Brett Anderson (8-8, 3.36) vs. Jake Peavy (4-6, 4.21).
The Dodgers go for their third no-hitter in their last 10 games against Peavy tonight — it won't be easy, given that Peavy sometimes leaves eminently hittable balls up in the zone, but I'm confident the bats will find a way to miss. Meanwhile, it won't matter if Anderson throws his own no-hitter, because he won't get any offensive support. SAD TROMBONE
Andrew Simon over at Dodgers.com had some good stats about the Dodgers' embarrassing second "effort" getting no-hit, which doesn't bode well for the team's future, though one other team in history has been no-hit twice and still gone on to win the World Series:
As for the company the Dodgers could join, Tampa Bay went 96-66 in '10, taking the American League East by a game over the Yankees before falling to the Rangers in the AL Division Series. Yet on May 9 of that year, A's left-hander Dallas Braden twirled a perfect game against them in Oakland. Less than two months later, on June 25, they drew eight walks against the D-backs' Edwin Jackson, who labored through 149 pitches for one of baseball's more unusual no-nos.
Back in 1917, there was no such thing as a division winner, as both leagues had only eight teams apiece. The White Sox went 100-54 that year, winning the AL by nine games over the Red Sox and then defeating the New York Giants in the World Series. But before that, Ernie Koob and Bob Groom of the St. Louis Browns no-hit Chicago on May 5 and 6.
Those back-to-back performances also set the record for least time between no-hitters pitched against the same team. However, the Dodgers have set a new NL record in that department, taking over for the 1971 Reds, who were no-hit on June 3 and 23 by the Cubs' Ken Holtzman and the Phillies' Rick Wise, respectively.Only two teams since at least 1900 have made the playoffs while also suffering multiple no-hitters: the 1917 White Sox and the 2010 Rays. [...]
So there's hope for even our offensively incompetent team! Mark McGwire must be thrilled at the prospect of a happy ending here (no matter how slight).
"Sure, we're only throwing Matt Shoemaker, he of the 4.48 ERA, said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "But that's not much worse than Mike Fiers, and he did it Houston, so Shoe's got a good chance.Scioscia would not address the Dodgers' apparent "Ron Roenicke curse" when asked by a pool reporter.
"Plus, we didn't have a promotion scheduled for that day (Jersey Mike's Sub Card day is the following game), and we figured: why not, it's not like [Dodgers hitting coach] Mark McGwire is going to help any."
That's right, none other than Ron Roenicke, he who has cursed the Dodgers.
I can't tell from this instagram shot whether Roenicke is smiling on the outside, but you can bet he's smiling on the inside. Sleeper agent!
[hat tip to SoSG Nomo for the pickup (and conspiracy theory fuel)]
I told you so. While the Cubs were getting motivated to have a pajama party this evening, the Dodgers rolled over and played dead on national television, ceding their second no-hitter in fewer than two weeks. Jimmy Rollins, Andre Ethier, Yasmani Grandal, and Joc Pederson all helped the Cubs' cause with two strikeouts tonight (Arrietta had 12 total).
Mark McGwire should probably get a lot of the criticism and scrutiny--sure, we lead the league in HRs, but tonight was total ineptitude tonight in his players' at bats. To be no-hit twice in the span of nine games is pathetic, and demonstrates the Dodgers have no gameplan whatsoever--except to predictably fail whenever they're on the national stage.
But I still blame Ron Roenicke.
Alex Wood (9-8, 3.70) vs. Jake Arrietta (16-6, 2.22).
Put any thoughts of sweepage out of your mind, Dodger fans. First, this game is on national television, a stage on which we do not perform well. Second, three Cubs regulars have >.500 batting averages against Alex Wood (over the last five years): Starlin Castro (.500 BA); Chris Coghlan (.667), and Chris Denorfia (.800). Third, Arrietta (the Cubs' ace) is third in the majors for ERA, behind Zack Greinke and Sonny Gray--and is 10-1 on the road.
Going into play tonight, we're at 16 games over .500, as high as the Dodgers have been all year long. Enjoy the altitude now, because a sixth-consecutive win in front of a national audience would be downright shocking.
(but wouldn't it be awesome if we won?!)
image idea from SoSG Dusty Baker!
"I would say realistically, and I don't want any headlines, but I would say realistically that next year would be the last year."Vin has given us everything, and more, and of course deserves to make his decision and have his legions of fans support that decision. But...the Dodger family still has a sad now.
Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.29) vs. Jason Hammel (7-45, 3.35).
With Kershaw on the mound, immediately following his recent imploring of his teammates to play with greater urgency, I'm assuming we're going to get a pretty solid performance from our starter. The question is if our offense, without Howie Kendrick and potentially without Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez, can put up much resistance.
If we can just mark Hammel early in the game, we might be able to send the Cubs (who have a better record than the Dodgers, even though they're in third place and 8.5 games out) to their third straight loss. Look, it's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters.
The Dodgers scored the game's only run, when Yasmani Grandal had a bases-loaded GIDP in the second. Aside from that, Yasiel Puig re-injured his hamstring (Don Mattingly brought in Juan Nicasio to pinch-run, which is preferable to Nicasio entering the game any other way), Adrian Gonzalez injured his knee on a foul ball, and Zack Greinke pitched seven shutout innings. It is not clear whether Ron Roenicke had anything to do with either injury.
The Cubs rolled over and played dead for the Giants, so the lead stays at 2.5 games. Let's get back home now (after a 3-5 road trip) and see if the Cubs stay dormant.
Zack Greinke (13-3, 1.67) vs Anthony DeSclafani (7-9, 3.97).
Breakfast baseball as the Dodgers go for the sweep!
Screenshots taken before Wednesday's victory.
"Dodgers answer call"? "Bullpen...comes up clutch"? "Dodgers power up?"
All this, after one 5-1 victory. Wow, these social media guys are hyperbolic.
Great. The LAT's Steve Dilbeck basically baits the arch-rivals up north, in "When will the Giants make a serious run at the Dodgers:
The Dodgers can only send out so many personal invitations.
Nothing much has stood out about the Giants this season. They field well (.987), hit OK (.267, .406 slugging percentage), their starting pitching is OK (3.92 ERA, 1.27 WHIP), bullpen is OK (3.27, 1.18). Mostly, they’re just very OK.
What they have done is beat up on the Dodgers (9-3), and the two will meet seven more times, so it’s certainly not like they can be disregarded. They are 2½ games back of the Dodgers, who have been so uninspiring they’ve allowed the Diamondbacks (6½ back) and the Padres (7½) to dream of great postseason finishes.
But the Giants have the recent pedigree and pose the most serious threat. There’s a little over five weeks to go, so there remains time for someone to finally discover their playoff mojo and get rolling.Every time the Giants put a little streak together and act like they’re exercising those championship muscles, they go all atrophy and fall back again. The Dodgers lose five of six, the Giants lose five of six. It's a frustration contest.
As if Roenicke's sabotage isn't enough. Thanks a lot, Dilbeck.
Thanks to an outpouring of three home runs, scoring five runs in the fourth inning (Scott Van Slyke solo shot; A.J. Ellis and Yasiel Puig with two-run HRs each) off of Reds starter David Holmberg, the Dodgers jumped out to a 6-0 lead and looked ready to have Dodger starter Brett Anderson coast to victory.
Not so fast, said Dodgers third base coach Ron Roenicke. Unsubstantiated claims of his tampering with Chase Utley's glove (see above) led to Utley's two-out fielding error in the seventh, ushering in a three-run frame by the Reds; and in the ninth inning, Utley's porous glove again allowed former Dodger Skip Schumaker to reach base with two out--extending an inning which allowed the tying run to the plate, creating nervousness for most Dodger fans about the potential culmination of Roenicke's machinations.
Good prevailed over evil, however. Kenley Jansen eventually got the save, but it was another white-knuckle experience watching the bullpen (who really need to be more bare-knuckle, than white-knuckle, if we're to advance in the postseason).
Adrian Gonzalez added an RBI double in the ninth to score Puig. Anderson went 6.2 IP and gave up five hits and three earned runs, to earn the victory.
Cubs are up 2-0 2-1 in the first inning in SF. Let's go, Cubbies!
Brett Anderson (7-8, 3.52) vs. [David Holmberg (1-3, 6.57), as well as vs. Ron Roenicke (1-5)].
When last these two pitchers squared off, 11 days ago, the Dodgers romped to victory and Holmberg lasted only two measley innings, giving up seven earned runs in the process. We've won rematch #1 this series, but don't think this one will go down so easy. This time, we've got Ron Roenicke on our coaching staff. Who knows what will happen.
Surprisingly, the Dodgers finally brought an end to their season-high five-game losing streak, but don't think that new coach Ron Roenicke didn't try his hardest to foil the Dodgers' winning plans. When the Dodgers opened up the game with back-to-back doubles (Yasiel Puig scoring Jimmy Rollins before the first out), Roenicke used his third base forces to make sure the next four batters couldn't advance Puig another 90 feet.
For the rest of the entire game, Roenicke was able to hex spell the Dodgers away from third base, as the only time other Dodger players were allowed to even touch third base were due to home runs (Justin Turner and Jimmy Rollins, each with two-run HRs). Roenicke made sure that, if a Dodger came near third, he had better have a damn good reason.
And rumors have it that it was Roenicke who inspired John Lamb to lead off the fifth with a HBP on Adrian Gonzalez. After that, Roenicke allegedly turned his Dodgers-dooming wrath towards our leaky bullpen--brainwashing manager Don Mattingly into pulling Alex Wood after 5 2/3 innings (a move which immediately backfired when Chris Hatcher allowed a run-scoring double).
Roenicke's last big attempt at sabotaging the game for the Dodgers came in the eighth, when he tried to call Juan Nicasio in for relief work, only to see Juan load the bases with Reds. Luis Avilan entered the game to replace Nicasio and record the third out in the bottom of the eighth, but really: Roenicke was that close to causing yet another loss.
So the Dodgers overcome the Reds, and Roenicke, for the first game in Cincinnati. The red-hot Cubs also beat down the Giants, extending the Dodgers' lead back to 2.5 games. Will Roenicke destroy us Wednesday, with Brett Anderson on the mound? I'm sure he'll try.
Alex Wood (8-8. 3.79) vs. John Lamb (0-1, 6.35).
Cincy had a rookie Lamb, And we've lost five in a row. And everywhere on this road trip, Our bullpen sure did blow.
These two guys met two two weeks ago, and it was good for the Dodgers (who won 5-3).
Can Ron Roenicke keep his franchise-destroying streak alive after five? I don't think I have the stomach to watch.
I'm obviously not optimistic about the Dodgers' bullpen these days, and in Jonah Keri's second-to-last recap of the major leagues on Grantland's "The 30", he doesn't leave much room for hope:
However, the biggest complaint from many fans isn’t necessarily directed at Mattingly, or even at the team’s relievers themselves; it has to do with the front office. After contending teams like the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Pirates, and others made aggressive trades for bullpen help at the deadline, why didn’t the Dodgers, eager to build and spend on depth everywhere else on the roster, follow suit?
It’s because Andrew Friedman & Co. have recognized the volatility of bullpens and decided not to invest big money in their own. After all, many of baseball’s best relief arms are young, homegrown, inexpensive pitchers once ticketed for the rotation who instead ended up dominating in relief (Dellin Betances, Trevor Rosenthal, Zach Britton), while many pricey free-agent bullpen acquisitions fail spectacularly.
That doesn’t mean it’s the right decision, though. Friedman isn’t running a shoestring budget like he was in Tampa, and smartly allocated money can still fortify your bullpen. Just look at the Astros: They spent actual money to address a troubling relief corps, and they’re reaping the benefits of having veterans Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek to stabilize what’s now one of the league’s best pens. When the Dodgers outspend Houston and everyone else by tens and/or hundreds of millions, it’s odd to see them try to play Moneyball with a bullpen that caused so many problems in the playoffs.
Now, it’s possible that Baez, Garcia, & Co. form an effective bridge from the starters to Jansen, and Los Angeles finally breaks through and rolls to the World Series. But that’s not the point: By heading into the postseason with a teetering pen, the resource-rich Dodgers are opting for a chance they really don’t have to take.So, the underlying numbers do provide some reason to hope, but given last year’s playoff meltdown, the awful season-to-date run-prevention numbers, and the disaster over the past month, you can’t fault Dodgers fans for not feeling too hot about the current relief situation. [...]
This cannot end well (literally, given the bullpen can't close out our games).
Attention @Dodgerslego: A company named StadiumBrick is selling a one-off replica Dodger Stadium made from over 2,500 LEGO bricks. The company tells us:
The stadium is made from over 2,500 LEGO bricks, and has been designed by us. We handle the packaging and shipping all in-house, and turn-around times is about 2 weeks. All models come with building guides.
We have about 20 stadiums right now that we've designed, including UCLA and USC football stadiums.
I've only been around Chef Dave a few times, but one thing that's clear is that he doesn't care if you're Vin Scully or some lowly blogger — he wants you to eat, and eat well.
Now Chef Dave needs our help in fighting lung cancer. You can give to his fund here:
Earlier at SoSG: Watch Tommy Eat. Eat, Tommy, Eat
2: Jon SooHoo
Seriously, guys, we may have to adopt this twitter handle on the side.
We are the worst first-place team I have ever seen.
NL West lead down to one game, pending the outcome of tonight's Giants @ Pirates game (Vogelsong vs. Liriano). I want to vomit.
Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.34) vs. Lance McCullers (5-4, 3.17).
Brett Anderson (7-7, 3.48) vs Mike Fiers (5-9, 3.87).
Welcome to the Blue, Chase!
The Fighting Illini's Eric Finney had some inspired answers to the News-Gazette's insipid survey, including this tidbit about our own Yasiel Puig:
If you could ask the media that covers you one question, what would it be?
If the circumference of a banana is 13.72 cubic feet squared, and the radius is 12 yards, what is the square root of a block of ice?
Other than your teammates, who is your Heisman favorite?
Have you seen Yasiel Puig? Go, Dodgers, Go!
Well played, Mr. Finney.
Alberto Collaspo ("Collapso", as we called him) has been DFA'd, to make room for some Phillies guy who once was good:
The Phillies also will send $4 million to Los Angeles to offset the $6 million remaining on Utley's $15 million salary. The Dodgers will send utility player Darnell Sweeney and right-handed pitcher John Richy to Philadelphia.
The Dodgers designated third baseman Alberto Callaspo for assignment to clear room on the roster for Utley.
The trade came a day after Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Utley was likely to stay in Philadelphia for the remainder of the season.
"Three weeks ago or so, I had a conversation with Ruben," Utley said during a news conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, according to MLB.com. "We put our heads together and decided it might be best for us to part ways. I gave them a list of a handful of teams that I would consider playing for, and then it was Ruben's job to find the best deal he could for the organization. And ultimately it came down to the Dodgers, a team I grew up watching."OAKLAND, Calif. -- Saying "it's time," veteran second baseman Chase Utley prepared to leave Philadelphia, after the Phillies traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in exchange for two minor leaguers.
Utley, batting .217 this season with a OPS+ of a career-low 71, joins a parade of washed-up Phillies who have joined the Dodgers, including Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Joe Blanton. None have worked out. Rumor has it Andrew Friedman is also targeting Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Greg Luzinski.
Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.39) vs. Felix Doubront (1-1. 4.59).
Sure, let's give the Dodgers a day off before that grueling trip up to Oakland, where we will play two games against the A's, before getting another day off on August 20. Thank you, scheduling gods, for this respite (despite completely screwing us earlier this year, by having us play a 14-games-in-13-days immediately followed by another 20-consecutive-day span of work).
The least we can do is hurl Kershaw, who is coming off a 5-0 record an 0.82 ERA across his last seven starts. Kershaw has had at least eight scoreless innings in five of his last six outings. Felix Doubront, Dou wonderful wonderful Bront, is a new acquisition by the A's from Toronto, who is probably wondering how he ended up moving from a first-place team to a last-place team. Let's stop him before he gets any ideas about reaching into a bag of tricks.
Dodgers enter Tuesday up 3.0 games in the NL West.
Ron Roenicke, the deposed Brewers manager, is our new Dodgers 3B coach:
Roenicke, who played for the Dodgers from 1981-83 and was on their big league coaching staff in 1992-93, was dismissed as manager of the Brewers earlier this season. He also managed five seasons in the Dodgers' Minor League system.
Roenicke had managed the Brewers since 2011 and had his '16 option exercised by the Brewers this spring, but he was dismissed after they started the season 7-18. In his first season in Milwaukee, he finished second to another former Dodger, Kirk Gibson, for the National League Manager of the Year Award.
Roenicke, 59, spent six years as third-base coach of the Angels under manager Mike Scioscia, his former Dodgers teammate, and became Scioscia's bench coach when Joe Madden left to manage Tampa Bay for current Dodgers president Andrew Friedman.LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have hired former Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke for the remainder of the season as third-base coach to replace Lorenzo Bundy, who will remain on staff in charge of outfield defense.
Of course, the question everyone is asking is, why now?:
Now clearly there were moments when Bundy left you shaking your head over runners waived on or held up. But that’s going to be true with any third base coach. And certainly you could argue he had more than his share, but not so much that it screamed this was the change that had to be made if the Dodgers want to advance to the World Series.
And the first-place Dodgers were not so unhappy with him that they gave him the complete coaching boot.
So it’s really about wanting Roenicke? Someone who’s been around since May when he was fired as the Brewers manager? And they make the move on Aug. 17?
Conspiracy lovers will immediately suspect the Dodgers have brought on Roenicke to replace Manager Don Mattingly should the powers that be decide he is not the answer. Possible, of course, but Roenicke has no obvious connection to President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman or General Manager Farhan Zaidi. I can offer no personal knowledge to Roenicke’s IT skills.The Dodgers said Roenicke has been hired for the rest of the season, so that makes him something of a rental. A coach for seven weeks.
Hmm. Sad times for Bundy, but perhaps we'll see fewer moments of the slow-moving Alex Guerrero getting thrown out at home?
 |
| Hiding from the sun like small desert animals |
Conspiracy theorist ESPN.com analyst Jim Bowden has some waiver deals he thinks might happen (link insider only), one of which involves the Dodgers:
4. The Padres trade Joaquin Benoit to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Zach Lee.
The Dodgers' bullpen is a disaster, and they have just two weeks to do something about it. The question here is whether Benoit would get claimed by another team during the waiver process before the Dodgers get a shot at him. I think it's a long shot that Benoit actually gets to the Dodgers unclaimed, though stranger things have happened. If he does, the Dodgers should claim Benoit and send pitching prospect Zach Lee to the Padres for him. Benoit, 37, is having another banner season as a setup man for the Padres, including a 2.17 ERA in 51 appearances, with a 0.85 WHIP and only 25 hits allowed in 49 2/3 innings.
Lee, 23, is finally starting to put it together, and a change of scenery is exactly what he needs. There might be no better place for him to land than pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Worth noting: Lee was originally drafted by Logan White when he ran the Dodgers' scouting department, and White is now one of the top talent evaluators for GM A.J. Preller and the Padres.
Benoit comes with a team option for 2016 at $8 million or a $1.5 million buyout, so the move isn't necessarily a rental-type deal, which the Dodgers tend to stay away from.
Bowden also thinks the Giants will pick up Chase Utley from the Phillies in exchange for a mediocre pitching prospect (Kyle Crick), in order to fill the gap of the injured Joe Panik. I suppose we'll see; two weeks to go!
While most of the Sons (and friends of Sons) were recovering from hangovers, the Dodgers went out and took the series from Cincinnati by beating the Reds 2-1 on a Sunday afternoon. Zack Greinke was on as usual, 7.0 IP with 6 H and only 1 ER, a sacrifice fly yielded to Billy Hamilton in the fifth. But Greinke came out in the bottom of the fifth and followed Joc Pederson's 23 HR (a solo shot) with a HR of his own, his second, a no doubt shot which even had a Greinke-like bat flip at the end.
The Nationals rolled over against the Giants and played dead, allowing the Giants to win four in a row as the Nats descended below .500. But the Dodgers have a three-game win streak of our own, so our lead remains at 2.5 games in the West. Rock steady, boys!
Zack Greinke (12-2, 1.59) vs. Anthony "Gwen" DeSclafani (7-7, 3.75).
Don't speak. Just know that the Dodgers have maintained their 2.5-game lead in the West, despite having a record worse than the third-place Chicago Cubs, clawing out unexpected victories from Alex Wood (Friday) and Brett Anderson (Saturday). And now today, we've got arguably our best starter on the mound, in Zack Greinke--who hasn't lost since June 13.
Should Greinke paint his own surprise, and get shelled today (Joey Votto, in particular, is 10-for-24 against Greinke), and the Dodgers' lead shrink a little bit? I know just what you're saying, So please stop explaining. Don't tell me 'cause it hurts.
Brett Anderson (6-7, 3.43) vs. David Holmberg (1-1, 3.05).
While some Sons will likely be occupied elsewise, the rest of us schlubs may as well go ahead and watch today's game at the Stadium. I mean, it may not be the sweet sweet nectar of beer, but today's pitching matchup should hearken nostalgic memories of converted paper products and services, including new technologies and innovative products that work effortlessly with the evolving graphics industry.
On second thought, hold up there Dusty, I'm on my way to Beers Fest!
Mat Latos (4-8, 4.67) vs. Keyvius Sampson (1-1, 3.00).
Reds may be going with Sampson, but we'll be bringing Delilah, in Latos who is probably itching to get back at the team which housed him for the last three years. The Reds' Sampson has only gone 12 innings total. It's just a matter of time before SoSG Dusty tells Keyvius to cut his hair (a la Timmeh).
UPDATE: Oh yeah, and how could I forget this guy:
With luck we'll have another great AC video with bobblehead in hand...
Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.51) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (8-7, 3.44).
The Mets have Happy Harvey Day, so why is there no Happy Kershaw Day?
I'll be honest; they had us at BEERS. But if you're looking for the place to be before Saturday's game (note uncommon 6:10 p.m. start time), shoot up the 110 to BEERS Fest:
- Who: Beers Magazine, 10+ Breweries and 30+ Beer brands
- What: 3000 guests expected to attend 2015 Beers Summer Fest ft. Breweries, Food, Beer Pong, Cornhole & Live Music, www.BeersFest.com
- When: Aug. 15th from 1-6pm
- Where: The Reef Parking Lot 1933 S. Broadway LA CA 90007
- Why: B)ecause E)everything E)lse R)eally S)ucks
Participating breweries include:
- Anchor Brewing – http://www.anchorbrewing.com
- Wick’s Brewing Company – www.wicksbrewing.com
- Absolution Brewing Company – http://absolutionbrewingcompany.com
- The Great Beer Company – http://www.greatbeerco.com
- Solarc Beer Company – http://www.solarcbrewing.com
- Mission Brewery – http://missionbrewery.com
- Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company – http://www.figmtnbrew.com
- Fireman’s Brew – www.firemansbrew.com
- Escape Craft Brewery – www.escapecraftbrewery.com
- The Dudes’ Brewing Company – http://www.thedudesbrew.com
Will Sons be there, you ask? (shakes Magic 8-Ball) OUTLOOK GOOD
Brett Anderson (6-6, 3.06) vs. Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 3.75)
Howie to the DL, speedster Peraza in. Let's hand the Nats a curly L!
Alex Wood (7-7, 3.65) vs. Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.19).
Dodgers look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Osso Buccos. Nats and Reds await at home after today's game, so a happy flight would get the week started right!
 Current Champion: Texas Rangers 2015 BASEBALL WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY | CHAMPION | WON FROM | REIGN LENGTH | SUCCESSFUL DEFENSES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) San Francisco Giants | (9/28/14) | (vs. AZ) | |
| 2) San Diego Padres | (4/12/15) | (vs. CHC, COL) | |
| 3) Los Angeles Dodgers | (4/25/15) | (vs. SFG, AZ, MIL, COL, MIA, COL) | |
| 4) San Francisco Giants | (5/20/15) | ||
| 5) Pittsburgh Pirates | (6/2/15) | ||
| 6) Milwaukee Brewers | (6/9/15) | ||
| 7) Kansas City Royals | (6/17/15) | ||
| 8) Boston Red Sox | (6/21/15) | ||
| 9) Baltimore Orioles | (6/25/15) | ||
| 10) Texas Rangers | (7/1/15) | ||
| 11) Los Angeles Angels | (7/4/15) | ||
| 12) Texas Rangers | (7/25/15) | ||
Brett Anderson (5-6, 3.14) vs. Aaron Harang (5-11, 3.97).
Old friend alert! The last-place Phils are 8-2 in their last ten, and the Giants have Bumgarner starting today (why does it always seem like he's starting for them?). Dodgers' lead is two; pray they don't shorten it any further.
Jimmy Rollins, franchise hit leader, returns to Philadelphia for the first time tonight. Alex Wood, potential starter coming off his career-worst WHIP (1.408), pitches in a Dodger uniform for the first time tonight. So which one is the bigger story? Alex? James?
