Detroit has too much firepower for Dodgers
The Dodgers’ loss column had been lonely this month. They visited it a few times, but not much.
Mostly, they gave it a cold shoulder and cozied up to its winning counterpart as they rose through the standings.
But Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers fell to the Detroit Tigers, 6-2, tacking on just their second loss in their last 14 games.
The defeat drops the Dodgers to 16-5 this month, still the best record in the major leagues, but Sunday they were looking to stay at the top of the National League West and earn a sweep in their first interleague series.
With San Diego’s win over Seattle and some mighty swings from the Tigers’ bats and quick snags by their gloves, that plan went kaput.
The Dodgers are now one game back of the Padres in the division.
Hiroki Kuroda (5-2) looked solid after the first inning, when he gave up three runs, two on Miguel Cabrera’s home run to left field that gave the Tigers’ first baseman 32 runs batted in on the road, the most in the majors.
Kuroda didn’t allow any other runs in his six-inning performance, but he re-thought the at-bat against Cabrera.
“There was not much difference between the first inning and the rest of the innings,” Kuroda said through an interpreter. “But the home run pitch … he was obviously waiting for that pitch inside, so I could’ve thrown a little bit more inside, now that I think about it.”
“Some pretty good hitters got him,” Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said. “I thought he pitched great. He gave us a strong outing.”
The Dodgers sliced into that 3-0 deficit in the fifth inning when Xavier Paul singled with the bases loaded, driving in Blake DeWitt and Jamey Carroll.
In the next inning, the script seemed set up for the Dodgers to retake the lead. The scene: bases loaded, two outs, down by one, and Manny Ramirez in to pinch-hit, the crowd chanting his name.
But Ramirez grounded out to third on the first pitch.
“It just wasn’t supposed to be,” Torre said.
That seemed especially true when Magglio Ordonez hit a solo home run in the eighth inning off Ronald Belisario, and the Tigers added two runs in the ninth.
Dodgers batters seemed to be aiming for Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello. Three times they smacked line drives right at him.
Which helps explain why the Dodgers were without an extra-base hit for only the third time this season and that they hit into a season-high four double plays.
Sunday’s loss concluded a seven-game homestand in which the Dodgers went 5-2, and said third baseman Casey Blake: “You’ve got to feel good about the way we’ve played this week. Our pitchers are throwing better and when they do and give us a chance to win, we’re tough.”
On Tuesday, the Dodgers begin a 16-games-in-16-days grind that starts in Chicago.
“If you’re going to go play all these games, you’re pretty comfortable with the way you’re playing,” Torre said. “We’re looking forward to it and hopefully we can have as good a road trip as the last one.”
The last time the Dodgers were on the road, they swept three-game series from Arizona and San Diego.
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