Padres at Dodgers, 12:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD. The game is available to stream free out of market on MLB.TV.
Clayton Kershaw makes his 33rd start for the Dodgers this season hunting for 300 strikeouts (he needs six) and his 17th win. He’s also put up an ERA of 2.16. The Padres’ lefty Frank Garces will make his first major league start but only go one inning. San Diego wants to look at several relievers one last time to see who they might want to keep around next season.
Don Mattingly says Puig won’t start today but will either pinch-hit or be part of a double-switch. I assume that’s an attempt to save his hamstrings from too much effort too soon.
Playoff talk can continue in the Pre-postseason thread below.
Lineup when available.
Today’s 12:10 p.m. #Dodgers lineup
Crawford LF
Utley 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Ethier RF
Seager SS
Ellis C
Guerrero 3B
Pederson CF
Kershaw P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 4, 2015
NPUT
It was mentioned here before but I still have to say I’m very happy for Dee Gordon’s success this season. I hope he keeps it up.
Final Woo-HOO of the regular season!
Hopefully 11 more!
Seager must have a WAR approaching 2 after less than 30 games.
Actually 1.5.
Ends season with 1.8!
We win!
Total implosion of the Gnatpen at TPBTBNL.
Ah gee that’s too bad.
Good for Dee winning the batting crown.
It doesn’t mean much except for those of us who enjoy Schadenfreude, but the Rox have tied the Gnats in the gninth on a three-run dinger that may have cost Gnatt Cain a chance at his last major league win ever.
Which either means the Dodgers and Rockies are tied for team HRs or the Dodgers are still one ahead.
So the Mets – who aren’t so much into scoring runs these days – now have 1-0 lead on Nats. Granderson HR.
Gee I hopes this lasts all postseason for Seager
So, given that Kershaw only pitched 3.2 innings, I presume he is starting Game 1 of the NLDS on Friday with Greinke going in Game 2 on Saturday. Or was that the plan for some time?
I suspect that’s always been the plan.
I don’t think what he did today will have any bearing, one way or the other. With DM, I wouldn’t bet.
We know one thing for certain: Whatever the bullpen does today, it won’t cost Kershaw a win again.
That does bring the angst level down a notch or two actually.
Avilan and Peralta will be watching the NLDS.
Avilán will make the roster.
Ooph. Not exactly what we wanted or needed, Avilan. But 300 for Kersh! And dingers for Joc, et al!!
Avilán’s been very good since the Dodgers got him, though.
I know. Hopefully this is an anomaly.
With three homers today the Dodgers now have 187 this season, which ties for the eighth most in the history of the franchise dating back to the 1884 season. The next rung on the ladder is 191 homers. This is also the fifth most since they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The single-season record is 211 set by the 2000 Dodgers.
So it appears Dee Gordon had the Dee Gordonest of years. Good for him.
Seager and the Say Hey Kid (Heisey) with the blasts to give the Dodgers some more breathing room.
Fer heaven’s sake, you know that game that Nats pitcher Scherzer threw against the Mets yesterday? Mets pitcher Niese is doing the same thing to the Nats today.
Nats (gnot the Gnats) finally got a hit, though.
Still scoreless in the 8th, though. Good pitchers’ duel.
deGrom went the first 4.
Sixty years ago today, October 4,1955, the Dodgers won their only World Series in Brooklyn by beating the Yankees in the seventh game, 2-0, at Yankee Stadium. Johnny Podres pitched a complete-game eight-hitter. And Sandy Amoros made one of the greatest World Series catches of all time to preserve the lead.
C’mon, Yimi, settle down and get outs. We’d like to win this game.
Gotta get that W for Peralta!
Schebler, my dark horse for the playoff roster.
I’m very much on board with Schebler making it as well. More than Ruggs for this round even.
Kershaw becomes the eighth left-handed pitcher starting with the 1900 season to record at least 300 strikeouts in a season:
Randy Johnson 6 times, Sandy Koufax 3, Rube Waddell 2, Sam McDowell 2, Vida Blue 1, Mickey Lolich 1, Steve Carlton 1, Clayton Kershaw 1.
Kershaw also is the first pitcher, lefty or righty, to strikeout at least 300 in a season since Johnson and Chuck Schilling both did it in 2002.
Gameday: “Defensive sub: Andre Ethier replaces right fielder Andre Ethier, batting fourth, playing right field.”
Whoops!
I didn’t know Steiner was in charge of Gameday.
Rollins screws up!
Ha!
Peralta, with two out why are you bunting? Practicing for the playoffs?
Only his 5th PA in 11 years in the Bigs. Got a hit in his first PA in 2007. 0-3 in 2010.
“Swing! You might get lucky!”
Came in with .250 BA.
He won’t be making any playoff appearances, let alone batting.
I recall Kershaw saying that the thing that he most valued was leading the league/majors in innings pitched.
Did he accomplish that today?
Tied with Arrieta coming in (NL). AL doesn’t count.
Why wouldn’t the AL count?
DH.
So what? Just makes it more impressive to lead the majors then. Again this isn’t my stated goal, it was Kershaw’s.
Kuechel of the ‘Stros leads the majors with 232. With DH, starter is never lifted for a PH.
So, not a quality start.
Yank the bum!
Rollins making lots of defensive changes. I wonder if he has managerial aspirations when he’s done playing.
303 would be a nice final total.
Or 306 if he pitches 2 more innings.
300!
Wow! He did it even without Kemp in the lineup!
First homer, extra-base hit and RBI for Pederson since Sept. 12. Great of Rollins to start him against a lefty.
He had a great start in Sept. until the 13th with OPS .967 in 39 PA.
Surprised they are not standing at DS.
They did stand for the 300th.
299
Joc! And now back to the strikeout countdown game. 2 more to go.
Joc – 26 (off of southpaw) looked like he couldn’t believe it.
Has to make him feel a little better about his disappointing second half.
The first half was incredible. Such that he ends up tying Bryant of the Cubs in dingers, who had 50 PA more and hit 21 of his in Wrigley.
With 31 fewer strikeouts than Bryant, too.
From the video, it looks as if he got jammed on that.
298.
297 strikeouts for Kershaw.
So, even against a scrub lefty, Dre can barely make contact before fanning.
With two Ks in the first, Kershaw now has 296 strikeouts, trying to become only the second Dodger pitcher to fan at least 300 in a season. Koufax did it three times.
Kenley doesn’t have much to do today, at least for the first 4-5 innings.
Rollins in as manager. Disappointing not to have Ellis in that role, with Barnes behind the plate. Perhaps when Kershaw comes out, Ellis will as well and then Barnes would make an appearance.
AJ will have more chances, Rollins not likely, at least with the Dodgers. See it as a bow to him and his career.
Playoff implications for games today.
I don’t know who made it out but here is the lineup:
Crawford, LF
Utley, 2B
Gonzalez, 1B
Ethier, RF
Seager, SS
Ellis, C
Guerrero, 3B
Pederson, CF
Kershaw, P
Rollins
I figure Rollins or Ellis were the likely choices. Wonder why he didn’t give himself the start? Could be his final game, or his last chance to display his wares for next year.
Designated manager stays in the dugout, it’s part of the job. Perhaps Donnie will force him to put himself in for one last inning.
He can’t show anything more today than he has so far this year. In any event, he’ll playing in the post-season.
And Kenley is guest pitching coach.
Every game starts at noon today (except the ATL-StL doubleheader).