Andre Ethier does it again for Dodgers
Andre Ethier blasted another of his patented walk-off home runs in the ninth inning — this time a grand slam — to lift the Dodgers past the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-3, on Thursday night after the Dodgers came close to wasting a gem by rookie right-hander John Ely.
The Dodgers loaded the bases against Milwaukee reliever LaTroy Hawkins and Ethier, who had six walk-off hits last season, drove a home run over the center-field wall.
“I don’t know what it is, for some ... reason I just keep getting up in that situation where I get an opportunity to do it,” Ethier said of his history of walk-off hits. “I can’t figure it out. But it definitely makes it a lot easier when there’s a guy standing on third with one out.”
Even Dodgers Manager Joe Torre marveled at Ethier’s record. “I don’t remember anybody being as heroic as he’s been out of all the guys I’ve managed,” he said.
Ely stood to win his first major league game when Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning. But Broxton gave up singles to Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Gregg Zaun and Craig Counsell to get the Brewers even.
Instead, Broxton got the win despite blowing the lead and giving up his first runs of the season.
Ely was brilliant in only his second major league start, largely shutting down the Brewers after Milwaukee had beaten up two of the Dodgers’ regular starting pitchers, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, in the prior two games.
And Ely did so despite knowing that his immediate reward might be a trip back to the minor leagues, because the Dodgers need to make room on the roster Friday for reliever Jeff Weaver, who’s coming off the disabled list.
Ely said he didn’t mind missing his first big league win. “You can’t be disappointed about not getting a win in that situation,” he said. “That is a huge team win. Just to come back, and Andre -- this guy is unbelievable, huh?”
Torre said Ely “changed locations, changed speeds, had a very good hitting team pretty much eating out of his hand.”
Ely gave up one earned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings and at one point retired 16 Brewers in a row. It was the most consecutive batters retired by a Dodgers pitcher since Hiroki Kuroda set down 19 consecutive San Francisco Giants last Sept. 11. Ely also struck out seven.
In his first big league start April 28 against the Mets in New York, Ely — who turns 24 next week — had given up five earned runs in six innings at a blustery Citi Field.
Manager Joe Torre later said Ely pitched better than the numbers suggested and gave him another start, but added that Ely might have to give way to Weaver regardless of how Ely pitched Thursday.
Ely, one of the two pitchers acquired in the deal that sent Juan Pierre to the Chicago White Sox last winter, was called up from triple-A Albuquerque to replace sidelined starter Vicente Padilla.
Milwaukee scored its only run against Ely with two out in the seventh inning, when Zaun — after fouling off several of Ely’s pitches — singled to drive in Fielder. After handing the ball to Torre, Ely walked off to a standing ovation.
Xavier Paul, another Albuquerque player recently called up to replace the injured Manny Ramirez in left field, and batting leadoff in place of injured Rafael Furcal, sparked the Dodgers’ offense. Paul walked to lead off the game, stole second base, moved to third on Matt Kemp’s fly-ball out and scored on James Loney’s sacrifice fly.
An error by McGehee, Milwaukee’s third baseman, led to two more Dodgers runs in the second inning. After Jamey Carroll hit a two-out double, Ely grounded to McGehee whose throw bounced off Fielder’s glove, allowing Carroll to score. Paul then doubled to score Ely and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
Ramirez is scheduled to rejoin the Dodgers on Saturday when he also comes off the 15-day disabled list for a strained right calf.
He played four innings in another rehabilitation game Thursday night with the Dodgers’ single-A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers, against the Lake Elsinore Storm. He struck out, walked and scored a run.
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