John Ely entered the 10th inning Tuesday with all the confidence that comes with winning the Pacific Coast League’s triple crown of pitching.
After taking the loss in the Dodgers’ 6-3 defeat to the San Diego Padres, Ely said, “hopefully I get a chance to do it again.”
The 26-year-old right-hander who once spawned something called “Elymania” has a 13.50 earned-run average one game into his 2012 season. He allowed a leadoff single to Yonder Alonso and got burned on a bunt single by Everth Cabrera; both runners advanced a base when Dodgers third baseman Luis Cruz’s throw to first hit Cabrera in the back and trickled into right field.
Alexi Amarista grounded out and Ely intentionally walked Will Venable to load the bases for Logan Forsythe. Ely got ahead 1-2 but left a fastball over the plate and Forsythe lined a two-RBI single into center field.
“It’s one of those things — call it a bad break, call it whatever you want — I’ve still got to make pitches after that,” Ely said. “I kept one, one or two, up in the zone. Big league hitters will make you pay for that.”
Chase Headley, named the NL’s player of the month for August earlier in the day, added an insurance run on an RBI single that scored Venable.
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