Dodgers at Pirates, 5:08PM PT, TV: ESPN
The Dodgers make their fifth appearance of the season on Sunday Night Baseball tonight. They’ve split the previous four. Tonight they’ll ask Clayton Kershaw to break the tie, and the odds would seem to be in their favor. He’s 11-1 and leads the major leagues in ERA (1.57), innings pitched (115), strikeouts (141), WHIP (0.67), K/BB ratio (20.14), opponents’ batting-average-against (.174) and shutouts (3). His opposite number is set to be Chad Kuhl, who will be making his major league debut. He’s been pretty good in AAA, though: 6-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
Annoying fact: “The Pirates have won 12 of their last 15 games vs. the Dodgers, winning five of six games vs. Los Angeles last season.”
Lineup:
Tonight's Dodger lineup at Pirates:
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Kendrick LF
Pederson CF
Puig RF
Grandal C
Van Slyke 1B
Kershaw P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 26, 2016
Dodgers Lineup for Monday, June 27
Hernandez, LF
Turner, 3B
Thompson, CF
Puig, RF
Kendrick, 2B
Van Slyke, 1B
Ellis, C
Taylor, SS
Kazmir, P
Apparently the Dodgers have some interest in Jay Bruce to add a left side hitter to the outfield. I guess he would platoon with Puig.
I would like to add Lucroy. I would hope that Grandal would be included to decrease the number of prospects needed to get him.
Maybe De Leon has had enough injuries to take him off the untouchable category. Between De Leon, Cotton, Stewart and De Jong, I would want to keep Stewart. Not sure how his tools compare to the other three, but he is rising so quickly I think his whole is greater than the sum of his tools.
For some reason I think of Sonny Gray when I think of Stewart.
Back to Lucroy–it would be nice if Cotton, De Jong, and Grandal would suffice and if not I would see Diaz go instead of De Leon.
Also, if the Dodgers need a left side hitter to platoon with Puig, I would love to see Verdugo or Bellinger get a cup of coffee instead of trading for Bruce.
Bruce would be a short term fix. Verdugo and Bellinger have high ceilings but are far from ready.
I hope that Friedman and Zaidi are as thoughtfully considering the roster, its problems and where we need to go as you are.
What a disappointing loss.
It could be worse, they could wear whatever it was that the Pirates were wearing.
Reminds me of that old Henny Youngman line about the fellow for whom things were not going well. His friend told him, “Cheer up, things could be worse.” “So I cheered up, and things go worse.”
Day game tomorrow, squad. 9:35 PT. Ack! 6:35 my time!
Given with how we are playing, and with Kazmir on the mound, it might be a good day to sleep in in Hawaii.
Less I know the better, huh?
I feel about the Giants the same way that the rest of you do. But today shows a difference between them and us. Cueto was ineffective, more so than Kershaw. The Giants blew three different leads but won. Kershaw was not great and had one bad inning. The Dodgers could never overcome the 4-0 deficit and had four hits. And we lost.
Our offense, despite the home runs, has been very mediocre all year long.
So true.
Here’s an example:
Win 6 in a row, lose 3 in a row. To the freakin’ Pirates, who have, yes, gotten to the post-season recently but aren’t playing really well this year.
Very disheartening.
How apropros: Grandal takes a called third strike to end the game.
So bad.
Not to worry, Grandal is up….
We may well be 8 back by this game’s end. Ugh.
It was 8 1/2 two years ago before their 42 – 8 run.
Grins. Do you expect a repeat of that?
I can’t think of a better idea.
But the other side has to lose once in a while as well.
Tsk. Andrew, Andrew, Andrew.
It looked way low on the strike zone box ESPN uses.
And down we go on six pitches.
Enough already with Grandal. The occasional home run or walkoff walk don’t overcome his general ineptitude at the plate. He is batting .196 over the last 365 days prior to tonight’s game, according to baseball-reference.com. We need a catcher who can hit the ball. And pardon me if I have posted this before.
I agree. And he was loafing to first the last grounder he had. Puig got benched for less.
I agree he’s not hitting, but he still had three game-winning PA’s last week, and his offense has far greater upside than A.J.
I will lump Ellis in with Grandal. Neither of them is the answer.
Kershaw finding the zone again, but We. Need. Offense.
Rats!
Man, when the hardest hit ball in the inning was by Kershaw…offense, where have you gone?
An 8-pitch inning was just what Clayton needed.
Come on Mazda, do you really think we are going to believe that you make every car by hand?
chip away at that lead, you never know
Halved it so far.
Ginger!
The Dodgers have the bases loaded with two out and get nothing. The Pirates in the same situation, get four.
Um, the Pirates have better hitters? But the Dodgers have Kershaw. That was unusual to say the least.
Ermahgerd!
“In play, no out.” but no run? How can that be, Gameday?
And now it’s fixed. Man, 41+ pitches in two innings.
Well, they have four runs now!
A WALK?
Chris Stewart owns Kershaw again.
Ex-Gnat.
Ginger with the glove work!
This looks encouraging.
Oh well.
Kershaw, the singer in a one-man band.
Like Debra Henning in the group Blondie
Debra Harry.
That’s the one.
Hey, I have actual eyes on this one.
On the bright side, the Fillies did beat BadGums last night.
And, once again, it’s ESPN Blackout Night.
Kershaw can become the first NL pitcher with 12 wins tonight.
This Gnats winning run is killin’me!
Phillies made a valiant, albeit ultimately unsuccessful effort to win this one.
Giants-Phillies tied 7-7 after 7 1/2. Phillies have rallied to tie from deficits of 5-1, 6-5 and 7-6, but have never led. Cueto won’t win or lose this one.
Giants-Phillies tied 5-5 after 4 1/2. Giants had led 5-1 after 3.
After four innings today in San Francisco: Giants 5, Phillies 3. The Phillies started Aaron Nola. His ERA in his prior three games was 15.83 and for the season 4.11 with a 5-7 mark. The Giants started Johnny Cueto, who was 11-1 with an ERA of 2.06. Nola lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing the five runs (all earned) and 10 hits. He hit three batters including one with the bases loaded. Cueto is not as sharp as usual.