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 The Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder went into Tuesday night's
game against the Detroit Tigers hitting just .227 with one
extra-base hit and one RBI in the team's first eight games, but he
came up big when it matter most.
Crawford drove home Chone Figgins with an opposite-field double in
the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Dodgers to a 3-2 win at
Dodger Stadium.
Figgins walked as a pinch hitter, and he was on first base with one
out when Crawford hit a slicing liner to left field off Tigers
reliever Phil Coke. The ball squirted past left fielder Rajai Davis
and went to the fence. Figgins scored easily to win it for the
Dodgers.
"I was just trying to stay short and hit the ball the other way,"
said Crawford, who had three hits in the game, raising his season
average to .296. "(Figgins) can still run. He's old, but he can
still run."
Left-hander J.P. Howell (1-0) pitched a scoreless 10th for the
Dodgers to earn the victory.
"They're all gut-wrenching, there's no loss that is easy," Tigers
manager Brad Ausmus said. "We've had some tight ones through the
first six games, but a loss is a loss. Sometimes when it's a close
game, it makes you look back and think about what you could have
done different."
The Dodgers were one out away from winning the game in the top of
the ninth. They led 2-1, and closer Kenley Jansen struck out third
baseman Miguel Cabrera, the reigning American League MVP, for the
second out of the inning.
However, Tigers first baseman Victor Martinez followed with an RBI
single to center, scoring second baseman Ian Kinsler, who had
doubled to lead off the inning. That tied the score at 2.
"It was a huge hit," Ausmus said. "We had trouble getting the
offense going, but Vic came up big."
Martinez's RBI single took Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer off
the hook. Scherzer was in line to get the loss after giving up two
runs on eight hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out
eight.
Martinez's hit also denied a win for Dodgers starter Dan Haren, who
gave up one run on three hits and one walk in six innings. Dodgers
relievers Chris Withrow (seventh) and Chris Perez (eighth) combined
for two scoreless innings.
"Both starting pitchers pitched very well," Ausmus said. "Max did a
nice job. Unfortunately in the end, we were losers."
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Second baseman Dee Gordon led off the Dodgers' half of the first
inning with a home run, but Detroit center fielder Austin Jackson's
homer in the top of the second tied the game at 1-1.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh. Dodgers center
fielder Matt Kemp led off with a surprising walk against Scherzer.
Before the base on balls, Kemp was 0-for-18 with five strikeouts in
18 career plate appearances against Scherzer.
Third baseman Juan Uribe moved Kemp to third with a double to right.
One out later, pinch hitter Justin Turner's fly ball to center was
deep enough to score Kemp for a 2-1 Dodgers lead.
The winning rally started with a walk that reliever Joba Chamberlain
(0-1) issued to Figgins. Gordon tried to bunt the runner over, but
he popped out instead.
"I got to get that ball down," Gordon said. "I work on bunting too
much not to get that ball on the ground. I pride myself on my
bunting. That just can't happen."
NOTES: Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig was not in the starting lineup for the
second game in a row because of a sore left thumb. Puig injured the
thumb sliding headfirst into first base in Saturday's game against
the San Francisco Giants. Manager Don Mattingly said Puig is
day-to-day. ... Dodgers C A.J. Ellis had arthroscopic surgery to
repair torn cartilage in his left knee. Ellis, who is expected to
miss four to six weeks, injured the knee running the bases Saturday.
He was replaced on the roster by C Tim Federowicz. ... Tigers RF
Torii Hunter left the game in the fifth inning with a knee injury.
In the second inning, Hunter slid into the short wall in foul
territory down the right field line trying to get a fly ball hit by
Federowicz. Hunter's left knee appeared to make hard contact with
the concrete base of the wall, but he initially remained in the
game. Manager Brad Ausmus said he is likely to give Hunter the day
off Wednesday.
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