The Baseball Gods and Karma in the 2024 World Series

Nice try, meddling kids. We get hardware. You're out.

Lots has been written about the Yankees' absolute implosion in last night's World Series Game 5, in which the Dodgers came back from a 5-0 deficit and a 6.1% chance of winning, clawing back in a fateful top of the fifth inning.

But I haven't seen anyone yet link the Yankees' multiple-position on-field meltdown to the deplorable off-field behavior of Yankees fans, and the Yankee organization, the prior evening in World Series Game 4.

These two events are definitely and inextricably linked. There is no other logical explanation for how the Yankees could have crumbled like that without divine intervention The baseball gods took note of the Game 4 malfeasance, and then, when one least expected it, the baseball gods took action.

And you don't ever want to piss off the baseball gods.

So let's breakdown this story chronologically First of all, here's the Yankees thugs in action in the bottom of the first inning of Game 4, with absolutely reprehensible behavior in the stands molesting Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts:

And then, though Yankees security escorted these two out of the game--getting high five slaps from many Yankees fans around them on the way out of the stadium--the season ticket holders were initially told they were scheduled they would be back on their season seats for Game 5:

Capobianco and Peter were escorted out of Yankee Stadium but said they were told they would be allowed back for Game 5 on Wednesday. The Yankees did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment regarding if that was indeed the case.

Only when MLB got involved did the Yankees change tack and say the pair of miscreants were in fact banned from Game 5. And let's be clear, even other baseball fans not involved with the series thought the Yankees fans, and the spineless organization behind them, were total bullshit.

And those two horrible individuals still spent a great night out on the town, "slamming drinks," and lavishing in their newfound infamy.

Meanwhile, the Yankees organization clumsily tried to spin this into a heartwarming tale, belatedly giving the tickets to a young cancer patient.

But don't let that PR diversion distract one from the facts: Yankees fans were way out of line, and the Yankees organization was initially complicit in their turpitude. They loved the action from their goons, and the outcome of that game.

But the baseball gods took note. And they remember.

Mookie was steely-eyed and focused after the Game 4 loss. In the locker room, Betts spoke to the press, including a swath of New York reporters trying to bait him into a hyperbolic comment that could be bulletin board material or fodder for the New York tabloids. Betts wisely just called the play "irrelevant" and remained focused on the next day's task at hand. And you could see he was simmering.

So then we get to World Series Game 5. Gerrit Cole was absolutely dealing through four innings, and the Dodgers didn't even have a hit to that point in the game (just two baserunners, walks to Gavin Lux in the third and Mookie Betts in the fourth). Things looked bleak. Yankee fans were fired up, taunting, cocky, confident--just like those two unrepentant idiots in the stands for Game 4.

And then, the baseball gods struck.

What a fifth inning. An error by Aaron Judge. An ill-advised throw by Anthony Volpe, and a missed catch at third by Jazz Chisholm Jr. Gerrit Cole's failure to cover first base on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo. Solid two-RBI shots from both Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez to tie the game at 5.

Earlier this game, Aaron Judge hit his first World Series HR and appeared if he would finally get that monkey off his back. The gods firmly put that monkey right back in its place. (And I do feel a little badly about this, but that's another post for another day.)

Wow. What an amazing turn of events. I'm going to watch highlights of that inning, and the Game 1 Freddie Freeman walkoff grand slam, forever.

Later in the game, the baseball gods taunted Yankee fans even further, allowing the Yankees to retake the lead in the sixth inning, while the Dodgers appeared to be exhausting all viable pitching options. And Cole heroically soldiered on and kept the Dodgers off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, while the Yankees went up 6-5.

But then, in the top of the eighth inning, two sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts (bookending another fielding gaffe, a catcher's interference call on Austin Wells that allowed Shohei Ohtani to take first base despite clearly having trouble with his swing) put the Dodgers back in the lead. This time, it was for good.

Yankee Stadium was quiet. The baseball gods had spoken.

And the Dodgers pull off the biggest World Series comeback ever in a clinching game, responding to a five-run deficit to earn the crown.

Here's Mookie describing the Game 4 brouhaha on the Game 5 postgame show, when he said (with a laugh) that this was one of the two times in his whole life when he wanted to fight somebody:

And here's FanGraphs' win probability on World Series Game 5. The Yankees' expected win percentage was 95.6% in the bottom of the fourth inning, and even back up to 79.3% at the seventh-inning stretch.

We'll see if the Yankees have the spine to actually punish those two season ticket holders further. Maybe other Yankees fans, many of whom want him banned for life, will mete out their own judgment on these two idiots.

All I know is, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the 2024 World Series Champions.

Karma is a bitch.

2024 NLDS Game 4 Post-Game Thread: I Will Not Go Quietly

Apparently, Don Henley never made a music video for this track, so this is all I could come up with for a visual image.

DODGERS 8, PADRES 0

Dylan Cease lasted 3.1 IP in NLDS Game 1 against the Dodgers. But the Padres, brimming with confidence after winning Game 3 and taking a 2-1 series lead in a best-of-five, sent Cease out there again, on four days rest, for the first time in his career.

Wednesday night, in Game 4, Cease lasted only 1.2 IP. His three ER tonight raised his ERA to 14.40. And the Dodgers jumped on the Padres pitchers all night at Petco Park, with home runs from Mookie Betts (his second in two days, in the first inning off of Cease); Will Smith (his first hit of the 2024 postseason, off of vowel-heavy Bryan Hoeing; and Gavin Lux (off of a fish called Wandy Peralta in the seventh inning).

Max Muncy even had a double, raising his postseason average to .188. Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-5, and Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two walks (including an epic nine-pitch AB in the sixth that chased Jeremiah Estrada). Kike Hernandez went 2-for-4.

And sure, Chris Taylor looked like the 2024 CT3: 0-for-4 with 4 Ks (the famous golden sombrero). But in a 8-0 win, we can stomach that malaise.

The Dodgers were 5-for-9 with RISP on a 12-hit evening. The Padres were 0-for-9 with RISP.

And that's because Dave Roberts' use of the bullpen tonight--eight pitchers, in total--was masterful. Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack: you guys all stepped up and were superb. And as Ben Clemens of Fangraphs pointed out, a bullpen game usually doesn't go well--especially for the Dodgers--but tonight was a master class:

In a few days, no one is going to remember this game. It was a laugher where no one got eliminated. There were no unforgettable plays. Neither Ohtani nor Tatis made me spit out my drink in sheer wonder. These two rivals are about to play again, with higher stakes and a better pitching matchup. Why would you dwell on this one?

But without the Dodger bullpen, there wouldn’t be a fifth game. Every reliever did his part, with no hiccups. These games go wrong all the time. So give them their due. This was the platonic ideal a of bullpen game, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Friday is going to be spectacular. Buckle up.

I didn't watch this game, but I heard Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday indicating that Padres fans left Petco Park in a hurry tonight. I can't wait to watch the condensed game highlights.

On we go to a winner-take-all Game 5! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

On Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Lux, from the ESPN Baseball Tonight Podcast (8/21/24)

I'm a little bit late in transcribing this, but I wanted to codify the audio from a wonderful segment between host Buster Olney and guest Paul Hembekides regarding Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Lux. Unfortunately, I can't get all the text of the Kershaw part due to a hiccup in my feed--but I've gotten the gist of it. I heard this segment while on a run and wanted to get this on the blog for both of our readers.

The Olney / Hembo segment in the podcast started out by praising the Dodgers for giving Justin Turner the microphone when JT came back to the Stadium for the first time (as a visiting player)—which led to a really special moment for the fans and for Turner (Buster Olney agreed). And then came the deep dive into the Dodgers players (link below):

Paul Hembekides: Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday at home against the Rays. It might be a historic day, Buster, and that’s because with seven more strikeouts, Kershaw will own the record by any pitcher at any ballpark, in the history of major league baseball. Right now, that is a record held by Steve Carlton, who struck out 1,615 batters at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Clayton Kershaw to date has struck out 1,609; he is six behind that record. Filling out the rest of the top five are Mickey Lolich at Tiger Stdium; Walter Johnson at Griffith Stadium; and Don Sutton at Dodger Stadium.

Buster, the mound at Dodger Stadium is a sanctuary: for Sutton, for Sandy Koufax, for Clayton Kershaw. Down the line I'll think of [Kershaw] like baseball historians think of Willie Mays traversing center field at the Polo Grounds, or Mel Ott using that short porch there, or Rickey Henderson on the basepaths at the Coliseum, or Ted Williams and Yastrzemski and Jim Rice in the shadow of the Green Monster. It's one of the great sanctuaries in baseball, and CLayton Kershaw, with seven more strikeouts, will have more recorded more strikeouts on that mound than any pitcher, on any mound, in the history of the sport.

[Unfortunately, Kershaw ended up getting only five strikeouts that Dodger Stadium start (8/24/24), and then went on the IL during the 8/30/24 road start after that-—so Kershaw is still chasing the record.]

Buster Olney: A guy playing behind [Kershaw] when he makes that start will be Gavin Lux at second base. Look, Karl and I talked about it last week, based on our conversation with Dave Roberts beginning of the year, 100% chance Mookie is gonna be our shortstop playing the middle of the infield the rest of the year, they changed that, and I think most of the reason is Gavin Lux.

PH: If you’re a Dodgers fan that gave up on Gavin Lux, I really can’t blame you. He entered this season with an OPS+ of 94 for his career, of course coming off a torn ACL. And the first three months of this season were really ugly. He woke up the morning of July 11 batting .207 with a .542 OPS. He was genuinely one of the worst regulars in all of baseball. In 33 games since--and it’s only 33 games--it’s a.362 / 429 / .657. It’s 1.7 WAR. He has accounted for 32% of his career WAR over the last month: that’s how good he’s been.

I’ve identified three reasons why he’s surging offensively.

• 1) He’s covering the inner half. He’s 18-for-44, 8 XBH, on pitches in the inner half of the zone.
• 2) He’s adjusting better than your starter is. Lux is 22-for-43, batting over .500, when he faces your starter the second and third time through the order.
• 3) He’s winning at bats late. Lux is 15-for-37, that’s a .405 average, in the fifth pitch or later during a plate appearance. For context, the league hits .190 in those situations.

Now is this sustainable? Probably not. But is It encouraging? Absolutely. He has settled in very nicely in to that five hole and has provided the Dodgers lineup the length they desperately need.

BO: You know it’s interesting, he’s always been a guy I’ve enjoyed talking with, connecting with, and I felt like h just needed this burst of success to put him over the top, if I’m making sense. He was a lot of anticipation, a smart guy trying to figure out, and once he does figure it out, then BOOM. You have someone absolutely taking off.

A good comp for me as a pitcher is Charlie Morton—you saw all the parts of a really good player, and to see it all together is pretty cool.

Awesome to see our small-market Dodgers finally getting some coverage in the national press!

Gavin Lux Named NL Player of the "Week"

How is it even possible that, on a roster with many All-Stars, Gavin Lux becomes the NL Player of the Week? Well, for one thing, it's a short week:

The Dodger second baseman went 5-for-9 with two home runs, two doubles and a stolen base with a .556/.556/1.444/2.000 in three games after the All-Star Break. His 13 total bases led the National League during the short week.

Talk about benefitting from small sample size. Lux has a 0.5 WAR this year and is batting .222 with a 72 OPS+, carrying an OPS of .603 (below his mediocre career OPS, .687, which is still only an 89 OPS+).

I know Lux is still recovering from his torn ACL in spring training last year. But I've been incredibly frustrated waiting for the pride of Kenosha Wisconsin to reach mediocrity, let alone the levels we would expect from a middle infielder (not only offensively, but also defensively, where he is hovering at league average this year and below league average for his career).

I watched last night's game (a 3-2 win over the Giants), where Lux went 0-for-3 with 2 Ks. Not excatly inspirational. But the Dodgers broadcasters (I think it was Orel Hershiser in particular) were talking about how Lux may finally be turning a corner at the plate.

We'll see. I'm not hopeful.

And anyway, if you want to count the ACTUAL week in baseball, wouldn't you give the NL Player of the Week trophy to Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodger who won the 2024 Home Run Derby? (Hernandez also singlehandedly lifted the Dodgers to victory last night, accounting for all three RBI.)

So, congratulations, Gavin Lux. Let's see if you can string a hot bat to longer than three games in a row. Please.

Games 46-49 Thread: May 16-19 vs. Reds

I'm getting this bad boy tonight! And apparently, there's a randomly assorted grey uniform variant (~4.25%)

Thu May 16 7p: Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.53) vs. Brent Suter (0-0, 3.86)
Fri May 17 7p: James Paxton (5-0, 2.58) vs. Frankie Montas (2-3, 4.20)
Sat May 18 6p: Walker Buehler (0-1, 7.36) vs. Graham Ashcraft (3-2, 4.12)
Sun May 19 1p: TBD Landon Knack (1-1, 2.81) vs. Hunter Greene (2-2, 3.27)

Things were rolling against the Giants earlier this week with two good wins, however the series unfortunately culminated in our meek 4-1 loss last night, with plenty of wasted opportunities throughout. Blame the bottom five in the lineup again: Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Andy Pages, and James (Automatic) Outman, who went a combined 0-for-18 with 7 Ks, to thoroughly squash any potential rally we tried to muster.

The healthy division lead gives us time to figure out who else outside the Big Four is going to hit. I had high hopes for Muncy and Lux, both of whom have picked up their defensive play, but Muncy has fallen back to a .223 BA / .798 OPS (still an OPS+ of 125, shockingly) and Lux a .194 BA / .525 OPS (OPS+ 50). And then there's Automatic Outman, batting .151 with an OPS of .530 (OPS+ 51).

I'm excited to go to the Stadium tonight and pick up the Shohei Ohtani bobblehead. And I've got an outside shot at going to the Sunday game, featuring Notre Dame Sherman Oaks High School's Hunter Greene.

Post-Game 38 Thread: Yoshi Pitches A Gem

I know! We should team up! Come on! Hop on my back!”
—Yoshi, Super Mario Galaxy 2 (quote from mariowiki)

DODGERS 8, MARLINS 2

The Dodgers once again spotted the Marlins some early scoring, just like last night--playing with them like a spider plays with a fly caught in a web. But even with Jazz Chisholm's first-pitch solo HR off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers laid in wait and then sprung to life in the bottom of the first, charged by a Max Muncy grand slam that put the Dodgers up 4-1 through one.

The Dodgers again posted a four-run inning in the third, punctuated by a two-run homer by Gavin Lux (scoring Teoscar Hernandez), which was Lux's first HR since 2022 (since Lux missed all of 2023 with the ACL injury).

But it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who was the hero tonight, coasting through eight innings of two-run ball (he gave up a solo HR to Bryan De La Cruz in the sixth), with 97 pitches, 5 H, 0 BB and 5 Ks. JP Feyereisen closed the Marlins out in the ninth. Tyler Glasnow went eight full innings against the Mets on April 21, but I think that's the only other eight-inning start for the Dodgers this year. Yamamoto has really found a groove since his auspicious start in Seoul, and with Joe Kelly on the 15-day IL now, it's appreciated!

12n game tomorrow, so let's start drinking early! And as a reminder, the GT is here.

Post-Game 18 Thread: Padres Scrappy, Dodgers Crappy

Paxton, en route to his eighth walk of the outing

PADRES 6, DODGERS 3

The Padres took the rubber game on national television today, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win, 6-3, at Chavez Ravine. Dodger pitchers gave up an astonishing 14 walks today, eight of which came at the hands of Dodger starter James Paxton, who was tagged for three earned runs thanks to another subpar outing from Ryan Brasier.

But it was J.P Feyereisen who coughed up a bases-clearing double to Jurickson Profar, whose ridiculous antics the night before caused Will Smith to name Profar "irrelevant." That quote might have been enough to propel Profar to his heroics tonight.

The bottom of the Dodgers lineup (James Outman, Kiké Hernandez, and Gavin Lux) was once again pathetic, going a combined 0-for-9--except that the malaise actually spread up the lineup to Teoscar Hernandez, who also went 0-for-4 on top of that. So the six hits from the top of the lineup didn't mean much when we couldn't convert any of those baserunners; the Dodgers were 1-for-5 with RISP and had many leadoff baserunners stranded in place.

Tonight marked the second time in this series that the Padres clawed their way back to a victory. I didn't see that spark from the Dodgers this weekend. We'll see if we get something back against the Nationals, starting tomorrow.

Post-Game 1 Thread: Dodgers Comeback Based On Cronenworth's Porous Glove

Okay, I get it, autocorrect. Thanks for ruining my crappy photoshop illustration.

DODGERS 5, PADRES 2

Prior to this game, most of the talk about the defense of the two players on the team revolved around Dodgers shortstop-turned-second baseman Gavin Lux, whose errant throws to first during spring training mandated wholesale infield changes going into Opening Day 2024. But the Dodgers were error-free in this first game of the season, and on the other side of the table, Jake Cronenworth's fielding error opened up the floodgates for the Dodgers in a four-run eighth inning that sealed the victory.

Cronenworth had only three errors last year, and only 20 across four years in the majors. But the webbing on his glove allowed a Gavin Lux dribbler to get past him Wednesday in Seoul, causing him to botch a potential double-play ball, and allowing Teoscar Hernandez to score, giving the Dodgers the 3-2 lead. That lead expanded to 5-2 on a Mookie Betts single to left, followed by a Shohei Ohtani single to left that scored Lux.

Jason Heyward got the Dodgers on the board in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to right that tied the game at 1. But the Dodgers' 1-2-3 batters went 4-for-11 with 2 RBI (Betts 2-for-4 with a walk; Ohtani 2-for-5; Freeman 0-for-2 with two walks). More concerning in the order is Max Muncy, who was 1-for-3 with 2 Ks, including a huge strikeout with the bases juiced in the third in which Muncy was very late.

Lux was also 0-for-5 in the game, and all the defensive positioning machinations can't have helped his confidence, coming off a lost season with a torn ACL last year. Lux and Muncy are two guys that will have to produce for the Dodgers, and fast.

Tyler Glasnow went five innings and gave up two ER, 4 BB and 3 Ks. Daniel Hudson got the win with a scoreless seventh inning; Joe Kelly got a hold for a scoreless eighth, and Evan Phillips picked up where he left off with a scoreless ninth.

2023 Isn't Even Here Yet, And The Dodgers Are Already Losing Bad

I've already spent the last month worrying about the Dodgers' lineup, given it seemed we lost more than we gained this off-season through trades and free agency (gone: Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, Cody Bellinger; joined: JD Martinez, Noah Syndergaard, Miguel Rojas). And with the Dodgers passing on all four free-agent shortstops available in this year's off-season (Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa), all eyes were on Gavin Lux as our 2023 starting shortstop. We would need Lux to hold down the infield, with prospect Miguel Vargas coming up to start at second base, and only the light-hitting Miguel Rojas on the depth chart for short.

And then came yesterday, with Lux going down in a heap in only the third spring training game this year. Torn ACL and LCL, so he's gone for the season. And probably with it goes the Dodgers' chances to win the NL West.

It was already going to be a close race in the NL West. I heard Buster Olney picking the Padres, who have spent a ton of cash to lock up Boegarts and re-sign Manny Machado this off-season, along with dipping into the coffers for Yu Darvish, on top of already having Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis. I'm not complaining--it's not like the Dodgers haven't spent money to build our own lineup (except for this off-season, though the Trevor Bauer arbritration ruling really f'd our payroll this year as well).

But a 22-game gap (the margin in 2022) in the West seemed a pretty big hill to climb in one season, so I was still picking the Dodgers to win the NL West in 2023. Now, I'm not so sure if this division is ours for the taking.

And of course, Lux's injury came against the new-rival Padres. Though in other news, the Padres lost Joe Musgrove yesterday, when he dropped a kettlebell on his toe.

Maybe this year will be a war of attrition.

Post-Game 23 Thread: Dodgers Get Fourth-Right

SoSG AC got texted from a friend at the game that, following the Giants' botched play in B7 (Gavin Lux infield RBI single), the Diamondvision posted "Do or do not. There is no try."

DODGERS 9, GIANTS 1

May the Fourth be with the Dodgers, who swept the Giants in two games with a resounding beatdown Wednesday, a 9-1 victory that snowballed with momentum like a Real Madrid Champions League playoff game.

Down 1-0 through three innings on a Brandon Crawford solo shot, the Dodgers got two back in the bottom of the fourth on successive RBI singles from Trea Turner and Will Smith. Then a Mookie Betts solo shot to lead off the bottom of the sixth.

Then a four-run seventh punctuated by the aforementioned Lux RBI single (Wilmer Flores fields the ball at first, and then has no play when Giants don't cover the bag), a Betts sac fly, and a Freddie Freeman triple. And then finally, a Max Muncy two-run HR to notch the final runs.

Unlike the Giants' penchant for running up the score, those last two runs were not a matter of gloating. Muncy has been off to a horrible start this season, as he probably is rehabilitating from that brutal injury from the end of last season. But his surprising 2-for-4 night (only his second multi-hit game this year) lifts Muncy's average to .151, the lowest of all Dodger regulars--so if Muncy can show some signs of life, that would be a huge boon.

All Dodgers starters reached base tonight. Only Chris Taylor didn't get a hit tonight.

Tony Gonsolin was fine, 5.0 IP with 3 H and 1 ER (1 BB, 5 Ks). The Dodgers used four bullpen pitchers to pitch four scoreless frames.

The Dodgers' 16-7 record is best in the National League, and one game ahead of San Diego in the NL West. And sure, the Giants had a depleted roster for this series, which probably contributed to the sweep. There's still 17 games to play here!

The Dodgers get a day off Thursday, and then a weekend series in Chicago, where it's scheduled to rain Friday and be in the 50s all weekend. Yikes.

Post-Game 5 Thread: Dodgers #5 Starter Ks 13, Perfect Through Seven Innings

DODGERS 7, TWINS 0

One night after a rain-delayed 7-2 victory that was nip and tuck until a six-run top of the eighth inning, the Dodgers sent their #5 starter to the mound against a tableau where no other starting pitcher had lasted more than five innings all season.

Except this #5 starter was Clayton Kershaw.

And these were the Minnesota Twins. Without Carlos Correa in the lineup, as Correa was busy scheming other ways to cheat (and, dealing with a hangnail issue).

Clayton Kershaw was incredible. pic.twitter.com/eODbAeRgOa

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 13, 2022

Kershaw dealt 13 Ks over seven frames and was pulled after only 80 pitches, withthe Dodgers nursing a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth.

Fans are pissed off thst Kershaw was pulled, and I get it. But Kershaw himself said on the post-game show that it was the right decision and his slider had lost its bite the last two innings. Not to mention, he isn't stretched out given the lockout, and it was 38 degrees out there today. I am cool with the decision.

We had 5 LOB through two frames and had notched three runs, but the middle frames were scoreless, before we opened up the eighth inning with consecutive HR from Cody Bellinger (whaaaaaaat?), Gavin Lux, and Austin Barnes, the latter of whom regained his lead atop the Dodgers 2022 HR board (with two).

Dereck Rodriguez was the victim of these three HR, two of which (Bellinger's and Lux's) ended up in the same spot, in deep right-center. It was a pretty cool show of offense from a team that hasn't had many outbursts yet this year, certainly not vs. expectations. And Max Muncy added a solo shot in the ninth to raise his average to .118.

Really good to see Muncy and Bellinger get good swings on the ball, for one of the few times this year. As it is, Muncy and Will Smith are the only starters below .200 so far this year. Chris Taylor went 0-for-5 with 2 Ks (Lux had 3Ks today), and dropped his average to .313.

Alex Vesia relieved Kershaw for the seventh and gave up a one-out single, but that was the only hit the Twins had in the shutout loss (Justin Bruihl had a scoreless ninth).

But the story today was clearly Clayton Kershaw, who now has as many Ks as our other four starters, combined (Walker Buehler and Andrew Heaney with five each; Tony Gonsolin with 3; Julio Urias with a goose egg). Dodgers come back to home for four with the Reds and then three with Kenley Jansen's Braves. Good to be back above .500, though we're still third in the division and one game out of first pending tonight's results.

Post-Game 1 Thread: Opening Day Win, But Not Dominance

DODGERS 5, ROCKIES 3

The Dodgers spoiled the Rockies' Opening Day at Coors Field, jumping out to a lead in the fourth inning off the back of five two-out runs. The five runs held up even though new closer Craig Kimbrel allowed one run in earning the save; Walker Buehler got the win with five innings of two-run ball (2 BB, 5 Ks).

I know, I should be thrilled. But I'm not.

This is a Dodgers team that is supposed to dominate the NL West and roll to the World Series, and against a hapless Colorado squad they looked positively mortal. With the exception of that top of the fourth, the Dodgers' vaunted offense had some apparent weaknesses, starting with Cody Bellinger (in the eight-hole, 0-for-4 with 5 LOB). Bellinger also swung at the first pitches of his first two ABs and looked immature and unprepared. Surpassing Bellinger was Justin Turner, 0-for-5 with 5 LOB of his own, but for some reason I still feel better about JT than I do about Belli.

If there's one thing that did seem clear, it is that when the Dodgers bats decide to get hot, it's like a tsunami--the wave comes fast and all you can do is run. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland couldn't make it out of the inning after giving up a two-out, two-run single to Gavin Lux, followed by an RBI double to Mookie Betts and a walk to Freddie Freeman. Tyler Kinley came in and gave up a Trea Turner RBI single, scoring Betts, and then wild-pitched Freeman in from third, to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead. Justin Turner Kd for the final out of the frame, but the damage was done: five runs, nine batters, and a 2-0 lead evaporated in a snap. And all this happened with two outs; the Rockies didn't know what hit them.

Nor did Gavin Lux, who scored from first on Betts' double to take the 3-2 lead. If we can have Lux hit like this from the bottom of the order, it's quite an asset to flip the lineup back up top again to Mookie. But someone has got to teach Gavin how to slide:

Gavin Lux needs to ask Trea Turner for lessons on how to slide pic.twitter.com/xuup8fEmQP

— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) April 8, 2022

That hurts just watching it.

The rest of the game, though, the Dodgers' offense left ducks on the pond (bases loaded in the fifth; one on in the sixth) and then went silent for the last three frames. The game kinda felt like we needed another run or two (especially in Coors Field), which luckily we didn't. But after seeing Kimbrel's unorthodox delivery and slight danger after giving up two doubles in the frame (reminded me a lot of Kenley Jansen!), the lead held up.

From this one performance, it's not clear if Kimbrel is going to resemble the lights-out closer that was with the Cubs in the first half of the season, or the ballooned-ERA that the White Sox had at the end of 2021. Luckily, the rest of the bullpen was lights-out, bridging the sixth through eighth innings with nary a scratch.

It's a long season. Let's go get 'em tomorrow.

UPDATE 10.10p: Of course, LAT's Bill Plaschke thought the Dodgers were great today.. Given his experience making predictions, that's another ominous sign.

Post-2021 NLDS Game 5 Thread: Cody Bellinger Was Clutch, But SoSG Sax Is The Real Hero

DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1

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!

The bottom of the ninth wasn't a cakewalk, though. Dave Roberts' insane pitching choices this game, starting out with Corey Knebel for the first inning; Brusdar Graterol for the second; and Julio Urias for the third-through-sixth frames, seemed to leave us high and dry after using Blake Treinen and Kenley Jansen one inning earlier than normal. As the LAT's Dylan Hernandez pointed out, the unusual starter decision drove Giants manager Gabe Kapler to burn left-handed batters Tommy La Stella and Mike Yastrzemski early, making them unable to pinch-hit later. Who knows, it might have gotten the Giants spinning, spending energy trying to react to the unconventional move.

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:

Giants fans are understandably angry; that's a shitty way to lose a game. However, so was losing on July 22, when a check swing that should have been called strike 3 was mis-called as ball 4, leading to Kenley Jansen walking in the tying run, in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Giants.

Poetic Justice. #CheckedSwingKarma pic.twitter.com/32OBLUUVR4

— Eric Vrsalovich (@EVrsalovich) October 15, 2021

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!

GO DODGERS!