It's Error-tastic!!!

The ninth's bottom contained the game's only real scare (of sorts) when Takashi Saito's theoretical tune up inning evolved into Chicago batting practice for Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Mark DeRosa.  A pair of runs resulted, along with an uneasy feeling that a monumental collapse could be in the works (remember, the Dodgers play in the same town with a hoops team that blew a 24-point Finals lead against the Celtics). 

After taking over for Saito, Jonathon Broxton goosed the nightmare, putting Felix Pie on first with a poorly pitched free pass, then getting very lucky when a leaping Angel Berroa robbed Giovanny Soto on a hard hit laser.  Frankly, he benefited from a shamrock’s kiss on third strikes generously called against Kosuke Fukodome and Daryle Ward.  But Chicago could hardly complain about getting robbed, the way they turned bricking into an art form.  ”When they make a mistake, you gotta go out there and take advantage of it,” noted Ethier.  “They made a few and we capitalized each time.”

The breakdown is below.   

The Good

• Chad Billingsley: Billingsley began his first career playoff start looking a little too excited- a quick single by Alfonso Soriano, a pitch to Ryan Theriot in the dirt, which allowed Soriano to advance.  But upon getting Theriot go whiff on a wicked rough slider (the same fate that ended Derek Lee's follow up at bat), a groove was reestablished.  The scoreless inning set the tone for a smorgasbord of smoke and nasty sliders fired and rarely touched.  Only in the seventh inning did he begin to wear down, surrendering three of the five hits given up over 6.2 innings.  By and large, dude completely owned the Cubs.  Although in Joe Torre's eyes, it was simply another day at the office.  ”He just went out there and did what he’s done for us so many times this year.  He goes out there and controls the game.”
• Chicago's second inning defense: For the purposes of this breakdown, which revolves around a Dodger objective, this qualifies as "good."  Very good, in fact.  I'd even go so far as to label it damn good.  But all kidding aside, that nonsense on display was Webster's definition of "bad."  If you want to think about it in baseball terms, it wasn't even "Bad News Bears" bad.  It was "the crappy "Bad News Bears" Remake With Billy Bob Thornton" bad.  And mind you, that doesn't even take into account the other two Chicago errors committed later on.  Four in all, with every infielder chipping in once. At least the incompetence was balanced.
• Raffy Furcal: Three hits, with RBI's coming via that textbook drag bunt (which Torre said was entirely his player's idea) and a single through the second base gap.  Given his time away nursing a bad back, it's nice seeing the shortstop gradually look more and more like the guy who often makes these Dodgers a very dynamic and difficult to scheme guy.  "It's a very special moment for me," said Furcal on coming through after such a long absence.
• Hits: A dozen in all.  Save Blake DeWitt, every starter notched at least one.
• Russell Martin: Again, the guy hit a three-run double.
• Cory Wade: Last night saw the rookie get postseason feet wet.  Tonight, Wade entered the fray after Bills gave up Chicago's first score and was handed a men on first and third/two out potential rallying point for a newly energized Cubs team.  Wade calmly induced a Fukodome force out and the DEFCON level dropped back down to a peaceful “5” state. That level didn’t fluctuate during a three up/three down follow up frame.
• Manny's catch in the Ivy:  It's not often that Manny's D gets spotlighted, but after a nice effort all the way inside the foliage to snare Jim Edmonds deep shot to left, we'll break form a bit.  But it's worth noting his work with the stick, which amounted to a pair of hits, runs scored and ribbies, the highlight of which inspired me to introduce a new category...

The "Holy Crap!"

• Manny Ramirez's fifth inning solo shot: At this point, Manny homers have become such a passé event that I now judge them in terms of sheer eye-poppery.  Game one's golf swing jack certainly would qualify.  So did the next day's blast that cleared the centerfield wall by a good 20-30 feet.  At least.  I couldn’t track down an official measurement, but I’m guessing it came out to “redunkulous feet.”  This was your garden variety "video game" home run. 

The Bad

• Takashi Saito: Sammy, just recently back in the pink, hasn't gotten much action of late, which explains why Torre wanted him to work a ninth inning well in hand.  Then again, he hasn't gotten much action of late, which could explain why the three batters he faced all notched hits, adding two more runs on Chicago's board.  Or perhaps it was just the circumstances marking his arrival.  "Part of it could be maybe the 10-1 lead,” theorized Joe Torre.  “He’s just trying to throw strikes, and all of a sudden, bang, bang.  Now you’re trying to gather yourself again.  Hopefully, that’s it.”  In any event, Saito looked fine while warming up, so for the time being, health isn’t suspected as an issue.

The Redeemed

• Matt Kemp: Heading into the seventh he'd already hit into a frame-ending DP in the fifth and went down looking and swinging in two previous attempts.  A guy like Zambrano can make a lot of guys look out of sorts, but having said that, Kemp really looked out of sorts.   Then came a one-out, seventh inning RBI-double to add a seventh L.A. run and, most importantly, avoid landing himself in the "Bad" column (which every Dodger cares about more than any other aspect of his career). Props were also in order for a great near-catch on an Edmonds bomb that required a leap into the center field vines (and, as he reminded me after the game, that brick wall behind it).

The Hosed

• Casey Blake: On a nationally broadcast game, the poor guy was made to look considerably slower than he really is after Zambrano made an unbelievable play to snare Bills' sixth inning bunt and gun down Blake at second.  Turns out, it was unbelievable in every sense.  Blake was not only safe, but by a good foot or so.  Then again, Wade's seventh inning benefited greatly from a second strike called on Fukodome that was about six inches off the plate, so it all evens out in the wash.  In fact, home plate ump Paul Emmel's strike zone was pretty loose all night.  Add in a ball ruled incorrectly foul in the ninth and it wasn’t a banner evening for umpires or crew chiefs.

AUDIO

• Andre Ethier: Download andre_ethier_lacchc_10.2.08.mp3
• Russell Martin: Download russell_martin_10.2.08 LAD-CHC.mp3
• Raffy Furcal 1: Download raffy_furcal_ladchc_10.2.08.mp3
• Raffy Furcal 2:  Download raffy_2_ladchc.mp3
• Casey Blake: Download casey_blake_10.2.08.mp

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