Game Five, 2015

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

Clayton Kershaw goes for his first win of the season against rookie Archie Bradley. Bradley is regarded by MLB.com as the D-Backs top prospect. In spring training he was 3-2 with a 1.61 ERA, 14 Ks and a 2.00 WHIP over 22 innings.

It seems like a mismatch, but as Joe Garagiola once said, “baseball is a funny game.”

Lineup when available.

And now it is:

Puig is off to a slow start at 2 for 17, so that may explain why he’s sitting this evening.

97 thoughts on “Game Five, 2015”

  2. Probably a good time to remember the Lasorda-ism that over a season every team will lose a third of its games and win a third. It’s that last third that decides pennants.

    When things don’t look good, even if only 5 games in, or even if the team wins 10 or so in a row later on….see first paragraph. Lather, rinse, repeat.

  3. I am hoping I was not being overly optimistic on my predictions for this season, at least as far as the Dodgers are concerned.
    What is the over/under for number of games played before Donnie gets canned?

  8. Its’ too early for me (not that there’s ever a good time) for me to just get on and give a barrage of negative commentary… So, I won’t…. It’s early… Just one of those games….
    …
    However… where’s all this great defense we’ve been told we’re going to have in 2015?
    – Rollins, although easy to root for, has shown his age defensively…
    – Grandal… the ball bounces off of this guy like it’s a super ball….
    -Turner.. really poor footwork at 3B on that steal…was essentially down in front of the bag as
    the runner was approaching… almost as if he was blocking the bag… Injured? not a surprise.
    …
    One other thing: Save all the talk about what a good hitter Alex Guerrero is because he had a nice Spring Training…. Let’s see what he does when the bell rings and the veteran pitchers (pitching in front of the big crowds and knowing their stats actually will affect their status with the ball club) actually have just as much adrenaline flowing through them as Alex does….

    • Turner – where he was positioned had a lot to do with where the throw was, not that he is more than a adequate fielder.
      Guerrero – could say the same thing about Joc. In any event, they were mostly facing a fellow they hit against down in Albuquerque.

  9. Bah. And to top the afternoon off, I downloaded a new version of Safari to Mom’s MacBook Pro to get rid of an “outdated browser” alarm in gmail, only to learn that the OS X version she’s got is too old to run it. Now I’m in a mess, ’cause I can’t to the web on that machine.

  10. Looks like I’ll get to watch a movie tonight. Painful game, but moving along quickly.

  14. Runner on base! Or will it be overturned?

    Man this is not the Dodgers night (x7).

  15. Kershaw only had 2 outings during the regular season last year where his game score was lower than 56 (47 and 17). So far this year, his game scores are 55 and (currently) 43.

  16. Took a break for a work phone call. At this point, just hope that Kershaw and the rest of the team can work a few of their issues out and gear up for a new game tomorrow. Anything more than that – like scoring a run – would be a bonus.

    • Except of course when he gave up 7 against the Dbacks last May. And against the Cards in the playoffs last year.

  26. We might be seeing Enrique Hernandez called back up soon – if Turner and Uribe are down for a while.

  31. I have seen/heard the trivia about the streak the Dodgers have of being at .500 or better. If it is going to be snapped at some point this season, much better sooner than later. Not that I want the Dodgers to lose – ever.

    • Not the way we want him to earn the nick name, ” Juan-Gone “… 🙂

  41. Nothing going right for the Dodgers and everything falling just perfectly for the Dbacks.

  42. Missed the first inning. Kersh seems to be starting this year not his usual sharp self. New baby? Sleep deprivation?

  46. I think Kershaw is finding his groove now. But I wondered if the Bradley would get on in his first at bat, which he did.

  47. Chase is one of three stadiums were Clayton has a losing record. The others are Busch and Angel Stadium.

    • That seems like a case of which of these baseball teams is not like the other in terms of Cards, Angels and Dbacks.

  48. Stop with the stupid “Shift”…..
    …
    Both D-Back batters simply waited on the pitch, shortened their swings, and hit ground balls through the open 2B position. It’s called ” Taking what the defense gives you, not being selfish, and bat control. ” – They are Major League hitters…. they didn’t just get lucky and hit it through the hole…. I can guarantee you that.

    • Matty did the same. Shading a bit is OK, but shifts are better for one dimensional pull hitters

      • 100% agree… And also, it’s how you pitch ’em…
        …
        The pitch selection needs to be synchronous with the defense. In other words, if Kid-K knows 2B spot is open, he needs to come inside on the righty hitters.
        Both of those pitches were up, out, and over the plate…
        He must have just missed his spot.

    • I missed seeing the “f” in shift at first and thought you had typed something else.

  51. If memory serves, the Dodgers tended to struggle last season v pitchers making their first MLB start .

    Good time to reverse that.

  53. Feels like the shift is working against the Dodgers and not for them. Grrr – hate when the odds don’t work like they are supposed to.

  56. For all his micromanaging, DM outdid himself last night failing to make a move.

    Howell’s first walk in the 10th came on 5 pitches, 4 straight BB. Next, a wild pitch. He ignored that runner, who was happy to steal 3rd. Then another BB. DM visited but for some reason left JP in to face the eventual game-losing situation. Why? With a game obviously on the line, why would a manager not pull any pitcher after 2 straight walks, not to mention the WP?

    Bringing in anyone else would have proven no worse than what happened

    Howell’s act may now be figured out by batters. Needs a short leash until (and if) he gets back on track.. 15 pitches Friday night–only 5 strikes.

    Yimi, by contrast, threw 20 of 23 strikes, K’d 4 in his 2 innings.

    So, 4 games in and the pen has blown 2. That sometimes happens, early season, SSS, and all that. But wonder if the new front office will be hair trigger on bullpen moves given it was the Achilles heel last year– and may still be.

    • For sure we are missing Jansen. I agree that Howell has not looked sharp at all so far, but I’m not ready to write him off yet. I would move him down the rung a bit though.

      • After the second ball, except that the rules decree a reliever must face one batter barring injury.

    • Bullpen management is not one of Don’s strengths. Then again, I’m hard-pressed to identify any of his strengths.

  57. Sands has done it again, tying up the game in the eighth with his second two-run double of the day.

  58. Old friend Jerry Sands has just knocked David Price out of the game in Cleveland with a two-run double to the gap in right center, in the bottom of the sixth.

  59. Puig sits today, at least to start, and Ethier gets a chance. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get in the game later, though.