Series Thread (Games 7-10): July 30 - Aug 2 @ D'backs

Thu July 30 6.30p: Ross Striping (1-0, 1.29) vs. Robbie Ray (0-1, 7.36)
Fri July 31 6.30p: TBD vs. Zac Gallen (0-0, 2.25)
Sat Aug 1 5p: Julio Urias (0-0, 1.80) vs. Luke Weaver (0-1, 16.20)
Sun Aug 2 1p: TBD vs. Merrill Kelly (1-0, 1.17)

Fresh off a sweep of the Cheaters in Houston, the Dodgers take their 4-2, third-place record into the Arizona desert to see if we can wake some of these bats up. Besides Justin Turner's team-leading .333 average (Corey Seager is close behind at .320), we've got only Kiké Hernandez at .280...and then there's a big drop to find Chris Taylor (.211), Mookie Betts and Max Muncy (.200), and Cody Bellinger (.192). Neither Betts nor Bellinger have a HR through six games. It's early, so I don't want to sound the alarm bells...but honestly the only person who seems to be stroking is Seager.

Let's get the rest of the team started in this series. There isn't a lot of time to waste in this abbreviated season, guys.

Post-Game 6 Thread: Dodgers Vanquish Evil

DODGERS 4, CHEATERS 2 (13)

The Dodgers sweep the Cheaters with an extra-inning victory punctuated by a two-run Edwin Rios HR in the top of the 13th, which is officially MLB's first leadoff two-run HR. We didn't have the fireworks from Joe Kelly tonight, as he deals with his appeal following a eight-game suspension. But Mookie Betts had a clutch 11th inning double to go up 2-1 (the Cheaters tied it in the bottom of the inning, continuing the game); Corey Seager had a solo shot in the second; and Dennis Santana earned the win with a scoreless 2.1 IP to close the game (2 BB, 4 Ks).

Time to leave the Cheaters behind and let another team throw inside on them. We're off to Arizona.

available here

Series Thread (Games 5-6): July 28-29 @ Cheaters

I get it, but it still tastes bitter.

Tues Jul 28 6p: Walker Buehler vs. F Valdez the Cheater
Wed Jul 29 4p: Dustin May vs. TBD the Cheater

With the high likelihood that this may be the last series we might play (that is, if the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak expands to the rest of MLB, curtailing the attempt to have a 2020 season), I suppose we'd better watch. But after suffering through two straight meager showings against a pathetic Giants team, Dodger fans can't be hopeful going into trashcan-ville again. You know that the Asterisks will be employing some underhanded and illegal cheating scheme again in this game, from rearranging cardboard cutouts to tip pitches, or still-unfound electrical impulse devices hidden under the players' jerseys. I'm not hopeful for revenge here.

Sadly, it's only Game 5 and I'm already forlorn.

(cries)

UPDATE 9:46p: GAME 1: DODGERS 5, CHEATERS 2

Series Thread (Games 2-4): July 24-26 vs. Giants

Pretty stark difference in player caliber here. I'll take it.

Fri Jul 24 6.30p: Ross Stripling vs. TBD
Sat Jul 25 1p: Julio Urias Alex Wood vs. TBD
Sun Jul 26 7p: Alex Wood Julio Urias? vs. TBD

The Mookie Betts-infused Dodgers passed their Opening Day game with flying colors, defeating both the San Francisco Giants as well as the Johnny Cueto Fan Club of ESPN broadcasters (little mention was made of Dustin May's Opening Day spot start (4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks). Screw them. Now we're back to Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser to call the game appropriately.

Got off to a slow start yesterday but the offense came alive off the Giants' bullpen, and were helped further by some poor Giants baserunning and missed fielding opportunities (all of this, on national television). Let's keep this up this weekend.

Even At This Age...

MOOKIE WILL STILL BE OURS!

...and still be putting up an .850 OPS! #ForeverBlue

Post-Game 1 Thread: Dodgers Bludgeon Giants 8-1

DODGERS 8, GIANTS 1

$365M man Mookie Betts may have grounded out with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning. But that was the one low-light in another great Opening Day win for the Dodgers, led by Kike Hernandez (4-for-5, 5 RBI, 2-run HR in the eighth). Betts was 1-for-5 with a run and 2 Ks, but he had a great catch in right earlier in the game, and I have a feeling we might see one more highlight in that guy's Dodger career. Mookie also scored the go-ahead run to take a 2-1 lead on an infield hit, beating the play at the plate at home.

60-0 is still possible, Dodgers. Let's go get this.

Opening Day 2020 Game Thread: Giants @ Dodgers, 7p

Stubhub screenshot from Monday. Great seats still available.

Clayton Kershaw Dustin May vs. Johnny Cueto.

Holy shit, it's actually BASEBALL AGAIN!!! And though all respect goes to Clayton Kershaw for making his ninth Opening Day start, Kerhsaw scratched with back stiffness and hits the IL; Dustin May recalled and will make the start (3.30p) the biggest news will be seeing our own Mookie Betts play his first regular-season game in a Dodger uniform...his first of many games lasting through 2032. What a rush, what a day, what an incredibly hopeful day for Dodger fans.

It's a little bit of a bummer that Gavin Lux won't be on the Opening Day roster (to be fair, he reported late and he did look shaky, notwithstanding any service time conspiracy theories floating around). But it's all Mookie Mookie Mookie here. How I would love to see him hit a leadoff HR today. I would probably burst into flames right then and there.

We're posting this Game Thread incredibly early because there's no better time to say: IT'S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!!!

Update from SoSG Nomo, 9:50a:
Here's the Dodgers' Opening Day 30(!)-man roster:

Chills

photos by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers, probably, ah who are we kidding who else would have taken them

Mookie Betts! Mookie Betts! Mookie Betts!

UPDATE, JULY 22:

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have signed outfielder Mookie Betts to a 12-year contract through the 2032 season.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 22, 2020

PREVIOUSLY:

Not posting for any particular reason — just wanted to start a Mookie Betts label.

photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Well, I'll Be Damned, This Looks Like It Actually Might Happen

Nice illustration by Robert Carter (LAT), except the blue goes on top

Well it looks like the MLB 2020 "season" is on, after all. Which means we have to clean out the cobwebs and get this rusty ol' blog up and running again.

I'm going to leave the 2019 SoSG Attendance Record up there since we won't be replacing that in this season. But I'll try to have an Opening Day post up for Thursday's game against the hated ones.

In positive news, it has been incredible to watch baseball on television even without the crowds (don't worry, we'll be commenting on those stupid cardboard cutout things soon enough). Cody Bellinger's grand slam in yesterday's 9-2 exhibition win over Arizona was a delight, not only to see that ball carom off the empty right field seats, but also to see Mookie Betts and Max Muncy work two walks and 14 pitches, setting up a Justin Turner infield single and then the Belli GS. We didn't even have an out when we had four runs on the board. It was great.

And you read that right, SoSG Sax is actually WATCHING baseball again on television, for the first time in seven years. Unbelievable. More on that later as well.

Buckle up for this sprint of a season. Not sure if we'll get all 60 games and a post-season in--the European soccer leagues give me some hope, though the US' efforts managing COVID-19 have been much more disastrous than Europe's--but who knows. We'll be there for you.