Eight Out of Nine Ain't Bad

The Dodgers continued their winning ways yesterday with an impressive shutout of eight of the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mike Edwards and Jason Phillips both hustled out of the box to beat the relays on double play grounders and keep innings alive; the Dodgers capitalized by getting timely hits to drive in single runs in the fifth and eighth innings.

Odalis Perez was masterful, scattering six hits over his six innings of work. He danced around trouble in the second, third, and sixth innings, putting runners on base, but bore down and prevented them from scoring. The bullpen did its usual scoreless outing.

Unfortunately, Albert Pujols was the ninth St. Louis player in the lineup, and he single-handedly sent Los Angeles to a depressing defeat. He homered twice off Perez, driving in all four Cardinal runs. His first-inning solo shot put St. Louis up 1-0, before the Dodgers scraped together a run in the fifth to tie the game. But with runners on first and third in the Cardinal half of the inning, Pujols fouled off several tough pitches before crushing a 3-2 pitch into the centerfield stands.

It’s official: Odalis Perez can’t get this guy out. Pujols was 2-2 with a walk and four RBIs against the Dodger lefty; in his career, he’s 8-for-12 when Perez pitches. Those aren’t Ruthian stats; they’re cause for a March of Dimes event. It’s a mystery why Perez would ever give him anything to hit. He should show Pujols more balls than a New Orleans cotillion season.

It sounds like a classic second-guess, but I would have walked Pujols in the fifth inning last night. The go-ahead run was already on third, and while first base wasn’t open, second base was. Scott Rolen, who hits behind Pujols, has struggled all season, and is 5-for-24 in May. The slump is even affecting his gold glove defense: he made two errors last night. He had already fouled out twice against Perez, and after the Pujols homer, Rolen grounded weakly to short.

Oh, by the way, Mark Mulder struck out 12. He was great. I’ll bet Billy Beane wishes he had gotten more for this ace lefty.

NOTES
After designating Norihiro Nakamura for assignment, the Dodgers purchased the contract of Oscar Robles, who is playing in a Mexican league. But because Robles couldn’t get to St. Louis in time for the game, the Dodgers were a player short on the bench last night (Which was already shortened by J.D. Drew’s illness). As result, Jim Tracy had no right handed bats on the bench to pinch hit, and had to use the lefties Jason Grabowski and Hee Seop Choi in key pinch-hitting situations that called for a right-handed bat. Both whiffed.

Nakamura did not impress in his short stint with Los Angeles, and he probably would have struck out too had he been called on to pinch hit. But the Dodgers got caught with their pants down. They knew they were facing the lefty Mulder last night; they could have waited one more day before making the roster move. Or they could have told Robles to get to St. Louis a day earlier before releasing Nakamura.

Alternatively, Tracy could have called on pitcher Jeff Weaver, who has pinch-run in the past. Weaver, who is hitting .278, and had a key double in Sunday’s win over Cincinnati, has as many hits against lefties (1) as Choi and Grabowski combined. Jayson Werth can’t get back soon enough.