Monday, May 20, 2024

Games 50-52 Thread: May 20-22 vs. Diamondbacks

Mon 5.20: Yoshinobu Yamamoto 4-1, 3.21) vs. Joe Mantiply (2-1, 4.67)
Tue 5.21: Gavin Stone (4-1, 3.27) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (1-3, 4.17)
Wed 5.22: Tyler Glasnow (6-2, 2.90) vs. Ryne Nelson (2-3, 7.06)
All games 7p

James Outman, the Dodgers center fielder who finished third in last year's NL Rookie of the Year voting, was demoted to the minors this past weekend. Outman is batting .147 with an OPS of .516 (OPS+ 48), and a bWAR of -0.6, which is awful. The kid definitely has promise but he needs regular at bats, and with the return of Jason Heyward off the IL, that wasn't going to happen in the majors.

Outman is by no means the worst offender in the Dodgers bottom of the lineup, by the way--but that's another topic for another day.

But you know who's not much better than Outman? 2023 NL Rookie of the Year winner Corbin Carroll, still batting leadoff of the Diamondbacks despite similarly slumpy sophomore numbers. Carroll is batting .191 with a OPS of .552 (OPS+ 60), and a bWAR of -0.1, which is also no place for a leadoff hitter to be.

I'm hoping that both Carroll and Outman can turn it around. At least they've been on the field in 2024; the Mets' Kodai Senga, who finished second in ROY voting last year, hasn't pitched this season, sidelined by a shoulder injury. Yikes!

The Dodgers are 2-1 this year against the Diamondbacks, who are in fourth place, nine games behind the Dodgers (the .500 Padres are in second place, 7.5 GB). Arizona was predicted to do well this season, coming off their World Series run last year.

48 comments:

Steve Sax said...

GAME 1

Betts SS
Ohtani DH
Freeman 1B
Smith C
T Hernandez LF
Pages CF
Heyward RF
K Hernandez 3B
Rojas 2B

Yamamoto RHP

Steve Sax said...

The Brewers' Christian Yelich stole home today. Pretty cool!

Steve Sax said...

Zeroes through 2. Shohei got on in the first, but Freeman GIDPd.

spank said...

Kiki!!

Steve Sax said...

Jumped on just in time to see Kiké go yard and tie the game at 1.

Steve Sax said...

Betts goes upstairs and shoots a fastball to right. Totally impressive AB there.

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani up with Betts on first and Rojas on second.

Shohei works the walk on five pitches.

Steve Sax said...

Freeman up with rancho ardiendo!

Steve Sax said...

GRAND SLAM FREDDIE!!!

spank said...

Frederick!!

Steve Sax said...

Right before that GS, Orel said, "He's been overshadowed by Betts and Ohtani, but he'll come out of the shadows, he'll have a hot streak."

BOOM

5-1 LA

spank said...

Slappy!!!

spank said...

Dayum

Steve Sax said...

Slappy with a HR!

Steve Sax said...

6-1 LA

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar Ks for the first out.

Steve Sax said...

Pages pops to first for the second out.

Steve Sax said...

And, Heyward makes the third out.

6-1 LA through 3.

Steve Sax said...

yoshi gives up his second run with one out in the top of the seventh. Let’s let him rest.

Steve Sax said...

Yamamoto removed after 6.1 IP, 100 pitches.

Steve Sax said...

Yamamoto's line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 8 Ks.

Steve Sax said...

Here's Anthony Banda, glasses and all.

spank said...

Dodgers playing defense like the bad news bears now

spank said...

mookie checked me 😂

Steve Sax said...

Carroll with a single, but it turns to two bases when Taylor botches the fielding in left.

Mookie snares the next one for a quick second out.

PH for Joc Pederson: Randall Grichuk, with two RISP.

Steve Sax said...

Grichuk: .358 BA in his last 19 AB.

Steve Sax said...

Banda escapes!

6-2 LA at the stretch.

Steve Sax said...

1-2-3 inning for Jarvis to dispatch the Dodgers in the seventh.

6-2 LA through 7 full.

Steve Sax said...

Elieser Hernandez takes over for the eighth.

Steve Sax said...

Hernandez gets Walker to foul out to Freddie. One out.

Steve Sax said...

Gurriel Jr launched that one.

6-3 LA, one out in the eighth.

Steve Sax said...

Wow, they're teeing off on Hernandez here.

Steve Sax said...

6-4 L A. Rancho ardiendo for Pages (Freeman single, Slappy walk, CT3 single). One out.

spank said...

damn. Booooooo

Steve Sax said...

Pages with a valiant AB, working it back to a full count, but f'ing GIDPs to end the inning.

6-4 LA through eight full.

Steve Sax said...

Daniel Hudson entering for the ninth.

Steve Sax said...

Hudson was down 3-0 on that first Diamondback, and works it back to a 3-2 count and then gets him to ground out 5-3.

Steve Sax said...

Hudson overpowers Carroll with a fastball.

Two out.

spank said...

that's a wrap

Steve Sax said...

Strikes out Ketel Marte to end it!

Way to go, Hudson!

Way to go, Yamamoto!

Nice job, Freddie!

Steve Sax said...

WIN

Steve Sax said...

GAME 2

Betts SS
Ohtani DH
Freeman 1B
Smith C
T Hernandez RF
Lux 2B
Pages CF
K Hernandez 3B
Vargas LF

Stone RHP

Steve Sax said...

Mookie Betts bobblehead tonight!

Steve Sax said...

We are getting no hit through three.

AZ 2, LA 0

spank said...

4-1 6th

Vargas just doubled

spank said...

Ohtani singl s in Vargas

4-2 AZ

spank said...

Slappy doubles in Shohei

4-3 AZ

Steve Sax said...

Unfortunately, it went downhill after that. Ugh.

Rubber match today.