Game 131, 2017

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 3:40 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A, MLBN

Ryu v. Ray. Sounds like an MMC card, doesn’t it? Nope, it’s the Dodgers’ lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-6, 3.34 ERA) going up against the D-Backs’ LHP Robbie Ray (10-5, 3.06 ERA).

In his last nine starts Ryu is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 49Ks. He held the Pirates to one run over six innings in his last start and was rewarded with the win. Ray’s last start was his first in a month; he gave up one run to the Mets in five innings and got a win. He’d been on the DL since July 28 with a concussion and related symptoms.

Where do Ryu and Kenta Maeda fit in the post season? Eric Stephen has thoughts.

Curtis Granderson’s foundation is donating 25K to the Houston Food Bank.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1918 At the Polo Grounds, the Giants beat the Dodgers, 1-0, on an unearned run in the bottom in the ninth in a contest that takes only fifty-six minutes to complete. Pete Compton’s base hit off Jack Combs plates Larry Doyle, who had singled to lead off the frame and moved to third on Ollie O’Mara’s errant throw on a sacrifice bunt.
  • 1952 Nine-time All-Star infielder Arky Vaughan drowns with a friend when their boat capsized while fishing in a volcanic lake near Eagleville, CA. The former shortstop and third baseman, who compiled a .318 batting average and a .406 on-base percentage playing with the Pirates and Dodgers, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
  • 1966 Sandy Koufax, in his final decision facing the Mets, lasts only two innings, losing to Bob Friend at Shea Stadium, 10-4. The Dodgers Hall of Fame southpaw has compiled a 17-2 record against the lowly expansion team since their inception in 1962.
  • 2000 Earning his 1,600th victory, Braves’ manager Bobby Cox passes former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda on the career list for most managerial victories. His 5-2 victory over the Reds puts him 14th on the all-time list.
  • 2015 The NL’s eventual 2015 Cy Young Award recipient Jake Arrieta, needing just 116 pitches, beats Los Angeles, 2-0, tossing the 12th no-hitter ever thrown at the Chavez Ravine ballpark, and the 13th no-no in Cubs history. The contest marks the second time in ten games the Dodgers has been unable to get a hit, after being held hitless by Astros right-hander Mike Fiers on August 21.

Lineup when available.

Note Bellinger’s return to the lineup at 1B. To make room for him the Dodgers optioned Kyle Farmer back to OKC. Seager is still nursing his elbow, I imagine.

99 thoughts on “Game 131, 2017”

  3. Losing to the Snakes at Chase? Baseball back to normal. Gotta love the challenge of beating Greinke there to avoid the sweep.

  4. Unable to make the 3:40 am starting time for me. Next game at 9:40 pm looks more promising for viewing.

  6. I’m just hoping this isn’t the other shoe dropping.
    They talked before about going to the park each game, EXPECTING to win. Also hope that continues.

  19. I’m starting to take this personally. I stopped watching at 6-0. Came back to see bases loaded there and then the rally ended.
    Dodgers don’t want to score much while I’m watching apparently.

  30. I don’t like this any more than the rest of you do, but let’s have some perspective – this has been a magical season. Every other team in baseball would love to be where the Dodgers are now.

    • I was thinking about this as I biked home from work today. I realized losing a few games now is a bit of blessing in disguise. I was thinking about how much I can’t get into the games at the end of the season – the one after Dodgers either clinch or get eliminated.
      This prolongs meaningful games.

  33. What’s Roberts waiting for? Or is this to demonstrate our backing for South Korea?

  38. Does not look good for the good guys – – again. This is definitely an often heard refrain over these last 10 games.

  41. What worries me is that this series will allow Arizona to feel empowered with delusions of grandeur should we meet them in the NLDS.

    • Totally legitimate – – you’re only as good as your current game regarding that day’s outcome

  43. Zack is going vs. Blue manana. He was always great when pitching after a Dodger loss.

  44. Moral victory — only 3 runs instead of 5 in the first inning.
    Sure hope the bats show up again.

    • We’ve now allowed nine first inning runs in the last three games: one, five and 3.

      • The machine is not running on all cylinders now.
        Hopefully the bats can pick up the SP.

        • A.E. Housman, a great poet. One of my favorite poems is his “To An Athlete Dying Young.” When I was the sports editor of the Daily Cal at Berkeley in 1970 I ran it in the sports section.

        • I was going to comment that that did a lot to stabilize me.
          I never thought they should put much stock into the “most wins in a season” for two reasons: Golden State Warriors & Seattle Mariners.

  51. Let’s go Dodgers! (About to exercise and watch. See you on the other side of Elliptical-ing.)

  52. Through his first eight games since returning to OKC Joc is 5-for-33 (.152) with 9 Ks and 2 BBs. He has driven in 3 runs and scored 2. He has no homers. All this is before tonight’s game.

  53. I don’t think Forsythe, batting 5th, can protect Bellinger, batting 4th. I don’t think Cody will see many good pitches tonight. I know Forsythe has a pretty good OBP, but he seems to fail in the clutch frequently. I’d rather have seen Barnes in the 5 hole tonight.

  56. I had never heard of Eagleville. I had heard of Arky Vaughan, but was unaware that he was such a leaky glove.

    • Hadn’t realized that Arky met his fate this way. One of my prized possession is a photo of my diminutive mother-in-law from 1948 standing between him and Preacher Roe.

      • The closest thing I have to that is an Elginland Oldtimers 1953 membership card for Lefty Gómez that is also signed by Jocko Conlan. It was gift from my Chicago-area uncle.

        I had a whole slew of Tacoma Giants scorecard programs with autographs from Matty Alou, José Pagán and many others but, somehow, they disappeared from my mother’s house.

        • A whole lot of baseball cards I had got attached to bicycle spokes. The closest I came to “Mom threw out all my ____” was fraternity mementos Dad dumped when cleaning his mother’s garage.

          • I remember reading that the Dodgers were quite torn up when they learned of the popular Vaughan’s drowning. He had played with them in ’42, ’43. ’47 and ’48. He was born in Arkansas but he got the nickname although he moved away before he was 1. Wikipedia says that he and a friend were fishing when, according to a witness, the friend stood up in the boat, which then capsized, and both men drowned.

  57. Still rather see Joc than Grandy, but class move on his donation. Even prior, belived him to be one of the really good guys in the game.