Ethier's big swings rally Dodgers past Giants
Los Angeles welcomed back Nomar Garciaparra and Andruw Jones from the disabled list with an impressive win against its archrival.
Andre Ethier homered and hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth, Derek Lowe won for the first time in three starts and the Dodgers rallied to beat the Giants 10-7 on Friday for their fourth straight victory in their first visit of the season to San Francisco.
"It was a sloppy game. We were lucky to win. We made too many mistakes," Torre said. "I'll take it though. ... Derek didn't have his best day but he battled and kept us close."
Just when it looked as if San Francisco starter Jonathan Sanchez was headed for another win, rookie reliever Osiris Matos (0-1) allowed five unearned runs in the sixth. Left fielder Fred Lewis made a costly mistake when he dropped a routine line drive by Garciaparra to start the inning. Pinch-hitter Delwyn Young hit a tying RBI single two batters later and, one out later, Ethier began a stretch of three straight doubles that scored runs.
"Just a mistake. Just an error," Lewis said. "It cost us the game."
Neither Keiichi Yabu (sore shoulder) nor Tyler Walker (right thigh) were available out of the Giants' bullpen, so manager Bruce Bochy opted to stick with Matos.
"Matos was throwing the ball well. He had some bad luck," Bochy said. "You look back and wish you'd done something a little different. Believe me, I look back."
Los Angeles had nine extra-base hits to help Lowe's cause — getting two doubles and two RBIs by Garciaparra in his first game since late April because of a left calf injury.
The Dodgers rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the opener of a series that's important for both teams leading up to the All-Star break, with every club in the NL West still in contention.
"I got to turn a double play. It was nice to get that out of the way," Garciaparra said. "I'm not trying to hold back. I want to do what I can. This is the most innings I've played in two months. Go out there, play shortstop. It's not weird but I haven't been there in a while.
"I'm seeing the game from a different angle but it felt like a familiar place. The more you keep playing, the more you learn. This division is still up for grabs."
Lowe (6-8) went five innings for the decision, and Takashi Saito worked the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances.
Lewis had more trouble in left in the seventh, but the ball glanced off his glove and center fielder Aaron Rowand was there to make the barehanded catch for a quirky putout scored 7-8.
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Go Dodgers...Think Blue...You can win the division!
Go Blue... | July 4, 2008 at 8:40 p.m.
