Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A
The Dodgers ask Kenta Maeda (8-6, 2.95 ERA) to win the rubber match of the series. The last time he faced the D-Backs in Chase Field he was hit on the leg by a line drive off Paul Goldschmidt’s bat and had to leave the game. He’ll face Robbie Ray (4-8, 4.81 ERA). Ray is on a downslope; he’s lost three of his last four starts and hasn’t won since June 17. He has pitched reasonably well against the Dodgers in his career, putting up a 2.40 ERA in five career starts against them.
Not that we need to be reminded, but
Goldschmidt’s homer on Friday night was his 24th against the Dodgers since he debuted on Aug. 1, 2011. That’s 11 more than any other player against L.A. in that span. His 71 RBIs against the Dodgers are also the most in that stretch.
Lineup:
Today's Dodger lineup:
Kendrick LF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Van Slyke 1B
Puig CF
Taylor 2B
Ellis C
Walters RF
Maeda P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 17, 2016
NPUT
All dressed in Dodger Blue and just about out the door to the game!
If you can believe the numbers…
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/190404910/aroldis-chapman-throws-a-pitch-1051-mph/
Interesting rumor has Dodgers and Marlins interested in a minor league pitcher in Arizona’s system named Shelby Miller.
I think he’s broken, but a potential reclamation project for next year.
From July 28 through August 25 the giants are really going to be tested with a stretch that includes 7 games with the Nats, Mets 4, Pitt 3, O’s 3, Fish 3, LA 3.
Gnats lose, Schadenfreude triumphant once more.
If we end up behind the Giants by two games in the standings at the end of the year I’m gonna remember this series, not fondly. We could have picked up three games on them.
If the Dodgers pick up a game every three days, they’ll win the division by 15 games or so.
Well the late rally makes me feel worse about today’s game (so close!) but better about the team in general.
Pads get another HR. 5-3.
Pads pad lead with dinger 5-3
Or, what you said.
We’ll see Strasburg (versus Ryu on Weds), but no Scherzer against the Nats this week.
This is only the 4th home series the D-Backs have won all year.
I guess they were due. But still, grrr.
2 Ks to end the game with the tying run at third. Good grief.
Roller coaster. See below.
I am ordinarily not irritated and annoyed at roller coaster rides.
But we were down 6-0 in the 8th, so…
Grins. We did not get enough lemonade from these lemons!
Pads managed to keep giants at bay in the 7th.
So close! Phooey.
Dodgers in town tomorrow with day off. I need a Dodgers Go app.
Then I get to see them play three days in a row!
I hope it is cooler for you this year when they come to DC, than it was last year when we were out there. I also hope that they were able to fix the lights!
Ha! You have changed your handle, BfV. Looks like they will be steamers again this year.
Rats! Dodgers lose a game they should have won (yesterday) and lose a game they couldn’t steal (today). What a waste.
If the Gnats get swept, we’ll feel even sillier.
Rather feel silly than sad if they don’t.
Well, there you go.
Taylor should bunt it to Lamb.
still going
Okay Puig it be up to you my friend.
Bloody giants going for more in the 7th.
Let’s not stall out now.
What! only a single :). Game on
Dang! Kept Justin in the park.
Well – you never know here. A couple of HR and we tie it up.
Single and a dinger (Grand Salami from Justin?)
Lamb looks like a terrible 3B – sluggish over there.
Jackson has officially lost it at The Litter Box.
Shakiest potential no-hitter I’d seen in a long while…
Both the Dodgers and the giants are behind by 4 runs! (now if we had a couple more innings like they do…)
I like AJ so much, I hate to see him fading so fast.
I think Ellis will be a fine manager within a few seasons.
Not sure he has it in him, but last year after coming off the DL in 31 games to the end of the season he had OPS .854
A.J. looks cooked to me – offensively and defensively.
He did last year as well, if you recall.
Wish this was Grandal pinch hitting now.
Bad at bat by Puig.
Jackson only at 72 pitches (but has been relieving the past couple of years)
Why pull Van Slyke?
lefty righty thing.
Ah.
Great! Let’s keep it going.
Turner dinger!
We’re finally on board.
Justin!!!!
Arizona pitcher Daniel Hudson and his arm problems are a major part of Jeff Passan’s new book, The Arm.
Cueto’s done, with two on, no outs in the 6th.
Pads tack on another run. Cueto had thrown 94 pitches through 5 innings.
Jackson helps himself with another run batted in. 4-0.
And another now, Jackson RBI single.
Ellis having a really bad day. Clonked. Wild pitches. Swings and misses.
He seems to be nearing the end.
Still interesting in San Diego.
I get the SD TV channel. I may switch if the Dodgers don’t get on the ball here.
In his three ABs today, all strikeouts, Ellis has managed two foul balls. Barnes is hitting .296 at Oklahoma City.
Ugh again.
Edwin Jackson taking on Cueto and doing really well so far.
Surprisingly, 63 pitches, 35 strikes. Control not all that good.
But strikes and DPs when he needs them.
Kinda like Robbie Ray here.
Exactly!
Good job by Howell.
Bethancourt just hit a solo homer off Cueto. It’s 2-0 Padres after four.
It has to be discouraging for a pitcher when the Dodger hitters are in the mode that they were in yesterday and are in again today.
Maeda has himself to blame as well.
True, but if he were pitching a shutout he’d only be tied.
Lamb. Again.
Hung for a sheep as…
We look like a second string team today.
Certainly feel all strung out.
We are getting hammered, but Maeda isn’t pitching as badly as the score indicates. Except for the first inning, he’s been pretty decent. (Although that curveball did stay up, I guess.)
Ugh.
Kemp just hit a solo homer off Cueto in the 4th. It is 1-0 Padres.
And old friend Edwin Jackson is pitching an interesting game through four.
Being a Dodgers fan means you always are riding a roller coaster. So is that any different for fans of other clubs?
Good question. As a lifelong Mets fan before I converted in the 1990’s I have to say the Mets experience is very much the same. But I don’t know about other teams.
There are roller coasters and then there are roller coasters. giants winning the WS only every other year, for example.
Ha! I’d ride that one, for sure.
I don’t think Rays fans are having much fun of late. Lots of down and not much up on their ride this season.
Although they won today so that’s something.
Just looking at wins and losses we are probably very lucky. I would guess that the Dodgers probably have the best win-lose record in the NL over the past 3 1/2 years, if that is comforting?
Even the 1927 Yankees lost 44 games.
330-249 from 2013 through yesterday.
Nats have 331 wins, Stl 334. giants 305.
Wow! 81 games over .500.
Could also be connected to expectations.
We just can’t do it, can we? (Score with RISP.)
I think Arizona pitchers enjoy hitting Dodger batters.
Kendrick at least making their pitcher work.
AJ getting beaten up.
This game is annoying me.
I agree. Annoying.
Lamb is not perfect. Imagine that.
Nevermind – of course he is.
He’s not very good defensively, but he sure can hit.
Ellis fans, so what else is new?
Well, at least Ellis made contact on one pitch…
He takes a heckuva lot of strikes. Is there a stat for that?
He used to get walks.
Wow, with our inept offense, this lead looks pretty insurmountable.
Okay. Get some back, Dodgers.
Seems like just our luck that the D-backs would heat up now.
Pfui. When your pitcher is the only of the three guys up who manages to make contact after you load the bases you’re not likely to score.
So dumb.
??
Bases loaded, no outs, no runs.
Well, they do call it the “bottom” of the order.
Some bottom of the lineups can hit though. It’s all timing I guess.
Sure, but here we are talking AJ, the kid, and the pitcher.
This is not going to end well is it?
A.J. has become almost useless at the plate. He doesn’t even walk any more.
Hard to when the strike zone is so huge.
He’s not even making contact. Even a GIDP would have helped there.
Perhaps that’s a factor, but Ellis hardly hits regardless of the strike zone. He is heading for his second season in the last three below .200. Grandal doesn’t hit much for average, but he has some pop. All in all, if Lucroy is available for a reasonable price we should try to acquire him.
I agree, I’m only commenting that probably four of the strikes called with bases loaded were borderline, (three of them to AJ, plus the strike three call to Walters) leaning toward balls. Makes it harder.
Let’s see if we can do better with RISP today.
Hope we get at least 2 here.
Not a good way to wake up to
It could have been worse, given that Maeda gave up four straight hits after one out. Let’s see what we can do against Ray.
Rough start. Yikes.
Let’s turn off the floodgates.
What a disastrous start.
Following up on the Goldschmidt note, Joe Adcock of the Braves hit 13 homers against the Dodgers in only 17 games and 56 plate appearances in 1956.
Brisbee is the best, especially when the Gnats lose, but he is wrong about
one thing: the balk-off was hysterically funny, and I’ve re-watched it
several times. I’ll never tire of it.