Game 53, 2016

Dodgers at Cubs, 5:00PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ESPN (out-of-market only), ABC7

The last time the Dodgers saw Jake Arrieta it was a Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN in which Jessica Mendoza made her second ESPN appearance and he threw a no-hitter against them. That was last August 30. Since then he’s thrown another no-hitter, hasn’t lost a game yet this season, and is currently 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA. Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.84 ERA) has been improving (he’s 3-1 in May with a 4.13 ERA) since a poor start, but he’s got his work cut out for him. He’ll need to hold the Cubbies at bay and hope the Dodgers can get a couple of runs off Arrieta.

Oh, the Cubs have won all of the last 23 starts Arrieta has made. That ties a Major League record.

Lineup when available.

Personnel news: Julio Urias will be brought back up to replace Alex Wood, who’s been placed on the 15-day DL with elbow soreness. Yasiel Puig has been scratched from today’s game with a sore left hamstring and Alex Guerrero has been designated for assignment.

48 thoughts on “Game 53, 2016

  1. I’m puzzled. If you look at the schedule page at ESPN, you’ll see the attendance figures for prior games way off on the right. Yesterday (the opener with the Cubs) they drew 41,470 with Hammel starting. Today with Arrieta starting they drew 34,681. That seems bassackwards. Wouldn’t you expect the game that showcases the 9-0 pitcher whose starts the Cubs have won 23 consecutive times to be a sellout?

    • I believe that a place like Wrigley gets a lot of tourist fans (I know that I have done it several times), who combine a visit to the Windy City with a day at the park to see their team play the Cubs – you can hear a lot of cheering when the visiting team does something good. Yesterday was a holiday day game.

  2. At worst now, we finish the Cubs series 6.5 games behind SF. Which, considering they are playing the worst team and we are playing the best, is not too bad. Better than 7.5 or 8.5 anyways.

  3. The pitching linescore makes it look like Kershaw pitched tonight:
    8 innings – 1 hit, 1 walk, 10k’s and no runs.

  4. Until this inning, I had been thinking – I’ve seen this game before. As in, last night vs the Cubs (2-0, only 1 hit.)

    But as of right now, we are out Cub-ing the Cubs!

  5. Good news is that Jake is at 107 pitches so he won’t go much longer either.

  6. So hard to know. Pull Kaz or let him bat and pitch longer. If only there were not 2 outs.

  7. That was less interesting. Crawford – speed never slumps – if you use it!

  8. Without eyes or ears. What’s the deal on the delay? Rain I imagine.

    • Amplification of above.

      Wood will be placed on the DL with elbow soreness (a non-structural
      issue) and that the team has not yet decided how to line up its pitching
      rotation. Starter Kenta Maeda is dealing with a swollen hand and
      questionable for a Thursday start.

  9. In Seattle today, James Shields of the Pads achieved a game score of -1 (yes, minus one). Quite a feat.