Five Days Until NLDS: Start Getting Psyched

GIF from Sept 10, 2015 (hat tip, The Big Lead). Sure, we lost that game,...BUT ONLY ONE OF US IS IN THE POSTSEASON, BABY!!!

Don't you worry, we Sons over at SoSG world headquarters are already bouncing off the frickin' walls in anticipation of NLDS Game 1 on Friday. The Dodgers' securing of home-field advantage actually made a huge difference for SoSG AC, who was on the precipice of missing games had Games 1 and 2 been on the road...so we are quite thankful (not to mention for getting home-field advantage in the first place).

But just in case you're not overly excited just yet, Deadspin has scribed some reasons why the Dodgers merit our barracking, and we fully agree:

Really, though, your guys are the Dodgers’ pair of ace pitchers, lefty Clayton Kershaw and righty Zack Greinke. I love a good curveball, and these two are curveball artists. Kershaw throws a downright sickening 12-to-6 number and will do a really cruel thing in two-strike counts where, instead of burying the curve in the dirt like pitchers do, he’ll throw it up high; because his delivery looks exactly the same no matter what he’s throwing, the batter will see a high fastball and reflexively bend his knees to frame it as a ball, then freeze and slump like his strings got cut an instant later as the pitch dives back into the strike zone. [...]

Mean. That is just mean.

Greinke, for his part, throws two curves, one noticeably slower and loopier than the other. He’s got a handful of other nasty pitches—he’ll trash a righty with a two-strike slider—but the curves are where it’s at, man.

Both have been great this year. Kershaw hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was in 2014, when he won the NL Cy Young Award and was the first pitcher named that league’s Most Valuable Player since 1968, but still, c’mon. Dude deals, man. He struggled a bit in the postseason last year, leading to a certain amount of smarming about how Madison Bumgarner does it when it counts, man, which is another reason to root for the Dodgers this year. A pitcher as good as Kershaw—he’s historically good!—doesn’t deserve to be used by shithead hot-takers to buttress some other guy’s Magical Baseball Unicorn credentials. Plus he looks like a guileless Amish lad out on rumspringa, and I want to send him back to the gmay feeling good about himself. Also, you should know about Vin Scully, the national treasure who has been calling Dodgers home games since their home was in Brooklyn. Probably you already know about Vin Scully. I don’t know how this shit works, and am guessing we probably won’t get to hear him call Dodgers games in the playoffs—but, if the Dodgers win the World Series, it will make this wonderful old dude very happy, here in the closing years of the long life he has spent making baseball more enjoyable for people. Rooting against that is objectively evil.

And of course, we love how the article ends:

Why you should root for the Dodgers

You should root for the Dodgers because their best path to a World Series championship involves Kershaw and Greinke pitching out of their minds, Puig returning to health and becoming the Puig of 2013 again, the middle infield of the 2005 Phillies getting a last moment in the sun, a guy named Joc maybe doing some fun shit, and Turner having to tie his repulsive beard around his torso like a bandolier so he won’t trip over it. You should root for the Dodgers because the most ridiculous possible outcome is always the most fun one, and the Dodgers winning the World Series would be incredibly ridiculous. And you should root for the Dodgers because it will force Kevin Draper to do the gross Bay Area passive-aggressive thing where he takes solace in the cold mathematical comprehensibility of it and pretends it isn’t burning him up inside.

You should root for the Dodgers.

Post-Game 162 Thread: Kershaw Gets 300th K (And 301st); Dodgers Sweep

DODGERS 6, PADRES 3

The Dodgers finish the year 92-70 and champions of the NL West for the third straight year, following today's sweep of the Padres. More importantly, Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher in 13 years to reach 300 strikeouts. And even more important than that, no one was injured today (though Jimmy Rollins, given the role to manage by Don Mattingly, walked awful slowly out to the mound to relieve Kershaw in the fourth inning. Rollins, wearing Lasorda's #2 jersey, took his own sweet time from the dugout).

Joc Pederson uncorked a two-run HR in the second. Corey Seager had a solo shot in the sixth, and Chris Heisey had a two-run HR in that same frame. Ronald Torreyes singled for his first major-league RBI in the eighth.

Kershaw, with seven Ks, was his old dominant self. Chris Hatcher got the save, as Kenley Jansen was playing the role of Rick Honeycutt (pitching coach) today, alongside Rollins.

The Mets won vs. Washington, snapping a five-game losing streak. We face them Friday at the Ravine.

Kershaw's 300th Strikeout

Mamma Cora caught Kershaw's 300th strikeout pitch. 

Game 162 Thread: Oct. 4 vs. Padres, 12n

Clayton Kershaw (16-7, 2.16) vs. Frank Garces (0-0, 5.00).

Welcome to Game #162! Over their first 161 games the Dodgers have won their division and secured home-field advantage against the Mets in the NLDS, so the only regular-season points of suspense today are:

• Will Clayton Kershaw reach 300 strikeouts? He only needs six more to do so.
  
• Will the Dodgers win 91 or 92 games?
  
• Who will Don Mattingly select as his honorary manager? Last year it was Juan Uribe (cries).
  

Buckle in and enjoy, because this is your only Dodger baseball for the next five days!

Post-Game 161 Thread: Greinke Clinches Home-Field Advantage for Dodgers

DODGERS 2, PADRES 1

Xack Greinke gave up one run over eight innings and held the Padres in check, allowing the Dodgers' two runs to hold up for the series-winning victory. What's more, with the Mets getting no-hit in the second game of a two-game, two-loss doubleheader, the Dodgers secured home-field advantage for the NLDS. At the start of the weekend, the Dodgers needed four of the six remaining outcomes to go our way in order to secure home field. We went 4-for-4, so tomorrow can be rest day before Friday's home playoff opener.

Justin Turner had a solo HR in the first, and Adrian Gonzalez GIDPd but scored Howie Kendrick from third (in the fourth inning). Kenley Jansen notched his 36th save with a one-hit ninth.

Yasiel Puig, activated from the DL, went 1-for-3 with a single in the second inning.

Rest up boys; you've earned it!

Game 161 Thread: Oct. 3 vs. Padres, 6p

Once more with feeling!

Zack Greinke (18-3, 1.68) vs. Robbie Erlin (1-1, 6.30).

Penultimate regular-season game! Cy Young vs. American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (thanks, Wikipedia)! Dodgers gunning for home field advantage while the Mets, having just been shut out by the Phillies, are battling the weather and a doubleheader against the Nats. We're in a position to succeed...let's not fuck it up!

On a sadder note, longtime Dodger Stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley announced her retirement yesterday. We'll dedicate a proper post to her soon, but wanted to recognize it here. We love you, Nancy Bea!

photo by @ThkBleu

Game 160 Thread: Oct. 2 vs. Padres, 7p

Alex Wood (11-12, 3.89) vs. Casey Kelly (0-1, 9.00)

Unlike SoSG GT posting, Dodgers cannot afford to let their foot off the gas as home field advantage is still very much in play. Perhaps Mother Nature may be of some help as Hurricane Joaquin (presumably, in honor of the esteemed ex-Cardinals pitcher, Joaquin Andujar, RIP) has caused the postponement of tonight's Mutts game vs. Nationals. They are in line for a double bill tomorrow, leaving the Dodgers ripe for winning their remaining three games and overtaking the Mutts to gain home field advantage and taking on a team that will, presumably, be in starting pitching and bullpen disarray because of the weather. Unfair, perhaps, but we'll take it.

Hardball Passport

We at Sons of Steve Garvey have always been obsessed with keeping track of games we attend, even associating the Dodgers' success - or failure - to our own attendance. Almost since our inception, we've kept track of games attended on the rudimentary, yet much loved side bar (hey, we're doing pretty well this year at 26-11!). Some of us - ok, me in particular - even keep a spreadsheet of games we attend complete with scores and links to the box score on Baseball Reference.

For some time now, though, things have been different. One could easily say improved. There is an amazing website called Hardball Passport where one can create an account and enter the games one attended, and it will keep track of those games, the stadiums you visited, statistics based on the box score of those games, etc. As the folks who run the site put it, Hardball Passport is "a virtual shoebox of ticket stubs, bucket lists, arena-going challenges, personal stats and trip planning." One can earn various stamps along the way for milestones like attending an Opening Day game or a World Series game, X amount of games in a season, and so forth. And for us statheads, the ability to see, say, the top pitching performances of any game you have attended is just damn cool.

SoSGers, go try this out now. And after you've signed up, make a contribution to help them maintain a robust website and service. Maintaining and upgrading the site is time-consuming and expensive, and those guys do it out of love.

image: courtesy hardballpassport.com

Game 159 Thread: Oct. 1 @ Giants, 12:45p

What? It's a working lunch!
Brett Anderson (9-9, 3.75) vs. Tim Hudson (8-8, 4.30)

Meaningless lunch baseball! Well, mostly meaningless. There is the little matter of chasing the Mets for home field advantage. (Mets lost today, so Dodgers sit a half-game back. They need to pass them outright though, because the Mets hold the tiebreaker.) There's also the matter of pride, as surely the Dodgers don't want to finish the season with only one win in San Francisco.

But what a win, huh?

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 158 Thread: Sept. 30 @ Giants, 7p

Mike Bolsinger (6-5, 3.48) vs. Mike Leake (10-10, 3.89).

Home field advantage or rest the starters? One look at today's lineup will tell you where Don Mattingly's head is at. The afterglow lasts until October 9, so enjoy!

Post-Game 157 Thread: THE WEST IS WON

DODGERS 8, GIANTS 0

The Dodgers win the NL West, marking the third-consecutive NL West title for the first time in franchise history. Clayton Kershaw was indeed lights out, with the first one-hit CG SHO against the Giants since Hideo Nomo in 1995. And all of those ghosts of having lost all seven games at AT&T Park this year? Even with Ashley Madison on the mound, the Dodgers won the one that counted, tonight.

Kiké Hernandez batted leadoff and went 2-for-5 with a HR and two runs. Justin Turner went 1-for-3 in cleanup with another RBI. Corey Seager went 1-for-5 but also had an RBI. Justin Ruggiano and A.J. Ellis, the latter of whom went 2-for-4, had back-to-back home runs in the sixth off of Bumgarner, which chased Madison (actually, the 13-pitch groundout by Kershaw in the top of the fifth also helped.

Five more games, and we really could rest everyone...except we are one game back of the NL East leader Mets (who also own the tiebreaker). Should we care? Relative to resting all of our injured players? All I know is, tonight I'm drinking!

Game 157 Thread: Sept. 29 @ Giants, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (15-7, 2.25) vs. Madison Bumgarner (18-8, 2.88)

Take 2...

So, it's come to this, huh? Despite plenty of chances to have this thing closed out before this series, the Dodgers roll into are still in Frisco needing one win out of four to clinch the NL West. I'm certain we were all hoping this would be long done by now, but alas, it was not to be.

There are some upsides to this scenario, though. First, the Dodgers are throwing co-ace Greinke Kershaw against a perfectly an occasionally beatable Peavy Bumgarner tonight, meaning this might not drag on much longer. Second, Enrique Hernandez is back. That might not seem like that big of a deal, but it will be was helpful to have the human rally banana around, should when the Dodgers manage managed to fall behind. And last, but in no way least, when the Dodgers seal the deal in SF, Vin Scully will be there to call it. Eh, never mind that last one.

OK kids, here we go...again. Cross your fingers, clench your cheeks, and pray to your relevant deities...again. This one's gonna be...also something!

Game 156 Thread: Sept. 28 @ Giants, 7p

(Thanks again to ThkBleu!)
Zack "Spongeworthy" Greinke (18-3, 1.65) vs. Jake "Skeevy" Peavy (7-6, 3.83)

So, it's come to this, huh? Despite plenty of chances to have this thing closed out before this series, the Dodgers roll into Frisco needing one win out of four to clinch the NL West. I'm certain we were all hoping this would be long done by now, but alas, it was not to be.

There are some upsides to this scenario, though. First, the Dodgers are throwing co-ace Greinke against a perfectly beatable Peavy tonight, meaning this might not drag on much longer. Second, Enrique Hernandez is back. That might not seem like that big of a deal, but it will be helpful to have the human rally banana around, should the Dodgers manage to fall behind. And last, but in no way least, when the Dodgers seal the deal in SF, Vin Scully will be there to call it.

OK kids, here we go. Cross your fingers, clench your cheeks, and pray to your relevant deities. This one's gonna be something!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your (Potential Pl---ff) Opponent...

Rookie hazing's East / West Coast Rivalry heats up.

Not quite as inventive as the Dodgers' Wrestling theme (esp. the Iron Sheik costume!), but it's good to see underoos are alive and well.

Rookie Hazing Is Back

Climbing the ladder. #rookies pic.twitter.com/XstKbhVCzd

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 28, 2015

There's a steel cage in the back. pic.twitter.com/iFRICt4Cvq

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 28, 2015

Game 155 Thread: Sept. 27 @ Rockies, 1p

DIE DINGER, DIE is German for THE DINGER, THE.

Alex Wood (11-11, 3.60) vs. Chris Rusin (5-9, 5.39).

Magic number is stuck at two; likely playoff opponents Mets have clinched and are currently putting Matt Harvey's arm on ice. Can Wood deliver? Giants play the A's at the same time as the Dodger game, so by 4 p.m. we could be playoff-bound...or still two games back. Either scenario calls for drinking!

Game 154 Thread: Sept. 26 @ Rox, 5p

Brett Anderson (9-9, 3.52) vs. Kyle Kendrick (6-13, 6.37).

Isn't Kyle Kendrick a NASCAR driver? Anyhoo, the Giants are currently tied with the A's 10-10 in the 8th. If the A's win, it's all up to Brett Anderson. Go Blue!

UPDATE: Probably shoulda gone with the Kendrick theme. Here ya go:

UPDATE: Giants just went up 14-10. Not gonna happen today.

Game 153 Thread: Sept. 25 @ Rockies, 6p

Mike Bolsinger (6-4, 3.25) vs. David Hale (4-5, 6.32 after the first inning).

Dammit, we Sons celebrated so hard after dropping the magic number to three Thursday night (thanks to the Dodgers' 6-3 win over Arizona, plus the Giants' late inning collapse against San Diego), that we forgot to queue the GT up today...and we are already up 1-0 in the first inning following an Adrian Gonzalez run-scoring grounder to first. But wait, Colorado has two on and two out in the bottom of the first inning! I'd better get this GT up quickly!

Game 152 Thread: Sept. 24 vs. DBacks, 12p

Magic Number

Clayton Kershaw (14-7, 2.18) vs. Patrick Corbin (6-4, 2.99)

What the what? Didn't SoSG AC, Sax, Nomo, and Dusty just leave the last game about twenty minutes ago? Felt like it after trying to get out of the parking lot last night. Today features the extremely rare home weekday get-away day game, or as we at SoSG call them, hangover days.

Fresh off last night's miraculous non-Greinke start win and the much-appreciated Padres win over the Gnats, Dodgers now have the number five in their minds. Interestingly, Kershaw has only started against the DBags once this season, an outing in which he got his ass kicked. Turn that around, get out of town, and put this NL West title to bed, boys.

photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea - USA Today Sports