Game 53, 2015

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Dodgers at Rockies, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ESPN2

Mike Bolsinger has been a big surprise to the Dodgers, and they hope he can keep it up. He’s 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA in five starts totaling 31 1/3 innings. His mound opponent will be Chad Bettis, who’s been a pleasant find for the Rockies. He’s 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA in four starts totaling 27 1/3 innings.

Tom Verducci has a good story on Adrian Gonzalez and why he’s bucking the trend of older left-handed hitters’ drooping on-base averages.

The major league average on balls in play is .299. But the majority of older lefthanded- and switch-hitting players fall under that mark, including the 39-year-old Ortiz (.235) and 36-year-olds Rollins (.223) and Utley (.209). Gonzalez, unlike last year, actually is way above the norm (.370).

Lineup:

207 thoughts on “Game 53, 2015”

  2. Kenley’s problem could have been an anxiety attack. Thinking you might be going to have an attack can be as disturbing as actually having one. Better that than a real attack.

  3. Gurnick:

    “So, the Dodgers were a first-place team without Jansen for six weeks as he healed from foot surgery, but without him on this night they couldn’t beat the last-place Rockies while taking a two-run lead into the ninth.”

    • “Last place Rox” doesn’t mean much at this point. They are more of a middling team in the NL performance-wise to me. If one discounts their record against our Dodgers (4-9), they would be above .500!

        • Ah, but we have done what we need to do against a team that is not “all” that bad. We have winning records against six of the teams we have faced, tied with another and have losing records against the other two.

          • Not to beat a dead horse, but those losing records are against once and future playoff teams.
            Of course, I believe it was ’88 when LA was creamed by the Mets during the regular season and escaped from Shea with the LCS.

          • Yep, there is that. Hopefully we can deal with the Cards starting tonight. (BTW, you might want to check the math behind your statement above).

  4. To judge from the way Don handled the ‘pen last night, he may not have been getting enough oxygen himself.

    • Talked about their being worn out.

      One way that might have avoided that would have been to call up and use an actual starter in the game they decided to make a bullpen one.

      Bull-something or other.

      • I would have leaned toward that but, in Denver especially, there’s no guarantee that even your ace will go more than a couple innings.

  5. We’ll know about Kenley when the Dodgers decide we should, apparenetly.

  6. KJ seemed very uncomfortable out there last night. Kept tugging at his shirt. I fear the worst. Maybe no biggy but Donnie didn’t want to press it.

  7. Also, DM said that he just felt like the BP ran out of steam, after a long series. I kind of agree.

    • Yeah, BPs can do that. Especially when their ace closer is suddenly – and (still) mysteriously – unavailable.

  8. Donny being very mysterious about Kenley. Just kept saying he wasn’t available today, but refused to say another word.

  11. I think that is the first game that we have lost this season when scoring five or more runs.

  12. Liberatore had only gone two innings one time this year, against Colorado on April 19. Why Mattingly thought he could do it again tonight is a mystery.

  13. The trouble with being such a dyed-in-the-wool fan is that the tough losses often seem to take me down more than the incredible wins take me up.

  15. Even more depressing, just learned the Cards series is 4 games . . . sure hope Kenley is available soon.

  16. As soon as I saw that wasn’t Kenley taking the mound in the bottom of the 9th I had a sick feeling, and that was before a pitch had been thrown.

  17. They were saying this game was as frustrating as last night’s was exhilarating, but I disagree. This loss was painful, but two runs in Coors is like one or less elsewhere.

    • True.
      But unless you can blame the altitude on the lack of control, that’s another issue entirely.

  18. Good night all. Another night, another flurry of comments in the 9th inning. I guess we have to take the bad with the good.

  23. If the Dodgers win tonight – that would be perhaps more exciting than last night!

  30. I wonder what the odds are that Hatcher can get this game to the 10th inning.

  32. Good news is Giants lost.
    Bad news — no matter what the outcome — the Cards await in LA.

  33. Just end it. I’m need to go to sleep.
    Get angry Dodgers and take it out on St. Louis.

      • Same as last year’s bullpen, somehow thinking the plate is different than the one they use in the bullpen.

  38. This is how the offensive woes started three weeks ago, when the bullpen blew a lead and they lost.
    However, this IS Colorado.

  47. Quid pro quo — unfortunately.
    Something must be wrong with Kenley.

  58. As I mentioned before, Arenado is my guilty pleasure. Love me some beautiful third base defense.

  63. can’t stay long, but it seems like I have come back at the right time

  69. So, isn’t it about time for a home run or two? It is Colorado after all.

  71. Ravin spent nine plus seasons in the minors, with 13 different teams, gets his first major league appearance last night and earns a win thanks to Guerrero’s slam. Nice story. Graduate of Chatsworth High, out in the San Fernando Valley.

  72. So for those who recall the 4+1 game, was that win more or less exciting than last night’s crazy adventure?

    • I think it was more exciting because there were four homers to tie and a fifth to win.

      • — and the depression after they trailed again after tying it up.
        Plus, that was during the stretch run.

        • I also like the uniqueness of hitting 4 straight home runs to tie it up – but they were never down to their last out like they were last night.

          • — last STRIKE last night! I remember being on the opposite side of that . . .

        • I remember that depression. And then the incredible elation with the fifth homer.

          • I was taking my dog to the park and couldn’t yell as loud as I wanted to — neighbors were sleeping!

      • I loved Poe in my younger day. Even performed that poem on stage once at university.

        • It’s a incredible poem. Some of Poe’s other stuff really freaked me out when I was a kid…..Where did you go to school?

  74. Is June 3rd to early to give up on Rollins hitting any better this year? I am getting very close to doing just that.

      • Wonder how long he can keep that pace going? Hopefully for a while.

      • True, but he still isn’t hitting much and, with the exception of the occasional home run, isn’t contributing much to the offense. Like WinnipegDave, I am getting close to giving up on Rollins.

        • Over the past month he has an OPS+ of 114. So you would sit him down because of what he did the month before?

          • No, but I would watch him closely. Let’s see where things are in a couple of weeks.

  75. Grandal swings on a 3-0 pitch with the Dodgers down by two and needing a baserunner in front of Guerrero.

    • He walks as much as he K’s, so they seem to have given him a permanent greenlight. 3-0 pitch is likely to be meatier than a 3-1 or 3-2 for the discernable.

  76. Just the one bad pitch to Tulo, but came back strong to get through the rest of the inning.

  79. Impossible to come back from a two-run deficit in Denver, with only four more chances.

  83. The Kid is due now to extend his streak of games with a home run to five.

  94. It’ll be interesting to see if Ballslinger’s stuff works at altitude. If he does well, I’ll be even more impressed; if he does poorly, it’s probably just Coors.

  96. After tonight’s games, the Gnats could be closer to the Padres than they are to the Dodgers.

  97. DENVER (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says Yasiel Puig’s strained left hamstring is ”doing good” and the All-Star outfielder will play for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. Should everything go well, Mattingly believes Puig could be back with the
    Dodgers sometime next week. Puig has been on the disabled list since April 26. Puig went out for a minor league rehab assignment last month, only to experience tightness in the hamstring. Mattingly said Wednesday that Puig’s recent rehab in Arizona has been going ”really well.” He added there are no set number of at-bats he wants Puig to get in the minors.

    • needed back, despite last nights heroics. It will turn an outfield from pretty good to scaringly good

      • Ethier to left against right-handers, Scott Van Smash subs against lefties (he’s 6-21 against them). Puig in right, but I wouldn’t expect a lot fast. He’s only had 43 ABs all season.

      • Currently the best offensive outfield in baseball and eighth best defensively.

    • Well, we face the Rockies again in Colorado, I imagine. They’re in the same division as we. Assuming that’s true it could be postponed.

    • While you wasted time posting that, it at least interrupted your constant prayers for the Giant plane to crash, so some good came of it.

  100. LAT’d — Giants just lost their fifth straight, 5-2, to the Pirates.

  101. Does Joc have a shot at the All-Star Game? How about Home Run derby? I’d like to see Guerrero make it too but it’d be a lot harder for him, not having a regular position.

    • He is currently tenth in voting. Top three are Harper, Holiday and Stanton. So that is pretty much a lock. McCutcheon would likely be named ahead of him as a CF and then there is Pagan! who Bochy is likely to name. He could be included as well, if his numbers are too good to be ignored, but I’d say slim chances.