Game 156, 2014

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Dodgers at Cubs, 11:20AM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Dodgers blew a five-run lead in Saturday’s game against the Cubs but were rescued by San Diego’s Andrew Cashner, who held the Giants to 4 hits and 2 ninth-inning runs while helping his team with a single, a walk and a triple in the Padres’ 3-2 win the same night in America’s Finest City.

Today, then, they throw the parts of the bullpen who’ve shown the least wear and tear over the past week, starting with the venerable Jamie Wright. The longest outings he’s pitched all year were two three-inning stretches in May, but he’s ready:

“It’s a Sunday day game in Wrigley. What’s not exciting about that? I always love pitching here,” said Wright. “I wish I could throw 120 pitches like I used to. Clearly, that’s not going to happen.

The veteran will face the Cubs’ Jacob Turner, who’s 1-3 with a 6.93 ERA overall with Chicago after being traded from the Marlins last month.

This is interesting (at least to me): today the Cubs host their first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) Day at Wrigley. There’ll be a networking party at The Captain Morgan Club at the ball park and the Central State University Marching Band will perform after the game.

Lineup when available.

Giants at Padres, 1:10PM PT, TV: CSN-BA, FSSD. Vogelsong v. Kennedy

65 thoughts on “Game 156, 2014”

  3. I believe the Giants face SD again next weekend, at home.
    Hopefully they will have to be concerned with their Wild Card positioning by then.

  6. Haren needs 6 innings to collect next year’s payroll. What’s the over/under he gets it tomorrow? I suppose he could pitch again next weekend.

    • May have been just talk, but he recently said he might not want to play next year.

      But if he stays as effective as he’s been recently, probably would.

  8. If someone offered us 3 of 4 from Cubs going in, we’d all have taken it. Should have been a sweep, but still.

    • Good point.
      It comes back to that thing about this team and expectations. . .. they could be even better than what they are! (Tho the offense has been delivering like I expected/hoped at the beginning of the year.)

  9. Two wins against the Giants will do it. Clinch a tie if they win tonight, clinch the division if they lose tonight.

  10. Even tho it’s been extenuating circumstances — Coors & Wrigley Fields — it’s been great (and necessary!) to see the offense exploding . . . plus AT&T doesn’t count for easy runs like the other two parks.

  11. YES!
    Someone has to tell Kenley he doesn’t need to add additional drama when he appears!

    Magic’s # is 4 . . . go, Padres!

    • 2-0 Padres in the bottom of the 6th. They’re still hitting. Bases loaded, one out for Rivera. Javier Lopez just replaced Vogelsong for the Giants. And now Kontos is replacing Lopez.

  13. Perez actually effective lately. Dunno about inherited runners, but last 10 he’s sitting on 0.90 ERA, 10 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 10 Ks. But 6 BB.

    Team probably looking for reasons he should be on postseason roster. How’s that likely to work out?

  19. My prediction of Dodger talking points for national announcers in the postseason:
    1) Kershaw . . . ’nuff said

    2) Puig . . . the good, the bad, and the ugly
    3) (TIE) the failures of the bullpen . . . and the failures with the bases loaded (I sure hope both of these today don’t keep them from winning)

  20. Ellis looked at 3 perfect strikes. And his defensive work has suffered just as bad. We have to get a better catcher next year. And Mattingly, no runners on and he hits for Paco who is pitching well so we’re rolling the dice again in the bullpen…

    • See what I mean? The stupid SOB can’t just leave in a guy who’s pitching well, he has to change things.

      • Rule 1. Paco has been used as a LOOGY and even last year when he was lights out on both sides vert rarely pitched more than one inning. He pitched yesterday as well.

    • A.J.’s suffered some serious injuries this year. I expect he’ll recover his usefulness, but wouldn’t object to Martin.

      • I don’t think Kershaw’s ego is fragile, but remember that AJ is one of his best friends. Even if the Dodgers get another catcher, I think AJ might be kept on the roster as Clayton’s personal receiver, like McCarver was for Carlton.

  21. I think the BA of .180 with the bases loaded has become psychological. They all realize how badly the team’s done in those situations and they press.

  23. If I’m Davey Lopes I’m making a point of sitting next to Puig on the flight back to LA and explaining to him that once you’ve started your slide you always, always complete it.

    • As a kid, I remember “Baseball 10 Commandments.” One was something like ‘When you start to slide, slide. He who hesitates is hurt.’

      Then there’s me, also when I was a kid. I spent my last week in Hawaii with a cast on my foot . . . I fractured it practicing sliding — wasn’t even a game or organized practice. D’oh! (I hurt it before eating dinner and was hoping everything would be okay because Dad was going to hit us fly balls after — this was on-base housing with a HUGE “backyard.” When I got up from the table, I knew my destination was the base doctor, not the backyard.)

      • Base housing is dangerous. 😉 I still have a double nail on my left-hand ring finger from not getting it out of an 8-foot backyard gate’s ring latch before it slammed shut. Compound fracture. On the bright side, a US Navy hospital ship was docked in Long Beach, so I was treated on board it. For a ten-year-old, that outweighed any pain.

  24. Someone forgot to tell the Cubs they’re a last-place team playing one in 1st.

    They also forgot to tell the Dodger bullpen the same thing.

  28. With luck, “Wright followed by everyone” won’t include Correia or Fauxto, he of the 4-inning short start last time out.

  31. Maybe a 9-day rest/layoff for JP before Friday did more harm than good.

    Following from TBLA,:

    “It (Saturday’s) was the first home run allowed by Howell this season, and the second straight poor outing for Howell, who before Friday hadn’t pitched in nine days. In his first 64 appearances this season Howell allowed seven runs, six earned. In the last two days, he has allowed six runs.”

    Dunno why he’d be rested 9 days anyhow. He’s not near some kind of high in yearly IP or anything. Location problems both days.

  32. This is not good news for the Giants:

    Manager Bruce Bochy rated the playing status of center fielder Angel
    Pagan and first baseman-left fielder Michael Morse as out for the rest
    of the weekend and “questionable,” due to their respective injuries, for
    the upcoming series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

  33. The SF paper had a nice history of Vinnie and the Giants. The team actually had an opening for a broadcaster in 1950. They hired Ernie Harwell away from the Dodgers and created the opening for Vinnie with Barber and Desmond. I’d never heard that before.

    • You remind me I should read Grant more often. I like his style.

      Now I’m gonna yell “You boob!” at the next Dodger who flails away futilely with the bases loaded.