Random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.
Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 3.00) vs. Kumar Rocker (0-1, 3.60).
"Wyatt (Langford) and Kumar" doesn't have the same ring to it, but we'll surely see those two Texas Rangers tonight at the Stadium. Maybe we'll even see former Dodgers Corey Seager and Joc Pederson (both 2020 World Series Champions with the Dodgers, and both World Series Champions again with another team) as well?
I'm just excited because this will be my first game at Dodger Stadium this season! Drop a comment if you want to say hi and grab a beer.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 1.23) vs. Jacob deGrom (0-0, 4.30).
Oh, Corey. We loved you when you won the World Series MVP in 2020, but not so much in 2023. And here you are again, now batting .306 on the season with 4 HR,...and we do miss you. Except now we have Mookie Betts at shortstop, and well, he's been pretty good too (batting .266 on the season but also with 4 HR, and four more RBI at 10).
Texas leads the AL West by two games over Seattle. We're in second place, a game and a half behind the Padres in the NL West.
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?
In one of the most tense Dodgers playoff games I have ever watched, the Dodgers overcame the ghosts of Giants playoff games past, winning 2021 NLDS Game 5 in its final inning. The game's box score looked identical for the Giants and Dodgers through the first eight innings, with each team showing one run on six hits, and both runs coming in the sixth inning (Dodgers, off a Mookie Betts single and stolen base, scoring on a Corey Seager RBI double; Giants, on a solo home run to deep center by Darren Ruf).
Justin Turner was batting 0-for-3 with a walk in this game, capping an uncharacteristically anemic .083 batting average this postseason. But when Camilo Doval hit Justin Turner in the top of the ninth with one out, that opened up a sliver of hope for the Dodgers that seemed to elude them all game (the Dodgers ended the game 2-for-10 with RISP, and 7 LOB). Gavin Lux worked a great AB for a solid single to right, his first hit of the game (despite great at bats all game long). JT advances to second. And then, the light-hitting Cody Bellinger scorched an RBI single right through the shift to have the Dodgers take the lead:
Bellinger was the hero. Bellinger, after a trying season full of injuries and disappointing ABs. I was very worried by his plate appearance here in the ninth (I thought he was going to GIDP), and I was very proud to be proven wrong by his GWRBI. Way to go, Cody!
As an aside, I've learned to have trust in Doc Roberts' calls. The decision to start Knebel "went all the way to the tippy-top of the organization," Roberts said (the LAT also reported that Roberts told Kapler abou the Knebele decison at 10pm on Wednesday night, though the news didn't break to the public until aroudn 12 hours later). That said, the decision to have Chris Taylor bunt in the top of the ninth, with one out and men at the corners, was ridiculous. Taylor was stroking the ball well, a squeeze play at the plate was unnecesary, and Taylor popped his bunt up for an out anyway. That ended up leaving the score at 2-1 LA, at a time when a third run really seemend necessary to win this one.
Max Scherzer came in to pitch the ninth and line up for his first career save. But should this game go to extras, it wasn't clear what arms might be left to utilize.
Scherzer got Brandon Crawford to fly out to Chris Taylor in left field. Then Kris Bryant reached on an error by Justin Turner, which was bone-chilling. Winning run now comes to the plate. You sort of got the sense that one more mistake from Scherzer--in an unfamiliar position--would cost the Dodgers the game. Giants manager Gabe Kapler threw in "Late Night" LaMonte Wade to pinch hit, and he Kd looking on a beautiful pitch to the outside high corner, ending a very tense AB. And then, controversy struck, when Wilmer Flores struck out on a close call check swing that was called a game- and series-ending strike. And I mean, a very close call:
Kapler, in his post-game conference, was disappointed by the call but reiterated "that was not the sole reason we lost that game." Gotta hand it to Kapler for that poise and professionalism in the wake of that loss.
Maybe this is the baseball gods restoring order. I was at that July 22 Giants @ Dodgers game, and yes, it hurt--even in a game much less meaningful than this one. But given that game would have had the Dodgers win the season series with the Giants (and the division), meaning NLDS Game 5 would be in Los Angeles,... perhaps it's karma. Or payback for The New York Giants stealing signs in 1951.
Baseball karma.
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Okay so by this point you are probably asking how SoSG Sax could have been the hero, when all he did was watch the game 300 miles away on television, pacing a groove in the floor just like every other Dodgers fan during that tense Game 5 matchup?
I went to NLDS Game 3. And I was fortunate enough to go in a suite, which gives access to not only great views, but food and beverages. And oh, there were a lot of beverages. I got to Game 3 very early, giving me a chance to have many of the beers in the refrigerator during the course of the game (always drinking responsibly, of course). Scherzer was on the mound against Alex Wood. The Dodgers, tied 1-1 in the series with two games at home, looked poised to win Game 3.
But unfortunately, that was the blustery and cold night that the Dodgers lost, when winds knocked down shots from Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux short of the wall that Evan Longoria was lucky enough to crest, in the Giants' 1-0 victory.
Mind you, this was my third visit to that suite this year. And all three times, the Dodgers had lost.
I was going back to that same suite for NLDS Game 4. And now, I was very worried. Was it my presence in that area that was dragging the Dodgers down? I even considered not going to the game at all, but that seemed extreme.
So late the night of Game 3, I made a vow: I would not drink any alcohol as long as the Dodgers were playing in the 2021 postseason.
Please note, this is a HUGE sacrifice to the baseball gods. I can't remember the last time I was at a baseball game and not drinking a beer, but I am guessing I was underage at the time. Having a beer at a baseball game is one of my passions, coupled with two of my favorite things in the world: baseball, and beer. Maybe not in that order.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, though. So I went to the game. The Dodgers romped to a 7-2 victory. And while friends and acquaintances cheered and clinked cans of Stella Artois and Modelo, I drank Aha flavored seltzer water and Dasani.
One thing I did notice was that I need to fidget while watching a game. So I ate a lot of chips and popcorn. Guess that's why I'm sipping a lot of beer during a game, normally.
But I also noticed, it wasn't tooooooo bad to be dry while watching the Dodgers. I could do this. I think.
So, bolstered by the Dodgers' win in Game 4, I have remained alcohol-free. Including through the off-day. Including through all of NLDS Game 5.
And it worked.
I also wore the same "World Series LA" hat (from 2017) which brought the Dodgers luck in Game 4. Same Dodgers socks as in Game 4, as well. And I wore a different Dodgers t-shirt during most of the game. After the seventh inning, with the score tied 1-1, I wanted to switch to the "World Series Champs" t-shirt (also what I wore Game 4), but Ms. Sax, sitting beside me on the sofa, warned me it was too early. So I waited. Then in the ninth inning, she signalled for the t-shirt change from the bullpen. And THAT move worked, too!
Crazy.
So here we go, on to the NLCS with Game 1 in Atlanta. I'll be poised and ready, as I'm sure the Dodgers will be as well. But I won't have drink in hand!
Can we get this man a goddamn championship ring already?
Gonsolin vs Snell.
OK OK OK OK OK OK while it's true that existence is pain, sometimes there's a frisson of hope on the other side of that pain. After being repeatedly punched in the mouth in Game 4, Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers squared their jaws and grinded out a victory in Game 5 and suddenly the Dodgers are 27 outs away from their first World Series championship in 32 years.
Anyone else worried about CT3 and Will Smith? They've been uncharacteristically unreliable lately. On the flip side, Catman Gonsolin will be fully rested, Corey, Max and JT have been great and Mookie's due for his signature World Series moment. Props also to Joc, although he likely won't start today's game.
On the bullpen side: Say no to Kenley and Baez. Say yes to anyone else.
The Boys in Blue have two games to win one. GO BLUE!
Some say JT is still floating there, waiting for a teammate to complete the low-five.
Clayton Kershaw vs Tyler Glasnow.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat is going on??? How did the Boys in Blue go from staring elimination in the face (sans mask, no less) to barreling into their third World Series in four years?
Let us count the ways:
1. Timely hitting. And just enough of it. The Dodgers' margins of victory in their four NLCS wins: 12, 4, 2, 1. In Game 7, both Kiké Hernandez's and Cody Bellinger's ABs went like this:
pitch #5: foul
pitch #6: foul
pitch #7: foul
pitch #8: crucial HR
The Barves' pitching tightened up and somehow our bats, as Dr. Ian Malcolm might say, found a way.
2. Pitching. While our starters have been variable, the bullpen has been the best we've seen lately. Let's hope Clayton can go deep into tonight's game and preserve those relief arms.
3. De-fense! De-fense! De-fense!Mookie Betts! Justin Turner (above)! Defensive Runs Saved might not be as sexy a stat as, say, dingers, but it all adds up (or subtracts down).
4. Managing. Let's credit Dave Roberts when he pushes the right buttons. Our first two openers in Game 7 (Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin) weren't great but Doc made the adjustments to settle the pitching down. He PHed Kiké at the right time and trusted Julio Urías to finish the game. No Clayton or Kenley in sight.
5. Luck. Finally, that last ingredient that no amount of money can buy. In Game 7 it came in the form of the double TOOTBLAN courtesy of Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley. We suuuuuure could use a few more of those types of plays by the Rays.
Will this finally be our year? Will the small-market Rays triumph over our clever, moneyed overlords? In 1988, both the Lakers and Dodgers handled their business. 32 years later, we're thisclose to it happening again.
Wed 6.30p: Julio Urias vs. Taijuan Walker
Thu 4p: Clayton Kershaw vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Come, as you are, to Seattle. The Dodgers come with the major's best win streak (at seven games), against the team with the second-worst loss streak (also at seven games), an opponent with whom we should be comfortable by now. The Dodgers have won both slugfests and pitching duels, and little brother Corey (4-for-8, 4 RBI) seems to be barely outplaying his brother Kyle (also 4-for-8, with 3 RBI).
Not to mention our lineup, carrying Mookie Betts in the outfield; swear, he don't have a gun. It just seems that way after outfield assists like these (July 31, 2020):
Dodgers have a four-game lead in the NL West and seem unstoppable. No grungy nightclubs while up there, boys.
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.
Do you have those dreams where you're trying to execute a basic task and somehow it becomes the biggest struggle in the world? I've dreamt that I'm trying to make a simple phone call yet my hands are moving like they're underwater and I keep punching the wrong numbers.
That's how watching Game 5 felt — in the late innings the Dodgers staged multiple miraculous comebacks to tie the game over and over yet they couldn't quite get over the hump and take the lead. Of course, the Astros seemed to take advantage of every opportunity they created.
I don't know how Dave Roberts does it, or the Dodger players for that matter. Five hours of YES NO YES NO AAAUGH JESUS and these guys are just playing the game like the professionals they are. And keeping their heads! — scoring eight runs from the 5th inning on.
I do know baseball pundits are calling this game one for the ages, but Dodger fans will remember this game as the one where Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen plain ran out of gas. The Dodgers staked Kershaw to a four-run lead and he ended up giving up six runs, all earned, and exiting in the 5th.
Kenley, in his second inning of work and needing just one more out to put the game into the 11th inning, went HBP, walk, single to give the Astros the win.
But we need to recognize the offensive heroes: Seager and Barnes had an RBI apiece; Bellinger had 4 RBIs, including a 3-run HR in the 5th; Puig hit a 2-run HR in the 9th and Taylor tied it up at 12 with an RBI single with the Dodgers down to their last strike.
Alas, it's the pitching that worries. Kershaw, toast. Kenley...toasty. Brandon Morrow talked his way into the game and gave up four runs in six pitches. If Rich Hill doesn't basically have perfecto stuff tomorrow, it's over. (Although if we somehow manage to force a Game 7, I like our chances with a rested Darvish.)
So: Get some rest, eat your Wheaties and join us tomorrow for one, or two, last game(s). And remember...
After five hours of not breathing, we have taken a breath and will say this:
WE GONNA CHEER FOR THE DODGERS LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER ON TUESDAY.
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.
Could this thread have featured any other Simpsons screencap?
Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) vs. Houston Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90)
(cries)
This still feels strange. Good strange, but strange.
(cries some more)
The Dodgers are in the World Series for the first time in twenty-nine years. It feels like even longer. Though only around for a fraction of that span, this entire blog's existence has been filled with year after year of Dodger failure. This year isn't over yet, but it's already tangibly better than any before it.
And what of the Dodgers' opponent, the Astros? I think SoSG Stubbs said it best in our group text last night:
It's not like the Astros are some dark-horse. This is the two best teams over the majority of the season squaring off and it's just however the dice fall from here on out.
Way to be zen about it, Stubbsy. But if you're not as zen as Stubbs right now, that's fine too. That's the best part of all of this. We can be nervous, or excited, or FREAKED THE HELL OUT and it's all OK, because the Dodgers finally made it back where they belong.
(crying intensifies)
Corey Seager is back. It's Kershaw Day. It's the WORLD FREAKING SERIES and the Dodgers are in it.
#ThisTeam is ready. The Sons are ready. (Three of us will be there in person tonight.)
Are YOU ready?
(crying consumes everything)
UPDATE (3:00p): Sax and Orel have arrived. Shit is officially ON.
Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) vs. Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15)
It's never easy for #ThisTeam.
Let's get the worst out of the way. Corey Seager is out. Not for Game 1, but for the entire NLCS. This sucks. A LOT. Confident Dodger fans woke up to the news of his back injury and were immediately flooded with memories of Hanley Ramirez and Joe Kelly. Not the feelings you want to be having before an epic NLCS rematch.
All is not lost, however. Clayton Kershaw has the ball for Game 1. He was wobbly in Game 1 of the NLDS, but at the end of the day, he's still Clayton Kershaw. Pedro Baez was left off the NLCS roster too, despite (thankfully) never making an appearance in the NLDS. Charlie Culberson is taking Seager's spot on the roster (with Joc taking Pedro's), and while he hasn't played much lately, we know Charlie's got the potential to make history.
The Dodgers' biggest advantage is that they're well-rested, while the Cubs had to scratch and claw and burn through starting pitchers just to barely survive against the Nationals. In fact, when you think about it, the Dodgers' and Cubs' roles are reversed from last year.
Not often that the Sons of Steve Garvey will reference Julie Andrews. But after Rich Hill's most recent outing, a 2.2 IP showing in NLDS Game 5 (which had 3 H and 1 ER against 2 BBs and 6 Ks), it was awesome to see a different Rich Hill in the NLCS, as he made the Cubs' medicine go down without any spoonfuls of sugar. Dodgers take a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.
Hill's NLCS Game 3 line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, and again 2 BB and 6 Ks. "Filthy Rich", is what mlb.com called him. "Pitched a gem", said Deadspin. "Owning the Cubs", explained Fox Sports (click through for Hill with the "title belt"). Indeed, it was a great outing for Hill, who got out of a key jam in the second (Cubs had one out and two RISP; more on this in a second) for arguably his best start as a Dodger.
Here's a couple of videos recapping Hill's night:
Now, let's get back to why there were two RISP in the first place. Anthony Rizzo led off the second inning with a walk, and then with one out, stole second base (Jorge Soler walked anyway). And then with Addison Russell batting, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had a passed ball, allowing both runners to advance.
I was not watching the game at this time--I was listening to the game on radio--but Rick and Charley seemed to indicate that the PB was due to Grandal's attempt to frame the ball, rather than a true passed ball; Monday described the pitch as very "catchable." And at this point, I lost it on Grandal, who had been hitless in the NLCS after batting a meager .125 in the NLDS vs. Washington--the worst average of any regular starter in the Dodgers' lineup. How many runs was Yaz going to cost us? Why is Grandal so concerned about sign stealing, instead of catching the damn ball? When was Grandal going to get his shit together and start playing?
Well, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Yasmani Grandal finally showed up.
This HR stretched the lead from 1-0 (on a Corey Seager RBI in the third, scoring Andrew Toles from second) to 3-0 (Grandal's HR scored Josh Reddick as well), and seemed to put a little more wind in the sails of the Dodgers. Sure, Grandal took a little too long admiring his shot from the plate. But of all the times to start hitting, this was a good one. Welcome back, Grandal. Now I understand why Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been behind you all postseason.
And then there's Jake Arrietta, last year's Cy Young award winner, who left the game in the sixth immediately after yielding a leadoff HR to Justin Turner:
On top of this, the Dodgers struck against the Cubs' bullpen (specifically, Mike Montgomery, in the eighth). The Dodgers added two more runs when Joc Pederson doubled home Yasiel Puig for a run (Puig, who singled with one out, was going on the pitch and scored with ease), and Grandal sacrificed Pederson home (Pederson stole third base in Grandal's AB).
And those are remarkable scoring opportunities as well, especially since Pederson (1-for-4) is now batting .182 in this NLCS; Grandal, even with a 1-for-3 / 2-run HR night, is still batting .167 this series; Puig, who went 2-for-2 thanks in part to a deflected infield single (off of Cubs P Travis Wood) that again showed Puig's hustle, is up to .286. All three of those guys need to start getting in their grooves as well, and maybe, just maybe, this Game 3 gives them some confidence from the plate.
[By the way, who is this new Yasiel Puig kid? Could it be that Dave Roberts, by relegating Puig to a backup role, has started to learn humility as a role player who needs to deliver performance rather than histrionics? Even Puig is sobra la importancia del juego 4; Puig sobre la clave de hoy y la importancia de asegurar la serie en casa:
Puig's change is probably not a permanent transformation by any stretch, but it is cool to watch.]
(Howie Kendrick, who has been coming off the bench due to Andrew Toles' hot hand (Toles is batting .500), is still without a hit this series. As is Chase Utley. Who starts and bats leadoff.)
Also of note, with regards to offense: Corey Seager, who entered the game 0-for-23 after the first inning this postseason, went 3-for-4 (single in the first, on schedule; but then RBI single in the third to get the Dodgers on the board; K in the sixth; and then single in the seventh). If Seager can keep hitting all game long, that's a good sign.
"We're not hitting the ball hard," Maddon said after the 6-0 loss. "Obviously, I have no solid explanation."
No one does.
When an offense slumps, particularly its stars, finding a reason can be as tough as finding the solution. One thing feels certain: The number of players slumping at once isn't a coincidence -- and it's not all about Dodger pitching."I think it's our hitting," Dexter Fowler (.179) said. "We've hit the best of the best. The past few days we just haven't been doing it."
But why? That's what every Cubs fan wants to know. Why now? They can't buy a big hit -- they were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since May 2014 and now trail 2-1 in their best-of-seven series. The slump could not have come at a worse time.
"Offensively, we haven't executed and put it all together and passed the baton," Chris Coghlan said. "We have to have more productive at-bats. There's not one solution."
If you're keeping track, the Cubs haven't scored since they rocked Wrigley Field in the eighth inning of Game 1 with Miguel Montero's grand slam followed by a Fowler solo shot. That feels like ages ago; the Cubs have managed six hits since then, including just four on Tuesday.
Maybe Game 3 changes if Russell comes through after Dodgers starter Rich Hill opened the door for a rally by walking two batters in the second. A passed ball moved them up a base, but the man who came through in the clutch so often this season has done anything but during the playoffs. Russell struck out -- granted it was on a nasty curveball -- and the offense did little the rest of the game. Hill was good; Cubs' hitting was not. That's the storyline of the postseason so far.
"One you get something on the board, you're like let's roll," Coghlan said. "Then it is contagious. We can pretend like it's not, but it is."
It's contagious both ways, and unfortunately for the Cubs, everything is working against them. It seems that Kris Bryant (.357) is the only batter who's having a good playoffs. Even Javier Baez came back to Earth, showing some shakiness in the field and going 0-for-4 at the plate.
I would argue that it is indeed about Dodger pitching: Clayton Kershaw with a masterful performance in Game 2, followed by Hill's performance in Game 3, both punctuated by scoreless Kenley Jansen outings each longer than the traditional one-inning closer role. Sure, there's pressure on Arrietta and the Cubs. The LAT's Dylan Hernandez says the Cubs are choking.
I wouldn't go that far. It's a razor-thin 2-1 series lead.The Cubs aren't panicking. And I'm confident that the Cubs will start figuring it out as well (possibly tonight, against Julio Urias, who will be the youngest pitcher ever to start a postseason game), and not leave Kris Bryant (.357) as the Cubs' only batter who seems grooved (and even Bryant struck out swinging with Dexter Fowler on second in the top of the eighth).
"They're going to react to how I'm going to react," Maddon said. "I've always believed that. I've always thought, for me, regardless of the situation, that I have to be consistent when I walk into the room. They have to see consistency from me, which hopefully they're going to be able to do. But beyond that, man, like I said, there is not a whole lot to do except come out and play again tomorrow."
After scoring 6 runs or more in a game, the Dodgers are 24-47 in the following game, and only 15-15 when facing the same team. So that's basically 50-50 odds. However, the bats tend to get quieter in the next game: after scoring 6+ runs in one game, the Dodgers would follow up with another 6+ run game only 19% of the time (9/47). So unfortunately, Urias will likely have less run support tonight. [This paragraph is from the SoSG stat department / cursory baseballreference.com check, so it may not be fully accurate.]
Anyway, these games could literally tip either way, and as incredible as a 3-1 lead would be, a 2-2 split with at least one guaranteed game back at Wrigley Field sounds deflating. We need to build upon Game 3's momentum and make sure the bats keep rolling.
Make sure to talk really slowly the next three days, when near any giants.
8/23, 7p: Kenta Maeda (12-7, 3.29) vs. Ashley Madison (12-7, 2.25)
DODGERS 9, GIANTS 5 Toles, Segedin both get their second HRs
8/24, 7p: the mythical Rich Hill (9-3, 2.25--IF he actually exists) vs. Johnny Cueto (14-3, 2.90)
DODGERS 1, GIANTS 0 Turner solo HR; Rich Hill done good (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 Ks, 0 BB)
8/25, 7p:TBD Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.04) vs. Matt Moore (7-10, 4.18)
GIANTS 4, DODGERS 0 Matt Moore fell short of a complete-game shutout. That's all the history books will say.
The Dodgers enter this series with a meager one-game lead over the Giants in the NL West, yet our playoff odds are 94% vs. only 78% for our opponents. (We also have a 8.1% WS win percentage; SF has a 3.0% projection.) Looking at our starters for this series, however, you can't feel good about those playoff odds, especially with two of our three named starters currently sitting in the "vaporware" category.
Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg was scratched from tonight's matchup with back tightness, but Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw took centerstage and dominated. Seven innings, 8 Ks, 1 ER when he tired and labored through a tough seventh inning. Joe Blanton pitched a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen got his 162nd save, setting the franchise record (Eric Gagne apparently called to congratulate Jansen; Gagne will be at the game tomorrow for a ceremony).
Justin Turner homered in the first and singled in Corey Seager in the fourth inning, and Joc Pederson added a leadoff HR in the fifth off of Yusmiero Petit. Chase Utley added an insurance run in the seventh inning to stretch the lead back to three runs.
Really gritty effort from Kershaw tonight, who was humble in deferring the limelight to Jansen in the post-game interviews. With the Giants' 1-0 loss in Pittsburgh (off a solo HR from the Pirates' backup catcher, on a ball that Giants LF Angel Pagan had in his glove but lost over the wall), the Dodgers are 5.5 games behind in the division and are in the Wild Card lead.
But after failing to show any offense this weekend in San Francisco (where we could only win the Clayton Kershaw-started game), we sailed on to Arizona, and laid another offensive turd in the desert.
This marks the third straight game where we have out-hit the opponent, but lost the game. More evidence that the lineups aren't working, especially after going 0-for-11 with RISP in today's contest. Credit Corey Seager for a fifth-inning solo HR, but that's about it; Mike Bolsinger couldn't last five innings, and former Dodger Zack Greinke largely shut us down over seven frames. Now six games behind in the NL West, we look to be irrelevant by the All-Star Break.
Meanwhile, down in sunnier climates, the Dodgers and Rockies were tied at 3 apiece in the ninth. Trayce Thompson knocked in his 10th HR of the year, a solo shot with two out in the bottom of the ninth, to give the Dodgers the victory over Colorado. That's Thompson's second walk-off HR of the season, which brings back memories of what Andre Ethier used to be able to do for us. Wow.
Julio Urias had his best start of the season, four innings of one-run ball which lasted 86 pitches. He's still not very economical with the pitch count, but his 7 Ks tonight definitely have great potential in the cards. Leave it to Joe Blanton to screw up his second inning of work and start to give up the lead (not that Urias would have gotten a win anyway, with only four innings of work), and then Pedro Baez to blow the save outright. Both Blanton and Baez had 3 Ks each.
Justin Turner had a three-run HR in the first inning to sore Chase Utley and Corey Seager.
Dodgers move to three back of the Giants and a half-game out of the wild card (with only 102 games left to play).
3/27 vs. AZ (W, 6-4): AC
4/11 vs. TEX (W, 8-7): Sax
5/11 vs. SF (L, 3-9): Sax
5/25 vs. COL (W, 5-3): Sax
6/11 @ PIT (W, 8-6): Sax
6/15 vs. TB (W, 4-3): Nomo
7/4 vs. SD (W, 3-0): Orel, Sax
