Angels at Dodgers, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: FS-W, MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA
The visiting Angels send out old acquaintance (he was a Dodger for about three hours before they traded him to the Angels for Howie Kendrick on December 11, 2014)) Andrew Heaney (4-3, 4.02 ERA) to face the Dodgers’ LHP Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.15 ERA). In Heaney’s last start he gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Rangers. Kershaw’s probably not going to win a Cy Young Award this year (he’s got the fewest starts and innings of the top ten contenders) but his credentials are pretty darned good nonetheless.
Here’s Seager’s oh-so-close-to-a-grand slam sacrifice fly from yesterday’s game:
This day in Dodgers’ history:
- 1941 Combined with a Cardinal defeat, the Dodgers win their first pennant in 21 years when they beat Boston at Braves Field, 6-0. Whitlow Wyatt throws a five-hitter and Pete Reiser hits a homer in the winning cause.
- 1956 Dodger right-hander Sal Maglie no-hits the Phillies at Ebbets Field, 5-0. The ‘Barber’s’ gem helps second-place Brooklyn to keep pace in the pennant race with Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
- 1962 After appearing in 60 games over a two-year span, Dodger reliever Ed Roebuck suffers his first loss. The LA right-hander gives up a 10th inning home run to Houston’s Al Spangler, breaking the 2-2 deadlock at Chavez Ravine.
- 1974 In the first-of-its-kind operation, Dr. Frank Jobe transplants a tendon from Tommy John’s right wrist to the Dodger pitcher’s left elbow. The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, which will become a standard surgical procedure better known as Tommy John surgery, enables the southpaw to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.
- 1996 Giants slugger Barry Bonds draws an intentional walk which gives him the National League record with 149 bases-on-balls in a season. The free pass is issued in the seventh inning by LA’s Mark Guthrie with two outs and a runner on third base in the team’s 7-5 loss at Dodger Stadium. (Note: Bonds wasn’t done. He now holds down the top three spots in Most Walks, Hitter, Season).
- 2008 The Diamondbacks, defending division champions, lose to St. Louis, 12-3, allowing the Dodgers to clinch the NL West. Los Angeles first-year skipper Joe Torre’s 13-year postseason streak continues, unlike the Yankees, his former team.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's lineup vs. Angels: #Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/x4HWf0KpYl
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2020
NPUT
I wish that Doc hadn’t let Kenley throw 27 pitches in a meaningless game.
He doesn’t need to pitch tomorrow, maybe an inning on Sunday.
I do like what we’ve seen from Víctor González this season.
He’s a true Victor.
His emergence is especially important in the absence of Ferguson.
2020! sirens and flashing lights to show the cutouts where the exits are.
Manitoba moved to Orange Level for Covid today. 10 outdoors and 10 indoors with masks required in public places (but schools, restaurants, bars, casinos, and churches not affected). We had such a good summer but now it’s ramping up.
All those places should not be operating indoors, nor should they be operating outdoors without masks.
We homeschool so we are good there.
So, you’ll keep your distance from bars, casinos, churches and restaurants.
Mario Soto’s son in as PR. (Jk)
11 years in the minors and first mlb appearance tonight!
Lakers – Celtics nba finals still in the mix.
As is Dodgers – Yankees in the WS.
Rays won their Division on top of both Yankees and Red Sox. Pretty cool. Now move them to Portland, OR.
Rays have a $28 or 29 mil payroll…
And no fan support. The Timbers sell out their home games and their fans are more fun to be with than watching the game.
Smith chokes up on the bat and I noticed on the replay with two strikes he chokes up even more. Seager chokes up on the bat and so did Bobby Bonds. Why don’t more players do it?
H- oly (non)K- rap!
Anything AJ can do JT can do twice.
This is the Kershaw I sadly recall from Octobers past
Sloppy Seager defence lately (see what I did, Dave?)
You correctly spelled the word defence? Lol
It does set up the double play option for this inning however.
I patronize the Brits, too.
Great DP!
Trout again misses out on the playoffs
He’s off the hook…
Dodgers win!
Woo-HOO!!!!!
A win tonight would assure the Dodgers of a winning record against every team they have faced this season.
Ideally, that will continue through October.
Already guaranteed .500 against LAA – but yeah.
You never know what you are going to get with Kenley. Which is not ideal for a closer.
Kind of like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.
Yep.
Um, Kenley? Four run lead? Okay, there’s one.
Nice pitch, but with all these pitches he may need some help.
I’m thinking the same thing. Not worth it to make him work so hard.
Angels playing for their life. You can tell.
Seager really butchers one.
Argh. Seager dropped it.
13 pitches and no outs yet.
Should have had one there.
Only in 2020: The Giants lost the second game of their DH to San Diego (after winning the first) on a walkoff three-run home in the bottom of the 7th inning of a HOME game.
Hold onto this heat, guys!
I thought you had a typo and meant lead. But then realized you meant heat for the playoffs.
Yep.
Heat – and heart.
That puts a dent in Angels playoff chances.
Wowser.
Adios Rios!
Shouldn’t Stassi play for the Reds (or did somebody say that before)?
Pujols is a sad figure these days, but at least he’s getting paid to be so.
Joc’s first RBI since:
A — Woodrow Wilson was reelected
B — Tommy Lasorda was pitching a weight-reducing beverage
C — Bill Singer’s no-hitter
D — Ruth Bader Ginsburg was still on the Supreme Court
D.
I don’t think there’s a bonus round, but congratulations. Johnny, tell her what’s she’s won.
Hahaha. Just letting you I’m paying attention.
You always do pay attention. You are very much in the running for Elysian Fields MVP this year.
Joc! Nice rbi hit.
Let’s go Lux.
He has reemerged.,,I just entered this site. From what I’ve seen on the play-by-play, not an auspicious last game of the irregular regular year for Clayton. I hope he got it out of his system.
Could be a shorter than desired run in October if he hasn’t.
He wasn’t at his best, but only 1 earned run. Trout finally got to him.
Plenty of hard-hit balls.
One of Seager’s better defensive plays.
Absolutely.
Lux sighting!
Fiat Lux!
3 k inning. 1 2 3.
https://twitter.com/ericstephen/status/1309698446530469888?s=20
4 tonight (so far). If they hit 8 more over the next 2+ games – it leads to a nifty 2.0 per game for the season.
Divide that by 58 and multiply by 162
Hey AJ. JT called you out… Let’s see if you can match him.
Mr. Smith goes to bullpen
This!
Mr. Smith goes yard.
Kershaw off the hook.
Just jumped in. What the HHHHHEck?
Yep.
JT!!
Angels are still in the playoff hunt, right?
Need Houston to lose all 3 to Texas while Angels sweep the Dodgers. Easy-peasy.
AJ!!
JAAJJ
Love it!
I’m going to decode that one of these days. I’m drinking my Ovaltine.
Just another AJ jack
Just Another AJ Jack
I drank all that Ovaltine for nothing.
“Buy More Ovaltine.”
Don’t have to now. Might even cancel my membership in the Radio Orphan Annie’s Secret Society,
It’s okay. You can hold out for the Red Rider BB Gun.
Kershaw will not lose this game. Oops, I thought it was tied.
Optimistic?
Yes, but I thought AJ’s home run tied it up.
I wondered. 😉
I know that when Dodgers score 4 or more runs, Kershaw’s record is excellent. I wonder what it is when he gives up 4 or more runs?
Three are unearned so I wonder how that would factor into it
Good point!
Also – now I’m wondering what is the most unearned runs he has given up in a game?
Three could be your answer.
Wouldn’t surprise me…
Has never happened, so we don’t know!
Wait – are you saying he has never given up 4 or more runs?
Jk
Lol. You kinda got me. Because you are the stats guru here for sure.
Let’s go Cody. Match Trout.
I’ll even take a Smith match
45mph exit velo on Smith’s hit.
If Betts were on second instead of Muncy, would he score on that kind of hit?
Willy Davis would
And Cool Papa Bell
And Dee Gordon.
One of the fastest to ever play the game. Ranked 66th on a list of the greatest baseball players published by The Sporting News in 1999.
Turn-erd on one
Love it.
JT!
Not a great warm up for the playoffs for Kershaw.
I think Trout was long overdue to get a hard hit against Kershaw. The team is probably laid back waiting for the playoffs, even Kershaw.
Agreed. Except for the Kershaw part. Laid back and Kershaw don’t jive too often when he is on the mound pitching.
Yeah, best hitter in baseball is bound to get you at some point. Not really Klayton’s fault that guys were on base.
You’re not supposed to do that with guys on, Clayton.
Foo.
Who does this Trout guy think he is?
Trout does what he does
Barrels overrated on that hit for sure.
That was going to be a very tough play…
I will miss Quique next season.
Are you going somewhere?
He’s a free agent, and I suspect he’ll go somewhere that offers him more playing time.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Quique is 29 years old, in his prime. I doubt he wants to remain a bench player.
Yeah, McKinstry seems poised to take his slot.
McKinstry, though, is a LHH.
Taylor isn’t
No, but this team still struggles a bit v. LHP, which adds to Quique’s value.
Betts has reverse splits so far with the Dodgerfs
Quique hasn’t really bludgeoned lefties since 2017.
Yeah, I think we have gone over this before, with both Seager and Lux being LH. Still, the fellow is the fungible player that Doc likes.
I expect McKinstry has a role, but nobody else will ever match Quique’s charisma.
Kike’ does have a-peel.
Nice DP!
On pace for a 103.5-pitch, 9-GIDP CGSO.
It’s doable.
It’s that half-pitch that’s the glitch.
How about that eephus pitch that Greinke throws? Can that count as a 1/2?
Ha! Half the speed. Twice the fun.
Classic Mookie run scored.
Nice throw to home by Betts.
Hope Kershaw’s foot is okay.
This is not an optimum beginning.
I see that Lux is till on the active roster, but he hasn’t played since Sunday. Anybody know why?
CT3 has claimed second base? Doesn’t seem to be part of the “rotation”. Still, unlike Doc to let someone rust on the bench.
CT3 has been splendid. But given that the Dodgers have locked up the No. 1 seed, rather meaningless given how the postseason has been set up, it seems odd that Lux had not appeared in any of the last four box scores. I agree with your point that it is unusual to let the skipper allow him to rust. The Dodgers haven’t indicated that Lux is suffering from even a minor injury. Perhaps he will emerge from the shadows tonight. As things stand now, I wonder if he will be on the initial postseason roster.
Doc claims that his is going with 13-14 pitchers first round, which actually seems strange, so plenty of room in that is the case for Lux on the roster.
Buehler talked to Rich Hill about blisters. Then there’s this:
Link, you misspelled “B*nds.”
Meh.