Los Angeles starter Brad Penny didn’t mind getting pulled by manager Grady Little this time.
“He gave me the opportunity,” Penny said after pitching 8 1/3 shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the Rockies on Friday. “I’m thankful for that.”
Penny (7-1) was losing steam when Little took the ball from him in the ninth and gave it to reliever Takashi Saito, who picked up his third save. Penny gave up five hits and struck out five.
The right-hander was upset when Little pulled him on May 29 before qualifying for the victory. Penny was given an 8-1 lead in that game against the Braves, but Atlanta closed to 8-5 in the fifth inning. He had complained about the decision on the mound, in the dugout and after the game.
This time there was no protest from Penny, who is off to his best start since the 2001 season, when he began with a 7-1 mark for the Florida Marlins. He finished that season with a 10-10 record.
While Penny has matched his win total of last season – and lowered his ERA this season to 2.34 – he refused to speculate on whether he’s pitching at an all-star level.
“As long as I keep going out there and winning, I’m not even thinking about that,” Penny said.
In 12 career starts against Colorado, Penny has an 8-2 record with a 2.25 ERA. It’s the third-best of any pitcher with a minimum of five starts against Colorado. He trails Mark Prior (1.69) and Roy Oswalt (1.73).
He’s also 3-0 with an 0.45 ERA this season against the Rockies.
“When you’re successful against a team, you know that in the back of your mind,” Penny said. “You go out there and you know the park’s playing pretty big this year. That’s a huge outfield.”
The Dodgers discovered how big in the later innings. Jorge Piedra, called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday, hit a shot that was caught by right fielder J.D. Drew on the warning track. In the ninth, Todd Helton crushed a ball off Saito that Drew hauled with his back on the outfield scoreboard.
“I thought it (Helton’s hit) was gone,” Penny said.
Colorado manager Clint Hurdle thought so, too.
“I was surprised that Helton’s ball didn’t get into the seats,” Hurdle said.
Penny remains a puzzle the Rockies can’t figure out.
“We haven’t solved him yet,” Hurdle said. “Our guys pitched pretty well.”
Byung-Hyun Kim (3-4) gave up three runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three. He’s given up five earned runs in three outings against Los Angeles.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI triple by Russell Martin and a run-scoring single by Penny.
Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the fifth inning.
Garciaparra added an RBI double in the seventh to score Rafael Furcal.
The Dodgers are 22-10 since May 5 and have won 16 of their past 24 games.
