USA Today Making Sure Dodgers Remember The Past

Thanks, Pete Donovan of USA Today, for pointing out how former Dodgers have been faring on other teams this season:

5 Former Dodgers and how they are faring this year:
Justin Turner (Red Sox): Hitting .284 with 2 home runs.
Cody Bellinger (Cubs): After hitting .165 and .210 in his last two years in Los Angeles, he’s bounced back nicely and is hitting .300 with the Cubs – and has three homers against his former teammates.
Corey Seager (Rangers): Hit .359 in first 11 games of season before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain.
Trea Turner (Phillies): Solid, but not spectacular; hitting .293 with only seven RBIs.
Kenley Jansen (Red Sox): Has not given up a run in seven games with five saves.

It's all in how you look at the data, right? Over at third base, I do miss JT but Muncy's revival (and MLB-leading 11 HR this year) is certainly helping me move on. Cody Bellinger had three HR against us across seven games, but James Outman's .316 BA is ahead of Bellinger, and Outmans' 193 OPS+ is also ahead of Bellinger's 154 OPS+.

It has been a while since we've seen Corey Seager at shortshop in Dodger Blue, but let's hope he gets well soon. But speaking of shortstop, Trea Turner's .293 with seven RBIs still eclipses Miguel Rojas' .125 BA and ZERO RBI this year. Maybe with Mookie slotting over at shortstop, we'll finally get some production from that spot...but I do miss having a real shortstop in the lineup.

And good for Kenley Jansen, who also led the league with 41 saves last year in Atlanta. Our bullpen is still patchwork and hardly revered, but $16M is a lot of money for a last-place Boston team's closer.

And no mention of Kiké Hernandez, and his .220 BA (84 OPS+) starting for Boston every day at shortstop? Or Joc Pederson, batting .250 in 13 games with the Giants? Or Alex Wood, off to a good start with San Francisco and a 1.50 ERA, but sidelined to injury?

It's a mixed bag, to be sure.

Dodgers Bid Adieu to Puig, Kemp (Again)

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired minor league IF Jeter Downs, minor league RHP Josiah Gray and RHP Homer Bailey from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for C/IF Kyle Farmer, outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, LHP Alex Wood and cash considerations.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 21, 2018

Series Thread (Games 18-20), April 20-22 vs. Nationals

• Friday 4/20 7p: Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 1.73) vs. Max Scherzer (3-1, 1.33) WSH 5, LAD 2
  
• Saturday 4/21 6p: Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0, 2.87) vs. Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.08) LAD 4, WSH 0
  
• Sunday 4/22 5p: Alex Wood (0-2, 3.91) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (0-0, 3.86) LAD 4, WSH 3

After weeks of stumbling through the NL (and AL) West, and finally getting the groove back in San Diego (outscoring the Padres 30-10 in the three-game series!), we finally meet a formidable opponent from another division predicted to go to the playoffs...and they too are one game below .500. The Nationals have spent this year getting swept by the Mets and losing three of four to the Rockies, both of which came at home. But Bryce Harper is still mashing home runs (a league-leading 8 on the year), even when he breaks his bat in the process; and they are throwing two of their best arms against us in this series.

But we're rolling now too, right? Grandal is batting .352 with a 1.046 OPS; Matt Kemp is .347 and does look better at the plate than expected; and Corey Seager, 4-for-5 Wednesday vs. the Padres, finally looks locked in. Even Max Muncy got into the action with a 2-run HR on Wednesday; he's batting .400 with a 1.500 OPS, a small sample size, and a large waistline. Hey, we'll take it.

In personal news, I'll be at the Stadium tonight to watch the fireworks fly. It's set to 80's music. I'll be right at home.

Oh, and for all the rest of you: be careful out there.

Finally, some tips on what to do with pesky gNats (it's amazing what you learn when searching things on google):

Series Thread (Games 5-7): April 2-4 @ Diamondbacks

• Monday 4/2: Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. T Walker, 6.40p ARI 8, LAD 7 (15)
  
• Tuesday 4/3: Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 1.50) vs. Godley (N/A), 6.40p ARI 6, LAD 1
  
• Wednesday 4/4: Alex Wood (0-0, 0.00) vs. Tyler Corbin (1-0, 3.18), 12:40p ARI 3, LAD 0

In our opening series, we outscored the Giants 14-2 but we ended up splitting the four-game series, a mathematical improbability and honestly a pretty pathetic outcome. Though none of Saturday's starters ended the game with a batting average above .200, Sunday's game saw a number of players wake up and shatter the Mendoza line: Chris Taylor (2-for-5, now batting .267 in the leadoff spot); Yasiel Puig (3-for-4, .231); Yasmani Grandal (2-for-4, .400); and Kike Hernandez (2-for-4, .333). Cody Bellinger got his first hit of a year, a two-run HR in the sixth off of Josh Osich. And it was fun to finally spank a team on national television, driving Osich's ERA to 10.80 and Robert Gomez' ERA to 36.00.

And now we go to the valley of the Snakes, who beat the Rockies in their opening series two games to one, and got to spend Easter Sunday hanging out with their families and coloring dyed eggs. (What to do with those eggs?) The Diamondbacks' 2-1 record now leads the NL West, with the Dodgers a scant half-game behind.

These Snakes are happy! We can't score runs consistently, and we haven't rested! What could possibly go wrong?

Game 2 Thread: Opening Night (March 30, 2018) vs. Giants, 7p

Alex Wood vs. Johnny Cueto

Welp, yesterday happened. For many of us, the immediate thought was that Game 1 of 2018 was a mere extension of Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Hitters swinging at bad pitches and watching good pitches, everyone swinging wildly for the fences, stranded RISP out the ass...not he way we wanted or needed to start the new season by any measure.

We'll have another chance to get back to winning ways, though. Tonight is Opening Night, and we don't have to face a no-name pitcher who turns into Cy Young -- a setup that always seems to vex Dodger hitters.

In many ways, we can just consider this a do-over for Opening Day. Hell, maybe Chris Taylor will get another chance to cream a hanging slider pitched right down the middle.

Post-World Series Game 4 Thread: Yes, We Like That

DODGERS 6, ASTROS 2

What. Just. Happened.

The Dodgers rose like a phoenix from the bitter ashes of Games 2 and 3 to win Game 4 in resounding fashion and tie the World Series at 2 games apiece.

The big hero 6 of the game was Alex Wood, who gave the Dodgers almost six innings when the bullpen's collective arm was hanging by a thread. And not only did Wood hold the Astros scoreless for 5 2/3 innings, he held them hitless too. A solo home run by George Springer ended both streaks, but thanks to Wood the Dodgers were in a position to do some damage.

Cody Bellinger had been having a miserable World Series, whiffing more than Midlife Crisis Dude at a college bar, but he finally finally finally finally finally finally got off the schneid with a double off starter Charlie Morton in the 7th. Logie Bear singled him in with two out and the game was tied again. Phew.

After Brandon Morrow, Chris Devenski and Tony Watson all did their jobs, the soft underbelly of the Astros' bullpen presented itself in the form of Ken Giles. The same Ken Giles who surrendered two runs in Game 2. Bellinger doubled again (!), scoring Corey Hotline and giving the Dodgers the lead...the first time they led since the end of Game 2.

The Astros plugged in Joe Buck mancrush Joe Musgrove but the results were the same and/or worse. Austin Barnes sac'd home another run and then Joc Pederson lowered the BOOM goes the cannon/watch the blood and the shit spray! His three-run high-hack HR gave the Dodgers a 6-1 cushion for Kenley Jansen...who promptly served up a dinger to Alex Bregman but escaped otherwise unscathed.

So when we think of all the big names we expect to carry us, the Kershaws and Darvishes and JTs and Coreys, today's game reminds us that the Woods and Pedersons of the world will play their role if the Dodgers are to achieve World Series nirvana.

Two more wins, mofos.

World Series Game 4 Thread: Oct 28th @ Astros, 5p

You said it, Krusty.
Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72) vs. Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62)

WELP.

What was expected to be an exciting, competitive World Series between two 100+ win teams has taken an ugly turn. Ugly starting pitching, ugly swings, ugly defense, and, oh yeah, ugly fucking racism.

Adversity sucks. The Dodgers really haven't had to face it all postseason. Yet, through all this ugliness, a ray of positivity suddenly shines from the unlikeliest of sources...our own SoSG Sax:

Hey, turn that frown upside down. All three games have been decided by two or fewer runs. It's anyone's game. And though we are down 2-1, that's with one starter flaming out, Bellinger not hitting squat, our own bullpen melting down once (they were fine last night), and the rest of our offense suddenly not clutch. We will be fine. Let's just win Game 4.

I'll have what he's smoking.

But seriously, he's not wrong. The Dodgers are still very much in this, despite how bleak things looked last night. A little good Wood will go a long way. (That goes for the bats too.) Play smart. Play loose. Leave the panicking and butt clenching to us.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

NLCS Game 4 Thread: Oct. 18th @ Cubs, 6p

Inside the mind of Dave Roberts before the Yu Darvish walk.
Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72) vs. Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53)

#ThisTeam is one win away from its first World Series in twenty-nine years. Repeat: ONE. WIN. AWAY. It's so close, we can taste it. After years of tasting our own bile in October, this is a pretty nice palate cleanser. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The work isn't done yet. One game at a time, as all the post-game interviews say. Alex Wood (Remember him?) gets the start to try to outlast SoSG nemesis Jake Arrieta. No, seriously, we irrationally hate that dude.

I can't even write a proper preview for what may happen tonight. My brain is completely scrambled, but, like, in a good way. I just want it to be 6:00 already so we can get this going.

A Game 4 with no need to run a short-rested Kershaw out there? How can this be? Everything about this postseason has been weird, but weird is working. Weird is winning. Weird is WONDERFUL.

Let's get weird.

Series Thread (Games 8-10): Apr 10,12-13 @ Cubs

We have to watch those Cub bastards hoist their World Series banner on their opening night tonight? And we have to watch them get their rings the following ni--....wait there is no game the next night of this away series. WTF? So we have to watch the banner hoisted, get angry about it on the off day, then try to keep our cool as we watch them get their rings the next night? And neither of those games will be played during the damn daytime, when Cubs games are supposed to freaking be played. Oh, also Rich Hill has a strained blister on his throwing blister that has blistered up, so he's scratched for the opener against Jon Lester. What can go wrong in this series? Dusty mad already.

4/10, 5:05p: Alex Wood vs Jon Lester
CUBS 3, DODGERS 2

4/12, 5:05p: Brandon McCarthy vs John Lackey
DODGERS 2, CUBS 0

4/13, 11:20a: Hyun-Jin Ryu vs Brett Anderson
CUBS 4, DODGERS 0. Hello, old friend.

Post-Game 38 Thread: Laying Another Egg On National Television

From the Topps 2016 Series 1 set. How perfect.

CARDINALS 5, DODGERS 2

Dodgers are once again on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball this evening, coming off of two decent wins against St. Louis and looking for the sweep...and this time, it was late inning bullpen choices which did them in.

Joe Fucking Blanton. That was Dave Roberts' choice late in the game, after Alex Wood skated through six innings (including a very perilous sixth inning: two on and none out, and he escaped without the Cardinals scoring a run) into a 1-1 tie through six full. We aren't going to see Alex Wood make this good of a start again, so we sure as hell shouldn't waste it.

But after Louis Coleman recorded the first out, and J.P. Howell gave up a single and then got the second out (man on second), Roberts went with Joe Blanton, who has been largely useless all year. Sure enough, Blanton proceeded to give up three runs in the seventh, and then put a cherry on top by giving up another run in the top of the eighth.

Corey Seager hit a second home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-2, but what the hell, Roberts? After making good bullpen calls all series, this was a horrible, horrible call. And on national television, no less. Great.

Dodgers slip out of first place thanks to the Diamondbacks rolling over and playing dead for the Giants' four-game sweep.

Game 38 Thread: May 15 vs. Cardinals, 5p

Alex Wood (1-3, 4.58) vs. Mike Leake (1-3, 5.10)

The good news: This is the Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN so everyone can watch. The bad news: The nation will be watching, so performance anxiety could be a factor.

Few predicted that the Dodgers would be going for a series sweep against the Cardinals this afternoon. Poor as the Cardinals have been this year, they usually have the Dodgers' number (especially in the playoffs). And the pitching setup did not bode well going into the series: Stripling-->Kazmir-->Wood. Yet here we are pinning our hopes on the third leg of that coyote ugly rotation. Will Wood be able to go the distance, and not struggle with the long ball? Can he hold up for more than four or five innings? I mean, come on, it happens to everybody sometimes, right?

Post-Game 33 Thread: Trayce Thompson, Ladies And Gentlemen

DODGERS 3, METS 2

Alex Wood pitched surprisingly well (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB and 9 Ks), dueling the Mets' Jacob deGrom (7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB and 4 Ks). But Trayce Thompson's pinch-hit, two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth HR off of Hansel Robles won the game, tied the series, and earned Thompson a bubble-gum shower early and a Powerade shower later (both on the field; I assume Thompson got a real shower at some point tonight as well). Not much more to say about this one besides Vin's call, so I'll leave it at that.

Game 33 Thread: May 10 vs. Mets. 7p

Alex Wood (1-3, 5.18) vs. Jacob deGrom (3-1, 1.99)

Jacob deGrom looks like Blake from Workaholics. That's all I've got.

No, really. You try putting a positive spin on another Alex Wood start. "Hey, maybe it won't be so bad this time. Maybe it'll be just OK instead of brutal!" Whatever. This is a .500 team playing like a .500 team. (Yet, due to the entire division saying "Not it!", they're miraculously tied for first place.) It's hard to get fired up right now.

Can we just skip this one and go right to the more entertaining Maeda/Syndergaard and Kershaw/Bartolo matchups?

Game 24 Thread: Apr. 29 vs. Padres, 7p

Alex Wood (1-2, 6.00) vs. Cesar Vargas (0-0, 1.80)

Well here we are again at the depth of the roller coaster ride that is the 2016 season. Fresh off an epicly embarrassing 4-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Marlins, the Dodgers will really need to hit that great reset button in the sky to salvage a shred of dignity in this homestand against the Padres. And it's almost getting too late to keep talking about how early in the season it is.

I find no solace in today's official game notes on Wood: "Wood struggled in Colorado last Sunday, allowing five earned runs in six innings...his strikeouts per nine innings stands at 5.14, which is in the bottom 10 of qualified pitchers in MLB." Hey, I guess that means he's not dead last in that statistical category, so that's something.

Many will, however, find solace in tonight's post-game fireworks show. A special tribute to Prince is planned with his music as the backdrop for the fireworks display. Indeed, we all wish we could pitch like it was 1999, because then we could lean on Chan Ho Park to turn this around instead of Alex Wood.

Post-Game 19 Thread: Dodgers Win Despite Another Short Wood Start AND Necessary Ninth-Inning Comeback

DODGERS 12, ROCKIES 10

It's a rare occasion these days, for me to be able to watch a game live alongside another Son. (I'm working on this issue.)

But watching with SoSG AC today, we were giddy watching the Dodgers squander a 7-1 lead, capped by a five-run Rockies bottom of the eighth that just about nailed the coffin shut for the Dodgers--only to see us miraculously counter with five runs of our own in the top of the ninth, to win the game 12-10. This was truly unbelievable, and we were both going nuts with despair and then elation. And this is why baseball is so great.

Alex Wood sucked again, struggling through five innings before exiting in the sixth with another horrible line (5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB and 5 Ks; his ERA is now 6.00 and he has had only one outing (of four) longer than five innings). So look, I had expected to lose this game, given Wood was starting. Even though Pedro Baez pulled off an impressive escape routine in the sixth. Even though Adam Liberatore had a scoreless seventh. And even though my fears came to fruition in the eighth, when Chris Hatcher proved ridiculously ineffective yet again (four batters, two hits and a walk, 3 ER), Luis Avilan let another two runs in, and Joe Blanton was needed to get the comebacker 1-6-3 DP to end the nine-batter frame.

Down 10-7 going to the ninth, it looked pretty bleak for us to try and take the game and this series. Adrian Gonzalez led off with a single to right; Yasmani Grandal forced Gonzalez at second, but advanced to third on Howie Kendrick's one-out single. Kike Hernandez walked, and Trayce Thompson hit into a FC at second.

With two out and down 10-8, pinch hitter A.J. Ellis singled to center to score Kendrick and make it 10-9 Rockies. And then a wild pitch by Jake McGee scored Thompson, and Chase Utley (2-for-6 with three runs and a RBI) doubled in Charlie Culberson (who had PR for Ellis). Corey Seager then doubled home Utley, to make it 12-10 Dodgers, and we too had notched five runs and nine batters in the next frame.

This is the kind of comeback victory that makes players believers. This is the kind of win that has one think, "wow, this team has some magic here." It's early. But this could be a turning point in this young season.

With the win, the Giants' 5-4 loss to the 6-11 Marlins, and the Snakes' loss to the Pirates, the Dodgers are in first place by 2.5 games with a 12-7 record. What a surprise that one game can make. We'll need it...especially when Wood starts.

graphical thingy courtesy fangraphs

Game 19 Thread: Apr. 24 @ Rockies, 1p

Alex Wood (1-2, 5.06) vs. Jordan Lyles (1-1, 6.0)

Yes, we know that yesterday was a great win and a very good day of pitching as Kenta Maeda continued his masterful introduction to the MLB. In fact, Maeda is the first pitcher ever to allow just one run in his first four MLB starts.

Alas, today is a new day and a shitty one at that as far as starting pitching is concerned. Alex Wood seeks to....well, not suck. And Coors Field is just the place for him to turn it around, am I right? Dodgers take a mediocre 11-7 record into the final game there before heading back home for a stand against the Marlins. Meanwhile, here nor there, not that we care, who is paying attention...Giants have a losing 9-10 record despite winning their last two.

Let's turn this roller coaster ride around today!

Game 14 Thread: Apr. 19 @ Barves, 4p

Alex Wood (1-1, 4.50) vs. Williams Perez (0-0, 7.00)

Sticking with a theme, the Wood roller coaster started with a big drop, but may now be in an extended lift hill. He returns to Atlanta tonight for the first time since they traded him away. It's not uncommon for roller coasters to change parks, but we'll see how big of an attraction he is in his return.

The Dodger bats were all set to face Julio Teheran, but his start has been pushed back a day. They'll now face something called a Williams Perez, which is also the name of Argentina's premier gourmet food and cookware store.

Post-Game 9 Thread: Dodgers 3-D Helmets End Losing Streak

DODGERS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1

Alex Wood led the Dodgers' 3-D batting helmets to their first career victory, earning a rare win of his own and lowering his ERA to 4.50 (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 3 Ks). Rubby De La Rosa lowered his ERA as well by over 33%, which was amazing given our pre-game predictions. But hey, we'll take it (so will Adrian Gonzalez, who had a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth).

De La Rosa wasn't helped by his infield, who let the Dodgers take the lead when Chase Utley hit a ball to Nick Ahmed at shortstop; Ahmed threw the ball into right field, allowing Howie Kendrick to score in the bottom of the fifth. The very next play, Corey Seager hit a double-play ball to second, but Paul Goldschmidt bobbled the throw to first, allowing Seager to reach and Joc Pederson to score.

Kenley Jansen needed to notch a five-out save when Wood, and then Pedro Baez, tired in the eighth inning. Jansen needed five outs because, unlike our matte-finish batting helmets, we don't have a lot of depth there.

Yasiel Puig went 2-for-4 and is now batting .394, a notch ahead of Gonzalez' .389.

Yasmani Grandal went 0-for-3 in his first start of the season.

Game 9 Thread: April 13 vs. Diamondbacks, 7p

Giving the wood a little rubby.
(You probably thought I'd use a different picture here, didn't you?)

Alex Wood (0-1, 9.00) vs. Rubby De La Rosa (0-1, 12.46).

Wow, I haven't seen ERAs that high since Jim Johnson last year! Alex Wood has not won a game through spring training and his first start. Rubster De La Rosa is 0-3 with a 11.21 ERA vs. the Dodgers. Tonight's going to be a race to see who can break through the 15.00 ERA ceiling faster. De La Rosa has a headstart, sure; but I wouldn't count out Wood by a longshot.

Let's see if those super-secret 3D batting helmets can earn their first win tonight.

Post-Game 4 Thread: So Much For That Scoreless Inning Streak

Wood sends streak up in flames

GIANTS 12, DODGERS 6

Dave Roberts had already seen Alex Wood's shakiness bring an end to the Dodgers' scoreless inning streak, at 31 innings of play, after Wood let three runs score in the bottom of the fifth. In the top of the sixth, Roberts let Wood bat for the final out. And Wood rewarded his faith by coming back out in the bottom of the sixth, and giving up the lead.

A two-run Joc Pederson HR in the top of the eighth showed the Dodgers weren't done yet, having watched their early 4-0 lead go up in smoke. However Pedro Baez let Hunter Pence hit a grand slam in the bottom of that inning, and it was done.

The Dodgers are now tied with the Giants atop the NL West with only 158 games left to play. Tough loss, but let's get Justin Turner (and maybe even Carl Crawford) back in the lineup tomorrow, and go at it with...Ross Stripling? Hoo boy.