Sox Fall Short in Series Opener With Dodgers
June 23rd, 2009 | by kletus25 |06/23/08 – Los Angeles Dodgers 5; Chicago White Sox 2
Hiroki Kuroda had one of his, if not the, best starts of this season. Kuroda (2-3; 3.44 ERA) pitched 8 2/3 strong innings, striking out 9 and giving up only two runs. It was the first time all season that he had pitched more than 6 innings in any of his starts. He kept that ball down and his only real mistake was the pitch that Paul Korenko put in to the left field bleachers in the bottom of the second. He had at least 5 1-2-3 innings.
The scoring started in the top half of the first when Orlando Hudson hit a one out ground rule double to plate Rafael Furcal from second. The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead when James Lomey to a John Danks (5-6; 4.43 ERA) offering into the bleachers for his 5th homer of the season plating Matt Kemp. The White Sox got on the score board when Paul Konerko hit his 10th home rum of the season. The White Sox seems to stay in the game until the top of the 8th when Manager Ozzie Guillen was ejected by home plate umpire Joe West for aruging balls and strikes when a 1-2 2 out pitch by Matt Thornton to Orlando Hudson was called for ball two. Hudson later walked. Casey Blake proceded to hit a 2-out, 2-run single off of Octavio Dotel. The Sox would put a 2nd run on the board in the 9th when Jermaine Dye hit a two-out single to score Alexei Ramirez. That would spell the end for Huroda and Johathan Broxton would come in to the game to strike out Jim Thome to end the game to record his 18th save of the year.
John Danks would pitch seven inning giving up three runs on three hits, striking out 5 while waking two for the loss.
The game seem to change in the eighth inning when Thornton came in for Danks and and then unraveled when Guillen was tossed.
There were some great defensive plays in the game. When Matt Kemp made a juggling catch in right center in the 6th. Also, White Sox 3B Gordon Beckham made a great diving catch on a pop-up bunt by Juan Pierre in the 8th.
The Dodgers have a Major League best 47-24 record while the White Sox fall to 33-37, six games back of the Detroit Tigers, who had a walk-off 2-run homer by Ryan Raburn off of Cubs Closer Kevin Gregg.
Game 2 of this three game set will be tomorrow at 7:11 PM CST first pitch. The Dodgers will be having LHP Radny Wolf toe the rubber against White Sox RHP Gavin Floyd.
