Quadsevens Calls His Shot

SoSG Sax may have been responsible for the NLCS Game 3 victory. But SoSG reader Quadsevens deserves the credit for calling the Kike Hernandez outburst, AN HOUR BEFORE GAME TIME no less:

QuadSevens said...

I'm calling my shot. Kiké goes deep tonight.

10/19/2017 4:01 PM

Orel said...

Bold call, Quad

10/19/2017 4:10 PM

Wow, Quad called it not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. I've gotta take Q7 to Vegas!

And I'm still on Cloud 9.

I remember being at 2002 ALCS Game 5 when the Anaheim Angels dispatched the Minnesota Twins to advance to the World Series, thanks to Adam Kennedy's three home runs in that game. The place was rocking, of course, because it was a home game.

I can't imagine what it was like for Kike Hernandez last night. I mean, it couldn't have been as loud, being at Wrigley Field. But it was even more majestic (from a RBI perspective). I love seeing Kike's schoolboy grin as he circles the bases each time!

Can't get enough of this!

Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally.

NLCS Game 5 Thread: Oct. 19th @ Cubs, 5p

Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) vs. Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15)

Me, in the Game 4 Thread:

"A Game 4 with no need to run a short-rested Kershaw out there? How can this be? Everything about this postseason has been weird, but weird is working. Weird is winning. Weird is WONDERFUL."

WELP. Don't listen to me. Weird is dumb and bad. The Dodgers threw roughly half a lineup out there last night, and lost. So, now it's "End The Cubs: Take 2", and Kershaw will indeed be called upon. He's made us nervous this postseason, but has been kinda sorta OK. He needs to be better than just OK tonight. Not giving up a bunch of dingers to the Cubs would be a GREAT start.

Also, Curtis Granderson better not come in, even as a pinch hit decoy. That guy needs to sit and think about what he hasn't done.

We still believe in #ThisTeam and we want this one bad. The World Series is right through that door...KICK IT DOWN.

LET'S GO DODGERS!

NLCS Game 4 Thread: Oct. 18th @ Cubs, 6p

Inside the mind of Dave Roberts before the Yu Darvish walk.
Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72) vs. Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53)

#ThisTeam is one win away from its first World Series in twenty-nine years. Repeat: ONE. WIN. AWAY. It's so close, we can taste it. After years of tasting our own bile in October, this is a pretty nice palate cleanser. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The work isn't done yet. One game at a time, as all the post-game interviews say. Alex Wood (Remember him?) gets the start to try to outlast SoSG nemesis Jake Arrieta. No, seriously, we irrationally hate that dude.

I can't even write a proper preview for what may happen tonight. My brain is completely scrambled, but, like, in a good way. I just want it to be 6:00 already so we can get this going.

A Game 4 with no need to run a short-rested Kershaw out there? How can this be? Everything about this postseason has been weird, but weird is working. Weird is winning. Weird is WONDERFUL.

Let's get weird.

Post-NLCS Game 3 Thread: Dave Roberts Is A Genius, But SoSG Sax Deserves Credit For The Win

Darvish At The Bat

When the lineup for NLCS Game 3 was posted, I have to admit I thought Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts was nuts.

Cody Bellinger batting second so Puig could bat cleanup Andre Ethier, in his first start this postseason, batting fifth? Chase Utley, in his second start this season, batting sixth? Joc Pederson, who didn't even make the NLDS roster, batting eighth? What the hell is going on here?

And sure enough, all of Roberts' crazy moves paid off. Well, almost all of them: Ethier went 2-for-4 with a HR, and protected Puig, who went 2-for-5; Pederson went 1-for-3 with a run scored after hitting a double; only Utley went 0-for-3 and is hitless in this postaseaon.

But even the Utley thing could be tolerated (not only because we're down an infielder, with Corey Seager out for the NLCS), when Dave Roberts had the tactical cojones to bat Yu Darvish for himself in the top of the sixth, with two out and the bases loaded. Instead of substituting a pinch hitter, Roberts sent Darvish up to the plate. Darvish was 1-for-17 lifetime (.059 BA) with 14Ks. Darvish has a career OPS+ of 8. Darvish has one total base in his entire career.

But Darvish did some crazy bunt-feigning mime act up there at the plate, and on four straight pitches, Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. walked Darvish. The Dodgers stretched a 3-1 lead to a 4-1 lead with the bases-loaded walk, and from then on, Wrigley Field (to quote a tweet from Alanna Rizzo) quickly became a morgue.

Charlie Culberson was at the plate when, after feebly striking out, he watched Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras lose the ball of his bicep (that's why they give catchers that big glove, by the way) and scampered to first to extend the inning, allowing Logan Forsythe to score. Kyle Farmer, he of the 20 AB across his full career, came in to pinch hit and had a sac fly to score Austin Barnes and make it 6-1 LA.

Unbelievable, this Roberts guy. Every move he makes seems to yield dividends.

IN DOC WE TRUST.

But the unsung hero of this game, however, was not Darvish and his game-winning line (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks and 1 BB, and 1 RBI), nor Chris Taylor and his HR + triple night, nor even Roberts the genius himself.

No, that honor goes to me, and here's why.

Up 6-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Roberts went to Ross Stripling, who gave up the bullpen's first hit this whole NLCS and got into trouble when Alex Avila singled and Albert Almora Jr. followed with a ground-rule double that got stuck in the Wrigley ivy. The Chicago crowd started to stir. A HR from Addison Russell would make it 6-4 with none out.

Roberts, wisely, went to Kenley Jansen.

SoSG Sax, even more wisely, moved from the large living room television back to the smaller kitchen television, where the first eight innings of the game were watched and where the Dodgers were rolling.

Clearly, the change in television and room choices at the start of the ninth inning was not working for the Dodgers. So, sure, Jansen came in and got Russell to pop to first, and then Tommy La Stella and Ian Happ to strike out, ending the game. But the move back to the kitchen, when Stripling exited and Jansen entered, was a critical move and a tactical stroke of brilliance that will be discussed in history books forever more. Yeah, Roberts and Jansen had something to do with the Dodgers' preserving the victory, putting the team up 3-0 in the NLCS.

But we all know who really won the game last night for us.

NLCS Game 3 Thread: Oct. 17th @ Cubs, 6p

Homer attempts to describe the scene after Game 2's walk-off.
Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86) vs. Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.05)

After the Dodgers took the first two games of the NLCS in pants-crappingly, Twitter-breakingly dramatic fashion, the series shifts to Chicago for Games 3, 4, and (hopefully not) 5.

As Dodger fans, we are not used to things going this well in October, and we don't quite know what to do with ourselves. The sense of dread is still there, sure. It's been way too long for it not to be. But, boy, did it ever get shouted down by the voices of 54,000 plus at Dodger Stadium watching Justin Turner murder a John Lackey fastball.

#ThisTeam clearly has a plan. Starter keeps them in it for 5, bullpen shuts the Cubs down for the rest, offense gets rolling at some point in between (sometimes slowly). It's a good plan, and it's working. Let's keep it going.

GO DODGERS!

The Morning After: Post- Post-NLCS Game 2 Thread: Selected Press

On anniversary of Gibson's blast, it's a Turner classic in Game 2 for Dodgers (Bill Plaschke, LAT, 10/15/17):

It is, indeed, the first walk-off homer of his major-league career. It happened just before 8 p.m. at Chavez Ravine, bottom of the ninth, game tied at 1-all, Dodgers on first and second base and an entire stadium holding its breath. Turner dug into the second pitch from the Cubs’ John Lackey and just blasted it. More than 50,000 fans immediately stood as if they knew it was gone. Turner watched it sail, and sail, and, just before reaching first base, stuck out those arms as he could fly.

Chavez Ravine rattled and rocked and swayed with a deafening roar. Turner rounded third and spiked his helmet and skipped into a mob of Dodgers who still might be dancing.

“It was the most electric thing I’ve ever been part of, it’s crazy,” reliever Ross Stripling said.

Many of the players were not even born when Gibson hit his home run, so it’s understandable that they had no idea about the historical significance of the moment until they entered the clubhouse. Yet once they learned, though, a few eyes widened and a couple of jaws dropped.

“That’s all so incredible,” Stripling said. “Just to think, this team is trying to do what that 1988 team did. This home run, following in the footsteps of that home run, a lot of corresponding things that make it feel like destiny.”

Joe Maddon's call for John Lackey to relieve was Cubs' downfall (Dylan Hernandez, LAT, 10/15/17):

With two outs, the top of the order was up, starting with the right-handed-hitting Chris Taylor. Davis wasn’t warmed up but Lackey was.

A career starter, Lackey didn’t make an appearance in the division series. Now, he was being asked to make a relief appearance for the second consecutive night, this time with a runner in scoring position.

How the inning played out was pitifully predictable.

When starting pitchers make relief appearances, there’s a reason managers prefer the bases to be empty. Starting pitchers are greater risks to not have command immediately.

“I’m just betting on his experience right there as much as anything,” Maddon said.

The wager was lost and Lackey walked Taylor. Now, the Dodgers were sending their best hitter to the plate in Turner.

Maddon acknowledged this spelled trouble.

“I liked him a lot on the first guy, Taylor,” Maddon said. “Once that walk occurred, all bets were off against Turner. Nobody is a really great matchup against Turner.”

Turner launched a 1-and-0 fastball into the center-field side of the left field pavilion.

Lackey was his prickly self after the game. Asked about his final pitch, Lackey replied dismissively, “I’ll talk to my pitching coach about that.”

Meet Keith Hupp, the man who nabbed Justin Turner's walk-off homer (Arash Markazi, ESPN, 10/16/17):

"When JT came up to bat I turned to my son and said, 'Hey, it was almost one year ago today that he hit that home run, wouldn't it be cool if he hit one and I caught it again?'" Hupp said. "During his first three at-bats I was envisioning the flight of the ball and he didn't hit a home run.

"And in the ninth inning, he hit it, and it looked like it was tailing and going into center field and man, did I get lucky. I ran across as quick as I could and I reached out three or four feet and caught it."

After the game, the Dodgers brought Hupp and his son back to meet Turner. Hupp gave the ball to Turner and he and his son took photos with Turner and Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. While there was no official exchange on Sunday, Hupp expects it will be similar to what he got in return from Bellinger.

"I didn't ask for anything, but they told me they would hook me up, and I'm sure they will," said Hupp, who had 213 text messages on his cell phone by the time he got home before midnight. "That was the biggest ball I've ever caught. I thought the biggest ball I'd catch in my life was earlier this year when I caught the game-winning home run ball from Ian Kinsler when the USA won the World Baseball Classicat Dodger Stadium."

Hupp said he is donating that ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. While he has a vast baseball memorabilia collection at home, he said doesn't collect home run balls for money.

"I retired a couple of years ago, and I said I was going to spend my retirement income on baseball," Hupp said. "Last year I went to 109 games, and this year I went to 127 games. I went to all the games at Dodger Stadium this season and 46 games on the road. I've gone to all the playoff games. I always sit in the outfield because I try to catch home run balls.

"I'm an old guy, I'm 54 years, and when I see the ball coming at me, it's such a rush. I got mobbed after I caught the ball [Sunday]. There is nothing like it."

Other articles:

• Why wasn't Cubs closer Wade Davis on the mound at the end of the game? (ESPN.com)
• Tommy Lasorda delivers words of wisdom to Dodgers' Dave Roberts (ESPN.com)
• Dodgers’ Justin Turner Delivers a Walk-Off Homer to Topple Cubs (NYT)
• NLCS: 5 takeaways from Dodgers' walk-off Game 2 win (USAToday.com; includes point #2, "It's definitely not over.")
• History repeats itself for Dodgers (Yahoo Sports)

Post-NLCS Game 2 Thread: Ginger Jesus Walks Off

DODGERS 4, CUBS 1

29 years to the day of Kirk Gibson's famous walkoff HR in 1988!

NLCS Game 2 Thread: Oct. 15 vs. Cubs, 4:30p

Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32) vs. Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33)

The Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLDS, in rather stress-free fashion! Apparently, it's the first NLCS Game 1 they've won since 1985. That's both amazing and very, very sad.

Chris Taylor and Yasiel Puig strung together a #DONGALINE, and that was enough to win. The overturned call at the plate, after Wilson Contreras violated the Buster Posey Rule, gave the Dodgers some insurance. (Don't let anyone tell you it was the difference in the game, because it wasn't.)

And can we just take a minute to appreciate the 2017 version of Yasiel Puig? He's found the perfect balance of maturity and, well, PUIGNESS. It's a combination that's made him the must-watch player of this postseason. (And he's still getting under the skin of cranky old men. It's glorious.)

Now the story turns to Rich Hill and Jon Lester. The Dodgers strategy last year of doing ludicrous dances on the basepaths to try to rattle Lester failed miserably. They should probably stick to just being patient at the plate. It's worked out well so far. And Rich Hill doesn't have to worry about going too deep into the game, as the bullpen has been solid so far. Kenta Maeda, in particular, has been amazing. If Kershaw can get pulled after five, ANYTHING can happen.

Let's go, #ThisTeam!

NLCS Game 1 Thread: Oct. 14 vs. Cubs, 5p

Lisa is all of us after the Corey news.
Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) vs. Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15)

It's never easy for #ThisTeam.

Let's get the worst out of the way. Corey Seager is out. Not for Game 1, but for the entire NLCS. This sucks. A LOT. Confident Dodger fans woke up to the news of his back injury and were immediately flooded with memories of Hanley Ramirez and Joe Kelly. Not the feelings you want to be having before an epic NLCS rematch.

All is not lost, however. Clayton Kershaw has the ball for Game 1. He was wobbly in Game 1 of the NLDS, but at the end of the day, he's still Clayton Kershaw. Pedro Baez was left off the NLCS roster too, despite (thankfully) never making an appearance in the NLDS. Charlie Culberson is taking Seager's spot on the roster (with Joc taking Pedro's), and while he hasn't played much lately, we know Charlie's got the potential to make history.

The Dodgers' biggest advantage is that they're well-rested, while the Cubs had to scratch and claw and burn through starting pitchers just to barely survive against the Nationals. In fact, when you think about it, the Dodgers' and Cubs' roles are reversed from last year.

Let's hope the end result is too.