Game 37, 2014

Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Madison Bumgarner for the Giants, Paul Maholm for the Dodgers. Seems like a mismatch, particularly when you read this data about the Dodgers’ outfielders past performances against the Giants’ pitcher: “Carl Crawford is 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Andre Ethier is 3-for-24 with nine strikeouts. Matt Kemp is 4-for-24 with seven strikeouts. Yasiel Puig is 4-for-15 with five strikeouts, while Scott Van Slyke is 2-for-5 with three walks.”

Bumgarner is 3-3 with a 3.18 ERA on the season; Maholm is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA. Each pitcher did have a quality start in his last appearance.

Lineup when available.

37 thoughts on “Game 37, 2014

  1. We all feel it, even if we don’t have the #s — Ken Gurnick put it in black and white on the Dodger site:

    “Already the Dodgers have failed to score more than two runs in 13 games, 12 of them losses. They’ve lost seven games in which their pitcher has thrown a quality start. And they haven’t won any game they trailed after six innings.”

    The pitchers must feel they have to be perfect or pretty darn close to it . . . then when the defense makes their “contribution,” the pitchers press even more.

    I totally disagree with the blogger quoted here yesterday who blames it all on Donnie.

    Home cooking hasn’t been the answer so far this year, even when the opponent isn’t from San Francisco.

    So what IS the answer? Obviously that’s rhetorical, but if you know it, please pass it on! . . . Hopefully there is one . . .

  2. Since the only team that I follow closely is the Dodgers, I wonder if other teams go through these prolonged incredible stretches where scoring runs is next to an impossibility.

    • I grew up a Mets fan. They went through season-long scoring slumps, so I am used to this. Not happy about it, but used to it.

      • But did they have the talent the Dodgers have? To whom more is given, more is expected — they SHOULD be scoring (more)!

    • Maybe with his bat — Dodger pitchers face the same problem as this point last year: they need to pitch a shutout and hope for a tie.

    • Have fun. With Greinke and Kershaw going tomorrow and Sunday maybe we can split the four-game series without each of them having to pitch a shutout.

  3. One of the problems this year is that Punto and Schumaker have been replaced by Turner and Figgins, and that’s not working. I don’t think that the loss of Hairston, who tailed off badly in the second half, has hurt that much.

    • Bumgarner is a real good pitcher, but Vogelsong did the same thing last night. Too often this season it doesn’t seem to matter what pitcher we are facing.

      • They should go on “America’s Got Talent” — they can make any opposing pitcher look like Kershaw.

  4. Why was Van Slyke bunting with a man on first and two runs down in the 7th? I am not watching. Was it an attempt for a hit?

  5. Funk/frustration continues . . . where’s the fly ball when you need it?

  6. Trying to stay optimistic here, I would think/hope a fly-ball pitcher is more likely to be taken deep — as in “She is . . . gone!”

  7. Barring injuries I still think they’ll win the division handily, but they have to stop kicking the ball around, because that adds more pitches to everybody’s arm.

  8. Take heart: NL West Standings one year ago:

    Giants 20-14, Rockies 19-14, Diamondbacks 19-15, Padres 16-18, Dodgers 13-20 (6.5 games out of first).

  9. I guess that I am comforted by the fact that they seem to have a lot more potential in both hitting and pitching than they have shown so far. They are in the top 5 in batting in the NL, but they are also third in LOB.

  10. When I look at this lineup, I’d like to be optimistic . . . but then their 2014 history comes back to mind.

    This problem seems familiar: getting opportunities but not cashing in on them. In the past, the addition of one hitter made the difference, a Ramirez in both cases: Manny way back when (it seems a lot longer than 5 years!) and Hanley last year (yes, Puig brought electricity to the team, but Hanley’s return from the DL started the historic stretch — and his absence in the LCS proved he was their most valuable hitter).

    I’m sure it’s a combination of the energy a new player brings, as well as players pressing to produce by themselves.

    The platooning of the outfield so far — while probably justified — probably didn’t help matters . . . still, it could have provided for that particular spark . . . or does the spark not have enough time to burst into flame?

    Is there another Ramirez out there for the Dodgers? This isn’t a case of waiting for someone (Hanley) to come off the DL — the pieces are in place. They’re just not doing what they’re supposed to do.

    Let’s hope they wake from the coma Link described last night before they fall too far back.