Monday, July 22, 2024

Games 101-104 Thread: July 22-25 vs. Giants

All the changes you put me through...

Mon 7.22 7p: Ryan vs. Snell
Tue 7.23 7p: Knack vs. Hicks
Wed 7.24 7p: Glasnow vs. TBD Ray
Thu 7.25 1p: Kershaw vs. TBD Webb

This is shaping up to to be quite the rivalry series. First, we open up with the major league debut of Dodgers prospect River Ryan, who has 24.1 whole innings of minor league work this year (2.22 ERA, 32 Ks vs 8 BBs), who has started all of five games this year for Oklahoma City. The Dodgers made room for Ryan by felling "Big Maple" James Paxton, who was servicable in yesterday's 9-6 victory over Boston (notching the series sweep), but still carried a 4.43 ERA and 0.4 WAR despite a decent 8-2 record.

Put frankly, the Dodgers may have appreciated the 89 IP this season from Paxton, but think they can do better than an average with Ryan.

And who knows, maybe Friedman has more tricks up his sleeve to fill out the rest of the starting rotation. Looking at the rest of the starters this series, there might be something to justify the Paxton DFA (like getting some value for him from another team): Landon Knack has a 0.8 WAR; Tyler Glasnow is 1.8 WAR (despite nearing his high-water mark for innings (120) already (109 IP this year).

And then there's the season debut of Clayton Kershaw--who knows what to expect from our workhorse at this stage of injury recovery, but he's got a 3.60 ERA over three rehab starts and ten innings in the minors this year.

So maybe Gavin Stone (1.8 WAR) continues fighting on; Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.5 WAR) comes back; Bobby Miller (-0.9 WAR) shakes his 2024 blues; and Walker Buehler (-0.7 WAR) returns to some sort of form? And we pick up another starter? Or two?

I don't know, but this series against the Giants will definitely be telling...starting with Monday, with the Giants starting this familiar foe (Blake Snell is 0-3 on the year, but the Giants have won his last two starts (both no decisions) since returning from the IL):

"Hmm, maybe I should have signed before Spring Training?
Even so, it's still $62M."

I'll be at the game on Wednesday night, alongside my friend, a Giants fan. Let's go!

121 comments:

Steve Sax said...

GAME 1 (Game 28 without Mookie)

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

Ryan RHP

spank said...

Fuck The Gnats!!

karen said...

You never make the first or third out at third you stupid frisco player

karen said...

hateHateHATE!!!

Steve Sax said...

Looks like Soler, who led off with a walk, was out at third on a LaMonte Wade single to left. To LEFT! And that was the first out. Wow, that's a gift.

Steve Sax said...

Snell walks Ohtani to start B1.

Steve Sax said...

Blake Snell always looks constipated to me.

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani takes one pitch to steal second!

Steve Sax said...

Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who has an impressive 2.5 WAR this year, has nailed 26% of runners this year (better than the league average, 22%).

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani's SB overturned. He's out at second. And then Slappy flies to right, and Freeman promptly grounds to first.

0-0 through 1.

spank said...

slappy tried to get cute on that passed ball.

karen said...

Teo ties it up 1-1

spank said...

Teo!!

Steve Sax said...

What did I miss? (Sorry, I was eating dinner.)

Steve Sax said...

Okay, it's tied at 1, T6. Ryan just relieved for Vesia (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 3 BB). Nice outing, River!

He leaves for Vesia, though, men at the corners with one out.

Steve Sax said...

Vesia gets Matos, swinging.

Two out.

Steve Sax said...

Matt Chapman up, not an easy out at all.

Steve Sax said...

Vesia gets Chapman swinging as well!

Nice job, Alex!

1-1, mid-6

spank said...

i agree with saxy...Snell looks constipated.

Steve Sax said...

So now Snell is in, and he's going through the lineup for the third time...which isn't his strong suit.

That said, he gets Ohtani and Slappy to ground out. So here's Freddie.

Steve Sax said...

@spank 8.39p: we should send Snell some laxatives.

Steve Sax said...

Freeman with a six-pitch walk. Two out. Here's Teo again.

Steve Sax said...

Wild pitch moves Freeman up to scoring position.

Steve Sax said...

Orel making a great comment, that Clayton Kershaw's Thursday start is preferable to starting on the road in Houston.

Steve Sax said...

Teo RBI!

karen said...

IEO!!!!!!

spank said...

Teo again coming through with an rbi

Steve Sax said...

Pages with an automatic strike 1 ?

Steve Sax said...

Pretty interesting--I hadn't seen it before--but MLB gameday registers it as "A". A scarlet letter, indeed.

Steve Sax said...

Pages pops out to first anyway (Wade juggles it, but gets it).

2-1 LA through 6

spank said...

@saxy...we'll send Snell some exlax. he might need a monthly subscription.

karen said...

The frisco morons tie it back up

Steve Sax said...

Yarbrough again gives up a longball. 2-2.

83 mph, right down the middle. Nice job, Ryan.

Steve Sax said...

Heyward PH, but grounds to second.

Steve Sax said...

Nice contact for CT3 there, but he lines out.

Steve Sax said...

Here's NL Player of the Week Gavin Lux.

Man, that sounds ridiculous.

Prove me wrong, Gavin!

Steve Sax said...

Luxy is having quite an AB here

Steve Sax said...

Called strike three on the ninth pitch.

2-2 through seven full.

Steve Sax said...

Treinen gets Wade swinging and then Ramos to ground out, but walks Bailey on four pitches. Here's Matos, with Bailey on first.

Steve Sax said...

Bailey steals second, but Treinen gets Matos swinging for the third out.

2-2, mid-8

Steve Sax said...

Kiké with a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth!

Steve Sax said...

What the hell happened with the Giants fielders there? The ball fell right between Ramos and Matos and landed in the field of play. Wow, what a gift.

Can the Dodgers capitalize?

Steve Sax said...

Shohei Ks. One out

spank said...

Ughtani

Steve Sax said...

Slappy works a 0-2 count back to a walk.

Here's Freeman, men on first and second.

Steve Sax said...

Ugh, Freeman grounds into a force out.

Dodgers at corners for Teo.

Steve Sax said...

Oh wait, Slappy might be safe? Nope, replays show he's probably out.

spank said...

he looks out to me

Steve Sax said...

Giants stall for time by challenging the play (Smith out at second, but they challenged the slide and lost the challenge). That stall though gave Randy Rodriguez time to warm up, and now he's in to face Teoscar.

Steve Sax said...

TEO AGAIN!!!

karen said...

TEO AGAIN!!!!

Steve Sax said...

Teo with his third RBI tonight (all of them!)

Steve Sax said...

OMG karen, jinx

spank said...

Teo again again

karen said...

GET OUT OF MY HEAD SAXY!!

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar is just a joy to watch when he is in the zone. Wow.

Steve Sax said...

Pages flies out.

3-2 LA, heading to the ninth.

karen said...

No jinx Saxy. We are totally good

Steve Sax said...

Hudson in for the ninth

Steve Sax said...

Chapman Ks for the first out.

Steve Sax said...

Yastrzemski Ks for the second out.

Steve Sax said...

@karen 9.30p: whew!

Steve Sax said...

Here's Fitzgerald, who has been a HR machine lately for SF

Steve Sax said...

3-2 count...

Steve Sax said...

Hudson loses him. Two-out walk.

Steve Sax said...

WIN

karen said...

My favorite kind of win...we go ahead in the 8th and shut the mofos down in the 9th

Steve Sax said...

I'll take it

Steve Sax said...

See you beautiful people tomorrow!

Steve Sax said...

GAME 2 (Game 29 without Mookie)

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

Knack RHP

karen said...

OH NO!!!!! Craig's kid starting at third!

spank said...

Luxy's on fire

karen said...

Thank you NL Player of the Week! Lux 2 - Hated Ones 0

spank said...

Craig's kid with an error

2-1 LA

karen said...

@Spanky....It didn't take Craig's kid long to screw up did it

karen said...

SHOHEI!!!!

spank said...

@karen..I've seen more errors by Craig's kid than I've seen him hit the ball. dude sucks

spank said...

4-1 LA

karen said...

Evan Phillips scares the crap out of me lately

karen said...

WIN!!!

spank said...

shaky 9th

Steve Sax said...

Going to the game tonight.

Steve Sax said...

CT3 actually bats well vs. Robbie Ray (.323 BA and .852 OPS in 21 AB). Miguel Rojas as well (.333 BA and .975 OPS in 15 AB).

karen said...

GAME 3

GAMEE 30 WITHOUT MOOKIE

Shohei Ohtani DH
Will Smith C
Freddie Freeman 1B
Teo Hernandez RF
Andy Pages CF
Miguel Vargas LF
Chris Taylor 2B
Kiki Hernandez 3B
Nick Ahmed SS No Freaking Hated Ones on our team!!!

Tyler Glasnow RHP

karen said...

MiggyRo to IL. Kyle Hurt to have Tommy John next week.

Kiki's 3 1/2 year old daughter to throw out first pitch.

spank said...

bases juiced

spank said...

pages walks with the bases loaded

1-0 LA

Steve Sax said...

Glasnow, what the fuck.

Steve Sax said...

Meanwhile Robbie Ray has a NO-HITTER

karen said...

WE STILL HAVE NU HITS!!!!

karen said...

***I mean NO!

Steve Sax said...

Predictably, CT3 breaks up the no-hitter in the seventh

Steve Sax said...

…and, he’s injured.

karen said...

After getting our first hit CT3 is injured stretching it into a double.

Craig's kid pinch running.

karen said...

WTF Johan??

spank said...

good lord. bases juiced. no outs

Steve Sax said...

This is painful.

Steve Sax said...

Yohan Ramirez sucks. Let’s cut bait. I’d rather have Paxton relieve than this guy.

Steve Sax said...

I’m dying here.

Steve Sax said...

Robbie ray had a first inning with 10k pitches. And we are going to lose.

karen said...

The Hated Ones win.

spank said...

meh

spank said...

early game today. its the free game of the day on Prime.

karen said...

GAME 4

GAME 30 WITHOUT MOOKIE

SHOHEI DH
HOME RUN DERBY WINNER LF
FREDDIE 1B
ANDY PAGES 1B
LUXY 2B
J HEY RF
KIKI 3B
BARNESY C
FORMER HATED ONE SS

CLAYTON KERSHAW LHP

karen said...

Happy Kershaw Day!!!

karen said...

Scoreless first inning for Kersh

spank said...

kiki hits it through the shift

1-0 LA

spank said...

Barnes with a single through the same spot as kiki

spank said...

2-1 Gnats

kershaw in trouble

3rd inning

spank said...

the fucker pitched out of the jam. nice

karen said...

@Spanky....You have never loved Kersh like I do :)

spank said...

bases juiced for Frederick

spank said...

@karen...i agree. i might not even like him.

spank said...

4-2 LA

6th

spank said...

bases juiced for Pages

spank said...

fuck

spank said...

fuck. sack up Vesia

4-3 LA

spank said...

New Player!!

spank said...

oh shit..back to back Ohtani and Ahmed

karen said...

WIN WIN WIN FOR THE GOOD GUYS AND LOSS LOSS LOSS FOR THE EVIL EMPIRE

spank said...

that's a wrap

6-4 LA