose and his fastball stalled out at 93 mph, four mph less than in his last minor league rehabilitation start. But he mixed in curveballs and changeups effectively, throwing 54 strikes and holding the Rockies scoreless from the second through the fifth after giving up a two-run home run to Preston Wilson in the first.

“I thought he mixed his speeds really well,” Colorado shortstop Clint Barmes said.

The cold drizzle got stronger after the fifth inning, and many in the crowd of 28,117 turned tail, running from their seats for cover. Penny, sleeveless and staunch, trudged back to the mound for the sixth with the Dodgers leading, 3-2.

But for poor luck, he could have gotten through another inning. Barmes beat out an infield hit, then beat a throw to second after shortstop Cesar Izturis backhanded Todd Helton’s grounder.

“I felt stronger later in the game,” Penny said. “It’s hard to pitch when it’s that cold. I’d finally get loose just about the time I’d get the third out.”

Reliever Duaner Sanchez gave up a two-run triple to Matt Holliday, erasing any chance Penny had at getting the victory, and a run-scoring single by Desi Relaford extended the lead to 5-3.

For a short time, Dodger prospects were as bleak as the weather. They were in danger of losing their fourth game in a row and third to a team expected to finish last in the NL West. Then came the five-run inning, as sudden as a Colorado cloudburst.

“We’ve been scoring a lot of runs,” Penny said. “If I keep this team in the game, we’ll win more than we lose.”