Dee Gordon can be, just look at what he did tonight. He helped to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers (3-0) to a 6-5 extra-inning win against the San Diego Padres (0-3).Gordon went 3-for-4 with two walks, three stolen bases and the game-winning RBI.
Gordon led off the game with a single and promptly stole second. He was advanced by a Mark Ellis ground ball before Matt Kemp brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
The Dodgers struck for three runs in the third behind the legs of Gordon, who walked with two outs. Padres' starter Dustin Moseley went ran the count full for Ellis, who walked. Why did he walk? Moseley inexplicably threw him a 3-2 curveball ahead of Kemp that missed the zone. Far be it for me to complain, but it was a curious pitch selection at best.
Kemp would drive in Gordon with a 42-hopper through the center of the diamond for a 2-0 lead. Andre Ethier chimed in on the next pitch, ripping a 2-run double to center field to make it 4-0 Dodgers.
A.J. Ellis got into the party in the fourth, as he smacked a legitimate solo home run to left.
The Dodgers led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Chris Capuano cruised through four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. He struck out Orlando Hudson to start, but then gave up a hit to Jason Bartlett, walked pinch-hitter Kyle Blanks and walked Chris Denorfia.
He started to nibble around the corners and stopped attacking hitters, like he did in the first four innings. The result: a quick hook from manager Don Mattingly after Capuano walked Chase Headley to force in a run.
Capuano finished his Dodger debut with an ugly line: 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R (all earned), 5 BB, 4 K.
Jamey Wright relieved him and promptly walked Jesus Guzman and Nick Hundley on eight pitches.
Scott Elbert came in and threw a wild pitch on his first throw of the season, allowing another run to score. He got the count to 1-2 against Yonder Alonso before Elbert didn't finish his slider and hit Alonso in the back. Elbert also gave up an RBI single to Orlando Hudson to tie up the game. Hundley was ultimately tagged out in a rundown to end the inning.
The sixth, seventh and eighth innings were relatively quite. Kenley Jansen pitched the eighth and struck out two. He pitched the ninth as well and got the Padres out 1-2-3.
Ellis, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks, led off the 11th inning with a single to center. He was sacrificed to second by Justin Sellers. After Juan Rivera swung at the first pitch and popped it up, Gordon singled to right field to give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead. He also stole his third base of the night following the would-be game-winning RBI.
Javy Guerra came in to close the game out in the 11th, but not before making it interesting by allowing a walk and the potential game-tying run to reach second base with one out. He struck out Cameron Maybin and got Denorfia to ground out to end the game.
Aaron Harang takes on Clayton Richard tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
Minor league update
Triple-A - Isotopes lost 5-0
Albuquerque's season hasn't exactly started as planned. The team has dropped two of its first three games this season. Stephen Fife started, but he lasted just 1 1/3 innings. He gave up six hits, five runs (one earned), walked two and struck out three. That's all the scoring Omaha would need.
The 'Topes were blanked for the first time this season. Alex Castellanos, Jerry Sands and Tim Federowicz all went hitless on the evening. Scott Van Slyke went 1-for-3 with a walk, as did Josh Fields. But that was all the Isotopes could muster against Nathan Adcock.
Double-A - Lookouts won 10-2
The Lookouts appeared well on their way to a third consecutive loss, but a 9-run sixth inning catapulted them to an easy 10-2 victory.
Nick Buss led the charge by going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Kyle Russell went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. J.T. Wise went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs. Jake Lemmerman also had two hits (2-for-3) with a double, run and RBI. Blake Smith and Gorman Erickson each chipped in with a hit.
Aaron Miller got the start for the Lookouts, but he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, one run, one walk and struck out three. Red Patterson picked up Miller -- and the win -- by going 3 1/3 innings in relief, allowing three hits, one run, walked one and struck out four. Shawn Tolleson picked up where he left off in 2011 as he struck out two in his inning of work.
High-A - Quakes won 5-4
Garrett Gould made his California League debut. Despite giving up a 3-run home run in the second inning to some guy name Jett Bandy (I know, sounds made up), he threw the ball well: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K. Scott McGough relieved him and struck out two in first inning of work. He got a little shaky in his second inning, giving up a run on one hit, one walk and a balk. Logan Bawcom threw a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, striking out three, to pick up his first save of the season.
Leon Landry, who started in left field instead of center field for some mysterious reason, was 0-for-2 with a strikeout at publishing time. Christopher O'Brien singled in the Quakes' first run. Tyler Henson belted a 2-run home run in the sixth ahead of a 2-run triple by Tony Delmonico, giving the Quakes a 5-3 lead.
Low-A - Loons lost 4-2 and 4-3
The Loons played a doubleheader today, dropping both contests 4-2 and 4-3. Brandon Martinez started Game 1 and gave up five hits and three runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out three. There wasn't much offense to speak of.
In Game 2, Scott Schebler drove in a run with a double in the first inning. Yimi Garcia relieved starter Matt Laney (5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K) by going two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, walking two and striking out three. Ryan O'Sullivan made his Loons' debut and took loss by giving up one run in 1/3 of an inning. He walked one and struck out one.
The offense for Great Lakes is struggling, and it's probably not going to get much better until guys like Joc Pederson and O'Koyea Dickson arrive.
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The Dodgers released Carlos Monasterios today, Ken Gurnick reported. Since pitching 32 games for them in 2010, he's undergone two elbow surgeries, including Tommy John surgery. His career might be in jeopardy at this point.
Photo credit: bridgetds (Flickr), UC International (Wikimedia)
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