Last Play: T. Tulowitzki homered to deep center, T. Helton scored
4-1
M. Ramirez struck out swinging
3 times in a row
I think rockies starter owns him
he has 9 ks tonight so far
3 against manny
Last Play: T. Tulowitzki homered to deep center, T. Helton scored
4-1
R. Martin homered to deep right
A. Ethier singled to shallow left, C. Hu scored, R. Furcal to second
4-3
Last Play: M. Ramirez struck out swinging
with someone on first and second and one out
failing to move players over
not a productive out
what a CLUTCH PLAYER!
Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Colorado
- Y. Torrealba doubled to deep right center, D. Fowler and T. Tulowitzki scored, G. Atkins to third
Bot 3rd: LA Dodgers
- O. Hudson scored, R. Furcal to third, A. Ethier to second on wild pitch
Top 7th: Colorado
- T. Tulowitzki homered to deep center, T. Helton scored
Bot 7th: LA Dodgers
- R. Martin homered to deep right
- A. Ethier singled to shallow left, C. Hu scored, R. Furcal to second
4-3 rockies win
they win tomorrow
who wins sunday wins the divsion!
Dodger doldrums start with Ramirez
By Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports
7 hours, 21 minutes ago
Printable View
Return to Original Buzz up! 4 PrintLOS ANGELES – Dreads on his head, dread in the heads of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny Ramirez(notes) can’t hit and the Dodgers can’t win.
Yes, they’ve already clinched a playoff berth, even if the NL West crown continues to be maddeningly elusive. No, they won’t last long at this rate. Not with Ramirez morphing from baseball’s best hitter to its biggest rally killer. He struck out four times Friday night in a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies, who trail the Dodgers by one game with two to play.
Ramirez swung and missed at fastballs, curveballs and changeups. Especially fastballs. He came to the plate with six runners on base, five in scoring position. Fans exhorted him to deliver, standing and screaming in Mannywood. Manny wouldn’t.
By the third punchout, fans booed him lustily. He has struck out in his last seven official at-bats over three games, and the Dodgers’ losing streak is at five. They could have taken the West by winning any of those games.
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Related CoverageDodgers lose 4-3 Playoff scenarios Not that Ramirez is openly concerned. “I don’t control [the fans],” he said, sitting back in a chair in front of his locker, batting away questions far more effectively than he did pitches.
“My confidence is always up. I’m one of the best hitters. All you have to do is check my police report and see that I’m still a good hitter.”
The baseball police might have ticketed him in the third inning – Ramirez was unaware of the count. After swinging through a curveball by Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) for strike three, he loitered near the batter’s box, pushed his helmet down on his head, adjusted his elbow pad, took a deep breath … and heard the umpire say something to the effect of, “You only get three in this league.”
“That was funny,” Jimenez said.
Maybe Ramirez was flabbergasted that the Rockies were pitching to him at all. The at-bat began with the bases loaded, but Jimenez uncorked a wild pitch and the runners advanced, leaving first base open. Until recently, Ramirez – who has more grand slams in his career, 21, than any player except Lou Gehrig – would have been walked intentionally.
But Jim Tracy, who has led Colorado to a record of 74-40 since replacing Clint Hurdle as manager, is well aware that for three months Ramirez routinely has been blown away by hard-throwing pitchers such as Jimenez.
“Manny is living on soft stuff, that’s all he can get around on,” said a scout for a team the Dodgers might meet in the playoffs. “Guys who wouldn’t have dreamed of challenging him in the past are going right at him with fastballs.”
Guys like Rafael Betancourt(notes), who struck out Ramirez with one out and two on in the seventh. Jimenez, who owns one of the league’s liveliest arms, got him three times.
“You can’t throw him too many breaking balls,” Jimenez said. “I located my fastball good against him. I was throwing hard.”
The Dodgers tried to execute the same game plan they used to defeat the occasionally wild Jimenez three times this season – get ahead in the count, take walks, and deliver hits with runners in scoring position when he is forced to groove pitches. Jimenez walked four and threw 115 pitches in six innings, but the Dodgers managed only two hits against him.
One hit from Ramirez could have changed the outcome. Champagne would have flowed in the Dodgers clubhouse. The Rockies would have talked about how all they cared about was making the playoffs, that the wild card was fine. Instead, they have the NL West le in their sights.
Don’t think Tracy doesn’t want it. He said before the game that a division le would be “something that’s never been done in the history of the game.” The Rockies’ media staff was incredulous. What could he possibly be referring to? A couple of hours of intensive research later, the answer: No team has won a le after trailing by more than 15 games. The Rockies were 15˝ games back of the Dodgers on June 3.
“We aren’t going away,” Tracy said. “It’s a lot more fun to come out here knowing something is at stake.”
The Dodgers also know what’s at stake, but they aren’t having fun. A huge question mark clouds their playoff hopes, a hulking, 37-year-old dreadlocked question mark. Can Ramirez turn it around by Wednesday, when the Dodgers open against the St. Louis Cardinals or Philadelphia Phillies?
“All I can do is write his name in the lineup, pat him on the back and expect better things to happen,” manager Joe Torre said. “We’re committed to him. He’s done tremendous things in the postseason.”
Ramirez is the all-time leader with 28 postseason home runs, and his 74 postseason RBIs rank second. But doubts linger. Presumably he no longer is taking whatever caused his testosterone level to e before his suspension. Manny is mortal.
“When you get suspended, there is a whole lot of stuff that people say,” Torre said. “Fair or not.”
Ramirez joked his way out of the clubhouse, reporters trailing him to the door. What about the strikeouts? What about not knowing the count? He took one more half-hearted swing as he stepped out the door.
“That’s all in the past,” he said. “It’s over. We’ll all come back [Saturday] and try again.”
Steve Henson is the MLB editor for Yahoo! Sports.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...e=lgns&print=1
artcile was scout says this throw manny fastballs
without steriods he is useless![]()
Last Play: M. Ramirez lined out to right
with runner on third
CLUTCH HIM AGAIN MANNY
M. Ramirez struck out looking
with J. Pierre on second
he is 0-7 against rockies
with 5 stickouts
what a clutch player
dodgers 1- rockies 0
4-0
2 out manny up
5-0
manny finnally got a hit
next season rockies has tracy all year
but rockies are still in the playoffs
you have to prop rockies for making it close they were 15.5 out
Dodges win it!!! Yeah baby!!!! Bring on those got Cardinals!!!!! the Rockies!!!
Give Kershaw a year or two to develop his slider and change and this guys going to absolutely dominate by the time he's 23, 24. He's 21 right now and has just two pitches and still goes out there and makes some of the best offensive teams look silly. I sure wouldn't mind this guy pulling a Hamels and dominating in the post season this year![]()
Rockies can Rocktober their ass outta the 1st rd.
Again?. The Dodgers are the ones who look like they're in some serious trouble heading into the Playoffs...I mean it only took them a week to clinch!
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Yeah cause the Sox sure look good going into the playoffs... NOT! The Dodgers manned up and got the job done. Bring on the Cards!
Our hitting is just fine and our 1-2-3 pitchers look pretty good...Lester gave up 0 runs 2 nights ago, Beckett is still clutch when it counts, and Bucholz or Matsuzaka will be just enough to get it done...![]()
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