One hundredth game of the year? Really?
Dodgers at Cardinals, 5:08PM PT, TV: ESPN
Wily veteran Scott Kazmir (8-3, 4.30 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers in the rubber match of this three game series against a longtime (like, 1890 longtime) enemy. The Dodgers have gone 8-3 in Kazmir’s last 11 starts, and he’s had a 3.84 ERA during that stretch. The Cardinals are asking a rookie named Mike Mayers to make his ML debut tonight. He’s 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA between AA and AAA ball this season, so he’s not chum thrown to the sharks.
A tale of two pitching staffs: Mayers will be the sixth starter for the Cardinals all season long. The Dodgers have used a dozen.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's Dodger lineup at Cardinals:
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
González 1B
Kendrick LF
Grandal C
Toles RF
Pederson CF
Kazmir P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 24, 2016
NPUT
2 1/2 back. SF loses 7-5 to Cincinati.
Need to visit McCovey Cove for a little schadenfreude! http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/
Quote of the night from Grant (edited for spelling): “This is probably the real Jeff Smarmy. This is probably the real Jake Peevy. Tomorrow night, we’ll get to watch the real Gnatt Cain. Those three pitchers will make as much as the entire Rays 25-man roster this year, and they will never ever stop allowing home runs.”
Also gnice that Gnatt Cain will take the mound for SF tonight.
Not sure I like the Urias for Sale rumors.
It’s a judgement call. I can’t imagine the pressure of working in the front office at this time of the year.
I likely over value top prospects but I do wonder if many players – especially hitters – peak at 25 or younger. So, I would be sad to see Bellinger, Verdugo and a few others go.
And if Kershaw is not coming back this year, I certainly would be less likely to go all in on a prospects for star talent trade this season.
If we are talking Sale here, he has three more years, presumably his prime, at about $13 million per, so it would be more than a one-season rental. And, compared to the Hamels deal it would be a steal (younger, lower salary and not requiring Seager and Urias).
In case any of you heard Joe Davis refer to Firpo Marberry as baseball’s first specialist relief pitcher the other day, here’s where Marberry got his nickname (because of a physical resemblance): http://southernconeguidebooks.blogspot.com/2008/07/taking-gloves-off-putting-them-back-on.html
According to Dodgers Digest, “FanGraphs has the Dodgers at 49.9 percent to win the NL West, while the Gnats are at 50.1 percent.” (Quotation edited for spelling).
With Peavy going against the Reds’ best starter, might we hope to be 2 1/2 back by Tuesday? The giants don’t appear to be the 103 win team that they were at the break. I doubt that they are the 96 win team projected today. After the Cincy series, of the next 26 games for them 23 are against >.500 clubs, including us.
Even the Gnats’ top starters are struggling, with BadGums and Cueto showing high pitch counts, their bullpen is unreliable, and their hitters are struggling: http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Listless-Giants-fall-to-Yankees-finish-1-7-on-8406073.php
That said, the Dodger starters need to go deeper into games – Kazmir has a winning record primarily because of run support, but last night he threw 96 pitches in only five innings.
Cooking and switched back to see it had gotten to 9-6. I thought my eggs might curdle. Fortunately I turned back on before I served up to see Kenley had one down in the ninth, and I figured he couldn’t blow another save so soon. Guess I was right.
Just watched video on Joc’s catch. It was amazing how he went up and then juggled it on shoulder/back, then in and out and back into his hands. Oh wait, that might be the catch of his cap and not the catch of the ball I was watching.
Minor quibble – if the Dodgers had won the two games on this trip that Jansen had blown saves – they would have gone 7-2. And the team would be 1 game back of SF. And they would have a real shot at getting to 60 wins ahead of SF like I predicted several weeks ago. Sigh.
OK – done with that. Onwards and upwards.
Woo-HOO!!!!!
We win! 5-4 on the crazy road trip and 3 back of SF.
I thought we did better than that…
1-2 vs AZ, 2-1 vs Wash, 2-1 vs St. Lou.
unfortunately I’m off to class, so hopefully an easy 9th here
I wonder if at 9-1 up, Kenley started changing back into his street clothes?
Seager plays a pretty good short.
Nice catch Joc.
Sad to say but – it would be really good if the Dodgers could score some more runs.
This game should not be this close.
Well, if he is ever to let in a run, now seems to be the time unless Blanton saves his bacon.
Close the book on Libby. ERA went from .56 to 1.35.
just came back and its still 9-3, looks like I didn’t miss much
Ump wants to get home.
Happy Birthday SVS. Not much to celebrate with that at bat.
Darn it. Bases loaded, none out and you hit into a DP. That’s no way to celebrate your birthday, Scott.
You win.
Two LOB! Boo!
79 pitches through 4, oops, five innings, no, four innings. Dratted linescore and broadcasters confused me.
And pretty warm on there.
100 degrees at game time!
56 pitches in two innings for Kazmir. Drat it, can’t our starters go deeper than this?
9-3 already! nice surprise
Can Kazmir stand prosperity?
I hope so. Of all games he should be able to go deep into this would seem to be it.
Kazmir, get a grip!
ESPN Radio guys suggesting Matt Kemp moves to the Indians at the trade deadline. No evidence to back it up, just a 9-1 game in the 2nd inning.
Who wants to bother with making statements based on facts?
Nice to see them put up runs in both innings. Let us hope that continues through out the game.
Think it’s at the point where we can ask the pitchers to do their part.
And Kaz gives up the dinger…
Sigh.
Wowie Howie!
Howie!
Imagine if Gonzo really started to heat up. Man that would be so good.
Kazmir can’t avoid first-inning difficulties, it seems.
One run ain’t so terrible.
Not when you’ve got six runs already. 😉
Oh my. Just tuned in. Miss a little and miss a lot apparently!
Wow. Rookie pitcher getting schooled.
Well, we did get 6 runs off of Strasburg as well in the first three innings.
Kaz helping himself!
Adrian!!!!! (just checked on Gameday)
Howie with a hustle double.
Woohoo!
Grand salami!
Sacks full, none out in the first. Runs! Get some runs!
Ask and ye shall receive, occasionally.
Tonight’s lineup, followed by batting average in July
2B — Utley, .276
SS — Seager, .333
3B — Turner, .324
1B — Gonzalez, 304
LF — Kendrick, .375
C — Grandal, .327
RF — Toles, .391
CF — Pederson, .158
P — Kazmir, .000 (0-for-5)…2-0, 2.25 ERA
Hmm. Joc’s the obvious outlier there. How the heck have we lost any games this month when we’ve been hitting that well?
We’re 11-7 in July. Turn the result around on a couple of devastating blown save losses and we’d be 13-5.
and now .238
Yankees beat the Giants, 5-2, today. Old friend Nathan Eovaldi got the win. Giants went 1-7 on the road trip. Samardzija (9-6) took the loss, allowing 5 ER in 5.2 IP. His ERA in his last 6 starts is 7.29 — 27 ER in 33.1 IP. The Giants signed him in off-season for five years for $90 million.
You misspelled “Smegma.”
Don’t like insulting nicknames in sports or politics . . . or most anyplace else
Whatever you call him, a mediocre pitcher with a horrendous contract whom I’m happy to see on the Gnatstaff.
That, I totally agree with. I was surprised by the contract that he received. Outrageous. Many years ago, a friend and Notre Dame grad took me to a game in South Bend. Samardzija was a great receiver and helped the Fighting Irish rally to beat UCLA. Perhaps he should have stayed with football. Or, given how he has done with the Giants this season, I am not disappointed that he stayed with baseball.
You are telling a guy with a $90 million contract in baseball that he should have played football?
Ha! Here, have a life sentence of CTE and dementia and a career that lasts an average of four years. It’ll be so much more fun than that boring baseball game.
Football is a suicide mission. If I had had a son, I would never have permitted him to play it.
He’s had a respectable career, in a sport with less physical risk than football – even if he should suffer elbow or shoulder problems. Bo Jackson might have had a great baseball career had he given up football.
Six starters all season. The Dodgers would call that, last week!