Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A
RHP Kenta Maeda (14-9, 3.28 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and RHP (and old friend) Zack Greinke (12-6, 4.54 ERA) goes for the D-Backs. It’s hard to believe Greinke’s ERA is nearly three runs higher this year than it was last year when he pitched for the Dodgers. He’s gone against them twice this year with vastly different results. On September 5 he gave up eight runs on five homers to them in just 4 2/3 innings, while on June 13 he gave up only two runs in 7 2/3 innings and got the win. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have won seven of Maeda’s last nine starts. He’s pitching on four days rest for the first time since August 9, which may have an impact on him.
Lineup:
Tonight's lineup:
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Grandal C
Reddick RF
Kendrick LF
Pederson CF
Maeda P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2016
NPUT
I hadn’t realized the Yanquis had called up Mason Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9nl3T31wI
Even before B*nds, the Gnats had a criminal history: https://twitter.com/grahamdude/status/777150883196907520
Well, I missed the tension, such as it was. My wife and I spent the evening at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, where we saw (and heard) The Mavericks and Lucinda Williams in the open-air amphitheater. I only saw the scores as we drove back from San José to Oakland.
Thank you all for keeping the Dodgers on the straight-and-narrow. Now we have Stewart tomorrow, I think.
Four up with 15 to go. On this road trip it’s been lose-win-lose-win-lose-win-lose-win. Let’s break the pattern tomorrow night.
No wonder I’m seasick.
It’s a right to the jaw, and a left to the nose, and a right to the chest. The Dodgers are clinging to the ropes. Trying to hang on. And it’s another right to the jaw and THERE’S THE BELL! The Dodgers win this game on points!
Scratching and clawing our way to the finish line.
What 15 games with 12 as magic number (6 wins and 6 giant losses)
And they play each other 6 times! (Dramatic music plays)
Not so dramatic. We split those with them and all we have to do is win 3 more out of 9, whereas they would have to win 7 out of nine. (check my math,please)
Phew-HOO!!!!
Ha!
Ballgame!
We win!
Oh my. How am I going to get through the next two weeks?
Valium? Yoga? Meditation? Go on vacation to someplace where baseball is unknown?
Nah. We’re counting on you to remain a part of these group therapy sessions.
Ha! I already meditate every day and do yoga three times a week (including tonight). So this is my best self already. Drugs are off the table, too. Guess it’s daily doses of Elysian Fields for me!
Double doses, I expect, for all of us. As for me, I am umpiring a doubleheader tomorrow and will miss (at least) the first part of the game. When I finally see the score, I hope it is something like 4-0 Dodgers.
We need a wicked slider.
Keep breathing!
This is torture.
One more strike.
One more out, Kenley. You can do it!
The high wire is starting to fray and unwind.
Stomach hurts.
From too many jabs.
It’s like Toy Story 3 right now.
I will happily welcome a sac fly.
Me, too.
Wishes granted.
Don’t feel good about this turn of events.
Not that bad a pitch, either.
It feels like a decade since we won a game.
7 walks is alot through 8 for any team but extraordinary for the Dodgers.
Can’t believe we only gave up one run with that many walks.
And explains why we have PTSD.
I still can’t breathe.
Kenley has his work cut out for him.
I have to say, you guys are helping me survive this game. I’m so glad you started chiming in.
Still bobbing and weaving.
Go Kenley, go!
Joc trying for an Oscar on that last call.
Dead Man Walking?
Good one. Really good.
I have a thing for one liners and quips. I throw so many out there each day, every day that some are bound to work.
Some I only laugh at to myself because no one else gets or finds them funny.
I know the feeing.
What’s with Joc wearing and then not wearing the cheek flap?
Channelling Jeffrey Leonard. One flap down. Then got tired of it.
Against leftys only now apparently.
Why does it feel like the Dodgers have a 0% of scoring this inning (well the D’backs have like a 50% chance)?
PTSD.
Now I laughed out loud.
Still lead by 2!
I want more.
Yes, tense be we have them right where we want them with Kenley due to take the mound.
Phew!
Tough. When you have thrown so many balls the tendency is to throw one down the middle.
I’m slipping into sarcasm. Calm down, RBI.
We got your back. No worries.
Step away from the keyboard.
And next inning the heavy hitters are back up. Geeze, guys. Make it hard on yourself, why don’t you?
Arghhhh!
I can’t watch.
Oh he so went around. Not.
Bring in Jansen for the four-out save.
Can we bring Dayton back?
Or Jansen in?
Grandal should maybe have a little chat?
Indeed.
Blanton, yer killin’ me!
May need Kenley for 4 out save.
Tonight’s D-back uniform looks like somebody sneezed grape juice all over their backs.
That is an awesome description.
prickly pear cactus wine
Ruh roh.
Blanton not doing his job.
They are not going to let me relax tonight.
Dayton doing his job. True.
Now it’s Blanton.
Yes! Dayton.
Dayton on.
Grandal wishing some of the strikes called against him would have been called for him when Maeda was pitching.
I don’t blame him.
How are we going to solve this lefty puzzle? Any ideas?
Put moustaches on many of the Dodger regulars and get them to turn around and bat from the other side of the plate. Maybe it will confuse the pitchers.
Made me laugh out loud. Had to read to my husband.
Cool!
Phone the studio props department stat!
Wearing glasses has historically worked better. Ask Lois.
We actually hit lefties better last year than righties. Quique was the leading hitter in the MLB against lefties.
So… Regression therapy?
Hope for some of that I suppose. Puig and maybe Quique getting better.
I’m impressed that you knew the plural of lefty was lefties.
I’m guessing Bob H is wicked smart.
It’s late.
It’s more fun to use leftys than it is to apply the standard rule of changing the y to ies to make plural forms though.
Escobar entered the game with an ERA of 8.14 this season, but he’s a lefty.
We’ll bring that down, pronto.
Down to 7.89.
Dodgers walking a tight rope tonight. A run or two more would be a nice safety net.
Blanton in the 8th and Jansen in the 9th, I presume.
Two more rounds . . .
Get Goldy!
Baez did!
And within the hour!
Made me think of Get Shorty.
We’re like a tiring prizefighter ahead on points struggling to reach the 15th round before being knocked out.
Hopefully not knocked out. Hopefully still standing.
Just get the W . . . and survive to fight another day.
Agreed.
The batters ain’t listening to us!
Da noive.
I was about to do a Google search on that foreign language phrase, then I said it to myself! Lol . . . or Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!
Think The Cowardly Lion
I was figuring a Brooklyn Dodger.
That woiks, too!
That’s where I was born. But not on toidy-toid street.
Bob_in_Vegas, you coming up for any games?
I doubt it.
I’ll be in San Diego Monday to Thursday, then back here for work next weekend — would’ve liked to’ve been there for Vin’s weekend, but I’ll take consolation in knowing I was there for what I believe was his first bobblehead night a couple of years ago.
Gotta be honest, RBI — the thought of bucking that LA traffic getting to the stadium just makes me cringe.
On the other hand, the last two times I came down for playoff games, I came straight from Vegas and went south from Pasadena — that was a great, relatively straight shot!
I think of that traffic every time you say you’re there.
I’ll be there for the Tuesday the 20th Vin bobble head night and the Sunday the 25th final day game. I might have two tix available for the 22nd, is why I’m asking.
Thanks for thinking of me, but I’ll be back in Vegas that night.
Here in spirit.
And with my ears, as often as I can listen to Vin these last few games — that’s tough just to type.
Runs runs runs runs runs. Please.
Whew . . . again!
NOW — Let’s. Get. Some. Runs!!!!!
Back to the bats — Mo said they’re 4 for 41 with RISP on this road trip.
That explains 3-4.
People made a thing out of Chavez Ravin. Chavez Ravin Fields I guess is too redundant to comment about.
Get the K or double play!
Fields doing his job. Not.
Redemption — temporarily.
Phew!
Howell’s magic has run out.
Thank you for your three pitches, Mr. Howell. Now please take a seat.
Howell doing his job. Not.
Unfortunately, not unexpected.
Come on, bullpen! Hold this lead.
It looks most definitely that we will need to win to keep our four-game lead. The Giants are battering the Cardinals, 8-1, in the fourth inning.
Sure would like to make both Giants series as irrelevant as possible!
Close at first but he was just out.
Seems like there have been close calls not quite falling our way all over this game.
Good thing we are up 3-1. That softens the blow… but makes me nervous.
Love that Maeda’s 91st pitch was clocked at 91 mph.
Kenta not getting the close calls tonight.
But found a way to get the K.
2 long fly balls against Greinke that inning but nothing to show for them.
Dodger bats haven’t really clicked since that first game in NYC.
Hopefully the pitching carries them until they start hitting again.
This is true. We’ve been hot and cold all season.
For a long time, the same was true of the pitching — that seems to be stronger now.
Hopefully, it’s like a plane — I’ve heard that the vast majority of the flight time, a plane is off course . . . yet (for the most part) they land where they’re supposed to.
In the Dodgers’ case, hopefully everything comes into sync to get them into and through the playoffs.
Turner just missed the timing on that pitch.
I must be about 60-70 seconds behind you. Turner just popped up now.
Both starters over 70 pitches through 4 innings. Get the bullpens ready.
Here come the lefties…
Ugh yeah that’s true.
I jinxed him.
Redemption!
Get the K, K!
He was pretty frustrated in the second inning. Doing better now.
Gnats up 5-0 now. Cards losing their mojo.
Hopefully the Cards can still split the series. Or attack SF’s bullpen tonight.
I’m in favour of Brock Stewart starting instead of Bud Norris. That seems like an upgrade.
Couldn’t agree more.
Okay RBI – I’m feel more alive and will keep the comment thread going with you.
Merci.
Gnats up 3-0. Grrrr.
Segura giveth and Segura taketh away.
Cards pitcher imploding.
Okay, just checking in before I call it a day. Slim lead, but I hope we can score a few more runs.
Tag you’re it
Where are you checking in from?
I have spent the night listening to music. You have had a nice monologue going here.
Wise.
Robbed twice!
Looks like people are out on the town Friday night. Your are now alone RBI. Good night.
I feel lonely.
So close! Kenta almost had a double there.
Okay, Maeda. Revenge would be sweet.
Again with the error. We. Will. Take. Them!
Greinke is slow
Thank goodness. Company!
Not for long thouigh
11:00 in New Hampshire
I was waiting for Joc to come up so Kendricks almost irked me
And he’s walked intentionally.
Unbelievable. Greinke afraid of Joc
Hello? Tap tap tap. Anybody out there?
Giants just won a scoring play by the Cards. Was 1-0. Back to 0-0, three outs.
Announcers now saying it’s the D-backs pitching that sucked all year, so what do I know?
That’s okay, too.
Sure would love a DP here.
Just our luck, too, that the D-backs bats choose now to heat up.
It’s interesting. The D-backs offense right now is the offense I was afraid they’d be, but didn’t show up until very recently. The offense Greinke, too, expected.
I just got home from work. So tired this week that when I put the game I zone right out. Not sure how much – or how well – I will contribute here tonight.
Aren’t we all just day-to-day.
I can breathe again.
Whew.
Self-inflicted damage, but could’ve been worse.
C’mon, bats!
C’mon, Kenta!
Bases loaded, two of them on walks.
What does Scooby say, RBI?
We’ll take our runs however we can get them.
Runs is runs. 😉
Interesting pitch Greinke is throwing up there