Let's Soak This Division Title In

Major League Baseball Standings, as of June 8, 2014:

The Giants were 43-21. The Dodgers were in second place, 33-31, 10 games back.

From there, the Dodgers went 58-37, or .610 ball. Along the way, we hadn't had a win steak of more than 6 games all year (though we hadn't lost more than three in a row (while the Giants lost as many as six in a row, twice). Meanwhile, the Giants went 42-52, or .447 ball.

And that's why we won the West.

I'm not sure if this was a monumental collapse by the Giants, or more a strong run by the Dodgers. Or both.

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The Cardinals' loss yesterday guarantees the Dodgers will have home-field advantage for the NLDS, according to the LAT:

The victory, coupled with a loss by the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals, guaranteed the Dodgers home-field advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.

"It's the first step," Kershaw said. "We know that."

That means Kershaw's next start will be Oct. 3, when the Dodgers open the NL division series at Dodger Stadium."

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ESPN.com's David Schoenfield notes that the Dodgers' offense is coming alive at the right time. It's a great piece (especially the insight on HanRam's swing) so I will let you revel in most of it:

1. Matt Kemp looks like 2011 Matt Kemp. Last postseason, Kemp was watching from the dugout with crutches. Now, he'll enter October as one of baseball's hottest sluggers, with a .303/.360/.589 line and 16 home runs in the second half. He's sixth in the majors in wOBA since the All-Star break -- only Buster Posey and Victor Martinez are high among guys on playoff teams -- and third in home runs.

2. Hanley Ramirez is swinging the bat well. It's all about health for Ramirez, but he's also worked to lower a leg kick that got too high early in the season. Hitting coach Mark McGwire has worked with him to lower the leg to go back to something more like his approach in 2009, when he won the batting title. Ramirez has hit .357 in September -- granted, with no home runs -- but he's spraying the ball all over the field. Remember, last year's NLCS might have turned out differently if Ramirez hadn't been injured in Game 1 (he didn't play the second game after suffering a hairline fracture in his rib and struggled in the series, hitting .133).

3. Adrian Gonzalez leads the majors in RBIs. OK, RBIs are overrated, but Gonzalez has performed his best with runners in scoring position, hitting .330/.389/.546. Like Kemp, he's also hit better in the second half: .308/.362/.530 compared to .251/.309/.429 in the first half.

4. Yasiel Puig looks to be over his slump. I still think the sudden loss of power was a result of his hip injury, but he hit his 16th home run on Wednesday, lining an 0-2 sinker from Tim Hudson out to right field. After going homerless in June and August and hitting just two in July, he has three in nine games. Puig should also benefit from having gone through last year's postseason, in which he seemed a little too hyped up and emotional, taking every strikeout like it was the end of the world. He hit .227 with 10 K's in the NLCS, but look for him to do a better job of getting on base in front of Gonzalez and Kemp.

5. Carl Crawford is hitting. This might be the biggest surprise, since Crawford hasn't really hit much since leaving Tampa Bay. But he's hitting .324/.367/.458 in the second half and .433 in September and turned Andre Ethier into the forgotten man in the Dodgers outfield. He's even running a little more, with 22 steals, his most since 2010.

6. Better depth than 2013. Between Juan Uribe (.311 overall and .378/.403/.554 in September), Dee Gordon and Justin Turner, the Dodgers have better infield options than in 2013, when Nick Punto and Mark Ellis had to play. Gordon had the hot start and made the All-Star team, but it will be interesting to see how Don Mattingly works Turner into the lineup considering his .333/.397/.482 line and .374 batting average in the second half. Plus, you have Scott Van Slyke to start in left field versus left-handers or coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. And Ethier becomes the most expensive $15 million pinch hitter in the game.

OK, the lineup isn't perfect. A.J. Ellis and Drew Butera haven't provided much offense from the catcher slot. Another small secret weapon: Greinke, Kershaw and Dan Haren are all pretty good hitters for pitchers, so they have a chance for some offense from their pitchers.

There are concerns in the rotation once you get past Kershaw and Greinke, and Kershaw will have to prove he's a big-game pitcher after getting shelled in that season-ending Game 6 loss to the Cardinals last year. Plus, the middle relief is a concern, the defense isn't great and Mattingly's postseason tactics last year were questionable.

But this looks like a lineup that will score some runs in the postseason, and the Dodgers do have the best pitcher in the game. We'll see how that sauce tastes in a few weeks.

I'm guessing the sauce isn't going to be weak sauce, that's for sure.

Post-Game 153 Thread: Good Dodgers!

Happy-sided Two-Face!

DODGERS 8, CUBS 4

The Dodgers flew to Chicago last night, but they opted not to show up until the seventh inning. Down 4-1 thanks to an uncharacteristically off Zack Greinke (5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB and 5 Ks), the Dodgers decided to break out the whupping sticks and not lose to a sub-.500 team.

Hanley Ramirez started off with a one-out single; Carl Crawford followed with a single; Juan Uribe reached on a force out that scored HanRam. But the floodgates opened when Andre Ethier, PH for A.J. Ellis, hit a double to left-center that scored Crawford (and probably should have scored Uribe, who went to third), to make it 4-3. Justin Turner grounded out to third, scoring Uribe and tying the game. And then Dee Gordon doubled in Ethier (5-4 LA), and Yasiel Puig singled Gordon in. 6-4 Dodgers, thanks to a five-run seventh inning.

The Dodgers added a run in the eighth (Drew Butera with a bases-loaded walk), and in the ninth (Matt Kemp with a sacrifice fly to left field). The Dodgers may have showed up late, but they won the game and picked up a half-game on the idle Giants, to extend the lead to 2.5 games with nine to play (ten for San Francisco). Let's hope the good side of the Dodgers' duplicitous nature continues to turn up.

Post-Game 135/136 Thread: Serious Friars

That's a serious fryer.
PADRES 3, DODGERS 2 (12)
PADRES 2, DODGERS 1 (10)

We may have entered Petco Park like a lion (having beaten the Snakes twice in Arizona), but we're looking like a bag of dog food after two Padres extra-inning, walk-off victories (as opposed to those home extra-inning, non-walk-off victories, I suppose). Tonight's disaster felt a little bit more painful than last night's, as Alexi Amarista's one-out single off of Jamey Wright in the tenth not only wasted a great effort from Zack Greinke (8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER 2 BB and 8 Ks), but it also came after the Dodgers wasted scoring opportunities in the eighth (first and third, two out; Carl Crawford lines to second), the ninth (one-out man on first, and Andre Ethier forces Drew Butera, and Dee Gordon (now 0-for-11 in the series) lined to left), and the tenth (two-out Matt Kemp double, but Yasiel Puig strands him). Meanwhile, on defense, we were getting very lucky: Butera and Hanley Ramirez pulled out a sweet pickoff play at second in the eighth; and in the ninth, J.P. Howell escaped a jam by spearing a comebacker and doubling off the runner at second.

And yet, we can't beat the damn Padres. Not Saturday, nor on Friday, when Kevin Correia shit the bed in the twelfth inning by allowing a leadoff single and two one-out walks; he got a gift force at home but then gave up the walkoff single to right. The Dodgers are a combined 1-for-15 with RISP in the two games, and the Giants' five-game win streak has them only 2.5 GB. It's sphincter-tightening time, boys and girls--time to wake this lineup up. Don't make me pour a vat of boiling hot oil on you.

Post-Game 81 Thread: Dodgers Win A Duel

DODGERS 1, CARDINALS 0

Brian Wilson just won his first game this year. On his own bobblehead night. That's weird.

Josh Beckett just outdueled Adam Wainwright. Beckett went 7.0 IP with 0 ER and 4 H (2 BB, 4 Ks). Wainwright succumbed in the eighth inning when Juan Uribe had a leadoff single, Drew Butera sacrificed Uribe to second, and Miguel Rojas and PH Justin Turner had consecutive singles to score Uribe. Wainwright, who didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, settled down and struck out Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig. But it was too late, the Dodgers had broken through with one run.

Don't really understand all this Uribe/Pooh stuff, but I'm going with it.

Kenley Jansen came out for the ninth and struck out Nutshot, but then allowed a one-out single to Matt Adams, who was lifted for PR Peter Bourjos. However, Butera and Rojas combined to catch Bourjos stealing after Bourjos overslid the bag and was tagged out (a call that was upheld on review). The Dodgers had already benefitted from an earlier review call, when Matt Kemp threw home to catch Allan Craig at home for the third out in the top of the seventh.

So a lot went the Dodgers way tonight...notwithstanding the outcome of the Reds @ Giants game up north. At the halfway point of the season, the Dodgers look to finally be getting some momentum?! We'll take it!

Game 56 Thread: May 30 vs. Pirates, 7p

Alanna, nooooooo!!!
Josh Beckett (3-1, 2.43) vs. Francisco Liriano (0-5, 5.83)

In one of the weirdest trivia tidbits ever, tonight's starting catcher, Droopy Terra, caught both Beckett's and Liriano's no-hitters. (Wait, that guy who's 0-5 with a 5.83 ERA threw a no-hitter? Butera is magic.)

Will Beckett be able to pull a Johnny Vander Meer and throw two straight no-nos, or would that tear a hole in the fabric of the universe? As cool as that would be, I think most of us would be happy with just getting a victory.

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Let this also serve as a GT for Kings/Blackhawks Game 6. Puck drops at 6pm.

Photo by Jon SooHoo, via @Dodgers.

More On Beckett's No-Hitter

List of all the Dodgers' no-hitters:

• Josh Beckett, May 25, 2014. Dodgers 6, Phillies 0.
• Hideo Nomo, Sept. 17, 1996. Dodgers 9, Rockies 0.
• Ramon Martinez, July 14, 1995. Dodgers 7, Marlins 0.
• Kevin Gross, Aug. 17, 1992. Dodgers 2, Giants 0.
• Fernando Valenzuela, June 29, 1990. Dodgers 6, Cardinals 0.
• Jerry Reuss, June 27, 1980. Dodgers 8, Giants 0.
• Bill Singer, July 20, 1970. Dodgers 5, Phillies 0.
• * Sandy Koufax, Sept. 9, 1965. Dodgers 1, Cubs 0.
• Sandy Koufax, June 4, 1964. Dodgers 3, Phllies 0.
• Sandy Koufax, May 11, 1963. Dodgers 8, Giants 0.
• Sandy Koufax, June 30, 1962. Dodgers 5, Mets 0.
• Sal Maglie, Sept. 25, 1956. Dodgers 5, Phillies 0.
• Carl Erskine, May 12, 1956. Dodgers 3, Giants 0.
• Carl Erskine, June 19, 1952. Dodgers 5, Cubs 0.
• Rex Barney, Sept. 9, 1948. Dodgers 2, Giants 0.
• Ed Head, April 23, 1946. Dodgers 5, Braves 0.
• Tex Carleton, April 30, 1940. Dodgers vs. Reds
• Dazzy Vance, Sept. 13, 1925. Dodgers 10, Phillies 1.
• Nap Rucker, Sept. 5, 1908. Superbas 6, Braves 0.
• Mal Eason, July 20, 1906. Superbas 2, Cardinals 0.
• Tom Lovett, June 22, 1891. Grooms 4, Giants 0.

(*) Perfect game. Previously known as the Robins, Superbas, Bridegrooms and Grooms.

On the other 23 Dodgers no-hitters:

The Dodgers hadn't enjoyed a no-no since Hideo Nomo accomplished the feat against the Rockies on Sept. 17, 1996. There have been 11 no-hitters since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

Nomo did it at hitter-friendly Coors Field, the first no-hitter in the ballpark's history. He also became the first pitcher born in Japan to toss a no-hitter in the Major Leagues. Nomo struck out eight and walked four.

Sandy Koufax threw four no-hitters, one in each season from 1962-65. Three of those games came at Dodger Stadium -- including Koufax's perfect game against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. That's the only perfect game in the history of the Dodgers.

Koufax also no-hit the Mets and Giants at home, and the Phillies on the road. The Hall of Famer is the only Dodgers pitcher with more than two no-hitters.

Bill Singer held the Phillies hitless on July 20, 1970, the club's only no-hitter of the decade.

The Dodgers then went without a no-no for nearly 10 years, until Jerry Reuss ended the drought on June 27, 1980, in San Francisco.

Another decade passed before Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the Cardinals on June 29, 1990. Valenzuela had the second no-hitter in baseball that day. Oakland's Dave Stewart completed his no-hitter in Toronto roughly 30 minutes before Valenzuela took the mound at Dodger Stadium.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia caught Valenzuela's no-hitter, and he was also behind the plate two years later when Kevin Gross no-hit the Giants on Aug. 17, 1992.

Ramon Martinez fired a no-hitter against the Marlins on July 14, 1995, with Mike Piazza catching. Piazza also caught Nomo's no-hitter.

Meanwhile, it was Dodgers backup catcher Drew Butera's second time catching a no-no:

PHILADELPHIA -- It's still something new, even for those who have witnessed, participated in and even caught a Major League no-hitter.

That's where Drew Butera found himself on Sunday afternoon, again a big part of baseball history as he caught the second no-hitter of his career during Josh Beckett's first career no-no. Butera, who caught Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on May 3, 2011, in the Twins' 1-0 win over the White Sox, admitted it's something he'll never get used to.

"I was a nervous wreck from the fourth inning on," said Butera, who worked with Beckett over a 128-pitch afternoon. "He told me he had never gotten a no-hitter into the fourth and I'm like, great, now I'm off my thinking pattern. But he said it every inning. You try not to think too far ahead. One hitter and one pitch at a time. It never gets old."

Droopy Terra, Take 2

I too have cracked up with Orel's dubbing of "Droopy Terra". But here's what I was thinking:

(Strangely, all I could fine was Teen Titans Go! depictions of Terra. Here's the classic Terra (albeit less droopy)):

Droopy Terra, Ace Reliever

Awesome Droopy Terra art by awesome EephusBlue.
Last night SUCKED. There's no getting around it. Thankfully, buried deep in the pile of shit was a gem of a relief pitching appearance from backup catcher Drew "Droopy Terra" Butera. 10+ run blowouts almost always lead to a position player pitching. While most on Twitter were calling for Puig to take the mound, Droopy ended up being a really pleasant surprise.

Relive the moment here (or see it for the first time if you're still shut out of SportsNet LA). Even Vin was blown away!



Good times! But please people, don't ruin this moment with hundreds of "Bring in Butera!" tweets every time a pitcher struggles. Talent this rare needs to be protected.

Post-Game 42 Thread: Maholm Has Dodgers Over a Barrel

MARLINS 12, DODGERS 0 (4)

That's right, this is a rare mid-game PGT — because even though they dodged the bullet named Jose Fernandez, the Dodgers are in a 12-0 hole thanks to Paul Maholm's ineffectiveness. The Marlins sent ten men to the plate in the second, scoring six runs, and matched the feat with another six-spot in the fourth inning (with Perez allowing a three-run home run during garbage duty). It doesn't matter what the Dodgers do for the rest of tonight, folks; this is as sure of a loss as they come.

UPDATE: The Marlins win with a final score of 13-3.

Drew Butera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Touched 94 mph, per Twitter!

Post-Game 29 Thread: Twins Swept

Sorry I couldn't maintain the Star Wars theme.

DODGERS 4, TWINS 3 (12)

Well, imagine that, we did in fact get the sweep! It was a close one in the nightcap, with the Dodgers battling back from a 1-0 deficit in the sixth on a Juan Uribe RBI single to tie the game at 1, as well as in the seventh when Adrian Gonzalez homered to left to tie it at 2.

But the home runs really were clutch in the 12th, when Andy Scott Van Slyke hit a solo shot to leadoff the inning, and Drew Butera added a HR with two out to make it 4-2. The Dodgers gave one back in the bottom of the 12th when Kenley Jansen (who really, really needs a rest) let one run score on a sacrifice fly, making it 4-3. But Jansen shut down Trevor Plouffe and Chris Colabello to preserve the victory and earn the Dodgers a sweep in Minnesota.

Red Patterson went 4.2 IP over 87 economical pitches, but Jamey Wright notched the victory with three innings of one-hit, scoreless ball; Jansen got his 11th save. And what about errors? Two more (Uribe, throw; Brandon League, throw). Try and catch us now, Nationals!

photo swiped from here

Call Ups! Get Yer September Call Ups!

Loading up for the stretch!

The Los Angeles Dodgers today recalled catcher Drew Butera, right-handed pitcher Stephen Fife, shortstop Dee Gordon, right-handed pitcher Peter Moylan and first baseman/outfielder Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A Albuquerque.

In addition, Josh Beckett goes to the 60-day DL, newly-acquired Michael Young will join the team in Colorado, and Matt Kemp's return is slightly delayed as he works on his batting timing.

More here at VSIMH.