Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: ESPN2, SPNLA, CS-BA
The Dodgers ask Rich Hill (12-4, 2.06 ERA) to continue the excellent work he’s done in his first four starts for the team, although he did stumble his last time out when he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings against the D-Backs. Those were the first four runs he’d given up since he came to the Dodgers, so they can be forgiven. He’ll face Johnny Cueto (16-5, 2.86 ERA), who’s been a horse for the Giants all year long. This will be his fifth start against the Dodgers this season. He gave up six runs to them in April but has given up two runs or fewer in each of the last three times he’s faced them.
Turner on Cueto:
“He only throws three pitches, but with the slide-step and hesitation, it feels like nine or 10 pitches,” said Turner. “He changes the tempo, and it messes with my timing. For me, it’s a fight because of my leg kick. That quick pitch, it makes it hard for me to get the leg kick. I try to anticipate the quick pitch every time and be ready to go. It’s a cat-and-mouse game every time. He’s one of my favorite guys to face.”
Personnel news: Wood activated from DL, Norris DFAed to make room on the 40-man roster.
The Dodgers’ record after 150 games this season is identical to their record after 150 games last season.
Lineup when available.
Tonight’s Dodger lineup:
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
González 1B
Grandal C
Reddick RF
Toles LF
Pederson CF
Hill P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2016
NPUT
Photo of the week: https://twitter.com/LiveBreatheLA/status/778091829552115712
To be honest, glad it ended up 2-0. 1-0 on that Nunez home run would have been more bitter. To me it looked like it hit the top of the wall and came back into play. Should have been a triple I thought.
Much ado about nothing . . .
Big wheels keep on spinning . . .
How frustrating
Frustrating at the ravine, as well.
Gotta be!
Steiner said they didn’t have the energy from last night but he attributed that to the Puig-Bumgarner undercard.
Not tonight, looks like. Drat it. Oh well, it’s why you always want to win the first game of the series against your closest chaser.
Need to somehow beat Moore tomorrow or else the good work from the first game is really undone.
This is not going to happen, is it?
Not tonight, anyway.
Puig, Ethier and Utley. Doesn’t fill me with too much confidence.
Casilla needs to get warm, too.
Hopefully Romo had to wait so long he comes in cold. And gets hit hard.
Three outs to get three runs.
Two would even be enough to start.
This part of the game is making me a little nuts. The never ending inning here.
Wished they would have used Blanton this inning.
1-0 would feel easier than 2-0, for sure.
Exciting start, slow finish so far.
Dullsville right now.
The pitch before looked close, too, at least from up here.
On TV it looked like a ball.
That makes me feel better, actually.
Glad to help.
It will only make the 9th more dramatic.
Un-Dayton-like.
Booooooo…..
On to the 9th.
Where’s that terrible bullpen tonight?
Hopefully waiting until the last possible second. Like last night.
Score. Some. Runs.
Could last night repeat itself so closely?
I would be fine if the Dodgers exploded for a run here. Switch it up a little from yesterday.
2 runs would be okay too.
Strained groin for Cueto.
That’s what it looked like.
They may have to amputate.
Would prefer Dayton here.
Quiet crowd.
Hush.
It’s hot and humid, and a slow game.
Let’s break the lefty curse, right here!
Or not.
So, who gets to blow the save tonight?
Any word on Cueto?
Nothing that I’ve heard.
Not game-related but only time I have to comment and too good to miss. From six fantastic stories from Vin Scully’s conference call.
“I’ll always remember the worst pun I ever gave was in the Coliseum. Joe Torre was the catcher and he caught a foul tip off his hand. He had to come out of the game. But the next day he played third base, and I was just talking to the fans and somehow this came out. I said, ‘Well, there is Joe playing third. If he does not ever put the gear back on behind the plate, he will forever be known as Chicken Catcher Torre.’ The groan from the crowd of 50-, 60,000 was something that I’ll still remember to my dying day.”
http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2016/09/19/202213816
Bochy just burned a pitcher out of the bullpen, I think. He ran out, then had to run back.
Did we burn Ethier?
I couldn’t tell. Puig for Joc, maybe?
According to the box score – no extra pitchers or batters were used.
So he was merely shamed.
In a just world, the injured pitcher would have been BadGums.
I agree. Hate to see Cueto limping off.
Man you really like thinking about injured Giant players.
I can sympathize with Cueto, but not with BadGums.
I think he may have pulled something. That’s too bad.
Bullpen time!
Cueto is acting like he’s cramping or something.
Is the crowd booing?
Disappointed that Hill couldn’t pitch at least 6 innings.
Blister-paranoia.
How many pitches will Cueto get?
Eight hits, nothin’ to show for them. Yet.
Cueto is fun to watch, even if he is a Gnat.
Agreed. Even as a Giant he is easy to appreciate and enjoy.
He takes joy in the game.
That makes him the anti-BadGums.
He lacks Gnattitude.
I’m not a fan of the whole “Gnat” thing, but I must say “gnattitude” has a ring to it.
Nattitude been used here in DC for several years.
It doesn’t have the same meaning in the District, though.
I step out for a minute, and look what happens – you guys slacked off.
Well, that was weird. At the game, and I thought Toles deflected it with his glove, but no.
I recall another game where the Giants were leading 1-0 against the Dodgers.
Close game. Dodgers have seemed to have stopped getting to 2nd now. They die at 1st instead.
Hill with the big k there.
need to hold here
opportunities lost
Hill is a master of the
“incomplete sentence?” 🙂
hill.
thanks, the suspense was killing me 🙂
Looks like Cueto would have been a fun guy to have on the team.
I enjoy watching Cueto. He doesn’t bother me at all as a Giant player.
I think there were (and are) some concerns about Cueto’s health.
Healthy smile.
2 on nobody out, leading to no runs. Let’s not play that movie 2 innings in a row please.
The Gnats are fundamentally unsound.
Little Toles Cannon!
I like the reference.
Out at third. Nice play by Toles!
Clever of Nunez to go to 3rd, the ratfink.
He made a good play to be sure.
I love lead off singles!
Especially when they are followed by another hit.
Gee I wish Puig was leading off here
Prefer that this thing cool down. Don’t see much to be gained by pressing on it.
Those giants being 0-4 this year when Mad Bum starts against the Dodgers is enough for me.
True, he probably went too far if the sending the shirt is true
interesting choice to bunt second batter up
Trying for a base hit. Guy is fast (and not a bad bunt). Hill is a surprising good fielder, even with that little kick at the end.
Vin with T-shirt talk!
Nunez: Down and out in Beverly Hills – or at least 2nd base at Dodger Stadium.
Could do without a lead off single by Nunez
but erased anyway!
Pretty sure Wood is an upgrade from Norris.
See you Bud. We will always have that 5-0 win vs Colorado on Canada Day.
Nud made his contribution, even if a small one.
3-3 and era over 6. Small is accurate.
We’ll vote him a partial share of the WS winnings.
Brilliant. He and Kershaw can split one.
https://twitter.com/McCulloughTimes/status/778409015290114048
it will probably come back to him as a pile of ashes
Gee I hope Puig is in the lineup tonight
I see he is not (a shame)
I expect he will be v. a lefty tomorrow, and that’s fine.
Mad bum will give it to Sales to cut up.
JDL and Puig seem to be fast friends. Hopefully that will be a good and productive pairing for a while.
What will BadGums do? https://twitter.com/YasielPuig/status/778357897696677888
If the guys don’t behave themselves I can see this as the new gesture for when they reach base after a hit. Recall a few years ago when Hanley did the goggles thing and now the fireworks gesture that AGON does. If so, things could get ugly real quick with the giants tonight.
Sure would be interesting if a situation arose that Bochy would use Bumgarner as a pinch hitter in tonight’s game. Probably another reason he was pulled early last night.
Hopefully a better record post-150 games this year!
I would be okay if they finished with the same exact record as last year, as long as they go further into the post season.
That’s what I was trying to say.