NLDS Games Three, 2019

On this day in baseball history Sandy Koufax takes Yom Kippur off, Willie Davis makes three errors in the fifth inning of Game Two of the World Series, Jim Palmer beats Sandy Koufax in the same game, Phil Niekro wins his 300th game, and Lenny Harris surpasses Manny Mota’s career pinch-hit record.

The early game is Braves at Cardinals, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Braves send rookie RHP Mike Soroka to the Busch Stadium mound to face the Cardinals’ veteran RHP Adam Wainwright. Soroka has been sensational on the road; he’s made 16 starts away from home and given up no more than three runs in any of them and no more than two in fourteen. That computes to a road ERA of 1.55. Wainwright will be making his 25th career postseason appearance — his 13th start — and a 3.03 career ERA in those games. He’s been even better at Busch, where he’s got a 1.72 ERA.

Braves lineup:

Cardinals lineup:

The second game is Dodgers at Nationals, 4:45 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Dodgers send LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound to face the Nationals’ RHP Aníbal Sánchez. Ryu’s been dominant at home and a little less so on the road, but as the MLB Game Preview author says, when you lead the major leagues in ERA you pitch well everywhere. Sánchez is substituting for Max Scherzer, who’d originally been penciled in for this start until he struck out the side in the 8th inning in Game Two.

The Dodgers and their families arrived at National Airport yesterday evening. Look at all the daddies holding their children’s hands going down the stairs.

Dodgers lineup:

Nationals lineup:

630 thoughts on “NLDS Games Three, 2019

  1. This has not been a good series thus far for Kendrick, an old friend and a nice guy. Let’s keep it that way. He graciously answered the media’s questions after his problems in Game One. Just like Kevin Brown would not have. I was a sportswriter for a few years and once in a while I would fill in for the beat reporter and cover a Giants or Warriors game. Jack Clark, Jeff Leonard and Frank Robinson were difficult after one game I covered during a very bad Giants season. Robinson had his feet on his desk and answered nearly all my questions with “Yup” or “Nope.” Such responses don’t make a reporter’s job easy. Duane Kuiper and Bob Brenley were quite pleasant. I remember Kuiper sitting on the stool in front of his locker smoking.

  2. In the 1952 World Series Gil Hodges went 0-for-21 but struck out only six times (with five walks). There is a great book by Thomas Oliphant about that and baseball: “Praying for Gil Hodges.” The Dodgers led in the Series three games to two and returned to Brooklyn, only to lose the last two at Ebbets Field to the hated Yankees.

  3. Uh Link? Do we really have well over 600 comments tonight?!!

    Not that I checked or anything but I think that is about 150 more comments that True Blue LA for tonight’s game!

  4. With so many of Washington’s fans behind home plate having departed — abandoning the real expensive seats — it’s nice to see a virtual wall of blue with the camera shot from behind the pitcher.

  5. I wonder how many of the Nat fans there tonight kinda wish it had been Scherzer pitching instead?
    Although obviously Sánchez gave LA all/more than they could handle.

      • Is what disappointed Nats fans are consoling themselves with tonight. (Although – that’s a fairly large consolation.)

          • We can hope to see more of Rodney, perhaps. Corbin could probably relieve in a game five, but would they want to try it again?

  6. Kenley in the 9th in a (relatively) stress-free situation to get some of his confidence back?

  7. Beat LA chants from an emptying stadium when down by 4?
    Doesn’t bother me at all.

  8. I watch when the Dodgers bat. I generally follow the game on Yahoo when Washington bats. It helps keep me calm(er).

  9. The 2019 Dodgers remind me of the Celtics teams of the West/Baylor era. Those Lakers would be so competitive and then the Celtics would go on a 2 minute 19 to 4 run and that would be the ballgame.

  10. A 10-pitch inning. I think we should bring him out for another inning. He’s gotten six outs on 15 pitches.

  11. Regarding Freeze’ hit and as my dad would occasionally say– and I say this to the Nat fans and apologize in advance to those here–Doesn’t that just frost your balls?

  12. At times like this I really question Doc’s thinking. Should have pulled Kelly after first two got on.

  13. Did anybody else notice Joc being the biggest cheerleader after Kike’s hit? That’s one of the things I like about him. He gets taken out with the bases loaded and instead of sulking he leads the cheer.

  14. I just told my wife (of 39 years) that I will pass on dinner for the time being. She understands.

  15. If it bounced 3 times before crossing the plate, he still would have swung at it

  16. Did you know that the Astros did not issue a single intentional walk this year? Not one. A.J. Hinch doesn’t believe in them.

  17. What happened to the team’s improved hitting and scoring runs with 2 outs? I thought that was the thing they were supposed to be more successful at this year??

  18. We are out hitting them. Except for one not so bad bad pitch this game is scoreless.

  19. In the 2017 World Series the Dodgers struck out 65 times in seven games; last year it was 56 times in five games.

  20. I still say we got this. I trust the Dodger hitters to get it going soon. Or later. Some time tonight.

  21. Of our 55 outs thus far, 32 have been by strikeouts, including that one and a total of 12 by Pollock and Bellinger.

  22. As Bob Hendley knows, I have a whole lot of high school classmates in the DC area, and some of them are Nats fans. We are all cordially sneering at each other during this series. I really don’t want to hear those people if we lose, so don’t do that, Dodgers.

    • My son and his wife live in the DC area as well and giving them bragging rights for a whole 2020 would be annoying.

  23. I wonder if they are putting too much pressure on themselves for not winning it all last year?

  24. When I saw the lineup I said to myself that I wish we were starting Kiké over Pollock.

  25. RBI: My stomach is all tied up as well. In fact, I am following the action now on Yahoo,

  26. Oh, brother (and sister), what a disappointing start. And Bellinger and Pollack pick up right where they both left off. Plus, the Nats’ crowd is now really into the game.

  27. I’m more nervous being behind the action and no one posting results yet. Lots of foul balls I guess.

  28. I find it irksome to hear Anglo announcers say Annabelle Sanchez. It’s Ah-NEE-bahl.

  29. Feels like the pressure is on the Dodgers tonight obviously. Don’t want to lose a Sánchez vs Ryu match up tonight and then need to win a Scherzer vs Hill game tomorrow to stay alive.

  30. To ease our nerves, I think Joc should help us out with one of his reasonably regular lead off HR

  31. When a guy’s thrown only two strikes in 12 pitches, why would you swing at anything until there’s a strike?

  32. about out the door to the park. Usual spot right above the Dodgers bullpen. Will try to catch a JT dinger.

  33. The Budweisers are sticking with Wainwright, who’s thrown 118 pitches with two out in the eighth, and has two runners on.

  34. I hope that Washington’s starting pitcher does not do well — perhaps has a horrific game — and that afterwards the Nats manager, Martinez, critiques his performance with an Anibal Lecture. (Yes, I am stretching and, yes, I am nervous about this game, so please excuse me.)

    • Scooplew
      I hope Ryu has a great game and the hitters come alive but I will also take a Nat bad game if that is the only way to get a win. I am also nervous.

      • Whatever it takes to win will do: solid hitting by us, bad pitching by them, unearned runs for us, some bad bounces in our favor, or any combination of those four. I will get in shape for this game by taking a nap now.

  35. If the Nats start Scherzer and Strasburg the next two days, they’ll potentially have Corbin as a multi-inning LHP out of the pen. It strikes me that they’re trying to make the best of a bad bullpen by not using it if they can avoid it.

  36. Huge game for the Dodgers. They do not want to go down 1-2 and be in D.c. but they have an excellent shot with Ryu. Hopefully the right handed lineup is not in but Dave likes it.