Deep Blue

The Dodgers were sinking like bricks in the NL West behind a 5 game losing skid. Worse yet, they were facing one of the hottest teams in baseball and a team that was outscoring them by more than 2 runs a game! Not a good combination at all.

With all of that working against them, LA was far from being a lame duck. They boasted two of the hottest hitters on the planet, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Andre the giant entered the game with a 13 game hitting streak and left it with a Major League leading 14 game streak and a sizzling .374 average.

Matt, well... I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? We'll get to him soon enough. The fact is that the Dodgers' losing streak was more the cause of untimely hitting and pitching than anything else. One missed opportunity at the dish here, a bad pitch there and the next thing you know you're looking up from the bottom of the NL West wondering.. what the heck just happened? So, the easiest fix...? Hold the opposition down.

Enter Chad Billingsley who did just that. In fact, both starting pitchers did just that - no runs through 8 innings in a Chavez Ravine scrapper. When Billinglsey left in the 9th, Broxton was tabbed with a tough task of taking out the heart of St. Louis' lineup. He failed when Matt Holliday scorched a two out double to right center and then scored on a bloop off the bat of blazing hot David Freese. And the air went out of Dodger stadium. Cards 1.. LA nada. Here we go again was written on every face. .

Except Andre's... and Matt's. With their backs against the wall again, LA bucked up and took charge in the bottom half of the 9th. Ethier smashed a double into the right field corner to extend his League best hitting streak and breathe a touch of life into the listless crowd.

The buzz around the stadium began as Kemp walked to the plate. Most people were probably wondering why a HOF manager like LaRussa would even pitch to Matt in this situation. First base was open. Kemp is the hottest hitter in the Majors AND he had taken closer Ryan Franklin deep a few days before. But.. who are we to 2nd guess ; )

A few pitches later Chavez Ravine erupted when Kemp blasted a moon shot out to center field and snuffed out that 5 game losing streak. Our YH is hitting an unworldly .474 and grinning from ear to ear as he rounded third base with the winning run. Way to go Matty!

And for baseball.. it simply capped off a week of Wild and Whacky Walk Offs! Check 'em out Here!