Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Detroit Tigers 6-1 - MLB Update
The National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers overpowered the Detroit Tigers 6-1 in the second straight outing of the three-game interleague series at the Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 21.
After blanking the Tigers 4-0 in the first game, the Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly was optimistic about tying his season-high winning streak of three games for the fourth time. With some brilliant performance by starter Chad Billingsley, Mattingly now has
achieved this mark.
Billingsley allowed only run in the fourth inning. Besides this, he did not allow any run over his complete five innings. Billingsley also gave six hits, walked two while striking-out six batters to earn his sixth win of the season. After two consecutive
losses, the 26-year-old right-hand pitcher got this win to improve his record to 6-6 with 4.48 ERA after 16 starts.
"It was a step forward," Billingsley said. "The main thing is that I was throwing my breaking ball for a strike, and I was able to bounce it when I needed to keep the hitters off balance."
His relievers Mike MacDougal, Matt Guerrier, Hong-Chih Kou and closer Blake Hawksworth followed a brilliant path and did not allow any run over their small one innings spell except MacDougal, who tossed just less than a full inning.
The batters, on the other, posted six important runs one each in the second and the fourth while two each in the fifth and sixth inning. Andrew James Ellis opened the game with an RBI single in the second inning and Tony Gwynn stroked an RBI single in the
fourth. The Dodgers were leading 2-1 before the start of the bottom of the fifth inning when Andre Ethier launched a striking 412-feet long two-run homer to take it to 4-1.
In the sixth inning, Trent Oeltjen made an RBI double and Dee Gordon scored a line drive single to take it to 6-1, which then remained there until the Dodgers finalised their 34th win.
The Dodgers made all of their six runs against the Tigers’ starter Max Scherzer, who with nine wins holds the position among the best pitchers of this season. Besides this, he allowed nine hits, walked two and struck-out three batters to bear his third loss
of the season after four consecutive wins.
"The thing I didn't do tonight was close out innings and keep it where it was," Scherzer said. "I left some pitches up in the zone, made some mistakes on 0-2 counts and gave them pitches to hit -- when I needed to throw my best pitch."
Relievers’ Purcey and closer Daniel Schlereth each allowed a pair of walks but did not go for any run over two thirds of an inning and one inning respectively.
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