Game 66, 2015

Rangers at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN, FSSW

It’s a battle of lefties. Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.21 ERA) starts against the Rangers, the team he grew up following. The team from Texas counters with Wandy Rodriguez (3-2, 3.03 ERA). This will be Kershaw’s first time pitching against the Rangers, while Rodriguez has a 5-5 record with a 2.64 ERA in 12 career starts against the Dodgers as an Astro and a Pirate.

The Dodgers activated Scott Van Slyke from the DL and placed Chris Hatcher on it with a shoulder strain.

Lineup:

Joc Pederson gets a rest, as does André Ethier.

94 thoughts on “Game 66, 2015

  1. Once again, the Dodgers turn to their best pitcher of the year in hopes to stop a skid.

    If Zack comes through again — and that still means he needs support from the “hitters” — the front office should negotiate for him immediately.
    Of course, Zack might choose to seek a team more likely to make AND advance in the playoffs.

    • FO compares $ cost per win with pitchers like Zack, versus $ cost per win with pitchers like Anderson, Frias, Bolsinger et al of that ilk. Now really, who do you think they are going to sign?

      • Since no Dodger pitcher has won the last three games — including Kersh — they “should” look beyond that

  2. FWIW, Stark at ESPN is predicting that Cueto and Chapman end up as Dodgers.

    • They would be welcome editions, even if they can’t hit. We have good players, what we don’t have is a manager who can use them correctly and get their best performance from them. Time for Mattingly to go back to Evansville.

      • Maybe Jensen is the set-up gut. Maybe Jensen is traded. Maybe it doesn’t happen. That’s my guess. This is a smokescreen.

        • Jansen (with an “a”) would not want a demotion (nor would his agent want him to have one). It would be the most guaranteed means of ensuring his free agent departure.

          • Well, we can say with certainty which team he will not be joining as a free agent….Colorado.

          • Why should he be different? This FO does not intend there be any long-term Dodgers. Keep them till their value (and salary) starts to get high, then trade them for prospects. That was the MO in Tampa and Oakland, that’s the way it’ll be here…

          • It was the way Walter O’Malley ran the Dodgers too, remember. The famous infield was traded away piece-by-piece, and each had several more productive years elsewhere.

      • It doesn’t matter which is the setup guy and which is the closer, you need a lead in the late innings for it to matter.

  3. About the only lasting pleasure from last night was reviewing the way Pagán turned a routine fly ball into a triple that beat BadGums in Seattle.

  4. and the DM watch begins…………it is inevitable, and not unwarranted……
    I have never understood why the “rest” rotation for the lineup is always all or nothing. Never rest just one regular, let’s disrupt the entire lineup…Pederson, Ethier, Rollins, Grandal…..why not rest just one each day and keep the rest intact?
    We still cannot beat a winning team….and we cannot win on the road….not a formula for going deep in the playoffs, but what do I know….maybe we are sandbagging them.

    • I think that Donnie was trying to be strategic and take advantage of facing a southpaw. SVS/Either is a platoon situation, Ellis gets his weekly start with Clayton on the mound, Rollins probably needs more “rest” than he has been getting. Joc has appeared in all but one of the team’s games this year and got two PAs in this one as well. Grandal got a PA as well.

      • You are probably right, but it just seems that all these substitutions seem always to converge on the same game, somehow.

        Ellis, yes. Rollins, no loss there. But Ethier and Joc together. If it was me, you figure AGon, Howie, the 3 outfielders, and the third baseman whoever that is…..to me that is one substitution a game…6 games with one regular out with everyone getting a day off each week.

  5. You can’t leave nine men on base and win. We’re not hitting. We’re pressing. And no one seems to be able to advance a runner. Except Kershaw and his bunt.

      • That just exacerbates the frustration: the potential is there. They are not living up to it like they did at the beginning of the year.
        This reminds me of the two Ramirez situations: before Manny came, there was no clutch hitting. And when Hanley went down in the playoffs, so did the LA scoring.

  6. just checked though the play by play, wow, lots of missed opportunities

  7. Headline: Dodgers score 3 runs.
    Headline: Kershaw gives up 4.
    Ravin is doing the Garcia arc — good at getting them out, then good at having them go out.

  8. Dodger website on the blink again — shows the game in the bottom of the 2nd.

      • Thanks — that verifies Steiner . . . always need to corroborate him!
        I’m surprised with the 3-run outburst for LA but saddened by Kersh giving up 4. He said he wasn’t hurt in Friday’s game, but it sure looked like he was struggling after he was hit, missing wide out and in. I hope he’s not adjusting to an injury.
        Of course, he also had 117 pitches in that game.

  9. Some numbers on Ellis:
    –2008/2009: Cups of coffee, total of 13 at bats.
    –2010: .278 in 108 ABs.
    –2011: .271 in 85 ABs.
    –2012: 270 in 423 ABs
    –2013: .238 in 390 ABs.
    –2014: .191 in 283 ABs.
    –2015: .164 in 61 ABs (before tonight).

  10. Since starting 22-10, the Dodgers have gone 15-18, yet have lost only three games off our lead.

  11. I went to the Dodgers-Padres games last Saturday and Sunday at Petco, my first visit there. A few observations:

    As many Dodger fans as Padre fans. Great sight lines. Enthusiastic crowds although I
    think the loudspeakers leading the “Beat L.A.” chants were over the
    top. Let the fans do that spontaneously. (I have never chanted “Beat S.D.” or “Beat S.F.”). We had first
    level seats between home and first on Saturday, but the slope between
    the rows was so slight we couldn’t see well because of a large guy in
    front of us. We moved down. On Sunday we sat on
    the top deck and I liked those seats a lot. Similar to the top deck at Dodger Stadium. Food and souvenir stands are everywhere, but couldn’t find a program to buy and was told they don’t sell traditional programs. A simple scorecard was free, however. Park needs more escalators. It was
    quite a shlep to the top deck, although my buddy, who has a bad knee, used an elevator.
    Overall, enjoyable, and as my friend’s timeshare was a few blocks away
    we walked to Petco for both games. Great to be able to walk to a downtown stadium.

    And Pederson is a great outfielder.

    • Started re-watching the first season of “The Newsroom” — less frustrating than the Dodgers these days.

  12. This is the 2nd game in a row there’s been a SB vs. Kersh — surprising to me.

  13. Besides his natural competitive nature, I’m sure Kersh knows he can’t count on many runs to “support” him and has to shut them down.

  14. We have house guests from Colombia, so I’ll only be able to look in occasionally tonight.

  15. Old friend/casual acquaintance Clint Robinson is batting fourth for the Nats (gnot the Gnats).

    • Lit up Tampa last night, so got another shot at them. Decent production in 80-odd AB, hot lately.

      And is parked in LF tonight. 2015 Games by Position:
      1B (3)
      LF (11)
      RF (4)
      RP (1)

      I remember his appearance as a reliever.