Dodgers’ Wonder Boys routine finally stalls in 11-4 loss
Meanwhile, back on the third rock from the sun the rest of us live on, the Dodgers lost. Lost big, lost like regular mortals and everything.
The Dodgers fell 11-4 Wednesday to the Diamondbacks in Phoenix to snap their six-game winning streak.
There was no pixie dust on this night, no wide-eyed comeback, just a good old-fashioned derriere kicking.
With the Giants also losing Wednesday, the Dodgers still head into their off-day with a seven-game lead and in possession of baseball’s best record (30-14).
Alas, they looked nothing like the team that had been the scourge of the National League. Aside from an unexpected blast from A.J. Ellis for his fourth home run, the Dodgers went quietly until scrapping together three runs in the seventh.
Wednesday certainly marked a new experience for Ted Lilly, who entered the game with a spotless 5-0 and a 1.79 earned-run average. He was a tad less than perfect against the Diamondbacks, surrendering eight earned runs on nine hits and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings. It pushed his ERA to 3.14.
Lilly had allowed only eight earned runs all season. He had not allowed that many hits since April 23, 2010, nor that many runs since July 4, 2009.
And those weren’t only bloopers he allowed Wednesday. He gave up a double, two triples and a home run.
He allowed runs in each of the four innings he pitched, and just generally appeared nothing like the left-hander who had started the season so impressively. By the time he left the game in the fourth inning, the Dodgers were down 8-1.
Ex-Angel Joe Saunders, who was 0-2 with a 7.40 ERA in his last four starts, held the Dodgers to one run through six innings before tiring in the seventh. Saunders (3-3) allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk, while striking out seven.
Of course, he essentially faced the Dodgers’ C lineup. Andre Ethier was held out to give him his first day of rest this season. The only regular in the lineup was Ellis, whose home run to center in the fourth went well over 400 feet.
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Dodgers’ Wonder Boys routine finally stalls in 11-4 loss
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