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| Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, of Japan, throws to the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) |
SAN FRANCISCO -- Hiroki Kuroda is back in his groove and Casey Blake, too. That does a whole lot for the Dodgers' confidence during the stretch run.
So does a rout of the archrival Giants in September.
Kuroda dodged the barrel of a broken bat that flew in his direction and retired 19 straight during one stretch, Blake homered and Los Angeles matched its 2008 win total by beating San Francisco 10-3 on Friday night.
The Dodgers (84-58) maintained a two-game division lead over Colorado, which rallied to win at San Diego. The Rockies extended their NL wild-card lead to 5 1/2 games over the Giants.
"Any time you come in here and win like that it's big for our confidence," Blake said. "We can't control what Colorado's doing."
Kuroda (6-6), making just his second start since missing three weeks after sustaining a concussion Aug. 15 when hit in the head by a line drive, quickly ducked out of the way and off the mound when Matt Cain's bat splintered on his third-inning groundout and sailed onto the dirt past second base. That had to be a frightening moment for the right-hander, who gave up two hits to start the second then got 19 straight outs before John Bowker's one-out triple in the eighth.
"At first I didn't know if it was a ball or bat coming at me," Kuroda said through an interpreter. "Since I got a ball hit at my head, I didn't think a bat could get there that fast. If I get hit by a bat, I think I'm going to retire."
Blake returned to the lineup following a five-game absence with a hamstring injury and hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and James Loney drove in three runs for the first-place Dodgers, who won for the third time in four games.
Kuroda is showing the kind of form that made him so good down the stretch last year, when he also won a game in the NL division series against the Cubs.
"This year I had to go through a lot," he said. "I had to go on the disabled list twice and got hit in the head for the first time in 13 years. ... I was able to keep a really good rhythm this game, close to what I had last year. Of course I would like to finish as strong as I did last year."
He struck out five and didn't walk a batter in eight efficient innings to win for the third time in his last four decisions, bouncing back from a loss to San Diego on Sept. 6. He threw 86 pitches, 55 strikes.
Phillies 4, Mets 2
At Philadelphia, Cole Hamels pitched 6 2-3 effective innings, a new-look bullpen got the last seven outs and the Phillies beat the Mets.
Jimmy Rollins and Pedro Feliz had RBI singles and Shane Victorino hit a career-high three doubles for the NL East-leading Phillies, who entered with a five-game lead over Florida.
Hamels (9-9) allowed one run and seven hits, striking out six.
Chan Ho Park retired David Wright with the tying run on second in the seventh. Brett Myers needed just six pitches to get through an easy eighth. Ryan Madson finished for his seventh save in 12 chances after giving up one run.
Rockies 4, Padres 1
At San Diego, Yorvit Torrealba hit a three-run double in the ninth inning off closer Heath Bell to lift the Rockies.
Torrealba's bases-loaded hit into the left-center field gap allowed the Rockies to pull out a comeback win and stay two games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West.
Braves 1, Cardinals 0
At St. Louis, Jair Jurrjens worked eight scoreless innings, overcoming another light offensive showing behind him in the Braves' victory.
Albert Pujols had a forgettable game for St. Louis, committing two fielding errors at first base while going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and no balls out of the infield against the 23-year-old right-hander. The NL Central leaders lost for the first time in 17 games on a day when the second-place Cubs also won, shaving their formidable lead to 10 1/2 games.
Astros 9, Pirates 1
At Houston, Carlos Lee hit a three-run homer, Lance Berkman added a solo shot and the Astros beat the Pirates.
Kaz Matsui drove in two runs and Bud Norris struck out seven in six innings for the Astros, who've won 11 of their last 15 home games.
Norris (5-3) allowed six hits and won for the second straight time after three consecutive losses.
Cubs 6, Reds 4
At Chicago, Geovany Soto homered for the first time since July 10, and the Cubs beat the Reds for their first four-game winning streak in nearly two months.
Aramis Ramirez rebounded from a poor trip to go 3 for 3 with three RBIs for the Cubs. Chicago had not won four in a row since taking five straight from Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Houston from July 22-27.
Nationals 5, Marlins 3
Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman homered and the Washington Nationals won in Miami for the first time this year.
Pinch-hitter Mike Morse broke a tie in the sixth inning with a two-out, two-run double for the Nationals, who had lost their six previous games at Florida this year. Mike MacDougal got the final five outs, completing a five-hitter for his 15th save in 16 chances.
Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 3
At Phoenix, Ryan Braun homered, doubled and drove in three runs to help the Brewers breakout of a week-long hitting slump.
Braun hit a two-run line drive homer down the right-field line in the first inning off Doug Davis (7-13) and doubled in Mike Cameron in the third. It was Braun's 29th homer of the season and 100th of his career.
Casey McGehee singled in the first and third innings and doubled in the fifth, driving in Braun in the third as the Brewers took a 5-0 lead.
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