Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Post-Game 20 Thread: Lee Mows Dodgers
37,715 people showed up to Dodger Stadium tonight, plus 50 players and a bevy of coaches and trainers, but the only person who mattered was one Clifton Phifer Lee. The Philly Phifer tossed eight shutout innings, allowing only four hits and striking out 10. At one point he retired 20 straight.
The silver lining? AGon extended his hitting streak to 16 games. League pitched another two scoreless innings. Sign that man to an extension!
Game 20 Thread: April 21 vs. Phillies, 7p
Paul Maholm (0-1, 4.97) vs. Cliff Lee (2-2, 4.00).
Step right up to Cliff's Amusement Park, which has historically been full of nauseating moments for the Dodgers. Lee's career ERA of 1.70 (across seven games) is the third best among all opponents lifetime, behind only the Giants and the Phillies themselves. And the Phillies have been Dodger killers in recent years, particularly in the playoffs.
On the positive side, we've got Paul Maholm pitching. Just kidding! On the positive side, Lee has not gotten offensive support from his team this year; in his last outing, Lee walked one and struck out 13 over nine innings...but lost 1-0. According to MLB.com, Lee's 3.87 run support average since 2011 is the seventh lowest in baseball.
But we can still hope! Mattingly will likely be strategic in picking his horses from the Dodgers' outfield carousel. And Adrian Gonzalez, riding his 15-game hitting streak with a double yesterday, will still bring his dragon swing. I mean, it's been a roller-coaster year for the Dodgers already, but just think what would happen if yesterday's hero Yasiel Puig gets a load of a Cliff hanger.....and with that, I'll ask you to tune in for tonight's game.
Son of Son Blows Up
Or at least, his face blows up. Check out this shot of Delino DeShields Jr., who was hit in the face with a 90-mph fastball:
Holy cow, that's painful. Apparently DD Jr. broke his cheek bone in the process. Here's hoping he gets well, and he uses the hashtag #ineedmydelino to get some parental TLC.
Hat tip: brother of Sax (it's a real family affair today!)
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Post-Game 19 Thread: Puig Show
DODGERS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1
In what was certainly a rough week for Yasiel Puig after this revelatory news piece was published, Puig showed us some character by putting his head down this afternoon and just playing the game he knows. He did it with his arm, throwing out Miguel Montero from deep right as Montero attempted to stretch a single into a double. And he did it with his bat, jacking a three-run home run in the 6th that put the Dodgers ahead for good. Adrian Gonzalez (who extended his hitting streak to 15 games today) had just been intentionally walked to get to Puig, so Puig maaaaay have had a little extra pop in his swing after feeling disrespected, and he made Kirk Gibson pay for his decision.
Josh (Beckett, not the other guy) went five innings, striking out seven. He was pulled after only 83 pitches but afterward it was revealed that he has been very ill, receiving fluids, so this was a - wait for it - gritty performance by Beckett. He was quoted as saying those were the hardest five innings he'd ever pitched. Way to sack up, man. Jamey Wright relieved him and ended up with the win.
Notably, Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the ninth and seemed to be the Kenley we've come to know. Mowed some mofos down so quickly, he was clearly ready to go eat his easter ham.
In other news, AJEllis (!!!) was in full gear to catch Clayton Kershaw's long toss and 3-inning simulated game. Apparently Eliis is far ahead of his knee recovery timeline, which TFed doubters from around the world will rejoice in knowing. Kershaw came through the session fine with no soreness, so the next mark will likely be a rehab start.
Oh, and happy birthday, Donnie Baseball - this win's for you! Wait, it was for us. Well, it's for all of us.
Photo: @SportsNetLA
Game 19 Thread: April 20 vs. D'backs, 1p
Josh B. (0-0, 4.00) vs. Josh C. (0-1, 3.75).
Remember the days of Josh vs. Josh? And Josh vs. Josh? Well, today we get another episode in the Josh vs. Josh sweepstakes, pitting Mssrs. Beckett and Collmenter.
Our Josh did better than expected in his last outing, in which he held the Giants scoreless over five innings. Their Josh is transitioning from long relief to a starting role and hasn't gone more than four innings this season.
The Dodger bats, silent in Game One, made some noise yesterday. So I think it's safe to say today's outcome is entirely unpredictable — no joshin'.
Post-Game 18 Thread: The Bats Showed Up
We can be heroes, just for one day. Dan Haren got the Dodgers in a 4-0 hole in the third inning, but recovered and allowed no more runs over 7 1/3 innings. Andre Ethier sparked the comeback with a three-run home run in the fourth, and AGon and Matt Kemp chipped in two RBI each, and Hanley one.
Brian Wilson wobbled in the eighth, allowing two runs, but Kenley slammed the door in the ninth. Eight runs! Feast or famine, this team.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Game 18 Thread: April 19 vs. Diamondbacks, 5p
Haven't we played these guys like 18 times already this season? I'm headed to the Yard this afternoon but I'm not exactly overjoyed with the prospect of a Dan Haren vs. Mike Bolsinger matchup. I am looking forward to the prospect, however dim it might be, that the boys shake off the Noffense that's been ailing them the past week or so. Bolsinger seems like just the type of a-hole to tee off on as he makes his first big league start.
Kemp is hitting a cool .179, Ethier .212, Crawford .234, and TFed .074.
Let's not waste yet another great pitching outing, ok guys?
Post-Game 17 Thread: Redundant.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, DODGERS 2 (12)
- Starting pitcher [Zack Greinke] delivers a strong performance [6 IP, 1 ER].
- Weak bats eke out a minimum of offense [SVS HR].
- Bullpen can't hold it [Withrow 2 WP, Perez 2 ER].
Sure, there were some surprises: Uribe's ninth-inning homer sent the game into extras, League threw 1 2/3 innings and even struck out a guy, and Puig walked thrice. But in the end the result was the same: more frustration for Dodger fans.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Game 17 Thread: April 18 vs. Diamondbacks, 7p
Zack Greinke (3-0, 2.76) vs. Wade Miley (2-2, 5.04).
With Clayton Kershaw still on the mend, new #1 starter Zack Greinke takes to the mound again tonight vs. Wade Miley, who has already lost twice to the Dodgers in this young season. To be fair, Miley has two of the last-place Diamondbacks' four wins this year.
But to be unfair, the Dodgers are a perfect 5-0 against the Snakes, led recently by Adrian Gonzalez (7-for-13 with 10 RBI in the last LA-AZ series). Gonzalez has a 12-game hitting streak going on, and could be joined by Hanley Ramirez in the lineup )game time decision, apparently). And if Greinke can just have his velocity and location twerking today, we should take head-to-head victory #6 this evening at the Ravine.
Dodgers-Diamondbacks Ticket Preview
A word from our ticket partners at TiqIQ:
Dodgers Tickets For Weekend Series vs DBacks 44% Below Season Average
The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series this weekend. Starting Friday night, fans looking to catch the Dodgers take on Paul Goldschmidt and the D-backs at Dodger Stadium will find below season average ticket prices on the secondary market. The Dodgers schedule has the two teams meeting seven times this year and Yasiel Puig and company will look to take as many games as they can from the divisional opponent Diamondbacks.
Arizona will look to end a six-game losing streak tonight in Los Angeles when Wade Miley takes the mound against Zack Greinke. The average price for Friday night's game is $67, which will mark the most expensive game of the series.
The average price for the Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks tickets across the weekend will be $33. This is 44% lower than the seasonal average ticket price for when the D-backs visit Dodger Stadium, which is set at $58.95. The two teams opened the baseball season in Australia in late March, with the Dodgers sweeping the Diamondbacks in three games. The clubs have met once more since then and had similar results, as the Dodgers took three games from the Diamondbacks in Arizona last weekend.
Though this weekend’s series will not feature Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound, several seasoned veterans will step up and hope to maintain their perfect record against the D-backs this year. Saturday night will feature Dan Haren pitching for the Dodgers against his former team while the D-backs will introduce rookie Mike Bolsinger, who will be making his first big league start. Sunday afternoon’s game will include Dodger vet Josh Beckett going against reliever-turned-starter Josh Collmenter.
With power in their offense and an elite pitching staff, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be a threat in the National League this year. This weekend will mark the third time the Dodgers have faced the Diamondbacks, with Los Angeles taking each of the six games they’ve played so far.
Paul Goldschmidt and the Diamondbacks will look to salvage an already turbulent season this weekend against the Dodgers. The average ticket price for Saturday’s Dodgers vs Diamondbacks game is $45.03, but fans hoping to get to Dodger Stadium this weekend will find that Sunday’s game has the cheapest tickets of the series available on the secondary market, set at just an average of $19.
If the Dodgers continue playing like the championship caliber team that they are projected to be, fans will see great deals on tickets for this weekend’s series at Dodger Stadium.
Not The Best Promotional Idea
Even if I can get past the fact that we can watch "the Dodger take on Arizona" (wonder which Dodger it will be? Yasiel Puig? Clayton Kershaw? Chad Billingsley?), I am stunned by the next Dodgers stadium giveaway. Can someone please explain whose idea it was to create a Dodger welcome mat as a promotional item? So fans can show their allegiance by wiping their dirty feet on the Dodgers logo?
Post-Game 16 Thread: Script Flipped
You know the story:
- Starting pitcher [today played by Hyun-Jin Ryu], against all odds, delivers a strong performance [seven shutout innings, 112 pitches].
- Weak offense [Tim Federowicz & Adrian Gonzalez] ekes out the barest of leads [one RBI each].
- Bullpen [Brian Wilson & Kenley Jansen] comes in with gas cans [Wilson: stranded two; Jansen: gave up RBI to .200 hitter, needed 30 pitches].
But the script ended differently than it usually does and the Dodgers actually won today and once again avoided a sweep at the hands of the Giants.
Oh, and Yasiel Puig happened in the second inning:
Next bat he happened again:
It was the Puigiest inning ever!
Thanks to @mike_petriello for the GIFs!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Game 16 Thread: April 17 @ Giants, 12:45p
.@HyunJinRyu99 paying respect to those affected by the sinking of the Sewol ferry in South Korea: pic.twitter.com/JjyrmPOel9
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 17, 2014Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-1, 2.57) vs. Madison Bumgarner (2-0, 3.30).
Little bit of perspective here: Ryu will be pitching with a heavy heart. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will be making do without Hanley in the lineup. Snakes come into the Ravine tomorrow night; can we avoid the sweep today?
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Post-Game 15 Thread: Giants Continue Domination of Dodgers
Maholm did his job, allowing one run in six innings and scoring the Dodgers' only run. The rest of the lineup took a dump, including a two-base error by Kemp, CI on AGon, Kemp getting picked off (and a lost challenge by Mattingly) and a Uribe CS.
Oh, and Hanley had to leave the game after getting plunked on the left hand by Vogelsong. The inning ended on a bases-loaded DP by Uribe.
Afternoon shitfest tomorrow vs. Bumgarner. I'm sure the boys will come out all fired up.
photo by Brant Ward/SF Chronicle
Game 15 Thread: April 16 @ Giants, 7p
Paul Maholm (0-1, 8.10) vs. Vogelsong (0-0, 8.00).
A second consecutive matchup between two pitchers with 8+ ERAs following a dispiriting 12-inning loss? It's gonna be a fest, all right, and which term for excrement you fill it up with is up to you.
The bullpen, of course, is the main source of contention for Dodger fans these days, although let's not forget the bats, which went 2 for 13 with RISP yesterday.
Yes, a loss to the Giants brings everybody down. Bring on the hate!
Sandy Koufax Makes the Funnies Page...47 Years Ago
Post-Game 14 Thread: Dodgers Lose Longest, Most Boring, Bullshittiest Game Ever
Shit on a stick, really? Just when this team gets some momentum, having swept the D'backs, they roll into SF and puke up a game like this. The anticipated offensive fireworks didn't materialize; instead, Beckett and Lincecum each turned in five innings of ugly but effective pitching — Beckett somehow leaving the bases loaded in both the fourth and fifth innings — and the Dodgers held a 1-0 lead after five.
Withrow promptly entered in the sixth and gave up the tying run, aided by an error by Hanley. The Dodgers took the lead on a Justin Turner RBI in the seventh and wasted a Puig triple in the eighth, which of course turned out to be crucial because Kenley couldn't convert AGAIN, allowing the game to go into extras.
Jamey Wright out-highwired Beckett, stranding the bases loaded in the tenth and also pitching a scoreless eleventh. Then Donnie decided to trot out League, and you know what happened next.
Time of game: FOUR HOURS, 54 MINUTES. Number of ulcers created: too many to count.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Siri Honors Jackie Robinson
Today, if an iPhone owner (or if you borrowed or stole someone else's I suppose) asks Siri what the uniform number of a current MLB player is, Siri replies with the answer that is correct for April 15th.
Strong move, Apple. Nicely played.
(h/t Pride of Dong)
(h/t Pride of Dong)
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