Dodgers 5, White Sox 0
Eric Stults becomes the second Dodgers pitcher, and arguably the least likely, to throw a complete-game shutout this month, this year or in any of the past three years, and he was dazzling. He held the Sox to four hits and allowed only two runners to get as far as second base. Torre intended to take him out after eight innings, going so far as to shake his hand and tell him he was done, but Russell Martin pled Stults' case to Torre, and Torre agreed to let him start the ninth and take it batter by batter. So I'm sure he was cutting it close when he started the first batter, Carlos Quentin, off 3-0. But Quentin eventually flied to deep center, and Stults wound up pitching a perfect inning. He threw 116 pitches, an incredible 81 of them for strikes. In case you forgot, Kuroda had the other shutout, on June 6 against the Cubs. It was also a four-hitter. ... The boys go to 36-41 and move within three games of the Snakes, who are now just one game above .500 at 40-39. What a division. ... See ya bright and early.
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About Inside the Dodgers
Tony Jackson has covered the Dodgers for
the Daily News since 2004 and has covered Major League Baseball on a
regular basis since 1995. He previously covered the Colorado Rockies
and Cincinnati Reds. He is a native of Springdale, Ark., and a graduate
of the University of Arkansas.
All I can say is WOW!! Do you think he just earned a spot to stick around a while? I've not seen a Dodger pitcher locate so many different pitches for strikes... mixing his speeds... and POUNDING the strike zone... since... I can't remember!! It's been a long, long time! And 81 of them for strikes??? Good gosh... I hope Kershaw was paying attention to this masterpiece.
Stults' performance underscores how stunningly stupid the Loaiza signing was. The Dodgers already had guys in the minor leagues capable of putting up just as good, if not better, pitching performances at a small fraction of the $8 million they are paying Loaiza to sit at home.
PS: Although I called it a "signing" I realize they claimed Loaiza off waivers from Oakland, therefore absorbing his contract. The point still stands though.
Denton, do you think Stults can win 511 games in his career?
I'd be happy with 6 the rest of the season, enough to give him the team lead at this point!