Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

May 12

Game 39, 2018

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Reds at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FS-O

The Reds send Homer Bailey, (0-5, 5.61 ERA) to the hill to face the Dodgers’ Ross Stripling (0-1, 1.93). Bailey has lived up to his first name, giving up 18 runs in 19 2/3 innings on nine HRs in his last four starts. Stripling scattered baserunners in his last start, an emergency one in which he replaced the injured Clayton Kershaw. He gave up no runs in those four innings, though. Tonight he gets a start on regular rest.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1956 At Ebbets Field, Carl Erskine tosses his second career no-hitter when he holds the crosstown rival Giants hitless in the Dodgers’ 3-0 victory. The right-handed ‘Oisk’ also threw a no-no against the Cubs in 1952.
  • 1958 In a 12-3 rout of their West Coast rival, Willie Mays homers twice against the Dodgers in the LA Memorial Coliseum contest. The ‘Say Hey Kid’s’ second round-tripper, a fifth-inning shot off Ed Roebuck, is the first grand slam ever hit by a San Francisco Giant.
  • 1979 Bill Murray, anchorman on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update reports 42 year-old Chico Escuela (a fictional baseball player portrayed by Garrett Morris) has informed the Mets that he is quitting baseball. Although baseball has been “berra berra good…” to him, a crushing blow off the bat of Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey into the Dominican’s infielder’s crotch ends an inspiring comeback.
  • 1990 Blanking the Dodgers at Shea Stadium, 7-0, Frank Viola gets his seventh consecutive win from the start of the season. The Mets southpaw sets a franchise record of nine straight victories, dating back to his past two decisions last season.
  • 2004 In one of the most remarkable at-bats in big league history, Alex Cora fouls off 14 consecutive pitches and then hits the 18th thrown to him by the Cubs’ Matt Clement over the right-field fence for a two-run home run which doubles LA’s lead to 4-0. The Dodger Stadium crowd cheered each foul ball, watching the increasing total displayed on the scoreboard.

  • 2015 Giancarlo Stanton becomes the fourth player to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium, joining Mark McGwire (1999), Mike Piazza (1997), and Willie Stargell, who accomplished the feat twice (1969, 1973). The jaw-dropping first-inning blast off Mike Bolsinger, estimated to have traveled 475 feet, proves to be the only bright spot in the Marlins’ 11-1 loss to LA at Chavez Ravine.

Lineup:


May 04

Game 32, 2018

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Dodgers at Padres 6:10 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD, MLBN (out-of-market only)

The Dodgers and Padres open a three-game series in Monterrey, Mexico this evening. The Dodgers’ #1 pitching prospect RHP Walker Buehler (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will climb the Mexican hill to face the Padres’ LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-1, 2.78 ERA). Buehler got his second big league win in his last start against the Giants, giving up two runs on six hits in five innings, walking one while striking out six. Lucchesi’s six starts into his big league career and has a 3.5 – 1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in addition to his excellent ERA.


Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1919 A SRO crowd attends the first-ever major league game played on a Sunday in Brooklyn. The Ebbets Field contest, in which the Dodgers beat the Braves, 6-2, was made possible when the New York Legislature passed the Sunday Baseball Bill into law.
  • 1966 In a 6-1 victory over L.A. at Candlestick Park, Willie Mays becomes the all-time National League home run leader when he strokes his 512th career round-tripper off Dodger starter Claude Osteen. The San Francisco center fielder passes another Giant, breaking the mark established by Mel Ott in 1946.
  • 1976 Illinois state Rep. Eugene F. Schlickman, co-author of the House of Representative Resolution 747 declaring today as Rick Monday Day, will be in attendance when the Cub outfielder is presented by Los Angeles vice president and GM Al Campanis with the flag he saved that was about to burned on the field at Dodger Stadium. Last month, the former Marine reservist, in a game played in Los Angeles, ran in from his position, swiping the ‘Stars and Stripes’ away from a father and a son, who were intent on setting it afire.
  • 2009 With their 7-2 win over Arizona, the Dodgers establish a National League record for consecutive victories to open a season at home. Their 11-0 start surpasses the NL mark shared by the 1918 Giants, 1970 Cubs, and 1983 Atlanta Braves, and is one shy of the major-league record set by the Tigers in 1911.

Lineup when available.


May 03

Game 31, 2018

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 PM PDT, TV: Facebook-only. If you’re on FB, navigate to MLB Live.

The Dodgers send LHP Alex Wood (0-3, 4.11 ERA) in search of his first win. He hasn’t pitched as badly as his record seems to indicate, but his velocity hasn’t gotten to the heights it reached last year. He’ll face the D-Backs’ LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0, 2.25 ERA), who set the Dodgers down brilliantly on April 4, going 7 1/3 innings while giving up just one hit and no runs.

Injury updates

Roberts said he expects outfielder Yasiel Puig, currently on the disabled list with contusions on his left hip and left ankle, to be activated Tuesday.

Second baseman Logan Forsythe, on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, is likely to begin a Minor League rehab assignment this weekend. But Roberts said he had “no idea” when Justin Turner (broken left wrist) would begin an assignment.

Reliever Tom Koehler, on the disabled list since Spring Training with a strained right shoulder, has started throwing, but he’s not close to a rehab assignment.

Roster moves:


Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1947 In a controversial move, Branch Rickey trades five Dodgers, including southerner Kirby Higbe, to the Pirates for five-foot, six-inch left-hand-hitting outfielder Al Gionfriddo and $100,000. Some believe ‘the Mahatma’ made the deal to send a message to the team about his commitment to breaking the color barrier and his support of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play in the major leagues this century. It’s a darned good move, considering that Gionfriddo made a game-saving catch of a DiMaggio fly ball in Game 6 of that fall’s World Series.

  • 2004 Similar to last season, the aging outfielder Rickey Henderson re-signs with the Atlantic League’s Bears, hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer batted .339, hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs, and stole nine bases for the Newark team last season before joining the Dodgers in July.
  • 2009 Defeating San Diego 2-1 in 10 innings, the Dodgers tie a franchise record, winning their ninth consecutive decision at home from the start of the season. The 1946 club also reeled off nine straight victories at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field at the beginning of the post-war campaign.

Lineup when available.


May 02

Game 30, 2018

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

The Dodgers send LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-0, 2.22 ERA) out to try to stop their current four-game losing streak. He’s been their most consistent starter this season, and his last start was no exception. He got no decision in 5 2/3 innings against the Giants, giving up a couple of solo home runs in a game the Dodgers’ bullpen eventually lost. The D-Backs send RHP Zack Godley (4-1, 3.81 ERA) out to face the Dodgers for the third time this season; he’s split the first two and posted a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1912 At South End Grounds, the hometown Braves score ten runs in the first two innings and hold on to defeat the Superbas (Dodgers), 11-7. Brooklyn scores four runs in the bottom of the third to knock out Boston’s starter Buster Brown.
  • 1928 With the bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning, Giants’ manager John McGraw orders that Dodger rookie Del Bissonette be intentionally walked with the bases loaded by Larry Benton, forcing home a run. The strategy works when Harry Riconda strikes out, giving New York a 2-1 victory in the Polo Grounds contest.
  • 1958 George Weiss denies any reprisals, but the New York GM warns the National League there will be consequences, interpreted by some as a nationwide Yankees network, if teams continue to flood the market with games, trying to fill the void created when the Dodgers and Giants left the Big Apple. The Phillies have already committed to broadcast 78 of its games in NYC, with the Cardinals and Pirates making plans to show their home games in the Big Apple when they play against the West Coast teams.

One more notable event on this date: in 1917 southpaw Hippo Vaughn of Chicago and Reds righty Fred Toney throw no-hitters against one another through the first nine innings at Weeghman Park. The deadlock is broken in the top of the tenth with a one-out single by Larry Kopf, an error, and an infield hit by Jim Thorpe, and Toney then sets the Cubs down in order to preserve his extra-inning gem.

This Nike ad first appeared on this date in 1999:

Lineup when available.

May 01

Game 29, 2018

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-4, 2.84 ERA) tries to right his personal ship as well as the Dodgers’ one, and he has to do it in the ballpark where his W-L record is the worst he’s compiled at any of them. He’s 5-8 lifetime at Chase Field. He’ll face the D-Backs RHP Matt Koch (1-0, 1.93 ERA), who replaced the Tommy John surgery-bound Taijuan Walker in the D-Backs’ rotation two weeks ago. Koch will be making his fifth career start. In his last one he went six innings against the Phillies, giving up six hits and two runs, walking two and striking out four.

Farhan Zaidi joins David Vassegh to talk about Seager’s injury and the Dodgers’ slow start on Dodgers’ Clubhouse.

On this day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1906 At Brooklyn’s Washington Park, Philadelphia southpaw John Lush strikes out 11 batters en route to throwing a 6-0 no-hitter against the Superbas, a team that will become known as the Dodgers in 1911. There will not be another no-hitter by a Phillies pitcher until Jim Bunning’s perfect game against the Mets in 1964.
  • 1920 The longest game ever played ends after 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, with Brooklyn Robin right-hander Leon Cadore and the Braves hurler Joe Oeschger, also right-handed, both go the distance for their respective clubs. Boston third baseman Charlie Pick establishes the major league record for hitless at-bats in one game, going 0-for-11 in the marathon.
  • 1965 Tommy Davis, trying to break up a double play, dislocates and breaks his ankle sliding into second base in the fourth inning of the team’s 4-2 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium. The two-time National League batting champ will not play again this year until he appears as a pinch-hitter in the season finale.
  • 1972 Philadelphia starter Dick Selma goes the distance, three-hitting the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, 2-1. The victory is the fifth consecutive complete-game thrown by a Phillies starter, with Steve Carlton, Woody Fryman, Barry Lersch, and Bill Champion each finishing their game without help from the bullpen in team’s previous four contests.
  • 1974 Tom Seaver strikes out 16 Dodgers, giving up only three hits in twelve innings of work, but gets a no-decision when the Mets lose the Chavez Ravine contest in 14 innings, 2-1. Steve Garvey strokes a walk-off single to center field off Harry Parker, scoring Billy Buckner with the winning run.
  • 2000 The Braves establish a franchise-record 14th straight victory, with a 2-1 win at Dodger Stadium. Quilvio Veras’ third-inning homer proves to be the difference.
  • 2009 With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Duaner Sanchez walks Russell Martin, who checks his swing on a full count with the bases loaded, bringing home the winning run in L.A.’s 1-0 triumph over the Padres. The win keeps the Dodgers undefeated at home, extending their record at Chavez Ravine to 8-0 with their ‘walk-off’ victory.
  • 2012 With the final payment received on the record $2.15-billion purchase price, Frank McCourt’s turbulent era of the Dodger ownership comes to an end. The team’s new ownership group, fronted by Magic Johnson and incoming club president Stan Kasten, includes Mark Walter, chief executive of the Chicago-based Guggenheim Financial, who arranged the financing and holds a controlling interest in the franchise.

Lineup when available.


Apr 30

Game 28,2018

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

RHP Ross Stripling (0-0, 0.63 ERA) gets a spot start in place of the injured Rich Hill. He’s made 10 relief appearances and no starts this season, although he says he’d prefer to start. He’s pitched 14 1/3 innings and given up 12 hits, one run, and struck out 16 while walking seven (one intentionally). He’ll face RHP Zack Greinke (2-2, 4.80 ERA), who has been much better at home this season (1-0, 1.27 ERA in two starts) than on the road (1-2, 7.27 ERA). Take note of the location of tonight’s game.

Oh no! Seager out for year!

Today, the Dodgers recalled Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Corey Seager on the 10-day DL with a right UCL sprain. Seager will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1940 The Dodgers tie the major league mark for consecutive wins from the beginning of the season with style as James ‘Tex’ Carleton no-hits the Reds, 3-0, for the team’s ninth straight victory since Opening Day.
  • 1944 In the first game of a doubleheader split, first baseman Phil Weintraub gets 11 RBIs, and player-manager Mel Ott scores six runs, drawing five walks in the Giants’ 26-8 rout of the Dodgers. Brooklyn wins the nightcap 5-4 in a game shortened due to darkness.
  • 1988 Dave Winfield ties the major league RBI record for April established by Dodger infielder Ron Cey in 1977 and matched by Dale Murphy of the Braves in 1985. The right fielder, who was on base at least once in every game, drives in his 28th and 29th runs of the month in the Yankees’ 15-3 rout of Texas in New York.

Lineup when available.


Apr 29

Game 27, 2018

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Dodgers at Giants, 2:05 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS Bay Area

The Dodgers send RHP Kenta Maeda (2-1, 3.10 ERA) to the hill to face the Giants’ LHP Ty Blach (1-3, 4.31 ERA). Maeda has faced the Giants twice already this season, once in relief, and has held them without an earned run in six innings. Blach has struggled since Opening Day when he defeated the Dodgers.

On this day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1978 The Cardinals tie a franchise record for the quickest nine-inning game played in their history, taking only one-hour and thirty-three minutes to beat the Dodgers at Busch Stadium, 1-0. The contest marks the managerial debut of Ken Boyer, replacing Vern Rapp, the Redbird skipper fired four days ago.
  • 1994 Kirk Rueter becomes the first pitcher in 13 seasons to begin his major league career with a 10-0 record when the Expos beat San Diego at Olympic Stadium, 3-2. In 1981, Dodgers southpaw Fernando Valenzuela started the year with eight victories to improve his overall record to 10-0 for the Dodgers, somewhat similar to the Montreal left-hander, who started his streak last season with an 8-0 mark before winning his first two decisions this year.
  • 2005 Although Eric Gagne is on the disabled list and hasn’t thrown a pitch this season, he is suspended for two games and fined. The action is taken because after being ejected on April 6 for heckling home plate umpire Bill Hohn, MLB warned the Dodgers closer he was in violation of Rule 3.17, which states players on the disabled list may not take part in any activity during the game, the former Cy Young winner continued to dress and participate in game activities.

Here’s a terrifying note: on this day in 1930 (which should be called the Year of the Hitter — look it up) an average of 17+ runs a game is scored in the seven major league games played today. After the dust settles, players from 14 teams will cross the plate 123 times. On a sadder note, on this day in 1939 on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig comes to the plate in the fourth inning and singles off Washington hurler Ken Chase for his 2,721st and last hit, the most ever in franchise history. The ‘Iron Horse’s’ record will stand for over 70 years until Derek Jeter, another 35 year-old team captain, surpasses the mark in 2009.

Lineup when available.

Apr 28

Games 25 & 26, 2018

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Game One: Dodgers at Giants, 1:05 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS Bay Area

The Dodgers’ young right-handed prospect Walker Buehler (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes the second start of his career. He went five scoreless innings against the Marlins on Monday. The Giants are expected to counter with RHP Chris Stratton (2-1, 2.32 ERA) if he gets back from paternity leave in time. He’s given up two earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts.

Game Two: Dodgers at Giants, 7:05 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS Bay Area

In the second game of a rare doubleheader (made necessary by a rainout three weeks ago) the Dodgers send LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 3.72 ERA) out to face the Giants’ RHP Johnny Cueto (2-0, 0.35 ERA). Wood hasn’t yet gotten his velocity back up to where it was last season, but in his last start he scattered six hits over six innings and kept the Nationals at bay long enough for the Dodgers to win late. Cueto has made two starts since coming off the DL and scattered four hits over 13 scoreless innings, striking out 18 and walking only two. He did that against the D-Backs and Angels, neither of which can be called palookas.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1922 At Ebbets Field, Lee King drives in seven runs in the Phillies’ 10-7 win over the Robins. The Philadelphia outfielder will collect a total of only 15 RBIs this season playing with Philadelphia and the Giants.
  • 2012 Bryce Harper makes his much-anticipated debut in the Nationals’ 4-3 loss to Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine. The 19 year-old rookie center fielder, who drives in the potential go-ahead run in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly, doubles in the top of the seventh off Chad Billingsley for his first major league hit.

Lineup, Game One:


Lineup for Game Two when available.

Apr 27

Game 24, 2018

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Dodgers at Giants, 7:15 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, NBC Bay Area

LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-0, 1.99 ERA) goes for the Dodgers this evening while the Giants send LHP Derek Holland (0-3, 4.98 ERA) to the mound. In his career Ryu is 4-3 with a 3.40 ERA at the Giants’ home park. Holland has made two starts against the Dodgers in his career and has come up winless in each. Ryu’s last start was stellar: he shut out the Nationals on two hits in seven innings. Holland was shelled by the Angels in his last outing: of the five hits he gave up in six innings, three were home runs.

News of note: Maeda has been striking out lefties at a 37% clip this season, compared to 17% last year. How come? He’s gone to a splitter as a changeup.


Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1981 Fernandomania continues to explode at Chavez Ravine when Dodger rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela pitches his fourth shutout in five starts. The 20 year-old Mexican southpaw, who is batting over .400, beats the Giants, 5-0, and lowers his ERA to a microscopic 0.20.
  • 2004 At Dodger Stadium, Mike Piazza ties Carlton Fisk for the most career homers by a catcher as he hits Hideo Nomo’s sixth-inning pitch into the stands for his 351st round-tripper as a backstop. The homer, which was his 362nd overall, moves the Mets’ star past Yankees’ Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio on the all-time list.
  • 2007 On the night in which the ceremonial first pitch is thrown by his three sons, Trevor Hoffman is unable to hold on to a two run lead when the Dodgers score three in the ninth and eventually beat the Padres, 6-5. It’s ‘Trevor Time Desk Clock’ Night, and the usually reliable Padres closer blows the save, thanks to some shady defense, for the second consecutive game.
  • 2010 The suddenly streaking Mets win their sixth consecutive game with a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers, 4-0 and 10-5. The victories mark the first time since August 28, 1971 that the club has taken both ends of a twin bill from L.A.

Lineup when available.


Apr 25

Game 23, 2018

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Marlins at Dodgers, 4:35 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, FS-F

RHP Trevor Richards (0-2, 6.16 ERA) goes for the Marlins and LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-3, 2.45 ERA) goes for the Dodgers in the rubber match of this series. This will be Richards’s fifth start; in his first four he’s walked 11, struck out 14, and given up 21 hits and 13 runs in 19 innings. He gave up six walks and six runs in his last start against the Brewers, lasting only 3 2/3 innings. Kershaw pitched well enough to win in his last start against the Nationals, giving up four runs in seven innings, but the Dodgers could do nothing with Max Scherzer and his bullpen mates and they lost, 5-2.

Wilmer Font has been exchanged for LHP Logan Salow, formerly of the As.

Today in Dodgers history:

  • 1937 Cliff Melton becomes the first rookie to fan at least 10 batters in his major league debut, finishing with 13 strikeouts in a complete-game loss to the Braves at the Polo Grounds. The 25 year-old southpaw, who loses the 3-1 contest due to the poor defense of the Giants in the ninth inning, will hold the rookie record for K’s in his debut until Dodger freshman Karl Spooner whiffs 15 batters in his first major league start in 1954.
  • 1958 In front of 60,635 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Dodgers, who beat St. Louis, 5-2, set a National League record for the largest crowd to attend a night game during the regular season. The mark will be broken next season when 61,552 fans show up on Opening Night at the Coliseum to watch their team defeat the Redbirds again.
  • 1967 Jim Lefebvre commits three errors in the fourth frame, paving the way for the Braves’ 7-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. The Los Angeles third baseman commits a fourth error, booting Hank Aaron’s grounder in the top of the ninth inning.
  • 1975 LA hurler Andy Messersmith strokes three doubles at Candlestick Park. The trio of two-baggers contributes to the Dodgers’ 6-5 victory over San Francisco with the right-hander scoring two runs and driving in another en route to his victory.
  • 1976 During the fourth inning of the game being played at Dodger Stadium, Rick Monday becomes a national hero when he takes away an American Flag about to be set on fire by the two trespassers (a father and son) in the outfield. The Cubs’ 30 year-old fly chaser, who served six years in the Marine Reserves, will be presented the flag a month later in a pregame ceremony at Wrigley Field by L.A. executive Al Campanis as a gesture of patriotic thanks.

  • 1995 The 257-day strike ends when the Dodgers beat the Marlins 8-7. The work stoppage caused last season to end early, forced the cancellation of the World Series, and delayed the opening of this season.

Lineup when available.