Monthly Archives: May 2014

May 22

Game 48, 2014

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Dodgers at Mets, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Dodgers attempt to sweep the Mets this evening, and they’ll send out their #1A ace Zack Greinke to do it. He’s 7-1 with a 2.03 ERA this year. Facing him will be lefty Jon Niese, who’s 2-3 with a 2.54 ERA.

In a thoroughly unsurprising move, the Dodgers released Miguel Olivo following his fight with Alexander Guerrero the other night. Guerrero’s ear surgery means he may be out for as much as a month.

Gordon’s average has been falling, so he may be getting the night off just to relieve some self-imposed pressure. Niese’s left-handed, which explains Ethier’s absence from the lineup.

May 21

Game 47, 2014

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Dodgers at Mets, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Hyun-Jin Ryu comes off the DL to start this game. It will be his first start since April 27, when his left shoulder showed inflammation. He’s 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA, but that record isn’t the important thing about this start; rather, it’s how well his shoulder reacts to pitching. He threw a 75-pitch simulated game last Friday.

His opponent will be Jacob deGrom, a right-hander who is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA. This will be his second major league appearance. He did pretty well in his first one last week, when he held the Yankees to one run on four hits in seven innings. He also struck out six and walked two.

In minor league news, the most complete story of what happened between Miguel Olivo and Alexander Guerrero in the Isotopes’ dugout last night seems to be from Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:

Olivo became steamed after his team allowed a stolen base in the seventh inning, according to Boras. Olivo blamed Guerrero for failing to tag the baserunner in time, the agent said. A video posted on the Albuquerque Isotopes’ website showed Olivo attempting to charge Guerrero during a pitching change later in the inning. The players exchanged words as they walked off the field at the end of the inning.

“Guerrero was in the far end of the dugout,” Boras said. “He went to the front to get his bat and helmet to hit. As he walked across, Olivo decked him.”

Guerrero and Olivo had to be separated by teammates, according to Boras. When players pulled off Olivo, he had a piece of Guerrero’s ear in his mouth, Boras said.

Seeing superagent Scott Boras’s name in a news article as a witness rather than as a protagonist seems odd, but there you go.

Lineup when available.

Update: Juan Uribe goes on the fifteen-day DL and the Dodgers call up Erisbel Arruebarrena to replace him.

May 20

Game 46, 2014

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Dodgers at Mets, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Dodgers send out Josh Beckett, who brings a 1-1 won-loss record with a 2.38 ERA to Citi Field this afternoon. He’ll face Rafael Montero, who lost his first big league start his last time out and is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Montero is regarded as the second-best pitcher in the Mets organization.

Anybody hoping to get infield help from Stephen Drew, Fuhgeddaboutit. He just signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox.

May 18

Game 45, 2014

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLB.TV free game

The Dodgers’ Dan Haren, off to his best start in years, is 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Josh Collmenter is 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA. As a starter he’s 1-2 with a 4.28 ERA since moving from the bullpen to the rotation.

In other news, Hyun-Jin Ryu is scheduled to come off the DL this week and could start against the Mets in NYC next Wednesday.

May 17

Game 44, 2014

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Clayton Kershaw, who’s 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA, goes for the Dodgers. Chase Anderson, 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA, pitches for the D-Backs. The two have come close to meeting before, years ago.

Anderson is from McKinney, Texas, about 30 minutes from where Kershaw grew up in Highland Park.

The pair came within one game of facing each other in the Texas State High School playoffs, but Anderson’s team came up one game short.

“I threw the regional finals my senior year, we lost the game 2-1 or 3-2,” Anderson said. “I had 15 strikeouts. I would have pitched against Kershaw’s team in the first round of the playoffs in 2006, our senior year of high school, so that would have been a lot of fun.”

The two also came close to crossing paths on two other occasions.

“He was on the same summer ball team that following summer, but he got drafted so he went with the Dodgers and I went to play summer ball,” Anderson said. “He worked out at API [Athletes’ Performance Institute] a couple of offseasons ago where I worked out, but we never really ran into each other. We’re both Texas boys.”

That’s kind of startling. This is the 26-year-old Anderson’s second start in the major leagues. Kershaw, also 26 years old, will be making his 186th start in the bigs this evening. However much we appreciate Kershaw’s talent, it’s not enough.

Yasiel Puig now has an extra-base hit and an RBI in seven consecutive games. That feat is a subset of a fifteen-game hitting streak.

Lineup when available.

May 16

Game 43, 2014

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Zack Greinke brings his 6-1 record and his 2.38 ERA to the mound for the Dodgers against the D-Backs’ Wade Miley and his 3-3 record with a 4.82 ERA.

The Dodgers have won 7 of 8 previous meetings this season, but the D-Backs have been playing much better than they did during those earlier series. They’ve won eight of their last thirteen games and three of their last four series. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have lost six of their last ten games and have fallen five games behind the Giants in the NL West standings. On the brighter side, the Dodgers are 13-7 on the road this season.

May 14

Game 42, 2014

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

With the calamitous loss of Jose Fernandez, possibly for as long as a year, the Marlins have had to scramble to find a pitcher to take his spot in the rotation. It will be filled by Anthony DeSclafani, who will be making his MLB debut. The right-hander is 24 years old and is touted as the sixth-best prospect in the Marlins’ organization. Here’s what he’s done at AA this season:

TEAM LG LEVEL W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV SVO IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO AVG WHIP GO/AO
JAX SOU AA 3 4 4.19 8 8 0 0 0 0 43.0 45 20 20 4 0 10 0 38 .278 1.28 0.86

The Dodgers will send out Paul Maholm, who is 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA.


Notice that A.J. Ellis is back in the lineup. The Dodgers called him up from Albuquerque and optioned Miguel Olivo back there today.

May 13

Game 41, 2014

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

Josh Beckett deserves better from his teammates. He’s made six starts this season and is 0-1 with a 2.80 ERA. It’s worse than that, really. He hasn’t gotten a win in his last fourteen starts. He’ll be opposed by Jacob Turner, who’s made three previous starts this season and has nothing to show for it. He’s 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 16 innings.

Streaks: The Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig hit in his twelfth straight game yesterday. The Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton hit in his fourteenth straight, while their youngster Christian Yelich hit his second home run in two games.

Lineup when available.

May 12

Game 40, 2014

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

The Dodgers are really happy to have Dan Haren this season, since he’s posted a 4-1 record with a 2.68 ERA so far. He’ll be pitching against Tom Koehler, who’s 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA.The right-hander beat the Dodgers on May 2 in Florida, going seven strong innings.

Puig extended his hitting streak to eleven games with his home run yesterday. Uribe is still day-to-day.

Lineup when available.