Post-Game 125 Thread: A Glimmer of Hope?

DODGERS 2, CARDINALS 1

Things weren't looking good for the Dodgers, coming out of Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Cardinals. Bobby Miller, in his return to the majors since struggling earlier this season, continued to struggle. Freddie Freeman ended the game with a defensive play that jammed his finger, knocking him out of today's season finale.

And yet, the Dodgers came away with a clutch 2-1 victory Sunday, which was neither expected nor easy. Shohei Ohtani broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with his 39th home run, and Miguel Rojas tacked on an RBI single to make it 2-0 LA. And even though Lars Nootbar took Daniel Hudson yard in the eighth--AND the Dodgers' 6-9 hitters (Kevin Kiermaier, Kiké "Black Hole" Hernandez, base stealers' best friend Austin Barnes, and Nick Ahmed) went a combined 0-for-14 with 4 Ks--the Dodgers had just enough to eke out a victory for Clayton Kershaw, who went six scoreless in his best start of the year (4 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 70 pitches).

Kudos to Michael Kopech as well for picking up his 11th save of the year with a shutdown ninth, overcoming not only the Cardinals but also Barnes, who made an error with one out, throwing wild of first.

Don't get me started on Barnes (who has had one hit for the entire month of August, now appearing in eight games). I've been advised I need to be more optimistic.

And indeed, there was room for optimism following the Dodgers' victory today, after the Rays beat the Diamondbacks in extras (8-7 final, in 12), and the Rockies held on to beat the Padres 3-2. The Snakes were swept this weekend in Tampa, and the Padres lost two of three in Colorado. That leaves the Dodgers three games on San Diego and four games on Arizona, with 37 games to play.

Post-Game 25 Thread: Ohtani Absolutely Clobbers HR

Shohei Ohtani's HR, with an exit velocity of 118.7 mph, was the hardest-hit ball all year in the majors. The sound of that pitch leaving the back is unbelievable, and the fact that it ended up in the second deck of Nationals Park is completely unsurprising. Wow.

The Dodgers had plenty of surprises today, though! After bumbling through five innings and letting winless Nationals starter Patrick Corbin stymie the lineup, it was the Dodgers' scrubs who came through to win this game. In the sixth inning, Kiké Hernandez singled home Teoscar Hernandez to tie the game at 1.

Teoscar Hernandez scored again in the eighth inning when James Outman, pinch hitting for Kiké with two out and a man on second, doubled to right to put the Dodgers ahead. And then Miguel Rojas singled to right to score Outman.

The Ohtani HR in the ninth was the capper, with the Dodgers almost giving the game away in the ninth save an out at home for the second out, plus a bases-loaded K on Jesse Winker to end the game.

But the scrubs (5-through-9 in the order) out-hit the Dodgers' Big Four, five hits to four, today (Freddie Freeman went 2-for-4; Will Smith went 0-for-4). And that makes three out of the last four games where the Dodgers, ranked 22nd in the majors with 9.42 Ks per game, actually had five or fewer Ks (we had 14 Ks on Saturday).

Could the Dodgers be getting more patient at the plate? Or more productive from the worst part of our lineup (to be faire, neither Gavin Lux nor Chris Taylor played today)? Either way, it was a good start to this nine-game roadtrip.

Post-Game 9 Thread: Ohtani Slugs His First Dodger HR

The moment.

DODGERS 5, GIANTS 4: DODGERS SWEEP!

Shohei Ohtani finally broke out of his home run slump--the longest of his career apparently (but only by a game)--by CRUSHING a home run to right that sounded so amazing off the bat, the pavilion lights started flashing well before the ball even reached the fans in the crowd:

Shohei Ohtani crushes his first home run as a Dodger! pic.twitter.com/Riq4vqqeDr

— MLB (@MLB) April 4, 2024

We ended up needing that insurance run after the Giants' Jorge Soler hit a home run in the eighth to make it close, but Dinelson Lamet secured the save with a scoreless, 2-K ninth, and the Dodgers earned the sweep.

Dodgers also got a solid start from Tyler Glasnow (6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and 7 Ks), as well as some small ball off the bat of Will Smith (RBI double to score Ohtani from first) and Kike Hernandez (RBI single to score Smith in the same inning). And Miguel Rojas hit his second home run of the year, which is absolutely crazy. Gavin Lux is clearly dealing with some confidence issues, but in the meantime, it's good to know we might have options.

Sax was at the game and I have to admit, I wasn't on the edge of my seat for that seventh-inning Ohtani AB, partially because Ohtani's offense to date hasn't been other-worldly (.270 BA, .749 OPS). But man, it was electric from the moment it left the bat. I can't wait to see more of this from Ohtani in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

Dodgers Have 11 HR and 11 Correct HR Calls in 2024

"Follow me to freedom!"

Here's the Dodgers' 2024 HR statistics so far (through seven games played):

• Mookie Betts: 4
  
• Teoscar Hernandez: 4
  
• Freddie Freeman: 1
  
• Max Muncy: 1
  
• Miguel Rojas: 1

Rojas even being on that list is insane, especially since Shohel Ohtani is not yet on that list. The Dodgers' 11 HR ranks first in the NL (the Padres have 10 on the year).

But what's even more insane is that all 11 home runs have been appropriately announced by the Dodgers' radio team while in flight, what with Charley Steiner sidelined with compound fractures in his back. Steiner, who usually does play by play with Rick Monday, often calls routine fly balls as home runs and vice versa, before their ultimate outcome. As a fan listening on radio, it's maddening.

That said, get well soon, Charley!

Post-Game 32 Thread: Dodgers Turn To Stone, Then Spring Back To Life

Little-known fact about Dodger 3B Max Muncy: he doesn't eat or drink with his mouth. Rather, he absorbs nutrients like sunflower seeds and Gatorade through his skin--so his teammates are happy to help him ingest.

DODGERS 10, PHILLIES 6

In a game that started with a shaky MLB debut from Gavin Stone, the Dodgers were able to wrest victory from the jaws of defeat against Philadelphia at the Stadium today. Stone was not great (4.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 K and 2 BB), putting the Dodgers in a 5-0 hole through three innings, and giving the Phillies their first lead of the entire three-game series. But, luckily for Stone, the Dodgers didn't roll over and play dead; rather, they scratched back a run in the third (Mookie Betts with an RBI single), and two more runs in the fourth (two-run HR from Miguel Vargas). Freddie Freeman added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to bring us to within one run, down 5-4.

Then, unexpected things happened from two of the worst hitters on the team. Miguel Rojas, pinch-hitting for Jason Heyward in the eighth, hit a one out single. Rojas was batting .162 entering this game, so the fact he was even at the plate as a PH in the first place was an unusual call (Rojas added a slick defensive play in the top of the ninth inning to nab Trea Turner on an apparent infield single, not an easy feat given Turner's speed). James Outman doubled to put two runners in scoring position. And even though Vargas got Rojas thrown out at home on a fielders choice for the second out, Vargas stole second--and Dave Roberts' second unusual PH call, Austin Barnes (hitting for David Peralta), amazingly singled home two runs to put the Dodgers in the lead.

Barnes was batting .085 entering this game. How Roberts made both PH calls yield benefits is honestly befuddling. Both calls were incredibly illogical, and yet both calls worked.

The Dodgers gave up the lead in the top of the ninth when Roberts yanked Craig Ferguson, who had cruised through the eighth and gotten one out in the ninth--but Roberts opted to go with Brusdar Graterol. Graterol got lucky on that Turner ground out I mentioned earlier, but then fell apart after that, yielding a single to Bryce Harper (who got his first hits of the 2023 season today, in his second game back), a walk to Nick Castellanos, and then a bloop single by Bryson Stott that tied the game. Graterol struck out Alec Bohm to staunch the damage, but it was still tied going to the bottom of the ninth.

But guess who bailed the Dodgers out of this one? None other than Craig Kimbrel, former Dodger reliever (who was awful for us in 2022, mercifully losing the closer role midway through the campaign), now with the Phillies. We tarred and feathered Kimbrel on Monday night (0.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, and 1 HR), but here was Kimbrel again, ready to serve up another disaster...this time, with the Dodgers taking advantage instead of taking the pain. Chris Taylor lead off with a single, and though Betts got caught looking, Freeman was intentionally walked, Will Smith was unintentionally walked, and then Max Muncy wasted no time taking the first pitch yard:

The Dodgers went 6-0 on this homestand, sit atop the NL West with a 19-13 record (1.5 games ahead of Arizona and 2.0 games ahead of the Padres), and get a day off tomorrow before a huge series in San Diego this weekend. The Dodgers' +42 run differential is only fourth in the NL (behind Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and the Cubs), but we've scored more runs than anyone else in the NL, thanks to a league-leading 52 HR.

There's still cause for concern, however: the Dodgers' batting average at .238 is only 21st in the majors, as we have the second-most number of team strikeouts (only behind the Giants). Our OPS at .787 is fifth in the league, showing how much we are dependent upon the home run for run generation; small ball is just not our game, with many of our runners lacking speed. I think this is going to expose us as the year goes on. For now, as the Dodgers are mashing, our momentum is rolling.

Let's go!

Post-Game 152 Thread: Missed It By That Much

ROCKIES 16, DODGERS 2

Making another entry in the annals of soul-destroying, confidence-eroding, early-career disastrous showings (see: Pederson, Joc), Don Mattingly made sure Carlos Frias was not only torched, but his ashes were smoldering and blown into the wind, before removing him from today's game. Mattingly let Frias struggle through 11 batters and six earned runs (which ballooned to 8 ER thanks to reliever Scott Elbert), inflating Frias' ERA to 6.58 and ruining any hope of self-confidence this young guy had. Way to go, Donnie!

With .116 batter Tim Federowicz behind the plate today (0-for-4), it wasn't like we were poised for victory. Darwin Barney and Miguel Rojas, both of whom also started today's game, eked out two late-game RBI. But it still sucks to lose such a close game.

Giants won, albeit barely, but as expected given Madison Bumgarner's start. So the lead is two games, with 10 to play. The Dodgers start a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs. Get ready for a 1-3 showing.

Post-Game 131 Thread: Gonzalez Gets High Five

High five, everybody!

DODGERS 7, METS 4

Adrian Gonzalez singlehandedly shifted the momentum of Saturday's game with his three-run HR in the fifth, and then added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to complement his RBI single in the fourth, ending the day with five of the team's seven RBI. None of those five RBI outshined the comical hilarity of Scott Van Slyke's check-swing infield single in the seventh, which plated Miguel Rojas and allowed Dee Gordon to advance from first to third on Mets pitcher Josh Edgin's throwing error. However, A-Gon's production today was nothing short of impressive overall; Gonzalez leads the Dodgers with 88 RBI, which trails only Giancarlo Stanton's 93 RBI in the NL.

Zack Greinke was the other story today, with Saturday's start having been pushed back to give him recovery time from a sore elbow. Greinke was solid if not dominating: 4 R, 3 ER, and 9 H in 7 IP, with 4 Ks and 2 HR allowed. Greinke said in the post-game interviews that he felt fine, so we'll cross our fingers until his next start.

photo swiped from here

Post-Game 122 Thread: Down Goes Ryu

"Please, Hyun-Jin, don't let my colorful sign distract you and get you injured."

BRAVES 3, DODGERS 2

Taking the loss to the Braves wasn't so much of a big deal; it was a one-run loss (all three runs given up by Hyun-Jin Ryu (who went 5.2 IP and gave up 6 H, 3 ER, with 2 BB and 7 Ks). The playoff-contending Braves were bound to win one against us sooner or later, so to have us win the first five meetings before dropping a game is pretty impressive. And Ervin Santana, who took the win, is now 12-6; not too shabby.

What is shabby however, is Ryu's leg injury, suffered in the sixth inning when Ryu grabbed the back of his top right leg after walking B.J. Upton in the sixth. Ryu immediately motioned for a trainer; walked off the field under his own power, but something is off. Jamey Wright mopped up the game.

Carl Crawford continues to be on a positive roll, with an RBI in the second inning that was followed by a Miguel Rojas RBI, for a 2-0 lead. Despite 11 hits overall (two from Crawford, Dee Gordon, and A.J. Ellis, the latter of whom is still batting sub-.200 (.188)), the Dodgers couldn't score any more in the last seven frames.

Giants won, so the lead slims to five games against the Dodgers, who own the best record in the NL. We've got one more at Turner Field tomorrow morning, so go to bed early!

photo: Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images

Post-Game 117 Thread: Dodgers Can't Handle Brewers' Hops

BREWERS 9, DODGERS 3

Two errors from Justin Turner doomed the Dodgers tonight, but that wasn't the only issue. Brandon League gave up three runs--none earned--over 0.2 IP. The Dodgers' bullpen crumbled late, including Carlos Frias allowing a three-run HR to Richie Weeks in the eighth inning. And with 0-fer performances from Yasiel Puig (0-for-4), Juan Uribe (0-for-3), and Drew Butera (0-for-4), there wasn't much about which to talk besides Adrian Gonzalez' solo HR in the sixth, and Andre Ethier's seventh-inning infield single which gave the Dodgers a fleeting 3-2 lead.

But back to Turner. His PH AB in the seventh inning allowed the Dodgers a leadoff single which led to a two-run inning. But his two errors (bobble and throw), juxtaposed with a side injury to Hanley Ramirez and an "uneventful" showing from Miguel Rojas, have exposed what Doug Padilla of ESPN is calling a sudden shortstop issue.

Again, like I said yesterday, let's not get carried away. But the Dodgers seem to be plugging holes (like the starting rotation, buoyed by Roberto Hernandez' decent performance today) just as fast as others are appearing. At least the Giants lost again, so we stay 3.5 games ahead in the West.

Post-Game 116 Thread: Sweepy Angels

Not sleepy angels! Sweepy angels!

DODGERS 7, ANGELS 0

Hyun-Jin Ryu was on fire tonight in Anaheim, going 7.0 IP with only two hits (4 Ks and 1 BB), which allowed Jamey Wright and Pedro Baez to each take an inning and preserve the shutout. And from the offensive side of the table, plenty of Dodgers got involved: Hanley Ramirez with a 2-RBI single in the third inning (but then bizarrely was nailed on the basepaths later that inning, on a Matt Kemp sacrifice fly...double play (?); Juan Uribe RBI double in the sixth; Adrian Gonzalez 2-RBI single in the eighth; and Miguel Rojas RBI single in the ninth. Dodgers went 4-for-12 with RISP but the fact that they spread the offensive workload throughout the lineup not only chased CJ Wilson early, but also gave some breathing room to an overworked bullpen.

Dodgers sweep the Angels in Anaheim and take three of four in the Freeway Series. Given I was hoping for a split, I'll take it--it's clear that a lot of Dodger fans are starting to feel positive on the team, now 16 games over .500, and 3.5 games ahead of San Francisco:

Before we get too excited, however, let's recall that we lost two of three to the Cubs just before the Angels. Given we're 11-13 against the NL Central (the only division, including interleague play as one "division", in which we're sub-.500), and we're off to Milwaukee before four in Atlanta... let's just keep this in perspective.

Stay on target!

Post-Game 95 Thread: Superdry? Superbad.

PADRES 6, DODGERS 3

Look, dodgers.com will have you summarize it as "Dodgers kept off-balance by Padres rookie", but the truth of the matter is, Dan Haren was just horrible, yet again. In his shortest outing of the season, Haren went only 4.0 IP and was removed after seeing two more runs cross in the fifth inning without registering an out. 6 H, 4 ER, and 2 BB later (albeit with 4Ks), Donnie gave Haren the early hook hoping we could still salvage this game.

Wrong. The Dodgers wasted opportunities, demonstrably so when Matt Kemp (who singled in the Dodgers' first run of the game, in the first inning) struck out in the bottom of the fifth with two on and two out, breaking his bat over his knee in anger afterward. Kemp could have taken said bat and broken it over Yasiel Puig's helmet after the bottom of the seventh, when Puig was thrown out at third for the final out of the inning on Adrian Gonzalez' fly ball to left (Dee Gordon scored from third, but Puig was thrown out inexplicably trying to advance from second).

Oh, and with two on and none out in the bottom of the eighth, Juan Uribe and Miguel Rojas both struck out (both went 0-for-4 in the game); A.J. Ellis worked a walk but Carl Crawford (0-for-2 tonight) grounded 6-4 to end the inning. Bad, bad, bad.

Actually, superbad, as the Dodgers' loss to the Padres and Superdry Jesse Hahn (who notched his fifth win of the year), coupled with the Giants' win over the Diamondbacks, means that we're once again in a tie for first place. With two games to go before the All-Star break, the Dodgers are limping to the halfway point. I need that beer.

Post-Game 93 Thread: Detroit Rock Shitty

(H/T to @scott_fite for the video idea.)
TIGERS 4, DODGERS 1

Dodgers lose again and I make a new friend. Fun day!

@sosgsosg douchebags like you are exactly why I don't go to Dodgers games-you're probably one of those fuckers who starts shit in the stands

— Goosed Loonies (@sabourin91) July 9, 2014

Miguel Rojas hit his first career home run, but whatever. Let's forget this stupid series ever happened. Back home tomorrow to hopefully beat up on the Padres for four games.

And I didn't get any doughnuts, either.

Post-Game 83 Thread: We're Going Streaking (Of A Different Sort)

Nine straight errorless games!

DODGERS 9, CARDINALS 1

Zack Greinke is back. After a rough start last outing, Greinke came back with 10 Ks over 7.0 IP, giving up only 4 H and 1 ER (a solo shot by Matt Carpenter) while walking none. Just another dominating performance, on national television (with Eric Karros doing the commentary!), no less.

The Dodgers blew the game open wider than Juan Uribe's jersey size in the second inning:

• Andre Ethier leadoff single;
• Justin Turner RBI double (Turner left the game with an apparent hamstring injury, so cross your fingers);
• A.J. Ellis RBI double scoring PR Miguel Rojas;
• wild pitch and ground out by Greinke (out #1);
• Dee Gordon RBI double;
• Yasiel Puig walk (and shitty no-possible-path-to-home-plate call that called Gordon out at home on a another wild pitch; out #2);
• Hanley Ramirez walk;
• Adrian Gonzalez RBI single;
• Matt Kemp RBI single;
• Ethier RBI double;
• Rojas ground out (out #3).

Throw in a couple more Ks from Paul Maholm in the eighth, and then another K in another shaky-as-hell ninth inning from Chris Perez, and the Dodgers have 13 Ks, a blowout victory, and their ninth straight errorless game. And I have to think the good defense correlates with the Dodgers' climb back to 1.5 GB the divisional lead.

Dudes, we are STREAKING! And everybody's doing it.

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!