Game 93, 2017

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Dodgers at Marlins, 10:10 AM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-F

The Dodgers go for a sweep behind LHP Rich Hill (5-4, 3.69 ERA). He’ll face the Marlins’ LHP Chris O’Grady (1-0, 5.06 ERA).

Hill has struck out 27 in his last 21 innings and gone 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA. All three of those games were quality starts. O’Grady makes his second career start. His first was against the Giants on July 8, when he went 5 1/3 innings, gave up five hits and three runs and got the win. He’s taking the place of Edinson Volquez, who was scheduled to come off the 10-day DL but whose patellar tendinitis hasn’t healed.

This day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1913 In a game against the Cubs, Superbas’ second baseman George Cutshaw handles 14 chances without an error. The infielder’s defensive prowess helps Brooklyn beat Chicago at Ebbets Field, 4-2.
  • 1948 Brooklyn’s Branch Rickey agrees on a deal with Giants owner Horace Stoneham that releases his manager Leo Durocher to become the Giants’ skipper, replacing the popular Mel Ott. Burt Shotton will take the ‘Lip’s’ place in the Dodger dugout.

On this date in 1990 Steve Lyons embarrassed himself dreadfully by dropping his uniform pants while standing at first base after sliding into the bag to beat out a bunt.

Lineup when available.

86 thoughts on “Game 93, 2017”

  4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/07/17/the-los-angeles-dodgers-have-become-baseballs-version-of-the-golden-state-warriors/?utm_term=.e307ba952a42 a little over the top, but the front office has put together a very competitive team in the process of reducing the payroll by about 25% since 2015, with another $40 million off the rolls over the next two years (Ethier and AGone) that shouldn’t negatively effect the product on the field.

  6. Remember Lasorda’s story about being nice to fans because it might bite you if you’re not?

    One of Tommy Lasorda’s go-to stories is about how, as a star-struck 14-year-old, he approached New York Giants outfielder Buster Maynard after a game in Philadelphia and asked him for an autograph. Maynard brushed him off.

    Eight years later, Lasorda was a promising pitcher with the Triple-A Montreal Royals, in the Brooklyn Dodgers chain, when to his surprise he found himself facing a fading former big leaguer trying to hold his job with the minor-league Augusta Yankees: Buster Maynard. Lasorda’s first pitch knocked him down. His second pitch did the same. When Maynard came up again later in the game, Lasorda decked him a third time.

    This time it was Maynard waiting for Lasorda after the game, asking what the heck was going on. Lasorda told him the story of saving up his money to go to a baseball game, only to be ignored by his hero. He concluded the sentiment with, “I wish I had hit you, you busher!”

    Now comes Torii Hunter with a nice story about an encounter with a kid in the stands while Hunter was playing in the minor leagues.

  8. Anyone here over 62 who travels to National Parks, Sites, Refuges and other Park System facilities needs to know the price of a lifetime Senior Pass goes from $10 to $80 effective Aug. 28 of this year. You can beat the increase by going to a nearby park and buying a pass. You can also buy online for $20 if you’re not close to a park. It’ll take about nine weeks to process if you buy online, but you still lock in a cheaper price. I did that because O’ahu has no National Parks. The Big Island has two, Maui has one, and Kauai has one. It seemed cheaper for me to pay $20 online than to buy a plane ticket, car rental and hotel lodging to one of those other alternatives.

  9. I had to follow Gameday on the phone this afternoon, because we took my wife’s cousin – visiting from Argentina – to Sonoma for the day. Almost collapsed in 99° heat, but gelato got me through it.

    I love the way this team keeps adding to its lead. It’s especially gratifying to see the Gnats 29 games out of first.

  10. Thinking about this season so far, I am glad we were not in first place for a while. I feel as if the team is staying sharper because not that long ago it was a three-way race. In fact, I’m finding it hard to believe that we are 101/2 ahead of the D-backs.

    • I was thinking the same thing. It is better to get hot later in the season. Colorado and Arizona are exhibit A and B on that thought.

    • I heard Mo on the radio yesterday say that if you convened a panel of six people there’d be six different opinions of what was a balk and what was not. I believe it. After 55 years of baseball I still don’t quite get all the distinctions between what is and what ain’t.

        • Not really all that confusing, but up to the judgement of the ump. There are several features to the rule that umps look for. One concerns the runner on first and where the right leg of a left handed pitcher is relative to the rubber when he throws to first. This is the one that Urias seems to violate in the eyes of some observers, but umps have largely favored him and his move. The second is when a pitcher in the stretch position makes a movement after coming to a stop that does not lead to a pitch. The third is failing to come to a stop in the stretch position, which is what they called on Jansen today.

          • So, failing to come to a stop before he starts the pitch or after he finishes it? Sorry to be so obtuse.

          • In the stretch, the pitcher needs to come to a stop in his motion before throwing the ball. (It looked like Kenley had)

          • In the end, the rule is designed to prevent pitchers from fooling the base runner. Like I care.

    • Oops, forgot that there is another balk they recently added, which is that a pitcher cannot fake a throw to third and then throw to first. Heaven knows why they decided to include this as well.

    • There is no certainty in baseball, but a Kenley save is about as close as you can get.

  18. Bellinger’s got some wit. From the LA TImes:

    All the players were entranced by Judge, the New York Yankees’ 282-pound goliath, who drove four balls more than 500 feet each. Bellinger and Blackmon are each listed at 210 pounds, and Bellinger said he joked to Blackmon: “We’re 100 pounds too light for this competition.”

  20. All three Marlin outfielders had a chance to catch a ball that would have cleared the fence for a home run. Stanton is the weak link defensively for the Marlins.

  21. Six balls and four strikes on Bellinger in the 7th and 8th inning at bats before a verdict was reached on him. Does that count as two plate appearances or one?

  29. We dodged a bullet that inning, giving up one run, now we need to add more to our lead. Hill has gone five can he do six?

    • Would seem like he is done. No game tomorrow so pen should be available.

  31. Hill has 69 pitches through four innings. He probably won’t go more than six.

  33. WBBsAs: I am going to the A’s game Monday night. If you are going, let me know. I’d enjoy meeting you. (We can work out specifics.)

      • He was a first-round pick by the Red Sox in 1981. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Tom Seaver in June 1986.

        He was obviously pretty well thought of early on in his playing career.

        • Seaver was 41 at the time in what would be his last season. Basically a mid-season salary dump by the Chisox. Lyons had a 9 year career as a utility guy with OPS+ of 77. Well thought of on draft day in 1981 as the 19th pick, but not much after that.