At-Game Recap: The Night Of Inappropriate Jerseys (August 29, 2024)

Last night, SoSG Orel and I were at the game, to watch the Dodgers beat the Baltimore Orioles in the rubber match, winning the series with a 6-3 victory.

It was an amazing game, even though Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with a K. Mookie Betts had two hits, a run and an RBI single; new Dodger Tommy Edman (batting cleanup!) went 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly RBI; and Miguel Rojas went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Bobby Miller had a servicable start, even though he gave up a three-run HR to Colton Cowser in the fifth inning, which trimmed the lead at the time to a two-run margin.

But unbelievably, last night we also saw Chris Taylor get his first multi-hit game since June (Taylor also had an RBI and even had a nice defensive play at third). And Austin Barnes also had a multi-hit game, his first in a month, with two RBI on the night.

I don't want to say that seeing both Barnes and Taylor get multi-hit games was as momentous as Shohei Ohtani's 40-40 night. However, it was pretty historic nonetheless. The last time both Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor had a multi-hit game in the same game, it was Friday, May 13, 2022--over two full years ago (a 12-10 loss to the Phillies at home).

It was so long ago, Phil Bickford was pitching for our team then. That's insane.

I am still lamenting the departure of Jason Heyward to make a spot for Taylor, who sports a 56 OPS+ and a -0.9 bWAR this season. But at least Taylor was able to contribute last night. I'm crossing my fingers for more from CT3 down the stretch.

Here's Chris Taylor, following his RBI single, wondering what comes after reaching first base. (Taylor was later forced out at second by Gavin Lux.)

Anyway, the game was a blast and I'm glad the Dodgers notched the game and series victory, punctuated by Evan Phillips' 17th save to secure the win. Here's Phillips' entrance in the top of the ninth:

And, always good to catch up with Orel.

The weird thing about the evening was seeing all the inappropriate jerseys around. I'll reminisce in order.

First, there was the Orioles fan, whom I appreciate for suiting up for this game. Gotta love this O's team with all of their incredible young position players, as well as the fact that the Orioles are still in the thick of the AL West race along with the YankMes.

But given the orange color is going to stand out...can we at least consider a better jersey than this former Oriole?

But wait, it gets worse. Sitting in front of this guy, is another guy who has to remind Dodger fans that Manny Machado also brought his pouty persona to Los Angeles once:

Man, I'm just revolted by this point. I'm going to the bathroom to get rid of the slight bit of vomit that has just come up my esophagus and into my mouth. But on the way to the concourse, I see this guy:

Okay, now I really have to puke.

Series Thread (Games 11-13): Aug 3-5 @ Padres

Mookie sends love to you! And the Dodgers! But not to John Henry!

Mon, 6p: Walker Buehler vs Chris Paddack
Tues, 6p: Dustin May vs Dinelson Lamet
Wed, 6p: Ross Stripling vs Garrett Richards

Let's get the bad news out of the way: Commissioner Rob Manfred, who previously derided the World Series championship trophy that bears the title of his office, recently implied that players choosing to opt out this season for safety reasons were "quitters".

Also — brace yourselves — we're still stuck in the hellscape that is 2020.

The good news: The 2020 Dodgers (7-3) appear to be coalescing into a powerhouse. They lead the NL in home runs (17); the bullpen, while not perfect, has shown encouraging consistency; and Clayton Kershaw impressed in his season debut yesterday, which gives us hope that he and Walker Buehler can lead the rotation.

But let's not sleep on the Padres (6-4), who feature rising superstar Fernando Tatís Jr. and old friend Manny Machado. Not to mention starters that generally own us, although I can't understand for the life of me why they traded Dodger-killer Eric Lauer (to the Brewers).

In any case, Game On! Enjoy baseball (while it lasts)!

5 Burning Questions Ow It Burns Make It Stop

Congratulations @RedSox Well played and deserved. We’ll see you next season.

— Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) October 29, 2018

I did not tweet this tweet. Maybe we got hacked.

It's the return of Five Things! (That means something to like two of you out there.)

1. Kersh: In or out? Obviously he can make more than $65 million for two years so he'll opt out, but will he re-sign with us and stay competitive or sign with his hometown Rangers and enjoy the second half of his career closer to home? The first domino falls soon.

2. Harper? First of all, Goodbye Felicia/Manny. Secondly, do we break the bank for Harper? Does the front office think he'll fit their newfangled homer-only adjust-never approach? If we land Harper, who goes? Does Joc and/or Puig become trade bait? Remember we owe Kemp $21.5M next year.

3. Catcher issues. Grandal leads the free-agent catcher class with his 24 regular-season HRs and supposedly legendary framing skills. The Dodgers are unlikely to dish out for offense they already have and his butterfinger defense, but then who becomes the everyday catcher? Barnes? The minor-league guys are still years away so this one is a head-scratcher. Maybe a trade?

4. How to fix the bullpen. Once Kenley gets his heart surgery, will he return to the Kenley of old? Can we go Baez in the 8th to Kenley in the 9th and just figure out the post-starter bridge guys? Remember the Dodgers owe Jansen $56M over the next three years so he isn't going anywhere.

5. Forget small ball. It's big ball now. Somewhere along the line the front office decided to mash at all costs. Will they decide this year's results were worth it? Was NLCS Game 5 just a fluke? Will Justin Turner remain the only guy who excels at situational hitting?

OK that was more than five questions but you get the idea. This team needs to make some decisions.

World Series Game 1 Thread: Oct 23 @ Red Sox, 5p

Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2.73) vs. Chris Sale (12-4, 2.11).

Finally, the hangover is over.

This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Boston Red Sox, a strongly-favored team with a gargantuan payroll who cruised through the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, backed by strong starting pitching. Sound familiar?

Barring any potential racist gestures in the impending playoff series, it's admittedly difficult to dislike the Red Sox, and nigh impossible to hate on Boston manager and former Dodger Alex Cora. Dodger manager Dave Roberts continues to be friends with Cora, as they were teammates in Los Angeles in 2004, and Roberts was the one of the first to congratulate Cora on his marathon 18-pitch AB in May 2004 (you can read the definitive story of Cora's marathon 18-pitch AB here).

This is the first World Series managed by two players who each played for both teams. And this is the first World Series helmed by two minority managers. This is pretty cool stuff, set before the context of two historic franchises.

But let's face it, the underdog Dodgers should be the one the baseball gods (if there are any) prefer. While Boston has rattled off three titles since 2004, you may have heard that the Dodgers have been without a championship since 1988.

But we've got momentum. Our Game 7 NLCS victory over the Brewers (on the road!) was thrilling, as we saw some dormant bats awaken (Yasiel Puig, Cody Bellinger), some young stars shine (Walker Buehler, Julio Urias), some veterans show poise (Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw), and some unsung heroes astonish (Chris Taylor). Oh, and we've got this guy, too, who will both confound and surprise (like with a bunt single that led to an unrelinquished lead). We've got a full head of steam here.

It's time for us to capture some of that October magic.

It's time for us to grab this narrative.

It's time for us to rise up.

LET'S GO, DODGERS.

So grab your drum set, set it up in the back of your pickup truck, and let's take a ride down the street at 5mph.

NLCS Game 5 Thread: Oct 17 vs. Brewers, 2p

All Belli, no flop.
Clayton Kershaw vs. Wade Miley

Are you awake? Are you alive?

In a 5+ hour Game 4 that felt like it took about 5 days (and at least 5 years off our lives), the Dodgers finally bounced back. The NLCS is now tied, thanks to the combined heroics of the Dodger bullpen(!!!), Brain Dozier (an early RBI single after most were shocked he was even starting), Manny Machado (a 13th inning single followed by taking second on a wild pitch, plus some...other stuff), and Cody Bellinger (walk-off single and the above game-saving catch).

Look for today's game to be ~NARRATIVE CITY~ with the FS1 broadcast (which, to this point, has been AWFUL, even by FOX standards) focusing on both the now-villainous Manny Machado and the postseason woes of Clayton Kershaw. The Manny complaints are legitimate, as last night's kicking of Aguilar's leg at first base was, at worst, dirty, and, at best, massively stupid. The Kershaw story? Well, that's up for him to write. We've seen both sides this postseason, and we're ready for the good chapter again.

So, take a late lunch, because this one's a weird-ass day game. At least it should end at a reasonable time, right? Right?

GO BLUE!

Post-NLDS Thread: SoSG Orel, Machado Is Listening

Late season acquisition Manny Machado finally showed up in Game 4, lifting his NLDS average to a whopping .176 in the process.

I'll take it.

Let's go, Dodgers! On to Milwaukee!

More: Manny Machado's concussive blow helps Dodgers finish off Braves in NLDS (Andy McCullough, LAT)

Series Thread (Games 97-99): 7/20-22 @ Brewers

Nothing but California Love. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/6E967fogkS

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 20, 2018

Oh yeahhhhhh.

Fri, 5:10p: Rich Hill vs Wade Miley
Sat, 4:10p Clayton Kershaw vs Chase Anderson
Sun, 11:10a Alex Wood vs Brent Suter

Mannywood! Part Deux

Welcome to Los Angeles, Manny Machado! #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/tPgopiPWv6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 19, 2018

• Dodgers officially acquire Manny Machado from Orioles in six-player deal (TrueBlueLA)

It's gratifying to see the front office do something after passing on Giancarlo Stanton and Yu "Bullet Dodged" Darvish during the offseason. And they still manage to stay under their precious luxury tax threshold. Now we have a better chance of losing to an AL team in the World Series!

graphic: ESPN.com