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Six Arizona errors help Dodgers to 14-1 rout

Jul 4, 2010 - 6:10 AM By BOB BAUM AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX(AP) -- New interim manager Kirk Gibson juggled the Arizona lineup, the Diamondbacks bobbled the ball like a bunch of Little Leaguers and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounced on nearly every opportunity.

The result was a 14-1 Dodgers rout of the Diamondbacks on Saturday night in Gibson's second game at the controls after A.J. Hinch was fired.

Arizona committed a franchise-record six errors, three by shortstop and ex-Dodger Tony Abreu.

"Today was not my day. I don't know what happened," he said. "You work hard every day but I don't know. You try not to think about it. I have had games with two errors but never three in one game."

First baseman Rusty Ryal had two errors and third baseman Mark Reynolds one as the Dodgers scored eight unearned runs, six in the second inning, in front of 44,169 at Chase Field. Most of them were there for the fireworks display. First, they saw a bumbling performance by an Arizona lineup that included five players who normally are backups.

"I don't have words to describe it," Diamondbacks starter Rodrigo Lopez said. "I never pitched with so many errors behind. They weren't trying to make errors. Getting a groundball routinely and not able to make the outs, it is hard to explain because I have never seen anything like that. It was frustrating for me pitching out there, and for them, too. It was not something pretty."

Matt Kemp, Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier homered off Lopez to help Clayton Kershaw (8-4) cruise to victory in the Dodgers' most one-sided win of the season.

"I was glad we kept coming at people," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "We scored and we kept coming at people. That's a manager's dream when offenses do that."

There was no hint of Gibson's well-known temper. Instead, he was forgiving, especially to Abreu.

"Tony had a night to forget," Gibson said. "I told him I had worse nights than that. `You're a good ballplayer and we are going to shake it off and come back tomorrow."'

Kershaw was not at his sharpest but he didn't need to be. Torre lifted him after he threw 105 pitches and his team up 14-0.

Xavier Paul, just called up from Triple-A Albuquerque for the third time this season after Manny Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list (right hamstring strain), singled twice, drove in two runs and scored twice.

"Just to be able to get back up here and have an opportunity to help the team win it's exciting," Paul said. "The adrenalin was flowing. It just felt great to be back out there on the field."

One of Paul's runs came after he was given a walk on three balls in the second inning, the umpire and the scoreboard making the mistake. The Dodgers also could laugh off two base-running errors, one when Kershaw said he "kind of froze" on Furcal's shot to deep center that bounced off Chris Young's glove as he raced toward the wall. Kershaw was running back to second when Furcal passed him on what probably would have been a triple. Instead, Furcal was out.

Paul reached first on an error but was tagged out for making a move toward second and walking back to first on an error.

"That was silly," Torre said. "... He won't do that again."

Reynolds broke up the shutout with his 19th home run of the season, off Jonathan Broxton in the ninth.

Lopez (4-7) gave up nine runs, but only two earned, in 3 2-3 innings.

Gibson had said he wants his whole team playing, and he sat first baseman Adam LaRoche, second baseman Kelly Johnson, catcher Miguel Montero and left fielder Gerardo Parra. Shortstop Stephen Drew didn't play because of a sore left knee.

The new manager had catcher Chris Snyder (.238, nine homers, 28 RBIs) batting cleanup, partly for "shock value," Gibson said. Snyder was 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.

NOTES: Drew has three errors all season. He struck out as a pinch hitter. ... Before the game, Gibson said he had talked to the whole team about RF Justin Upton being picked off at first with a runner at second Friday night. "I told them it was lazy and a mental error," Gibson said. "... He knows it. He's way too good for that." ... The game included two odd outs by the Dodgers, Furcal passing Kershaw on the base path and Paul for being tagged out at first after making a slight move toward second base. ... Ramirez is eligible to come off the DL after the All-Star break.