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Dodgers shut down Giants

Jul 30, 2008 - 6:20 AM By Jonathan Raber PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Jason Johnson knew that his long, eventful journey would someday lead him back into the starting rotation on a major league team. On Tuesday, that day arrived.

Johnson tossed six stellar innings to win his first game in over two years as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants, 2-0.

"If it wasn't with LA, I kinda had confidence I was going to be with some (team)," said Johnson, who received all the support he needed in a two-run sixth inning. "I just felt that confident in the way I was pitching. I still know I can pitch."

Johnson, who spent the 2007 season with the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific Coast league, last picked up a major league victory on May 28, 2006, when as a member of the Cleveland Indians he tossed six scoreless innings to beat the Detroit Tigers.

"It's something special," he said.

Making his first start in the majors since August 18, 2006, Johnson (1-0) was more than effective as a fill-in, surrendering five hits (all singles) with three strikeouts and no walks.

"Anytime you can pitch six quality innings like that, it's huge," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said.

A non-roster invitee to spring training, the 34-year-old journeyman opened the year at Class AAA Las Vegas, where he was named an All-Star. He was called up from the minors on Friday and had made two relief appearances.

"It's good to be here," Johnson said. "Vegas was nice, but it's nothing compared to LA."

James Loney drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the sixth and Matt Kemp had a pair of singles to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games, while scoring a run and stealing a base. Jonathan Broxton got the final four outs to record his fifth save in as many chances while filling in for the injured Takashi Saito.

The Dodgers broke through against San Francisco starter Matt Cain (6-9) in the sixth.

Kemp led off with a single, stole his 24th base, and moved to third on a groundout to the right side. Following a fly out, Loney hit a 2-2 pitch over shortstop for the 1-0 advantage.

"It caught more of the plate than I wanted to and he was able to hit it over the shortstop," Cain said.

The Dodgers would add to their lead on a bizarre play in the outfield.

With Loney still at first, Casey Blake lined one down the left-field line near the stands. Left fielder Fred Lewis had trouble transferring the ball from his mitt to his throwing hand and it sailed through the air onto the protective padding lining the field. Lewis proceeded to pick the ball off the padding and throw to the relay man, who fired home to easily get Loney trying to score for what appeared to be the third out.

However, the umpires ruled that once the ball made contact with the padding it was out of the field of play and thereby declared a dead ball, allowing Loney to score and crediting Blake with a double.

"I'm blocked out down (in the dugout), but I got bits and pieces," Torre said. "The ball was sitting on top and when he went to grab it, it went in (the stands) which made it a ground-rule double."

"It was an extra run added," Cain said "And the way their bullpen has been throwing, it's a tough battle to get through those guys."

Cain, who was coming off a four-hit shutout, is still looking to win consecutive games for the first time. The righthander is winless in eight career starts against the Dodgers, after he allowed the two runs on eight hits, while striking out nine in seven innings.

The game was played as scheduled despite a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Southern California earlier in the day, rattling Dodger Stadium but causing no apparent damage.

With his stolen base in the seventh -- the 100th since becoming a Dodger -- Juan Pierre joined the record books, becoming the fourth player in league history to steal 100 bases with three different teams (Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins). The other three to achieve the feat are Otis Nixon, Brett Butler and Tommy Harper.