Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN
18 of the Dodgers’ final 22 games are against division opponents. 19 of the Giants’ final 22 games are against division opponents. The NL West championship is going to be decided this month, although perhaps not in games the two teams play against one another. Their last meeting is a three-game series ending on the 24th of September in Los Angeles. After that the Dodgers close out the season with three games at home against the Rockies, while the Giants go home to play the Padres for four games.
It starts tonight as Dan Haren (11-10, 4.27 ERA) tries to keep up his current two-game streak of quality starts. He’s given up just one earned run in his last 13 innings. The D-Backs will counter with a left-hander named Vidal Nuno, who’s pitched in horrid luck all year. He’s 2-9 with a 4.46 ERA, but some of that was in 78 innings with the Yankees. He’s 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 61.1 innings since coming over to the Diamondbacks. They’re 1-9 in his starts for them.
Lineup:
Today's #Dodgers lineup:
Puig CF
Ramirez SS
Gonzalez 1B
Kemp RF
Van Slyke LF
Turner 2B
Uribe 3B
Ellis C
Haren P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 5, 2014
NPUT
79 wins. Two more to guarantee .500 for the season!
And with 82 we match the 2005 Division winning Pads!
Haran’s 3rd quality start in a row . . . nice bounce-back by KJ and the team.
His 16th QS out of 28. Now, if he were actually our 5th…
C’mon, KJ — one more!
Just heard the Giants now lead 8-2.
I don’t know about you guys, but I think I would be more confident about my team if I was a Giants fan at this moment than I am about the Dodgers. SF is peaking at the right time — just look at their comeback Tuesday night. Meanwhile, as Vin pointed out in the Wednesday debacle, the Dodgers are not playing like a 1st place team.
At least this isn’t like football, where finishing 1st hurts you with next year’s schedule.
All that said, Go, Blue!
We’re still in first place, though.
True. But the way they’ve been performing — not their potential, but what they’ve been doing — do you think they can win three consecutive postseason series vs. winning teams?
I’m not saying give up or I ‘d rather be in 2nd . . . but how confident do you feel about this team, right now?
Not their most inspiring stretch of baseball, but the Dodgers early August performance which they started also only 2 up has allowed them to weather the Massacre in Milwakee and the subsequent muddling second half of August and still retain the lead. While dramatic in their wins, overall for the past month the giants have not performed better than the Dodgers in that period. Me thinks that their fans have lower expectations so they are probably excited about how their team has been playing.
Great point about expectations.
The Dodger record in games started by Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu, our rotation if we make it to the playoffs, is 48-23.
They have definitely earned my confidence . . . but I honestly can’t say the same about the offense, nor the bullpen.
Still, we’ve seen turnarounds — both good and bad — and we know the potential of this team.
Not the cakewalk we might have expected and wanted, but I would like out chances in the playoffs if we make it there.
Sure hope you’re right!
No matter what — go, Dodgers!
Will be facing overall better opposition, though I still think Dodgers have best top three in the game.
I agree. They have not been the problem this year.
They still need run support.
And bullpen support.
They have, like, 11 more comeback wins than win do, so there is more drama attached to their victories, that’s for sure.
Matty Kemp.
Just saw all that happened — much ado about nothing . . .
Three consecutive hits, no runs. Again. They frustrate themselves as well as their fans.
So the stats will show success — a hit with RISP. But no run. Welcome to the 2014 Dodgers.
Is AGon at second considered scoring position?
Not in the real world. 😉
A.J. scored from second, though.
So A-gon is the accepted slowest runner on the team? — at least by Bundy? Or was he frustrated enough to send AJ?
A-Gon is considered to be the slowest player in the NL.
For a while, AGon was leading the league in SBs. A.J. is undoubtedly slower.
Just saw the replay on AJ. It was a bloop hit with two outs so AJ easily scored not even drawing a throw.
He was tough but standard result
C’mon, JT
Bases loaded again. I surely wish Gonzalez could run.
well deserved
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/11472641/vin-scully-honored-commissioner-historic-achievement-award
Selig, though, does not deserve to be in the same photograph, nor even mentioned in the same story.
Glad to see it is a day off for Dee, and that both Turner and Uribe are in the lineup, but I don’t like the fact that the ice-cold Hanley is batting second. And, of course, our catcher tonight is hitting below .200 because all three of our catchers are hitting below .200.
There was at least one day when Ellis was batting 7th, with Rojas at SS as 8th . . . that wasn’t a lineup to induce confidence in fans nor concern from opponents. (Tho, to be honest, I don’t remember the outcome.)
Hard to imagine not playing Hanley when he is available, despite recent woes (a babip of .000 over the past five games).