Monday, May 04, 2015

Game 25 Thread: May 4 @ Brewers, 4.20p

Happy Star Wars Day! How are you celebrating, Milwaukee Brewers...wtf?

Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 3.73) vs. Kyle Lohse (1-4, 7.28).

The Dodgers celebrate Star Wars Day by rolling into town just as their opponent's manager is leaving town. Ron Roenicke, formerly of the Brewers, is MLB's first managerial firing of the year, after posting a 7-18 record. This should be a walk in the park for Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, especially facing a pitcher with a 7.28 ERA, right? The Dodgers couldn't possibly Lohse this one!

But hold your horses: Roenicke's departure could herald the return of the Rat, one of the Dodgers' thorns (news not confirmed as of the time I am writing this GT):

Craig Counsell. Great. Counsell's OPS+ wasn't statistically aberrant against the Dodgers when he was a player, but gosh it sure seemed that Counsell, that little MSB, always killed us. Perhaps his managerial role won't cast the same shadow. But if not him, there's always that creepy mustache-wearing mascot running around.

At least we can enjoy the wiener races.

UPDATE (12:48p): Brewers officially announce Counsell as manager.

Meanwhile, unlike the Brewers, the Twins are celebrating Star Wars Day in style #hughestheforce (awesome!):

Note: A 5-County Deal is pretty lame, but hey: it could be worse. Bobble Hank the Dog?!

103 comments:

Hideo Nomo said...

Pederson CF
Rollins SS
Kendrick 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Van Slyke LF
Ethier RF
Grandal C
Uribe 3B
Kershaw P

Orel said...

Ryu to the 60-day DL. Not good.

Hideo Nomo said...

Eh, it's not GREAT, but he's eligible to return 5/27 and I wasn't really expecting him back before then.

Orel said...

OK, good. I just panicked.

Steve Sax said...

PaRKinG VEGetables in the UK

Steve Sax said...

(sorry, that's the best I could do with this lineup)

Orel said...

Wasn't that a Mellencamp song?

Hideo Nomo said...

HUG HE'S THE FORCE

Dusty Baker said...

I was saying panic.

Steve Sax said...

If not for the DL, we could use RYU'S THE FORCE

Steve Sax said...

Dammit, I just spoiled a future PGT headline

Orel said...

REDUCE RYU'S RECYCLE

Steve Sax said...

actually, that not only works for conservationalists, but also for people discussing Ryu's trips to the DL (let's call them "conversationalists")

Steve Sax said...

I'm not a robot!

Steve Sax said...

Hey Orel, how's the weather where you are?

Yesterday it was beautiful here, but now it's 13 degrees Celsius. And rainy.

Orel said...

It warmed up this weekend. It's like the the whole town is trying to get all its vitamin D at once.

Hideo Nomo said...

I never have to check the robot thing. Am I that convincing a human?

Steve Sax said...

@gnomes: so is ultron

Steve Sax said...

@Gnomes, how is the weather where you are, too?

It's still raining.

Dusty Baker said...

Joc leadoff HR (7)! The Fourth is strong in that one.

Dusty Baker said...

I have to check that not-robot thing all the freaking time.

Dusty Baker said...

J-Roll really struggling at the plate. Paging Mr. Seager?

karen said...

Joc opens with the solo blast!! And stop talking about all the different places you guys are. You know it drives me crazy because I'm so damn nosy.

Hideo Nomo said...

Been cooped up in an office building all day, but the weather was supposed to be cloudy and cool.

Dusty Baker said...

And windy.

Dodgers up 1-0 after the first half inning on Joc's HR. Lohse is on nearly thirty pitches already.

spank said...

Fuck Dre

karen said...

I'm still pissed that Braun got the MVP over Matty. Especially now that I know he cheated.

Orel said...

I hope Joc can adjust once the league gets a good look at him

karen said...

Anyone missing Hanley these days??

Orel said...

I hear Hanley didn't miss the Green Monster

Steve Sax said...

Mattingly tossed! Nice to see the old guy taking flack for Kershaw.

karen said...

Donnie looking somewhat managerial getting himself tossed instead of Kid K.

Steve Sax said...

@karen, how is the weather where you are?

Steve Sax said...

Milwaukee umps suck.

Clayton settles and gets out of it anyway. Dodgers up 1-0 through three.

Steve Sax said...

Strangely, HanRam's injury in Boston happened on former Dodger James Loney's double. Loney, batting .286 at the time, later scored to put the Rays up 1-0.

Steve Sax said...

I personally don't wish HanRam anything bad, but man he is a brittle guy. Even in left field.

karen said...

@Saxy...Why thank you for asking. Just another day in SoCal...ho hum.

Steve Sax said...

All of the pre-GT momentum seems to have slowed as this game started.

Steve Sax said...

A-Gon on first (HBP), but SVS Ks for out #1

Steve Sax said...

@karen, good to hear and glad the weather is good in SoCal

Steve Sax said...

Ethier with a weak popup that shoudl ahve been caught by Mil 3B Ramirez, but he misses the catch. Can Ethier make the Brewers pay?

Steve Sax said...

Yep, Ethier with a base hit to left. First and second, one out

Steve Sax said...

Grandal with a long single. A-Gon had to hold up as CF Gomez looked like he was going to catch it...to have it bounce off the wall. A good pantomime--would have been a close play at the plate if not for Gomez bobbling it and the relay guy fumbling.

Grandal RBI, 2-0 LA. Men at the corners with one out.

Steve Sax said...

Holy cow, Charley is now saying exactly what i just wrote.

Glad to see Steiner reads the blog!

karen said...

The Force is with the Good!! 3-0 us.

Steve Sax said...

Gomez with a cannon on the Uribe fly ball to CF, but Ethier, tagging, got in and then went back to tag the plate to make sure. 3-0, Grandal at first, two out.

kershaw up

Steve Sax said...

mighty rip there for Kershaw on a 1-1 count (foul)

Steve Sax said...

3-0 LA, B4.

Steve Sax said...

Brewers down in order. 3-0 through 4

Orel said...

JOC SO GOOD

Steve Sax said...

Pederson, leadoff walk in the fifth

Steve Sax said...

here comes the black hole at the plate, Jimmy Rollins

Come on, J-Roll, let's get it going

Steve Sax said...

any of you guys want to score Pederson?

Steve Sax said...

A-Gon walk, but it looked pretty deliberate. Here's SVS with two on and two out.

Steve Sax said...

Van Slyke batting .361

Steve Sax said...

Cubs up on St Louis, 5-0 in the first

Steve Sax said...

SVS long fly ball to center for the third out, now 0-for-3 tonight.

3-0 Dodgers through 4.5

Steve Sax said...

St Louis must have hit a grand slam, as it's now 5-4 B1

Steve Sax said...

"Only one batter has taken Kershaw to as many as five pitches". --Steiner. Kershaw on 41 pitches with one out in the fifth.

Steve Sax said...

3-0 through 5. Another quick inning for Clayton

Fred's Brim said...

nananananasrty pitch to Elian

Fred's Brim said...

Grandal is swinging better, wouldn't you say?

Fred's Brim said...

Who's coming up now that Ryu is on the 60-day DL?

And is it 60 days starting now or do the first 3 weeks on the DL count towards it?

Fred's Brim said...

blooper by Uribe has us at 1st and 2nd, 1 out

Steve Sax said...

Grandal on second, Uribe with a bloop single getting him to first. Kershaw up, one out in the sixth

Fred's Brim said...

Clayton up to bunt

Fred's Brim said...

Clayton swinging now that he has 2 strikes

Fred's Brim said...

oof 2 real swings, then a bad bunt attempt for the K

Fred's Brim said...

Joc works the count full but Ks on the low inside pitch

Fred's Brim said...

leadoff triple for Gomez

Fred's Brim said...

Carlos Gomez with a smash right at Uribe who easily cuts down dumbass trying to score from third

Fred's Brim said...

The Parra hit was a long fly to center that hit the weird angle of the wall. Joc didn't have a play but didnt play the carom very well

Fred's Brim said...

Clayton showing off the snap throw to first

Fred's Brim said...

Rogers Ks looking

Fred's Brim said...

fuck, the snap throw goes into the runner and it gets away from AG, Gomez to second

Fred's Brim said...

wait, didnt Aramis Ramirez retire in the offseason?

Fred's Brim said...

Brawn Ks to end the poor inning

karen said...

Steiner..."It's been a long time since Ryan Braun has been Ryan Braun". How is it that the great minds of our world order, the heads of Ivy League Universities have not scooped this brilliant man up to study his evolved mind to better the world and may I dare say even the universe to enrich the lives of those who will come after us? Oh, that's right. He's a part time broadcaster and the baseball gods have cursed us for some unknown transgression that one of us must have committed in a former incarnation as a dung beetle or some sort of shit like that.

Orel said...

FB, thank you for picking up on O'Parra!

Night all --

Fred's Brim said...

Howie with a great play on the slow roller

Fred's Brim said...

ahh so Coulombe was recalled

Fred's Brim said...

damn, Hector Gomez with a home run
Clayton grooved that one

Fred's Brim said...

Clayton only at 84 pitches

Fred's Brim said...

Hatcher in to ruin the rest of this game

karen said...

oh shit oh shit oh shit

Fred's Brim said...

there we go, Gomez with a double to center, 3-3

Steve Sax said...

so much for that scoreless bullpen streak. DAMMIT!

Fred's Brim said...

I know it's only 3 runs in 7+ innings but Clayton is still not Clayton. he looked good for 5 of those innings but was another guy for 2 of them

Fred's Brim said...

Hatcher was squeezed on that one

Steve Sax said...

of course, it's braun.

4-3 MIL

Fred's Brim said...

goddammit, boolshit broken bat roller and Brawn is barely safe, 4-3 bad guys

Fred's Brim said...

you always win the first game when you get a new manager, right? I'm chalking this up to that

Fred's Brim said...

we aren't a very good road team, are we?

Fred's Brim said...

ok let's get this over with

Fred's Brim said...

I blame Steiner

Fred's Brim said...

I blame myself, shit started going south as soon as I tuned in

Fred's Brim said...

did K-Rod throw a pitch faster than 85mph to Joc?

Fred's Brim said...

JRoll's gotta start hitting sometime, right?

right?

Fred's Brim said...

Craig Counsell has lost his playing muscle

Fred's Brim said...

he somehow looks scrawnier that when he played

Fred's Brim said...

Krod is Brian Wilson with a breaking pitch

Fred's Brim said...

no gas left

Fred's Brim said...

and down goes Howie on the breaking pitch. Time to kick some puppies