For whatever reason, I’m going to liveblog tonight instead of doing actual work.
Lineups for tonight:
Rockies
- Scott Podsednik CF
- Seth Smith RF
- Ryan Spilborghs LF
- Todd Helton 1B
- Garrett Atkins 3B
- Ian Stewart 2B
- Yorvit Torrealba C
- Omar Quintanilla SS
- Jeff Francis P
Dodgers
- Juan Pierre LF
- Matt Kemp CF
- Jeff Kent 2B
- Russ Martin C
- James Loney 1B
- Delwyn Young RF
- Blake Dewitt 3B
- Chin Lung Hu SS
- Brad Penny
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7:20 p.m. After getting Podsednik to fly out and Smith to strike out, Brad Penny struck out Todd Helton with a wicked curve that dropped through the zone. He walked off the field cursing, so we can only imagine he’s pumped. Vin Scully repeats that Penny didn’t look comfortable on the mound, but that’s nothing new.
7:23 p.m. Pierre leads off with a double, gotta like it.
7:25 p.m. Pierre gets picked off. Damn it. Doesn’t really make sense why you think of stealing third base when you lead off the inning with a double, but he was probably following orders. Hurts all the more now that Kent singles, but chances are the Dodgers will get more opportunities to hurt the Rockies in this game, especially since Francis isn’t looking sharp.
7:32 p.m. Penny walks Ian Stewart on four straight pitches. This is another one of those games where its a blessing that the other team is impatient. With Atkins’ .027 ISOD (.338 OPB, .311 AVG), he’ll likely make several outs during this series that could have extended the inning (note: he’s their power hitter in the lineup with Holliday on the DL).
7:36 p.m. Damn fine double play by Kent and Hu. If Kent had any range, that would have looked more routine, though.
7:38 p.m. Seriously, look at that replay. That groundball (on the double play) to Kent was about 10 feet to his left. 40-year-olds shouldn’t be playing second base.
7:42 p.m. That was quick. Loney, Young and Dewitt go down 1-2-3. 0-0 after two innings.
7:48 p.m. Damn it! Penny balks? Scully keeps pointing out that Penny looks uncomfortable, I wonder why?
7:49 p.m. Scully says Podsednik’s 3-2 count is Penny’s third 3-ball at-bat of the game. We’re barely even into the third inning. Note that two of Penny’s fastballs hit the dirt well before the plate.
7:51 p.m. Podsednik hits a sac fly, Quintanilla scores thanks to the balk.
7:54 p.m. Penny walks another batter. That’s three.
7:57 p.m. Aaaaand another run scores. The inning ends mercifully on an Atkins fly ball. Rockies lead 2-0 after two and a half.
8:03 p.m. Something is really wrong with Penny. This isn’t like normal control problems, this is a real problem of sorts. He’s all over the place, he looks confused at times, and now that he’s at the plate, he looks a little distracted. He used to put down bunts pretty easily and it looked like he didn’t even try on that attempt. He’s also moving his backfoot as he swings, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do, but maybe I’m just becoming aware of it now.
8:13 p.m. Penny fans Stewart, further confusing everyone. Penny looked OK in the fourth, if not a little shaky. I really wish I knew what was going on.
8:23 p.m. Loney strikes out looking. Nothing new, I suppose, but it’s clear he’s not brimming with confidence at the plate. And now maybe he’s unsure of his own eye.
8:25 p.m. Young gets a two-out double. Dodgers still down 2-0 in the fourth, fyi.
8:31 p.m. Dewitt walked and Hu popped out for the final outs of the inning. Five left on base for the Dodgers now.
8:35 p.m. Penny made 77 pitches in the first three innings and 12 in the fourth. Fifth is not looking so good.
8:39 p.m. Penny about to walk Helton, 3-0 count with runners on first and second and 1 out.
8:40 p.m. Penny walks Helton. 
8:41 p.m. Penny’s pitch count by inning:
- 19
- 18
- 28
- 12
- 15 (so far)
Atkins steps up to the plate, swings on the first pitch and flies out. Penny thanks him.
(Edit: he finished with 20 pitches in the inning).
8:43 p.m. Have no doubt that Atkins is a good player, but when you walk so rarely and you’re a power hitter, you’re not doing it right.
8:44 p.m. Penny strikes out Stewart, though Martin held his glove high in the zone and Penny threw it at Stewart’s ankles. Control problems, ahoy!
8:51 p.m. Francis pitches another quick 1-2-3 inning
Penny has pitched 97 pitches through five innings, 81 for Francis. Francis is outpitching Penny by a wide margin.
8:52 p.m. Yorvit Torrealba doubled, Penny has thrown too many pitches in this inning already. 111 pitches after getting Francis out.
9:01 p.m. Penny gets Podsednik to ground out, ends the inning. He’s officially thrown 116 pitches in this game.
I take back what I said at 8:52, imaginary reader, about him having thrown too many pitches. Penny’s in his prime and can be depended upon to pitch more than 100 in a game. It’s cool he got through six innings, but jeez, I’d rather see him throw 116 pitches in a good, eight or nine-inning performance than in six.
9:08 p.m. Martin looks pretty good with that beard; very full, with sharp, crisp lines from ear to the edge of his mouth.
Martin flies out to right.
9:10 p.m. Francis really has been pitching a great game. He’s only through six, but four base hits, two walks and five strike outs is a little impressive for a guy who’s been absolutely terrible. He’s really making Loney look terrible.
9:12 p.m. Beimel comes in to relieve Penny. Taveras gets a single past Kent; Kent again with no range.
9:13 p.m. Beimel with the pick pick off! Nice!
9:17 p.m. Beimel gets Spilborghs right away. Beimel is awesome, and if you disagree, you’re wrong. Proctor coming in to face Atkins. (Proctor gets him out).
9:30 p.m. Nothing doing. Rockies still up 2-0, going into the eighth inning.
9:40 p.m. Corey Wade is pretty good, I really like this kid. A perfect inning with two flyouts to center on about 15 pitches.
This game is pretty much wrapped up. Buchholz is in (he’s been pretty good this year!) and Fuentes after that. Hopefully the Dodgers can pull something together in the eighth right now with the top of the lineup, but things are looking bleak.
10:20 p.m. So that was interesting. Semi brawl started when Kemp was “Hard tagged” by Torrealba on a strike three in the dirt, Kemp pushed him, Torrealba pushed/punched back, Kemp wraps up Torrealba in a headlock and takes him down and then everyone swarms onto the field, though it was kinda tame.
Kemp then spent about five minutes walking around the infield angrily while Pierre held him back.
Then Chris Iannetta came in and smacked a home run to left field and the Rockies won 3-0.
That’s the game. A little disappointing, though it’s nice to see some fire from Kemp every now and again.
More reports tomorrow.
