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Hardy comes up big twice late as Brewers edge Dodgers

Aug 17, 2008 - 6:29 AM By Jonathan Raber PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- J.J. Hardy went from hero to goat and back to hero in three innings.

Hardy belted a go-ahead homer in the eighth and followed it with an RBI single in the 10th that lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

After Hardy belted a two-run shot in the eighth to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead, he mishandled a potential double-play grounder in the ninth that allowed the Dodgers to knot the game.

With Andre Ethier on first and none out, Jeff Kent hit a sharp grounder to Hardy. But the shortstop lifted his glove off the ground a split-second early, allowing the ball to roll between his legs and into the outfield, with Ethier advancing to third.

"When I make an error, I'm just kind of in this 'Twilight Zone', I don't know what I'm thinking," Hardy said.

Manny Ramirez stepped in and hit the first pitch he saw from Salomon Torres (6-3) to deep center for a game-tying sacrifice fly.

"It's nice to have the feeling that you're going to come back," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, whose team had already manufactured two walk-off wins over their past four games.

"That's the important thing for me, to come into that dugout even though the other team scores and feels like you can still win that ballgame."

Hardy got redemption in his next at-bat.

After Ray Durham walked and stole second base, Hardy flared a single off Jonathan Broxton (3-4) into right field to put the Brewers ahead, 4-3.

"The fact that we had to play that 10th inning was definitely my fault," Hardy said. "But it definitely helps to end it like (we did). ... It was good to get that opportunity."

David Riske relieved Torres in the 10th and notched his second save, but had to avert another attempted rally by the Dodgers in order to get it.

After permitting a one-out single by Matt Kemp, Ethier followed with a deep fly ball that fell short of going over the wall but just out of the reach of center fielder Mike Cameron.

However, instead of staying halfway between first and second, Kemp apparently lost track of the ball and went back to tag up at first, turning a potential game-tying RBI double into a single that put runners on first and second.

"It's the perils you deal with here at Dodger Stadium at night," Ethier said. "That same ball during BP (batting practice) sometimes goes out but, at night, you really have to hit it clean. I did, unfortunately, it hit the wall."

Given renewed life to close out the game, Riske got Kent to fly out and Ramirez to strike out swinging to end it.

"You have to give them credit, they got Kent and Manny to end the game," Torre said. "That's certainly not easy for anybody."

Former Dodgers closer Eric Gagne made his first appearance at Dodger Stadium in an opposing uniform, pitching a scoreless eighth for the Brewers.

Gagne, who recorded a league-record 84 consecutive saves from August 2002-July 2004, was introduced to a mix chorus of cheers and jeers from the Dodger faithful.