L.A. Streak Stops at Eight Straght

The Dodger winning streak ended at eight when Colorado took a page out of the Los Angeles book and scored three runs in the first, then held on to win 7-2. Derek Lowe (2-2) was tagged for six hits and five runs, leaving after five innings.

Both clubs finished the nine hits, each had a pair for extra bases and Colorado left five on base to four for Los Angeles.

The difference was that of the Rockies nine hits, they bunched three in the first and fifth innings and worked five walks. The Dodgers did not draw a single walk.

Aaron Cook boosted his record on the season to 5-1, leaving the game with two out in the eighth and holding a 6-2 margin. He was 0-4 against the Dodgers lifetime before the game started.

Cook retired the first 10 batters before Juan Pierre doubled in the fourth, and 13 of the first 14. The Rockies are 6-1 when Cook starts and 6-18 in other games.

The Rockies sent eight men to the plate in the first inning, scoring three times on three hits and a pair of walks. Lowe didn’t record his first out until his 43rd pitch of the game.

Lowe settled in and set down 11 straight at one stretch before allowing a pair of RBI singles and leaving the game.

After Andre Ethier slugged his third home run in the top of the fifth, then Colorado piled up three hits and a pair of walks in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-1 lead that proved too much for the Dodgers to overcome.

Chan Ho Park and Cory Wade followed Lowe and each allowed a single run.

Los Angeles a mini-rally in the eighth. Blake DeWitt beat out an infield single, his second hit of the game and Mike Sweeney added a pinch-hit single. With two out, Pierre singled to left to drive in the final Dodger run.

The game against the Rockies was the Dodgers’ last against a National League West Division opponent until June 2, when the Rockies come to Los Angeles for a three-game series.  The Dodgers will play 25 straight games against teams outside the division.

 The club tomorrow opens a six-game, seven-day homestand with the first of three against the New York Mets. After an offday Thursday, the Houston Astros come to town for a three-game set.

Pitching match-ups for the Mets series:
Monday RHP Chad Billingsley (1-4, 5.20) vs. LHP Oliver Perez (2-2, 4.03)       
Tuesday RHP Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 3.82) vs. RHP Nelson Figueroa (2-1, 4.08)       
Wednesday RHP Brad Penny (5-2, 3.19) vs. RHP John Maine (3-2, 3.48)                  

 Score by innings
Los Angeles	000 010 010-2
Colorado	300 021 01x-1

 Los Angeles	ab r  h bi  ave
Furcal ss	4  0  0  0  .369
Pierre lf	4  0  2  1  .324
Kemp cf        	4  0  1  0  .324
 Wade p        	0  0  0  0  .000
Loney 1b	4  0  1  0  .275
Martin c	4  0  0  0  .286
Ethier rf	4  1  1  1  .303	
DeWitt 2b	3  1  2  0  .293
Hu 2b        	3  0  0  0  .226
Lowe p        	1  0  0  0  .308
 Young ph	1  0  1  0  .400
 Park p        	0  0  0  0  .000
 Sweeney ph-lf	1  0  1  0  .136
  Totals	33 2 9 2
  Colorado	29 7 9 7

  2b hits- Pierre (4). HR- Ethier (3).
RBI- Ethier (15), Pierre (11). LOB-
Los Angeles 4, Colorado 5. DP-Pierre 
and Loney.

 Los Angeles	in  h  r-er bb so  era
Lowe (2-2)	5.0  6  5-5  4  3  3.66
Park        	2.0  1  1-1  1  2  2.84
Wade        	1.0  2  1-1  0  0  3.00
 T- 2:40. Att- 43,726.

Dodger Blue Notes-- The Dodgers have a "Kershaw Decree" -- he is not to exceed 25 innings in any month while in the Minor Leagues. The strategy is to ration the left-hander's outings so that he's useful to the Major League club late in the season. In his only full professional season last year, Kershaw threw only 122 innings. ...Manager Joe Torre said the Dodgers have had the eyes of slumping Andruw Jones examined several times. “They’ve checked out OK,” Torre said. “We know his problems aren’t physical ones and his hitting trouble isn’t terminal.” Torre said that the club could explain why Jones is hitting only .163 with one homer, four RBIs and a team-high 34 strikeouts in 98 at-bats. ...Jeff Kent was scheduled to rest even though he is 11 for 19 lifetime against Rockies starter Aaron Cook. ...Former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda was released from Centinela Hospital, where he was treated over two days for a minor infection. ...Dodgers RHP Jason Schmidt will throw a simulated game today in Los Angeles and could start his rehab somem time after that at Inland Empdire. ...Furcal had reached base the first 31 games this year and is three shy of tying Duke Snider 1955 record for the club’s longest streak to start the season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Despite previously saying that he would prefer to wait until after the season to discuss a contract extension, Furcal told the Press-Enterprise that he would be willing to listen to what the Dodgers have to offer. Furcal also said that he is not opposed to giving the team a hometown discount rather than test the free agent market. "I'm open to it," he said. "I don't know what my agent thinks about that." General manager Ned Colletti said that he would like to sit down with Furcal's agent very soon to begin working towards a deal. ...Including the series win at Colorado, the Dodgers are unbeaten in their last five series, going 3-0-2. ...Rafael Furcal leads the Majors with 48 hits and 33 runs scored.