Post-Game 6 Thread: Muncy Flips Script, Bat

DODGERS 5, CARDINALS 4

On Sunday Night Baseball, the Dodgers rallied back from a 4-0 deficit to take the 5-4 victory, punctuated by a mammoth no-doubt two-run home run by Max Muncy in the bottom of the eighth inning:

Here's another look:

On repeat. 🔁 pic.twitter.com/jJlEGrenm1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 1, 2024

Pretty amazing, given the Dodgers were this close from being a .500 team, after dropping Game 3 of this series yesterday, thanks in large part to Joe Kelly's five-run (early Easter) egg. But even then, the Dodgers rallied back to tie it in the ninth, only to lose it in the tenth when Shohei Ohtani ended the game with a bases-loaded infield pop-up. That effort, as Muncy pointed out on the post-game interview, required St. Louis to burn a number of arms (including Giovanny Gallegos), which then left the Cardinals more vulnerable in Sunday's matchup.

Not that the Dodgers' pen was up to full strength, either. With Emmet Sheehan moved to the 60-day IL, the Dodgers optioned Kyle Hurt (2.2 IP, 0 BB and 3 Ks in Saturday's loss) and added Nabil Crismatt to the rotation just this morning. And the move paid off, with Crismatt (who got the win) going two scoreless innings with 0 BB and 3 Ks, on the back of a nasty changeup that fooled Wilson Contreras, Alec Burleson, and Brendan Donovan (all strikeouts). Daniel Hudson came in to record the save with a scoreless ninth, which was also great given Evan Phillips was unavailable after pitching the last two nights.

The big three weren't great in this game, with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman combining to go 1-for-11. Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBI (the Dodgers' first two runs of their comeback win).

And credit has to go to Dave Roberts, who pulled Kike Hernandez (0-for-2) in the sixth to pinch hit Muncy, who went 2-for-2 and raised his average to .348. Roberts also slotted Chris Taylor fifth in the lineup today, and CT3 reached base four times (three walks and a run-scoring hit, plus the Dodgers' first stolen base of the year in the eighth). Our offense needs production from the top three, but in the cases where it doesn't happen, it's great that Roberts might be able to find the hot hand amongst the others. Today at least, Roberts was spot-on.

Dodgers take three of four from the Cardinals and move to 4-2, tied with the 3-1 Diamondbacks in the standings for the NL West lead.

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.

Dodger Currently Wearing #17 Bummed Out About Ceding Number To Ohtani

Miguel Vargas started out the year wearing #17, but his demotion to the minors let this guy hold it for the end of the 2023 season. Apparently, he's pretty disappointed to give it up to Ohtani.

Poor guy.

photo: Bob Levey / Getty Images

DODGERS CLINCH 2023 NL WEST TITLE (Post-Game Thread 147)

"In a year that has experienced so much change, one thing is the same: The NL West STILL runs through LA!"

DODGERS 6, MARINERS 2 (11)

The Dodgers battled through nine scoreless scoreless innings, including a particularly nail-biting bottom of the eighth inning (two on, none out: Alex Vesia gets JP Crawford swinging, and then Boston castoff Ryan Brasier gets Mariner phenom Julio Rodriguez swinging, before striking out Teoscar Hernandez to quell the threat). Clayton Kershaw delivered four scoreless innings, and Emmet Sheehan gave three more. And after trading runs in the tenth, the Dodgers erupted in the eleventh inning with five runs, stoked by Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, and Kike Hernandez RBI singles. The ghosts of our 2020 WS team drove us to victory, including Joe Kelly messily but effectively cleaning up the bottom of the 11th.

More important than all that, the Dodgers clinched the NL West divisional title, and celebrated at T-Mobile Park in Seattle:

“This is one. We’re gonna do this three more times. Enjoy this moment because this is special.” Dave Roberts plans to keep popping bottles until the #Dodgers win the World Series. pic.twitter.com/AUqqyTwdQb

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 17, 2023

Loved these quotes from Jack Harris' LAT piece (only available online, given the LAT's stupid only-print-features-in-the-new-diminished-sports-page plan):

“I think everybody talked about what we didn’t do [in the offseason], but we still had Mookie, we still had Freddie, it’s not like we were underdogs by any means,” said Clayton Kershaw, who pitched four scoreless innings in what became his fifth career start in a division-clinching game.

“It wasn’t like a ‘silence the doubters’ kind of moment,” Kershaw added, standing shirtless and beer-soaked in a plastic-wrapped postgame clubhouse. “We were expecting to do this. We were supposed to do this. But it doesn’t make it any less special.”

Technically, Arizona could still also claim a share of the divisional crown, if they win their next 12 games and the Dodgers lose their next 15 (not exactly sure why the gap in games played is so huge). But at this stage, the Dodgers are basically set with the #2 seed in the NL, and the Diamondbacks (who won an extra-inning thriller against the Cubs) are tied for the third Wild Card spot (with the Reds), behind the Cubs and the Phillies, and with the Marlins (0.5 GB) and Giants (2.5 GB) also in the mix.

Time for us to rest up the few guys we have left.

CONGRATULATIONS, DODGERS!!!

Post-Game 6 Thread: Dodgers Vanquish Evil

DODGERS 4, CHEATERS 2 (13)

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.

available here

NLCS Game 5 Thread: Oct. 16 vs. Cards, 1p

Left to Right: Nick Punto, Mark Ellis, AJ Ellis;

Foreground: Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Joe Kelly (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

Indeed, it's do or die today. Win or go home. Well, I guess the team already is at home. So, it's win or don't go back to St. Louis. Which most other situations would be a clear choice.

We have to get 'em today, boys and girls. SoSG faithful snarker PaulJ is at the Yard trying to bring some good mojo with his playoff beard. Let's channel the Blue to him.

Oh, and if we're going to lose, let's at least stick Kelly in the ribs just so we'll have a little something to enjoy for the off season.

image: Maverick Entertainment

NLCS Game 1 Thread: Oct. 11 vs. Cards, 5.30p

Zack Greinke (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. Joe Kelly (0-0, -.-- ERA)

This NLCS matchup is what most so-called experts predicted at the beginning of the season, by all accounts. Yet the two teams took different paths to get here. St. Louis mostly took the direct path, i.e., they were pretty damn good all season. The Dodgers, on the other hand, took a winding path that almost got them lost and eaten by rabid dingoes, but ended up right back where the predictions originally had them.

We send Zack Greinke, our Ace #2, out to try to take the first game from under the Cards and keep the momentum going from the NLDS. We'll need it, especially from the hot bats of Ramirez, Crawford, Uribe, and Puig. The addition of Ethier, who is likely to gets the start tonight, should add to that firepower. The Cards will counter with an offense that is driven by manufacturing runs, especially with RISP,  by a bunch of light-to-medium-hitting white guys.

Let's pause a moment to taunt St. Louis:

Cardinals 2013 Team Picture

Personally, I started out the day nervous. Then I read Sax's morning post about the cliched media narrative on the Dodgers and Cards, and I got angry. Then I saw the post-season roster, and I got thirsty. Then I listened to analysis of the matchup on a few radio shows, and got nervous, angry, thirsty all at once. And that's pretty much where things stand now. After all the predictions, though, and all the analysis, it will come down to what it always does: Dodgers gotta keep pitching.*

cc: Fred's Brim

*That, and which shirt SoSG Sax wears

Dodgers tickets

image: courtesy Ft. Wayne, IN Civic Center