Game 136, 2017

Dodgers at Padres, 1:40 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD

The Dodgers ask LHP Alex Wood (14-1, 2.41 ERA) to help them salvage a split in this series, while the Padres ask RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-10, 4.03 ERA) to help pull off an unlikely series win.

Wood is coming off the disabled list where he’d been with an irritated sternum; he’s been given a cortisone injection. Despite that he’s having a career year. Chacin has been unable to get past the fifth inning in his last four starts but has limited the opposition to one run in three of them.

Seager and Bellinger have not been in the lineup together since August 19. The Dodgers are averaging 3.14 runs-per-game in the two weeks since.

This day in Dodgers history:

  • 1917 Grover Cleveland Alexander goes the distance in both games of the Phillies’ doubleheader sweep of Brooklyn at Ebbets Field. In his 18 innings of work, the Philadelphia right-hander limits the Dodgers to seven hits en route to posting 5-0 and 9-3 victories in the twin bill.
  • 1978 At Dodger Stadium, Lee Mazzilli becomes the first Mets player to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in a game. The center fielder’s first and seventh inning blasts, respectively hit off southpaw Tommy John and right-hander Charlie Hough, pace the last-place club to an 8-5 victory.

Lineup when available.

207 thoughts on “Game 136, 2017

  1. How long has it been since we’ve said ‘Glad the Dodgers are out of San Diego!’???

  2. Puig has generated WAR 3.3 this year, more than double that of the past two years combined. While his oWAR is 1.5, exactly double, his defense has contributed 1.4, as opposed to only 0.2. The rest is from improved base running.

  3. Okay, I am now going to exercise while watching two teams I don’t care about play. (NYY and BRS)

  4. I know Joc isn’t hitting well, but I would feel badly for him if he isn’t called back up. Doc didn’t sound that hopeful today.

    • Imagine he stays until the end of the season there to get his reps, before rejoining the club.

  5. Brewers only 1/2 back from Rockies for second wild card position. And the D-backs are 10 and 0. Wow.

    • At least three of those series are vs. playoff-hopeful/bound teams. They should be interesting.
      Hopefully not the same type of interesting as these last three series.

      • Very interested in how Doc approaches the Nats series (because I will be there!), as Dusty will be gunning for bear. Expect there to be a playoff atmosphere in the stadium. Depending on where we are by then, wouldn’t be surprised if Doc played possum and continued with his ways. Dusty would be fit to be tied. Why show them what we got.

        • That should be exciting for you .. . unless you get a game like I had yesterday with the AAA players — and Brock — starting. (Tho in retrospect, Stewart didn’t do that bad.)

  6. Sincerely, thanks to everybody for your lively and thoughtful comments and your pleasant way of debating. You made today’s loss, and many in the recent past, much more tolerable. Until tomorrow night.

    • This site is definitely a lifesaver, attitude-wise.
      As I said before, the definition of friends applies: A place to double the joy and halve the sorrow.

    • Cheers–
      Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
      Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
      Wouldn’t you like to get away?
      Sometimes you want to go
      Where everybody knows your name,
      and they’re always glad you came.

  7. That truly sucked. I hated several of the umps’ calls, but the Padres just flat out out-pitched and out-hit us.

  8. We open a three-game series at home tomorrow vs. the Diamondbacks, who are about to be 13 1/2 games behind. Colorado then comes in for four.

  9. A last thought on OBP. Steve Sax was our second baseman in 1988, the last time we won the pennant (and the World Series). His OBP was .325, considerably lower than Forsythe’s .364 this season (before today). Who would you rather have play second base? Sax. One reason is that Sax hit .348 in the more significant (in my mind, at least) “late and close” category compared to Forsythe’s .196 this season (before today).

  10. 6 outs to go . . . are these gonna be quality at bats or what we’ve seen too often lately?

  11. If they don’t pull this out, it’s three series losses in a row, including a 3-game sweep and a doubleheader sweep . . . by the Padres.

    8 of 9 losses, most before the callups, so one would assume they were really trying to win those.

    Pregame show, Mo said the players were frustrated and ready to score. The former probably true but that didn’t make it happen.

    Can’t expect to flip a switch and win. I really want them to at least TRY to win, from the starting lineup to the in-game decisions.

  12. Why is Roberts throwing a rookie reliever who has no chance of being on the post-season roster and who has kicked around in the minors for 12 seasons into a close and meaningful game?

    • At this point guessing that Doc feels like the only meaningful games are post-season ones.

      • I really like Roberts, but as I — and others have written — one can’t expect to suddenly just winning just because you want to (and if they can, why haven’t they these last two weeks?).
        If that IS his feeling, I can only assume that the players aren’t stressing and he’s not worried about mo factor.
        But it’s one thing to lose 3 in a row to end the season when you have Koufax and Drysdale (as I believe was the case in ’63). Another when you have Kershaw and ??????.
        Yes, i know there’s 4 weeks to go . . . but two weeks ago there were 6 and those two have stunk.

        • Winning is great and they are playing poorly right now for a variety of reasons, but momentum is not correlated with success in the post season.

          • I’m not in the clubhouse, but I know my confidence goes down when I’m not able to do what I did before. — in sports and other aspects.

  13. Okay this is like we are back to how we played in April, just like our season has been book ended by two bad months.

  14. Apparently this string of horrendous games started close to the publication of the SI issue asking if this team is the best ever.

    The UNLV football team was favored by 45 points last night . . . and lost by 3, considered perhaps the worst loss against the spread ever.

    There’s something to say for coming in under the radar.

  15. When Forsythe is up, I think “why not save us time and put up the 0-2?” Okay, I run the risk of breaking a rule here, so I will cease and desist from any more Forsythe complaints. For today.

    • During this stretch, I think that rule can be relaxed.
      Funny, this stretch started with that “interesting game,” also connected with the rules.

    • Fact is that Logan has an OPS+ of 128 with 2 outs RISP and 115 in high leverage situations, which are much better than his overall OPS+ of 87.

        • Bob, and I mean this sincerely, I think that his “late and close” average is a better indication of his ability to contribute. However, we can agree to disagree.

          • Players contribute in a lot of different ways. You chose this indicator because it sums up how you feel about him, but it does not sum up his contributions to the team no matter how far under expectations they may be.

  16. Bumgarner gave up three HRs, 5 ERs, in six innings for the Giants today. But he did hit a homer. Cards leading 7-3 in the 8th, Matt Moore making his first relief appearance of the season. Old friend Federowicz, now catching for the Giants, just homered.

  17. “Lets go, Dodgers!”

    Was fun joining the spontaneous cheering of that at Petco yesterday, then having Padres fans trying to drown us out on the last word. I turned and looked at one such fan and we both smiled. . . . As long as we can all still do that, I think I can remember it’s still just a game. And that IS all it is.

    • Statistically, it should be a given.
      But statistics mean nothing in any given game . . . and the Dodges have played two weeks of those games.

        • Fifth in Ks, but leads team in BB. I comment on his ranking in OBP below. Agree that not a lot of fun to watch and underperforming as regards expectations on the power side.

  18. And again we are hitting them hard but right at them. They are hitting them hard and out, or where we are not.

    • Pads arguing over whether Myers’ throw went into dugout or not. Hedges was in the dugout when he retrieved it.

  19. Well, two of those balls on Wood’s latest walk were called strikes for Chacin, if Gameday Is to be believed. On further review, maybe not.

    • Maybe somebody should wake up Doc, based on some of the lineups he has trotted out there lately. It’s not just using three callups together but batting Forsythe leadoff? I would rather have Pederson, who is still at OKC, playing CF than Verdugo.

      • Logan is third on the team among the regulars in OBP, which is what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do. Joc is trying to work out some issues on the farm. Doc is awake and following a plan of resting and testing personnel and match ups.

        • I know that there are Forsythe supporters out there, and I respect that. I simply am just not one of them. Regarding Forsythe’s OBP, it is good for a leadoff man, But he rarely bats leadoff, and I don’t think that he should. His OPS, which I think is more relevant given where he generally bats — fifth or below — is .683 and lower than those of Turner, Bellinger, Taylor, Barnes, Seager, Puig, Grandal, Pederson, Hernandez and Utley. That is my big concern with Forythe. I acknowledge that Pederson has not regained his stroke in the PCL.

          • Logan not a bad option in a lineup that didn’t feature CT, Seager or Chase in the first game of a doubleheader. One might argue that the main element of his OPS is getting on base, so good to have guys following him who do better in the SLG part of the equation than the OBP part.

  20. Need those two kids healthy and in the lineup, but power outage has been deeper. Seager had his hitting streak, but injury sapped him of his power. He as well as Taylor and Turner all OPSed around .700 during this period, about .200 lower than normal.