The Stros wasted another strong pitching performance from the Rocket as the Dodgers used a three run yak from Paul Lo Duca to fuel a 3-1 victory before another crowd of over 45,000 at Dodger Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Clemens was magnificent, as he gave up only 4 hits and 3 runs over seven innings while fanning 8 and walking 2. However, the Stros other than Berkman had one hit (a Jeff Kent single) as they made journeyman Dodger starter Wilson Alvarez look like Fernando Valenzuela in his prime. Typical of the Stros’ hitting this season, they loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but were only able to score the one run (on Mike Lamb‘s sac fly). “That was the ol’ ball game.”
In an interesting matchup tomorrow afternoon, ex-Stro fan favorite Jose Lima pitches for the Dodgers against the Stros’ Roy O, who will be pitching on only three days’ rest with the All-Star Game break coming up. Inasmuch as the playoff propects for the Stros now appear to be remote at best, these types of matchups are the only games that we will be able to look forward to for the remainder of this season.