Series Thread (Games 18-20): Apr 15-17 vs. Reds

With Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp back in town, will the Dodgers step up and bury a friend?

Mon 7p: Clayton Kershaw vs. Luis Castillo (1-1. 0.92)
Tue 7p: Kenta Maeda (2-1, 4.76) vs. Tyler Mahle (0-0, 0.82)
Wed 12n: TBD vs. Sonny Gray (0-2, 2.03)

I guess I should have used last week's series thread photo for this series, given we're seeing the Reds and everything. But I suppose I'm just too surprised that we actually won a game Sunday, our first win in seven games against NL Central teams, who seem to be more formidable opponents than the cushy NL West teams we've played. Amazingly, the Dodgers' plummet to Earth still has us only 2.0 GB the league-leading Padres (I can't believe I just typed those last three words in succession), so it's not inconceivable that we could find ourselves back in first before the end of this homestand Wednesday. (The Padres host the 4-12 Rockies for a quick two-game two-step.)

This series also gives us the opportunity to see an inevitable video montage of Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp on Monday night; after all, the Dodgers gave passed-ball king Yasmani Grandal a video tribute on Friday. Both Puig and Kemp were so instrumental to the Dodgers' 2018 run, not to mention the Dodgers' teams over the past years, that it's inevitable to be a little nostalgic. Let's hope A.J. Pollock, whose batting average has slipped from .324 to .242 over the past 8 games (excluding Sunday's game, in which he went 2-for-5), continues to get back on track and make us forget about these two outfielders.

Oh, and we've got some new guy making his first start of the year on Monday night, Jackie Robinson Day. Good luck to him!

Dodgers Bid Adieu to Puig, Kemp (Again)

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired minor league IF Jeter Downs, minor league RHP Josiah Gray and RHP Homer Bailey from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for C/IF Kyle Farmer, outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, LHP Alex Wood and cash considerations.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 21, 2018

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 2 Thread: 10/24 @ Red Sox, 5p

We'll always have this moment. We'll always have this moment. We'll always have this moment.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (postseason: 1-1, 4.40) vs David Price (PS: 1-1, 5.11).

So it turns out there are a few things a team needs to play well in the World Series:

• effective starting pitching [last night: noooooope]
  
• timely hitting [last night: kinda]
  
• strong defense [last night: noooooope]
  
• canny bullpen management [last night: noooooope]

Why it took the Dodgers THE ENTIRETY OF GAME 1 to figure this out is beyond me. Maybe it was the cold weather, maybe Dave Roberts had brain freeze from shotgunning a pregame Slurpee (Coca Cola flavor, natch), maybe...the Red Sox are simply the better team.

But hey! It’s not the better team that wins — it’s the team that plays better. And the 92-71 Dodgers, who beat the 96-67 Brewers to reach the World Series, have it in them to take Game 2. They just have to execute when they absolutely can't afford not to (which frankly seems to be the only time they do so).

Although Boston native Rich Hill seems a natural to start this game, Ryu gets the start to set Hill up for relief work in later games. Road Ryu (8.59 ERA, 2.05 WHIP) is def not preferable to Home Ryu (0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP) but dude, it's the World Series. Sack up, Hyun-Jin.

Listen: Dodger Stadium is unfortunately going to be packed with entitled Red Sox fans on Friday. It's gonna suck. Let's give them one less thing to cheer for.

Confession time, here's what I got

When hope was highest: pre-game ceremonies for World Series Game 1.

It's tiiiiiime for Dodger baseball!

And I'm not ready.

The baseball fan in me has been suspended in cryonic stasis since November 1, 2017, the day the Dodgers' championship drought officially reached 29 years.

As you all know, it hurt like a bitch. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who dealt with it by burying the pain deep, deep inside (plus booze).

When the Dodgers made the playoffs, I purposely didn't attend any games because I wanted to save my shekels for the Big Dance. And once the Dodgers made it to the World Series, I smashed my piggy bank and bought tickets for Game 1, the first World Series game in Los Angeles in, well, 29 years.

Hours before gametime, SoSG Sax and I had settled into our seats in Reserve 5 when I got a text from my brother, a Dodger fan unfortunate enough to live in the Bay Area:

That's nice, I thought. He must be going to Game 2. Wrong. He was on his way to Game 1, lateness be damned. That's what 28 years of waiting will do to a fan.

So while my brother was racing down to L.A., Sax & I were giddy and in tears after one helluva National Anthem by Keith Williams Jr.:

The high final note, the flyover...it was electric.

Honestly I don't remember a lot of details from the game itself because every out, every pitch, felt like life or death. Especially without listening to play-by-play and color commentary, it was too easy to get way inside my head while watching the game.

Somewhere during the middle of the game, my brother landed and was hectoring a taxi driver to get him from LAX to Dodger Stadium in rush-hour traffic — ASAP!

We took a two-run lead in the 6th but it might have well been a tie game for how nervous we were.

My brother arrived in the 7th but he would have to wait. Our section was packed and I couldn't afford to miss a single beat of this experience.

The crowd was exemplary. No bullshit waves, no bullshit beachballs on the warning track. Constant cheering and standing and screaming for every two-out at-bat.

After Kenley slammed the door in the 9th: GIGANTIC EXHALE. The loudest I've ever heard Dodger Stadium. Awkward hugs and high-fiving folks I had never met before and will never see again. We finally found my brother and chilled in our section to savor the afterglow and let traffic ease up (it didn't help).

And that's the sum total of my in-person World Series experience. We had an awesome viewing party for Game 4 at Casa Orel but after Game 7...numbness. The Astros aren't even a really hateable team (Gurriel excepted, honorable mention to Reddick).

The Dodgers' extreme inactivity during the off-season reinforced my moribund mindset, although it's nice to have Matt Kemp back, for purely sentimental reasons.

So ready or not, we'll see how this season goes. We'll still do game/series threads (I think) but I know some of us are still looking for a hangover cure.

Go Blue (I can still muster that)!

It’s like the field is crying. Finally letting it all out after WS Game 7.

— Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) March 28, 2018

Amen, SoSG Dusty.

Series Thread (Games 96-99): July 20-23 vs Barves

(cries)

Thurs, 7p: Kenta Maeda vs Mike Foltyniewicz (I didn't cut & paste that!)

Fri, 7p: Alex Wood vs Jaime Garcia (maybe)

Sat, 6p: Rich Hill vs Julio Teheran

Sun, 1p: Clayton Kershaw vs Sean Newcomb

Series Thread (Games 88-91), July 7-10 vs. Padres

Only two of these three dapper gentlemen will be in the house this weekend (cries)

7/7, 7p: Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-0, -.--) vs. Drew Pomeranz (7-7, 2.65).
PADRES 6, DODGERS 0

7/8, 7p: Scott Kazmir (7-3, 4.37) vs. Andrew Cashner (3-6, 4.42).
DODGERS 10, PADRES 6. Grandal: 5-for-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI

7/9, 4p: Brandon McCarthy (1-0, 0.00) vs. Luis Perdomo (3-3, 7.93).
DODGERS 4, PADRES 3

7/10, 1p: Kenta Maeda (7-6, 3.07) vs. Christian Friedrich (4-4, 4.42).
DODGERS 3, PADRES 1. Maeda: 7.0 IP, 13K

Game 18 Thread: Apr. 23 @ Rockies, 5p

NOW I RUN THE GAME GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TALKIN'
KING KENTA pic.twitter.com/UquWqmAr35

— Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) April 12, 2016

Kenta Maeda (2-0, 0.47) vs. Tyler Chatroom lol (2-1, 2.79).

King Kenta, meet Coors Field. Maeda may be having one of the best rookie pitcher starts in Dodger history, but he has yet to experience the park that holds the outfield wall that turned Matt Kemp into a shell of his former self. (Oh yeah, it's pretty tough on pitchers too.)

Two of Maeda's starts came in pitcher-friendly Petco Park and AT&T Park, while one came in the second most pitcher-unfriendly park in the majors (Chase Field). So there's hope, but the King should tread lightly — just ask Scott Kazmir.

ESPN Transactions Issue: Dodgers / Padres Trade Recap

Looking through the latest ESPN the Rag "Transactions Issue", was interested to see their take on the off-season trade between the Dodgers and Padres on December 18, 2014, and how all of this panned out (as per Dan Szymborski):

DODGERS / PADRES TRADE

we begin with the grand swap upon which the Padres' gambit relied, the acquisition of Matt Kemp (and most of his [e]normous contract) for the team's starting catcher and two prospects. The trade hinged upon three assumptions: that Kemp's .309/365/608 second half in 2014 meant the return of MVP-level Kemp; that his defense would be even adequate; and that Yasmani's Grandal's sterling season was fool's gold. All of these assumptions proved wrong. Kemp's minus-13.1 UZR (ultimate zone rating) is worst among right fielders, he's hitting just .266--and Grandal was an All-Star. Whoops!

Padres got: Kemp (6.7 WAR), Tim Federowicz (5.9), -$32M cash; Dodgers got: Grandal (6.8), Zach Elfin (1.5), Joe Wieland (2.8) [all WAR projections through Sept 1].

The assessment of Kemp is probably spot on, even if Grandal has withered in these past two months of the season. Much as I hate to see Kemp in another uniform, it was probably one of Andrew Friedman's best moves this year.

Game 91 Thread: July 17 @ Nationals, 4p

In half a season, Joc Pederson has made Dodger fans forget Matt Kemp and become the Dodgers' all-time Home Run Derby champ.

Mike Bolsinger (4-3, 3.08) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (8-5, 3.22).

First-place battle! Second-half kickoff! Here we go!

The Dodgers have shuffled their rotation, with Bolsinger giving Kershaw a post-All-Star break blow. Expect them to flip by month's end to separate Kershaw & Greinke in the order, thus presumably giving the bullpen more recovery time.

The Nats counter with Jordan Zimmermann, who has a lot of repeating letters in his name. That's really all the info I could find on him (sorry, cutbacks in the SoSG Analytics Dept.).

The Dodgers are ahead of the Giants by 4.5 games and the Snakes by 7.5; SF and AZ play each other tonight, so look at it this way: The Dodgers will gain ground on someone by the end of the day. Optimism!

UPDATE: Game suspended due to three lighting outages possibly caused by Taylor Swift's recent concert at Nationals Park.

Padres' Destruction Is Dodgers' Gain

Rany Jazayerli has a great article about how Padres GM A.J. Preller has quickly destroyed that franchise. As we Dodger fans know, we were part of Preller's grand reconstruction plan, dealing Matt Kemp and gaining Yasmani Grandal. Here's how Jazayerli broke down this trade: p>

The Padres are a mess. That alone should be enough to question Preller’s prowess. But the damage he has done to the organization is even worse than that, because so far we’ve discussed only the players he brought in — not the ones he traded away. If you’re a Padres fan, look away now.

To acquire Kemp, the Padres dealt three players to the Dodgers, but the main prize was catcher Yasmani Grandal. Grandal had been the Reds’ first-round pick in 2010 out of the University of Miami, and he was the prize prospect the Padres acquired when they traded Mat Latos to Cincinnati after the 2011 season. Although he hurt his reputation by getting busted for PED use after his rookie year in 2012, Grandal had quietly been a budding three-true-outcomes star during parts of his past three seasons. In 216 career games before the trade, Grandal hit .245/.350/.412 in one of the game’s best pitchers’ parks. He also became known as a catcher that pitchers didn’t want to throw to.

In Los Angeles, Grandal has blossomed into one of the game’s best catchers. He’s hitting .282/.401/.526, leading all major league catchers (minimum 200 plate appearances) in OPS. He was named to his first All-Star team. He was already considered an expert pitch-framer behind the plate — one of the main reasons the new sabermetric brain trust in L.A. wanted him — but he’s also shed his reputation as a poor pitch caller. He’s a star before he’s even arbitration eligible, and he won’t be a free agent until after the 2018 season.

Kemp's .250 batting average at the midpoint can't be helping this trade's assessment much. And though I miss the Bison, I think we came out on the top end on this one.

Post-Game 62 Thread: Greinke Notches Loss #2

PADRES 2, DODGERS 1

Zack Greinke took the loss, only his second all year, ceding a first-inning infield single to Matt Kemp, and then a Justin Upton HR in the eighth. Yasmani Grandal had a solo shot of his own, his seventh this year, in the third inning. But despite Greinke's complete-game greatness (8.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks), the Upton HR did us in tonight, so we've split the first two games with the Padres. Let's get them in the rubber match tomorrow; I think we'll get the win!

Post-Game 63 Thread: A-Gon's Back, But Joc Is Incredible

A-Gon's back.

DODGERS 4, PADRES 2 (12)

All the talk is about Joc Pederson's amazing catch in center field in the bottom of the ninth inning, saving the game for the Dodgers and allowing the extra inning frames to even happen. And rightfully so; the catch was INCREDIBLE (and you need to see it; if all goes well it is embedded below, along with Charley Steiner, Orel Hershiser, and even Rick Monday calling the play.).

But let's skip past the early-inning foreplay (including an Andre Ethier solo HR in the seventh, and a Adrian Gonzalez RBI double (Gonzalez took third on the throw) in the eighth), and move right on from that Pederson highlight to extra innings. Firstly, Josh Ravin, ladies and gentlemen: two innings of pretty good work, the first of which was extended when the Padres whined about Enrique Hernandez not really touching second on a 3-6-3 double play. Ravin went ahead and struck out Derek Norris and Cory Spangenberg to close the inning with Matt Kemp in scoring position. Ravin goes to 2-0 after today's game.

In the top of the 12th, Alberto Callapso had a one-out double to right over the head of Matt Kemp; Hernandez and Pederson walked; and the stage was set for Alex Guerrero, whom Don Mattingly just said was better as a pinch-hitter than starting 3B (relative to Justin Turner). Guerrero...lined to Kemp in right, and because it was a short line out, Callaspo could not score from third (Callaspo was nabbed by Kemp in the third inning with a putout at the plate).

Up came Gonzalez, who has been has been slumping since his torrid April. Gonzalez singled to center, scoring Callaspo and Hernandez. 4-2 Dodgers, and Kenley Jansen earned his ninth save in the 12th.

Coupled with the Giants' 4-0 loss and sweepage by the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers open up a 3.5 game lead in the West. Get set for a Texas Two-Step (two @ Arlington, followed by two @ home), starting tomorrow!

Game 49 Thread: May 31 @ Cardinals, 11:15a

"Quote-unquote, eat that, Cardinals!"

Brett Anderson (2-2, 3.47) vs. Carlos Martinez (4-2, 3.54).

The road-weary, punchless Dodgers showed up in St. Louis for 14 innings, but in that 15th inning (the 6th inning of yesterday's game), the offense finally came alive, punctuated by a three-run home run by Yasmani "What Concussion?" Grandal. Let's see what the pundits are saying about the Kemp trade now:

Grandal leads NL catchers in OPS, strong def metrics. Kemp trade proving bonanza for #Dodgers. Also: Wieland and Eflin, who went for Rollins

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 31, 2015

Bonanza!

Game 23 Thread: May 2 vs. D'backs, 7p

Scott Baker (0-1, 3.86) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 5.24).

Joc Jam Fever! Have you caught it yet? Although the Dodgers are going with another spot-starter in Baker, the real reason to be excited about this year's team is Joc "Matt Who?" Pederson. Watching (Gamedaying?) this kid hit grand slams and make diving catches like he does, I'm beginning to see why the front office was comfortable with trading Matt Kemp for a handful of beans (sorry, Grandal).

Of course, it helps that the Dodgers are quite unexpectedly leading the majors in home runs; twelve different Dodgers have hit homers so far this season. If guys like Baker can step up and eat some innings, baby, we might just have a stew going.

Post-Game 3 Thread: Gonzalez' 3 HR Make History

Not sure why the link to the video of Gonzalez' three HRs is failing, but you should listen to hear Charley Steiner incorrectly use "further" when referring to distance.

DODGERS 7, PADRES 4

Adrian Gonzalez hit three HR tonight, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI. As per MLB.com, Gonzalez becomes the first player in MLB history to hit five home runs in the first three games of the season. He is batting .769 this year, with a 2.077 slugging average and a 2.846 OPS. Adrian Gonzalez is on pace to hit 270 home runs this season.

All three of A-Gon's HRs went to right field over Padres RF Matt Kemp, and the second one was definitely catchable (bouncing off the top of the wall).

Meanwhile, #3 starter Brandon McCarthy has as many Ks (9) as Clayton Kershaw, and over twice as many as #2 Zack Greinke. His line wasn't great tonight: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks and 2 HR), but it was effective enough. And, unlike last night, Mattingly's relief choices fared better: Paco Rodriguez rescued a struggling McCarthy to strike out Clint Barmes; Pedro Baez went a clean 1.2 innings; J.P. Howell had a one-hit eighth inning, and Joel Peralta punctuated his one-hit ninth with a Kemp strikeout (Kemp was 5-for-13 in the series).

Yasiel Puig went 0-for-5 with 5 LOB and is batting .083. He did get an RBI on a botched double play that ended up being a double play either when Jimmy Rollins forgot to run to third, or Puig ran too far around first, or whatever. Juan Uribe went 1-for-3 and is batting .111.

Dodgers get a much-needed day of rest before meeting Arizona in the desert on Friday. But what will we do without baseball Thursday? ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Post-Game 1 Thread: Rollins Trumps Kemp Homecoming

DODGERS 6, PADRES 3

Lots of moments of trepidation out there today, particularly after former Dodger Matt Kemp (who was greeted with a nice ovation from the Los Angeles crowd) doubled home a run in the first inning; new Dodger Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff single and then advanced no further; and the Dodgers looked absolutely listless in their support of Clayton Kershaw (6.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 Ks, 4.50 ERA).

Then came the fourth inning, when Adrian Gonzalez homered; Howie Kendrick tripled; and Carl Crawford doubled to make it 2-1 Dodgers. The Dodgers crowd came alive and things looked promising...until Kemp again struck a double to score two in the top of the fifth (3-2, SD). Kemp ended up 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and man it is just bizarre seeing him clad in non-Dodger Blue.

And then it was weird: everything went to the Guggenheim group's off-season narrative. In the top of the sixth, rookie Joc Pederson (1-for-3 with a walk and a K) made a great grab in center field which reminded us what outfield defense is supposed to look like. And right after that, Kemp misplayed a Kendrick double which scored A-Gon and tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the seventh.

The bottom of the eighth was the dagger. Pederson walked, and though A.J. Ellis weakly popped out his sac bunt attempt, PH Andre Ethier reached on a missed catch error by Padres pitcher Shawn Kelley. Rollins then came up and worked a 0-2 count back to full before homering to right on the eighth pitch of the AB. 6-3 Dodgers; Rollins ends up 2-for-4 with 3 RBI, 1 BB and 1 K. Chris Hatcher closed out the ninth (with a leadoff HBP, saved by a UJTD GIDP), and the Dodgers take the Opening Day victory. Happy times, all (except for Juan Uribe, 0-for-4, and Yasiel Puig / Ellis, both 0-for-3)!

photo collage taken by SoSG Alex Cora

Game 1 Thread: April 6 vs. Padres, 1p

Clayton Kershaw (0-0, -.--) vs. James Shields (0-0, -.--).

Welcome to Opening Day, Mixed Emotions Edition!

		Opening Day! Hells yeah, the wait is over!
		Matt Kemp as a Padre. weird weird weird weird weird weird
		Clayton Kershaw! Cy Young #3! MVP #1! In Vin's name this guy deserves a World Series ring. Maybe it starts today.
		#FreeNancyBea
		Who wants the D? We'll miss Hanley and Dee, but this special together-for-one-year-only Jimmy Rollins/Howie Kendrick DP combination sure excites the imagination.
		boooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo
		It's your turn, Joc! No pressure or anything, but the team needs you to fill Kemp's shoes while maintaining a positive UZR/DRS/TZ. You can do it!

Kershaw: Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Keri Puts Dodgers Second Only To Pesky Nats

Here's Grantland's Jonah Keri, ranking the Dodgers second going into the 2015 season:

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Starting with the trade that sent Matt Kemp two hours south on I-5, the Dodgers’ offseason moved in the opposite direction of the Padres’. While the Pads loaded up on big hitters with questionable gloves like Kemp, the Dodgers, who also kissed Hanley Ramirez good-bye, happily unloaded such defenseless mashers. The addition of the veteran pair of Jimmy Rollins and Kendrick should fortify the middle of the diamond, while 22-year-old rookie Joc Pederson enters the season as an instant, major defensive upgrade over Kemp and everyone else who tried to play center in Chavez Ravine last year. These small moves are all right out of new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s playbook of defensive obsession. That all three of the new guys could also provide better-than-average bats and contribute on the basepaths only increases the team’s already outsize potential.

That forgotten team up north ranks 18th.

(cries)