Phillies fall to Rollins, Dodgers 10-7

LOS ANGELES — Three hours before Yimi Garcia would throw the first pitch of a game that would turn out to be one of the longest nine-inning games in Phillies history, Jimmy Rollins said it would be no different than any other game.

Rollins first joined the Phillies 19 years ago last month. He didn't leave until December.

Still, he was treating Game No.84 on the Los Angeles Dodgers schedule like the first 83.

"They're trying to get me out and I'm trying to get hits," Rollins said. "They're trying to win and so are we. It's really another baseball game."

Rollins said all of the right things, but as an observer of the long-time Phillies shortstop knows, he enjoys the drama. He likes to be in the middle of the moment, enjoys being the center of attention when he knows everyone is watching.

Late night Phillies fans (masochists?) got to feast their eyes on Rollins in Dodger blue against his former team for the first time on Monday. Rollins didn't put on a show, but he did deliver the Dodgers a victory.

Rollins singled and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and then, after the Phillies tied it, hit a two-out, two-run single an inning later as Los Angeles held on for a 10-7 win in a marathon of a baseball game at Chavez Ravine.

The game ended at 2:23 EST. It lasted four hours and 13 minutes - it was the second longest nine-inning game in baseball this season and, since 1914, the longest nine-inning game in Phillies history.

Rollins went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He entered the day hitting .208 and slotted ninth in the Dodgers lineup.

Perhaps a night against his old friends will get the 36-year-old shortstop going for the first-place Dodgers second half of 2015. The Phillies did their old friend a solid by bringing their starting pitchers along for the west coast trip.

Sean O'Sullivan got the Dodgers offense started by walking the second batter he faced, Howie Kendrick, and then serving up a two-run home run to Adrian Gonzalez two batters later. The Phillies bats bailed O'Sullivan out - and gave him a 6-3 lead, too - but he wasn't having any part of keeping that score intact.

O'Sullivan served up a three-run home run to Dodgers All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal in the fifth inning. Somehow, O'Sullivan remained in the game for another inning.

When his night mercifully came to an end, O'Sullivan had allowed six earned runs for the third straight start. He has a 6.08 ERA. He was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following the game; a corresponding roster move will come Tuesday.

How are the Phillies (28-57) one loss away from falling to 30 games under .500? Among the 152 major league starting pitchers that have racked at least 20 innings of work this season, six of the 11 with the highest ERAs are Phillies: O'Sullivan, 11th, Jerome Williams (8th, 6.43), Kevin Correia (5th, 6.52), Chad Billingsley (3rd, 7.71), Severino Gonzalez (2nd, 8.28), David Buchanan (1st, 8.76).

Of the current five-man rotation, Cole Hamels is the only starter not scheduled to pitch in the four-game series at Dodger Stadium.