Dodgers at Padres, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD
The Dodgers start Mike Bolsinger (5-3, 2.38 ERA), back up from OKC. According to Mattingly he will remain in the rotation “beyond Friday.” His opponent will be James Shields (10-6, 3.78 ERA), who’s looking for his third win in his last four starts.
Justin Turner gets the day off at third base, and young Mr. Seager will replace him there. Jimmy Rollins is expected to play shortstop.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's #Dodgers lineup:
Rollins SS
Crawford LF
Gonzalez 1B
Utley 2B
Seager 3B
Grandal C
Schebler RF
Pederson CF
Bolsinger P #whiff
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 4, 2015
For scoreboard watchers: Giants at Rockies
NPUT
Enjoyed Grant Bisbee’s story on why the Giants signed De Aza. (http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2015/9/4/9262471/marlon-byrd-contract-sf-giants) In short, they signed De Aza to take plate appearances away from Marlon Byrd so his $8MM option for next year won’t vest. Always thinking, those Giant FOs….
Don’t take Grant so literally.
…
Doug Glanville reflects on Rollins and Utley:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/opinion/doug-glanville-trades-and-the-tides-of-time.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
Reminder: Tomorrow’s game time is 5:40PM PT
Yahoo!
Schebler has a very winning personality. Modest and down-to-earth.
Nice to hear that.
And a 7 1/2-game lead.
8 in the loss column!
Nice work by our much-maligned bullpen tonight: one run and two hits allowed in four innings, six strikeouts, no walks.
Good for them to come back after yesterday.
And apparently no shame in giving up a run via HR tonight.
Nice to see all this youthful energy, coupled with the veterans. Maybe we are finally finding that elusive identity J-Hair has been pushing for.
Identity – that’s different than chemistry right?
TBH, I do give a small bit of credence to the identity thing even though it is not at all sabermetric-y.
They did and do have an identity, whether J-Hair likes it or not is another question. And that identity can be expressed using numbers. A major role in tonight’s game was played by two recent veteran acquisitions and two rookie call ups filling in for injured players (another part of our identity). I believe that it was Orel who said last night that we have lost 1,200 games to the DL.
Magic number is 21.
We win!
Woo-HOO!!!!!
FinIsh this now, KJ! Save yourself for tomorrow, just in case.
Let’s go Kenley.
Could it really be that the ninth inning is up next?
Hallelujah.
Wow, that was timely.
And Utley was firmly planted on the bag.
Colorado phoned. They want their ballpark back.
Great line.
it’s a bit of a homer- a- thon today
Shake it off, Hatcher.
Ruh roh.
Our hero! (glad he has a cushion)
Seager, again! Sweet swing.
Looking like the real thing.
Hey, we made a poem!
A couplet.
That will show’em. (What else rhymes with poem?)
Unusual Dodger numbers tonight — 5 homers, 2 doubles, yet 0-for-7 with RISP.
How many SB?
Two by Schebler, one by Rollins.
Good inning, Howell. Redemption.
Okay, JP. Time to redeem yourself.
K’s the side.
Guerrero is alive and off the bench!
Yes! But we have three more innings to go.
This game is taking forever. It is bearable only because the Dodgers are hitting dingers.
Great catch by Schebler.
Ha – Scheblee could become a cute nickname for Scott!
I thought of you when I was correcting!
Sorry. I’m really not the spelling police! Especially not correcting a pro writer.
Oh no! Don’t stop please. I love it.
Well, since you asked so nicely. 🙂
I find I’m always using the edit feature also – late nights, iphone keyboard and a desire for speed is a bad combo.
Precisely.
Also “sorry” in Canada – while genuine – is also like saying hello or perhaps breathing! 🙂
She actually has a license to be poetic in her spelling.
Ha!
We could really use a quick inning. One two three if possible, Yimi.
That the kind of out you were looking for?
After last night, I’ll take anything.
Wipes brow. Uh, sure!
Your wish is granted.
Hey Seager – we are hitting home runs tonight not doubles.
Rookies…
Being somewhat of a pack rat, both in my garage and on my computer, I saved this 2005 analysis by someone we are all familiar with about Dodger minor league prospects. I didn’t save the same analysis from any other years:
The Dodger Thoughts Comprehensive, Non-Definitive 2005 Minor League Report
Part 1 – Hitters
2005-09-18 17:29
by Jon Weisman
Outfield
(Level of Depth: 6)
21-24 Years Old
Justin Ruggiano, Vero Beach/Jacksonville, 6-2, 205, 4/12/82: Promoted in June from Vero Beach, where he OPSed .917, and actually topped that with a .950 in Sunstown. He batted .342 in AA – not bad for a 25th-round draft pick from the previous year.
—
Ruggiano was signed by the Dodgers in 2004 and sent to Tampa Bay in 2006 to complete an earlier deal. The Dodgers ended up sending Ruggiano, Dioner Navarro and Jae Weong Seo to Tampa Bay for Toby Hall, Mark Hendrickson and cash.
Okay bullpen. We are all looking at you tonight. Don’t blow this.
This is more like it.
Don’t count your chickens. This is how many runs we scored last night.
Just got another one!
Gonzo comes up big! Another 2 run HR!
Dinger delight!
Guerrero is buried on the bench.
HR’s ruling the night for sure. 5-3 Dodgers.
Was that Rollie Fingers who deflected the ball in the stands?
Yes it was. Padres improving their pen.
Ballslinger just slinging it up to Solarte. May not get the six innings. (though doing well for not having the curve, his main pitch).
I suppose that Grandal will get a hit again . . . someday.
He needs a few days off. With both Ellis and Barnes available, they can afford to do so and get him ready for the playoffs.
Agreed.
Also agree. If Gonzo and Pederson can come back to the surface, and Grandal produces – the line up will be fine.
I read there’s a delay. Somebody hurt?
Neighborhood play. and Utley headhunting.
Another “neighborhood” play.
Utley goes in hard.
And wide.
Neighborhood play?
Less like a neighbourhood and more like Alaska.
Big at bat here for Seager.
Gonzo needs to come up big this inning.
He’s had some key hits lately, but overall he’s been slumping.
SF lose their seventh straight game. Magic number is 22.
Rollins’ double was the first hit in this game that wasn’t a home run.
Except for the home run* that was a double.
*upon further review.
So, there was enough evidence to overturn the call on the field?
I thought it was a homer.
Now I feel like a homer.
I think the reviews have been hijacked in this series and instead of coming from NY, they are coming from someone’s living room in SD.
Jimmy really went in hard at 2nd.
By last night’s standards, he was safe.
Grandal is having a tough night.
Surprised package isn’t here to tell us the obvious.
Schebler ties it up!
I see that Mattingly has landed on 5 tonight for #5 Seager: batting fifth and playing third.
Now 2-1 Rockies in the middle of the 6th.
Gnats left bases loaded.
Nice to see Matty getting it going (Just not against us!)
Bolsinger not feeling it here in the first inning.
Too high in the strike zone.
If anyone’s interested in the “Deflategate” case which has turned catastrophically against Commish Goodell as of yesterday, here’s a good column by Sally Jenkins. She thinks the owners should fire Goodell. I agree that would be optimal, but I don’t expect it to happen.
I couldn’t care less about handegg, honestly.
Seager’s one of those fairly-unusual players who bats from one side (left) but throws from the other (right).
Not rare for LHHs, very rare for RHHs (Koufax was one – not much of a hitter, but I do recall his dinger off Spahn).
I think Koufax probably drove Alston crazy exposing his left arm that way, too.
I just find it odd. I throw right and stand in the right-handed batters box (can’t say I hit). How does one get turned around that way?
Maybe the stick ball court had a short left porch?
In Sandy’s case growing up in Brooklyn, sure. Where’d Seager grow up? 😉
I throw right but bat/golf/stick handle as a lefty.
I don’t recall anything special causing it. I guess it just felt natural when I started playing sports.
Huh.
However, I’m a righty for tennis, squash and other racket sports.
Okay, now that’s just strange. Why wouldn’t the dominant hand/side be used on all occasions?
This requires research.
Not sure – but I am pretty comfy on my backhand for tennis!
In whiffle ball, always had more power from the left. Isn’t that the case with right handed switch hitters?
This doesn’t explain it but I know that with the racket sports it is just one hand play (except for a tennis backhand) so my right is used. For baseball, golf, and hockey, two hands are used and – as I said – I always felt more comfortable with the left being the dominant hand.
Seems I remember reading that Kenley throws righty but does everything else left-handed… Looked it up: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/22/sports/la-sp-0923-dodgers-padres-20130923
Rickie Henderson was one of the rare ones to throw left and bat right.
Gnats trailing already in the first on back-to-backs by CarGo and Arenado.
Here’s hoping that Grandal can snap his 0-for-26 streak. He’s also 1-for-38.
And here it is, the all LHH lineup (including switch-hitters): https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/639933921124159489
I’ll be joining you from Sea Ranch tonight, where we have a de facto weekend house – not ours, but belonging to friends who almost never use it and we have the keys.
Have a great time at Sea Ranch. Wonderful place. About 30 years ago we rented a large place for a week for a mini-family reunion to help my late in-laws celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. It was special.
That’s this place in Sonoma County? I’d never heard of it till you guys mentioned it.
It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here.
Yes, that’s the place.
So this must be the place that me and a couple of buddies came upon driving up the PCH in 1974 to Eureka. At the time, I thought we were in Mendecino, however.
In many ways it’s an exemplary development, but it’s isolated and a car is essential.
It’s a great place to get away from it all, take long walks, read and rest.
Looks like Bolsinger will get 3-4 starts to see if he is worth keeping on the playoff roster. Bolsinger > Latos, but he’ll need to state his case over Wood.
Be nice to audition both in the pen as well.
I think we have several starting options, it’s the bullpen that is the worry
I think you mean Ballslinger > Latos.