Game 128: Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks 7:9, 15 innings

If we are going to lose, we should do it in nine innings, not fifteen. Not only do we get the loss, but we wear out our bullpen on these marathon nights. After five hours and six minutes of playing the greatest game on earth, the Dodgers finally got the game over with. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't favorable.

The Dodgers lost their fourth straight, but maintained a one-game lead in the NL West over the San Diego Padres. Arizona snapped a four-game skid and is only three back.

J.D. Drew hit a pair of homers to drive in three runs, then singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eleventh inning to put the Dodgers up 7-6. He narrowly missed a third home run with a shot to the left field wall in the 14th. But the Diamondbacks tied it with their third unearned run of the game in their half of the 11th as Los Angeles closer Takashi Saito blew a save for only the second time 16 tries.

Rafael Furcal led off the Dodgers' eleventh with a single, then stole second -- his 31st stolen base of the season. He scored when Drew singled to right. Saito walked Conor Jackson to start Arizona's eleventh. First baseman Nomar Garciaparra couldn't handle third baseman Wilson Betemit's throw on Stephen Drew's sacrifice bunt for an error. Jackson went to third on the play, then scored on Carlos Quentin's sacrifice fly to tie it at 7-7.

"That was a great game out there tonight," Dodgers manager
Grady Little said. "We made a couple of mistakes defensively,
but we came out of the gates swinging. It was just one
of those nights where we needed to score a few more
than we did."

No, Grady. Seven runs should be enough to win a game. The onus of this game goes to the pitching. For the first time in a while, the offense did their job.

Arizona loaded the bases with one out in the thirteenth and fourteenth, but couldn't score.

J.D. Drew's homers, both with two outs, helped the Dodgers take a 6-3 lead after four innings, but the Diamondbacks rallied to tie it with single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth to deny Greg Maddux his 330th career victory. Maddux, who got a no decision, is a miserable 1-9 lifetime against Arizona. He allowed four runs, two earned, on 10 hits in five innings. He said he had no idea why he struggles so much against the Diamondbacks.

"I guess they just match up good against me, I don't know,"

he said, "but I didn't pitch very good tonight."

Luis Gonzalez, who didn't whine, piss or moan this game, doubled twice for Arizona to give him 540 for his career, tied for 23rd with Joe Medwick and Dave Winfield on the career list.

Drew hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run shot in the third, both off Claudio Vargas, for his eleventh career multi-homer game and second this season, both at Chase Field. Russell Martin, 1-for-21 on the road trip up to that point, also homered for the Dodgers.

Random observations:

1) Maddux failed to strike out a batter in his shortest outing since June 4 against St. Louis. Hopefully this got his bad outing out of his system so he can focus on his winning ways.

2) Drew, upon hitting his fourteenth home run of the season, is showing signs of life. Was this his break out game? Maybe the Drew we all expect to do big things is finally ready to live up to his expectations.

3) The Dodgers are just 1-7 in extra-inning games this season. They really need to learn how to win in extra innings.