Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 PM PDT, TV: FS-A, SPNLA
The Dodgers ask RHP Kenta Maeda (7-1, 3.61 ERA) to complete the sweep against the Diamondbacks’ RHP Jon Duplantier (1-0, 3.18 ERA). Maeda made five starts in May, going 4-0 and recording a 2.73 ERA. Duplantier made his sixth big league appearance and first start last Friday against the Mets, giving up three runs on six hits in five innings, leaving with no decision.
Here’s Bellinger’s 8th outfield assist of the year from Tuesday night:
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1977 On Old Timers’ Day, the Dodgers retire former manager Walter Alston’s uniform number 24. ‘Smokey’ compiles a 2040-1613 (.558) record along with seven pennants that results in four World Championships during his 23 years in the dugout.
- 2015 Current Dodger Pat Venditte becomes the first full-time switch-pitcher in the modern era when he tosses two scoreless frames in Oakland’s 4-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The A’s ambidextrous reliever faces the minimum six batters in his two innings, allowing a single to Hanley Ramirez before getting an inning-ending double play in the seventh and then proceeds to pitch a perfect eighth.
Lineup when available.
Today's Dodger lineup at D-backs:
Pederson LF
Muncy 1B
Turner 3B
Bellinger RF
Seager SS
Taylor 2B
Verdugo CF
Smith C
Maeda P#Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/TlAu7ojZPe— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 5, 2019
After yesterday’s results, Dodgers’ lead over Rox has shriveled to just 10 games, 11 over Pads, but they gained half a game on the Gnats (who now trail by 17).
Still the best record in baseball, though, by half a game over the Minute Maids.
Will Smith has no complaints. https://twitter.com/azfreedman/status/1136743877782773761?s=20
I have a D-Day story, with a Southern California connection, on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/299468063471006/photos/a.377503972334081/2342088799208912/?type=3&theater
An excellent story!
Wonderful and poignant story. Thank you for sharing it.
What a story. Thank you – and thanks to him.
Interested in working on a screenplay?
Both Yanquis and Twinkies lost, and the Minute Maids are getting squeezed in Seattle, so the Dodgers should still have baseball’s best record in the morning.
Joe Kelly is getting a bobblehead night. (And no, this is NOT an Onion article.)
Pads are blowing one to the Fillies, but now the Fillies are trying to give it back.
Not so fast, say the Pads.
Gnats got blanked by Cy candidate Jason Vargas, and Cachorros are looking to blow it open v. the Rox. Given the Dodgers’ loss, this would be optimal.
Vargas chucks a shutout. Even if it is the Giants, that really is a shocker to me given his history with the Mets.
“We’ve replaced Jason Vargas with a real pitcher. Let’s see if anyone notices.”
From the days when the NBA actually interested me… https://twitter.com/TheOnion/status/1136444878664151046?s=20
I stepped out to play in a Wednesday evening golf league and had to leave the Dodger broadcast. Glad I did.
The Pads have lost to the Fillies, so they remain 11.5 games behind the Dodgers. Gnats and Mutts just starting, Rox and Cachorros in less than an hour.
Two Weds games for me. Missed the first one at 2:30 am in London, but should be able to see part of the 9:40 pm game here in Lago di Como.
You weren’t out on the tiles at 2:30 am? I’m sorry to hear it.
Most games for me here are experienced as recaps with coffee in the morning. Last year it was the June turnaround. The year before, the August-September 1-17 swoon.
Lago di Como is one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. Have you ever walked through the gardens near Bellagio?
It truly is. Yes have walked the gardens there.!
It’s that damn Greenwich Meridian…
Almost took a trip out there to the observatory. Next time.
I hiked over there going thru the tunnel under the Thames. Twice.
I had a good steak for lunch on the shore of that Lake, way back in 1984.
Next game Friday afternoon.
Friday evening, at Software Stadium.
Saturday 4:15 am for me.
Why not walk the bases full?
Fatigue?
??
As in, let’s just take our chances because it’s the end of a series and the bottom of the eleventh. I know, it doesn’t make a helluva lot of sense. Maybe I’m the fatigued one!
They seem pretty excited.
They did well to salvage this one.
Yup. Cooked.
Rats. Oh well, 7-game winning streak is nothing to sneeze at.
We’re in trouble now…
Yikes. I actually thought that one was gone.
Godley gets ungodly.
Now, Dodgers, get some runs because I need a nap!
Nice play by Munster, bad bunt by Locastro.
Chicken Strip meltdown?
Good grief. WP instead of DP.
We need our own DP. STAT.
Less so now.
Bad future person?
Walk.
I’m not feeling so confident right now.
JT DP. Oh well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4HGlmtOcg
Crazy good play by Ahmed, darn it.
No decision for Maeda.
Bummer.
Drat.
Mier-coles…
Well, that sucks.
Like the Tony Kubek bad hop in the 1960 World Series!
Well, it didn’t hit Muncy in the neck.
Fortunately!
That snapped a string of seven straight Ks for Max.
Close one today. Can we pull it off?
It would be great to double our run total in the 8th or 9th.
As the Wrigleys would say… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHfjdxN1URI
Late to today’s game: Was Maeda tiring?
Apparently, they don’t trust him the third time through the order.
Got it. Thanks.
What was Baez’s excuse?
He can’t be blamed for that bad hop. Hershiser thought the ball hit the bag, it took such a drastic jump.
More a comment on pulling Maeda so early than on Baez, but Baez did hit Locastro to put him on.
That’s Locastro’s MO. He recently got three HBPs in one game.
Easy inning for Julito.
Interesting story over on slate.com. It’s an article excerpted from the new book, “The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players.” Of particular interest is the story of how Justin Turner went from punch and judy utility infielder to the heart of the Dodger order (and again, how the Mets did something Mets-like by jettisoning both JT and Daniel Murphy after they changed their swings).
“Isaac Newton is my favorite hitting coach.”
GREAT line!
Isaac Newton couln’t hit an apple if it fell on his head.
Maybe he could if he used a tennis racket!
Maybe so.
Stub Hub ads are such a loud nuisance.
Maybe the Dodgers won’t send Smith down when Barnes returns.
Certainly suggesting he belongs, but guessing that they want him to get the playing time that he wouldn’t get between Austin-Martin.
Is that James Bond’s Goldfinger car?
The worst ads are the ones with the Busted Poseur shilling for Toyota.
I expect Smith goes down, but he’ll certainly be back in September at the latest.
I would be amused if the Dodgers acquired his namesake reliever from the Gnats, for an all Will Smith battery at some point.
We are doing it from every corner!
Will!!!
Where there’s a Will…
https://www.fangraphs.com/teams/dodgers
I think this overrates the Gnats’ playoff odds.
Batter up!
LAT’d but worth revisiting. https://twitter.com/themunson/status/1135556964228821000