Game 46, 2020

Astros at Dodgers, 5:07 PM PDT, TV: FOX, SPNLA

LHP Framber Valdez (3-3, 3.61 ERA) goes to the mound for the visiting Astros. He’ll face the Dodgers’ LHP Julio Urías (3-0, 3.86 ERA). Valdez has been an innings-eater for the Astros — he’s gone at least seven innings in five of his last six starts. His last one was horrendous, though: he gave up eight runs on 11 hits to the Angels in seven innings (four of those runs were in the seventh, which explains why he wasn’t pulled long before that inning). Urías has struggled with his consistency all year; he gave up four runs in two of his last three starts.

Off-day personnel news: The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson returns from paternity leave; Matt Beaty is sent to USC. The Giants waive Pablo Sandoval.

Seager and Pollock go back-to-back in the third inning of Thursday’s game:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1930 The last major league bounced home run is hit by Dodger catcher Al Lopez at Ebbets Field as the NL joins the American League, which had enacted the rule change in 1929. The player who hits the ball over the wall on a bounce will now be awarded a ground-rule double.
  • 1932 In the bottom of the ninth, Johnny Frederick hits his major league record-setting sixth pinch-homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Cubs. The Brooklyn outfielder’s major league mark will not be broken for 68 years until another Dodger, Dave Hansen, strokes seven round-trippers coming off the bench in 2000.
  • 1953 The Dodgers clinch a pennant at the earliest date ever in baseball history with a 5-2 victory over the Braves at County Stadium. Carl Erskine gets the win when Brooklyn, who clinches consecutive titles for the first time in franchise history, goes up 13 games up on Milwaukee with 12 left to play.
  • 1962 One game behind the front running Dodgers, the Giants lose Willie Mays, their All-Star center fielder, when he is hospitalized for nervous exhaustion. The ‘City by the Bay’ will drop six games in a row, but will recover along with ‘Say Hey Kid’ in time to beat Los Angeles in a playoff to win the National league pennant.
  • 1963

    “I look up into the stands, and it looks like Ebbets Field. The Mets are wonderful, but you can’t take the Dodger out of Brooklyn” – DUKE SNIDER, – addressing the Mets fans on his special night at the Polo Grounds.

    In a pregame ceremony with his former Dodgers teammates, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, and Ralph Branca in attendance, Duke Snider is honored by the Mets with a special ‘night’ at the Polo Grounds, which coincidentally marks the last time the Giants, now located in San Francisco, will ever play in their once long-time home in Harlem. The ‘Silver Fox’, obtained by the last-place expansion team in April, has recently requested to be traded to a contender.

  • 1995 During a WGN pre-game radio broadcast at Wrigley Field, Cubs announcer Harry Caray remarks to the team’s skipper Jim Riggleman, “Well, my eyes are slanty enough, how ’bout yours?”, referring to Hideo Nomo, the Japanese rookie hurler scheduled to start for the Dodgers. The veteran announcer, known for not backing off for his on-the-air off-handed comments, does issue an apology, calling the incident “unfortunate.”
  • 2000 On the same date the mark was established 68 years ago, Dave Hansen breaks Johnny Frederick’s 1932 record for pinch-hit home runs in a single season with his seventh round-tripper coming off the bench. The Dodger pinch-hitter’s historic homer, a seventh-inning three-run blast off Diamondback right-hander Curt Schilling, isn’t enough to prevent the team’s 5-4 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark.

Lineup when available.

222 thoughts on “Game 46, 2020

  1. Maybe this will be the best thing for the Dodgers to have this happen now. So that they can figure out a different strategy in the playoffs. Doc has to manage that a lot better from now on.

  2. I didn’t want to see Jansen tonight and would have given him only three batters if he didn’t have any outs. Roberts can be stubborn. I have said that before.

  3. We know what Roberts is going to say: “I don’t regret leaving Kenley in there.” “I’d do the same thing again.” “He had good stuff.” “He’s still my closer.” Blah, blah, blah. I’m just glad I didn’t see the 9th inning.

  4. Any other bullpen pitcher would have been pulled but this notion of the untouchable closer hurts the game and hurt us tonight.

  5. I just read the play-by-play — I hadn’t been watching — Roberts once again shows he has some blind spots when it comes to understanding pitching.

  6. Sac fly but as Winnipeg Dave said if this pitcher had come in right away we would still be ahead. Infuriating.

  7. These are the times I am baffled by managers. I remember Mattingly would get this look in his face and just watch a pitcher drown.

  8. It’s as if Kenley can’t do it unless he puts a man on. I would sure love to see a clean inning from him.

  9. It’s as if Kenley can’t do it unless he puts a man on. I would sure love to see a clean inning from him.

  10. I agree with Orel who suggests that you shouldn’t be ruled out on an overslide at 2nd or 3rd unless you were trying to get up and advance to the next base.

  11. Sweet outing by Urias. A few more walks than you want and a few less K’s but other than that it was pretty smooth.

  12. Nice. Wow – it’s crazy that these days a 5 inning outing seems like a lengthy start for a starting pitcher!

  13. It was cool hearing more sound coming from the mic on Max at bat. Perhaps a field mic would be an interesting addition there.

  14. All of the on air conversation with Max reminds me of the old Mad Magazine cartoon about announcers getting up close and personal with athletes. The punchline was an announcer going off a 10 meter diving board with an Olympic diver asking him about his dive. The diver just said he planned to get out of the water as quick as possible because of the live transmission electrifying the water. The announcer was screaming to cut transmission in the last panel!

  15. I really miss walking up Vin Scully Drive and finding my seat and watching the game with the hills across from me, surrounded by my Dodger peeps while bantering with you guys.

  16. Sad that neither JT or Joe Kelly will be a part of this 2 game series. I think they would bring extra fire into the games.

  17. I’m in a grumpy mood today. Feeling the apocalyptic times. I’m counting on our team to pull me out!

  18. We live in strange times my friends. I find myself comforted by the sight of the cardboard cutouts rather than the strange digital crowd shown at times by a certain tv network.