Game 145, 2019

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Giants at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCS BA, SPNLA

The Giants’ RHP Derek Rodríguez (5-8, 5.15 ERA) comes off one of his best games of the year, a one-run seven-inning gem last Tuesday against the Cardinals, and tries to complete a sweep. Julio Urias (4-3, 2.55 ERA) will try to stop it for the Dodgers. Urias went three innings last week in his first appearance after completing a suspension, giving up one run.

There was nary a Dodgers’ highlight in yesterdays game. In case you missed it, there was a complimentary column about Dodger catcher Will Smith in USA Today the other day.

On this day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1955 The Dodgers clinch their eighth National League pennant with a 10-2 victory over the Braves at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Brooklyn’s 17-game lead makes it the earliest date that a team has captured a flag in baseball history.
  • 1957 Before their departure to play on the West Coast for next season, the Dodgers and Giants face one another for the final time in New York. The Jints beat the Bums at the Polo Grounds, 3-2, to finish the intense 68 year-old storied rivalry with a 656-606 advantage over Brooklyn in the battle between the boroughs.
  • 1967 The Mets, at the urging of their fans, honor former Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax, who retired last season when arthritis ended his career prematurely at the age of 30. The Brooklyn-born southpaw, who threw a no-hitter against New York in 1962, started twenty games against the Amazin’s, compiling a 17-2 record that included 14 complete games and 5 shutouts.
  • 2007 Alex Rodriguez, hitting his 50th and 51st home runs, joins Babe Ruth (1920-54, 1921-59, 1927-60, 1928-54), Roger Maris (1961-61), and Mickey Mantle (1956-52, 1961-54) to become only the fourth player in Yankee history to hit 50 or more homers in a single season. The Yankee infielder’s second homer breaks the major league mark of 49 homers hit by a third baseman, shared with Mike Schmidt (Phillies-1980) and Adrian Beltre (Dodgers-2004).
  • 2017 The Dodgers, who just a couple of months ago seemed poised to challenge the major league record of 116 wins in a season, lose again, their 8th straight defeat and 13th in 14 games, as they bow to the Rockies, 5 – 4. They blow an early 4 – 1 lead as D.J. LeMahieu hits a two-run double in the 5th to put Colorado ahead to stay. On a positive note, Yu Darvish records the 1000th strikeout of his career, punching out Carlos Gonzalez in the 5th, becoming the fastest starting pitcher to reach the mark, in 812 innings over 128 games.

Lineup:

156 thoughts on “Game 145, 2019”

  2. Tuesday Theses – Oddly, while expecting Dodgers will clinch today, it’s possible they could do so even before their game in Baltimore ends – the Snakes/Mutts game in Queens starts at the same time, so Dodgers could conceivably “back into it.” It was most disappointing that the Dodgers couldn’t clinch at home in front of Gnats (who managed to totally implode last night against the Bucs at SF’s Software Stadium).

    Except for the Snakes’ and Gnats’ losses, yesterday’s results were sub-optimal. Minute Maids sank the Mariners and Yanks washed the Sawx, so Dodgers trail both teams by two full games. Fillies failed against the Barves, so Atlanta closes the NL gap to just three games.

    Miscellaneous fun fact – last night, the Busted Poseur got his first sac bunt of the season (and his career). He has just six dingers this year, so maybe he’s recognized the need to add a weapon to his offensive arsenal.

  3. Houston, 2019 is starting to look an awful lot like Houston, 2017. Yikes. They are flowing as we are ebbing (just a bit, but still).

    • They have hit five home runs with no one out yet in the second inning, all off Mike Fiers, Oakland’s best pitcher. Yikes. 9-0 in the second inning.

        • Please define “not very good.” I’d say that a pitcher who started tonight with a 14-3 W-L mark, the best winning percentage in the AL, an ERA of about 3.5 and one of two no-hitters this season in MLB to his credit is very good.

  4. The Pirates scored four runs in the top of the ninth against the Giants’ pen and won, 6-4. The crowd at whatever that park by the Bay is now called was 26,826, the smallest home attendance this year for San Francisco. The Dodgers have not drawn any home crowds of fewer than 40,000 this season.

    • I watched the ninth, and it was enormous fun. The Busted Poseur’s now on pace for 6.75 HR and 39.375 RBI, and his defense is catching up – dropped a ball at the plate in a sac fly situation during Pittsburgh’s game-winning rally.

      • Posey is hitting a career low .257 this year and has a career low OPS of .696. He has 11 home runs and 76 RBI in his last 209 games covering this season and last. He is signed through 2021 at $22.18 million for each of the next two seasons.

    • I love the idea, but I’d be glued to the tv and Link’s site either way, so I think I’ll watch from the comfort of my own living room. Plus, sadly, I no longer drink so couldn’t partake in the bubbly.

    • The Captain, the Hall of Famer, the inimitable Pee Wee Reese. And here I thought that you were going to pick Gary Weiss or Derrel Thomas.

  8. Monday Musings – A satisfactory Sunday, even though Yanquis and Minute Maids both remain 1-1/2 games ahead of Dodgers. Latest projections give Houston 105.7 wins, Bronx 105,1, LA 103.5.

    In the NL, Dodgers gained ground on Atlanta (projected 98.9 wins) and now lead Barves by 3-1/2 games again. Dodgers are idle today, but Atlanta faces Fillies’ best starter in Aaron Nola (who, oddly, is from Baton Rouge). Snakes take on deGrom in Queens tonight but, until further notice, the magic number remains Don Demeter.

  9. Six pitchers combine on a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and one walk. [Correction: 11 strikeouts.]

  13. Shifting for the Busted Poseur seems a dubious tactic. He’s a weak singles hitter who can’t get around on the fastball any more.

  15. So far today, Minute Maids are sinking the Mariners as Félix Hernández continues his slide into oblivion. Nats (gnot Gnats) have a 6-1 lead over Barves in seventh, thanks to Scherzer (who also just stole a base and then scored), but he’s thrown lotsa pitches and the Washington pen is always shaky. Snakes and Redlegs now tied 3-3 after eight. Yanquis and Bosox play the Sunday evening blackout.

    • ESPN has to be frustrated. Yankees – Red Sox looked to be a sure bet for playoff-relevant game this late in the season, but look at it. The Sox are something like 16 games behind the Yankees and this game is probably meaningless. The Sox are even 7 1/2 back for a wild card slot.

        • Demeter hit a home run the first time he ever swung at a pitch in the big leagues, From his SABR bio: “Demeter made his major-league debut for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field on September 18, 1956. He struck out in a pinch-hit appearance that day. ‘I didn’t even take a swing. The next night I got to pinch hit again and the first swing I took, I hit a home run. They put me in the Ebbets Hall of Fame because I have a .500 average in Ebbets Field. I had an at-bat in Pittsburgh. I think I grounded out.’ Don finished the season going 1-for-3.” He next appeared with the Dodgers in 1958, their first season in L.A.

  24. Two out in the 7th, no one on base, and Doc pinch hits for Joc. Is it to get Kike’ in the game or does Doc trying to pull a rabbit our of a hat?

    • Doc doing what he does and has been doing for four years now, keeping guys current. Quique getting an at bat worth more to him than Joc getting his 4th.

  25. For a guy barely hitting his weight, Martin has made some significant contributions this season.

  47. What are the Dodgers intentions for Maeda I wonder. Do they really want him to go 3-5 innings out of the pen in the playoffs?

  49. Even if Verdugo comes back, the post-season roster has to find a spot for Beaty, but it won’t be easy.

  61. With the exception of Pollock on Friday night, we’ve looked mostly pitiful at the plate in the first 20 innings of this series. As RBI said last night, we are not now looking like a championship team.

    • Limping toward October so far. It starts with the bad pitching and trickles down through the entire offense. Only positive is the bullpen has been much better, so if everyone else finds their footing we are in good shape.

  66. In Atlanta, old friend Javy Guerra is trying to hold on to an eight-run lead. The early returns are not promising.

    • I know the injury and missing a month took a toll on him, but it has nonetheless still been a relatively disappointing season for Seager.