Dodgers Nip Phillies With Run in the Ninth

LOS ANGELES -- Over the course of a long, 162-game baseball season, the details and minutiae can turn one's brain into applesauce. Often, the nuance and the patterns of the game -- those same intricacies that draw people to the game -- can go unnoticed. As the season wears on, the bottom line -- the wins and losses -- is all that matters.

Friday night in Dodger Stadium, the bottom line was a Phillies 4-3 loss in a game in which the bullpen, specifically Wayne Gomes, failed them in the late innings. Had Gomes and, to a lesser degree, Bobby Abreu not let their minds wander in the ninth inning, perhaps the outcome could have been different.

The Phils wasted three comebacks by not tending to the details in the ninth inning. Dave Hansen led off with a double that should have been a single had Abreu played the ball instead of allowing it to play him. Hansen's ball was able to reach the right field fence because Abreu wasn't able to cut it off in due time.

	Marlon Anderson went 2-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBIs in the Phils 4-3 loss.

With a runner on second and no outs, catcher Angel Pena laid down a bunt that Gomes (2-1, 1.13) must have seen a thousand times in spring training drills. Instead of fielding the ball and wheeling around to third where Scott Rolen was waiting to tag out a dead-to-rights Hansen, he hesitated. That hesitation meant the only play Gomes had was to first where he was able to throw out Pena.

"I probably did have him," Gomes said. "I looked, I didn't feel like I had him. Then I looked at the play again and I probably did have him."

Manager Larry Bowa agreed.

"They were yelling 'third.' I don't know what happened," Bowa said. "He had a play at third, we had a play at third base. We just didn't execute the bunt play."

But that still left the winning run at third with one out.

The next batter, Alex Cora, lifted a 3-1 pitch to left that easily scored the tagging Hansen to give the Dodgers the game. It also turned the Phillies six-game winning streak into a two-game losing streak.

So much for patterns.

"Wayne Gomes has probably pitched as good, or better, than anybody down in the bullpen," Bowa said. "He's been pitching lights out. Our bullpen had definitely been our strength up until now."

Aside from a poor fielding ninth, the Phillies gave a valiant effort all night. Down 1-0 in the second, Marlon Anderson hit a two-out, two-on, single to drive in Travis Lee, who continues to collect base hits.

In the third, Shawn Green picked-up his second RBI by singling home Cora from second to make it 2-1. But once again, that lead was short-lived.

Pat Burrell ripped a liner over the fence in left for his third homer of the season to tie it at 2. After the Dodgers cashed in on a leadoff double by Cora in the fifth, the Phils were able to come back once again.

In the seventh Anderson ripped a long home run to dead center to notch it at 3. But because of poor timing, there was no chance for a fourth comeback.

For the Phillies, starter Amaury Telemaco pitched six solid innings, striking out six but giving up three runs. In one of those odd patterns of baseball, where symmetry sometimes tells the story of the game (but not in this case), Telemaco was perfect in all of the even numbered innings but allowed one run and two hits in the odd numbered innings.

Cue the eerie music.

For the Dodgers, reliever Terry Adams (2-1, 1.13) took the win by pitching two scoreless innings. In the eighth, he struck out Jimmy Rollins, Rolen and Abreu. Adams spelled starter Luke Prokopec, who went seven innings, struck out five and walked none. He did give up two homers, however.

Normally a reliever, Prokopec is making his second start for the injured Andy Ashby. In 20 2/3 innings pitched, Prokopec has yet to walk a batter this season.

"There's a lot of injuries happening all at once, so maybe we are a little snakebit," Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "But whatever choice of words you want to use, I think we're doing a heck of a job of dealing with it, collectively. These guys are the people who deserve the kudos. They've stepped in there. They're contributing in a major way, and we haven't missed a beat."

But despite the two consecutive losses, the Phillies remain 3 1/2 up on the Montreal Expos in the National League East and at 14-8, they are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the best record in the league.

Saturday, the Phils and Dodgers play the middle game of the three-game set. Bruce Chen (1-1, 2.45) faces Darren Dreifort (1-1, 4.88).

Notes: Dodgers bench coach Jim Riggleman sported a shiner under his left eye and a heavy bandage on the broken nose he sustained on Thursday when he walked into third-base coach Glenn Hoffman's fungo bat. ... Lee has a hit in seven of his last eight games and the last five consecutive. ... The Phils one-through-five hitters went 1-for-20 Friday night. The six, seven and eighth place hitters went 5-for-10.

John R. Finger
ComcastSportsNet.com