Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

Apr 12

Game 8, 2016 (aka Opening Day at Dodger Stadium)

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A, MLBN (out of market only)

The visiting D-Backs send Patrick Corbin (0-1, 5.14 ERA) to the mound to face the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda (1-0, 0.00 ERA). The next run Maeda gives up will be the first one of his American MLB career. All the runs Corbin gave up in his first start were via home runs; the Dodgers only have three so far this season so he may be safe. On the other hand, Maeda has one of the Dodgers’ HRs; Corbin may need to be careful pitching to him.

The Dodgers are expected to activate Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal from the disabled list for this game, which means they’ll have to put two players on it or send two down to Oklahoma City. I hope I don’t have to type that too often. I still think of Albuquerque as the location of the AAA affiliate, even though Las Vegas was the site for a few years recently.

Lineup when available.

And there’s this news from Ken Gurnick as well: “Roberts said Van Slyke on DL. Grandal active.”

Apr 10

Game 7, 2016

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Dodgers at Giants, 1:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSN-BA

Scott Kazmir of the Dodgers tries to build on his first start of the season in which he went six shutout innings, gave up only one hit, walked none and struck out five. He’s 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in two career starts against the Giants. Johnny Cueto pitches for the Giants. He’s 2-5 with a 2.79 ERA in eight career starts against the Dodgers. He went seven good innings in his first start, giving up one run on six hits, striking out four while walking none.

Lineup when available.


Happy Birthday to one of yesterday’s heroes: Charlie Culberson is 27 today. Barnes caught Kazmir in his first game, and A.J. has played two in a row, so the younger guy’s playing today. Van Slyke left yesterday’s game with back tightness he says isn’t serious but is persistent.

Apr 09

Game 6, 2016

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Dodgers at Giants, 1:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSN-BA

The two aces go at one another for the first time this year: Kershaw (1-0, 0.00 ERA) against Bumgarner (1-0, 5.40 ERA). Kershaw is 9-3 with a 1.16 ERA in 14 starts at the Giants’ home park, while Bumgarner is 13-7 overall against the Dodgers with a 2.45 ERA in 22 appearances.

The Dodgers got 9 hits in Friday night’s game but only converted them into two runs. Had they gotten more young Stripling might have gotten a win for his efforts rather than a no-decision. They are still hitting well: Puig, Utley, Gonzalez, Seager, Ellis and Turner all singled and Pederson got a double. For the second night in a row the bullpen gave up the go-ahead or winning runs.

Lineup when available.


Hmm. Several unfamiliar faces in the lineup against MadBum. I wonder what the reasoning is.

Apr 08

Game 5, 2016

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Dodgers at Giants, 7:15PM PT, TV: SPNLA, NBC-BA

Ross Stripling makes his debut against the most bitter rival the Dodgers have in the rival’s home park. Welcome to the big leagues, kid! He’ll face Matt Cain, who’s fallen from previous stardom due to elbow and forearm injuries to the #5 starter’s spot in the Giants’ rotation (which is still better than Tim Lincecum, who hasn’t thrown a pitch since June of last year and is now a free agent, rehabbing from hip surgery).

Puig and Gonzalez have eight and seven hits respectively for the Dodgers in this young season; Seager and Utley have six, Pederson has five. The pitching’s been excellent until Thursday, when not only Wood but the bullpen (saving Louis Coleman, who threw 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball) failed, Wood after four good innings.

Lineup when available.


Carl Crawford gets a day off for the second day in a row.

Apr 07

Game 4, 2016

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Dodgers at Giants, 1:35PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSN-BA

Alex Wood makes his 2016 debut for the Dodgers and Jake Peavy does the same for the Giants.

The projected starting eight for the Dodgers is a combined 8-for-66 against Peavy. Time for a change!

Apr 06

Game 3, 2016

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Dodgers at Padres, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD

Two righthanders face off: newcomer Kenta Maeda meets Andrew Cashner. Maeda is fresh off an 8-year career in the Japan Central League with Hiroshima in which he was 97-67 with a 2.39 ERA; Cashner is in his 7th year in the big leagues with a record of 26-42 and an ERA of 3.59. He went 0-3 against the Dodgers last year but had a 3.38 ERA, getting little to no run support in three of his four starts against them.

The Dodgers have to be greatly encouraged by Yasiel Puig’s performance in the first two games, with 2 triples among his 3 hits in 6 ABs and 3 RBIs already.

Lineup when available.

Apr 05

Game 2, 2016

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Dodgers at Padres, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD

The Dodgers began their quest for NL West domination with a 15-0 shutout of the Padres yesterday, the largest Opening Day shutout by any team in Major League history. Clayton Kershaw got off to a superlative start (but that’s not surprising anymore, I guess), going seven innings, striking out nine, giving up no runs and only one walk.

Today is another day, and so we see Scott Kazmir go for the Dodgers against James Shields of the Padres. Kazmir faced them once last year as a member of the As and went five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, getting a no-decision for his troubles. Shields started four games against the Dodgers last year and pitched well, going 1-0 with three quality starts.

Lineup when available.

Apr 04

Game 1, 2016

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Opening Day! Let’s have a little Danny Kaye to start the season off.

Dodgers at Padres, 4:05PM PT, SPNLA, FSSD

It’ll be Clayton Kershaw making his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Dodgers; Don Sutton holds the record of seven. This will be Tyson Ross’s first Opening Day start for any team. Overall it’s the 10th time the Dodgers and Padres have opened against one another.

Nov 01

World Series Game Five, 2015

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Here we go. Can the Mets stave off expulsion from the Series or will they succumb to the Royals and the incessant hitting machine that is their lineup?

Royals at Mets, 5:00PM PT, TV: Fox

The pitchers from Game One are matched up again. Edinson Volquez returns from attending his father’s funeral in the Dominican Republic to face Matt Harvey, who took the loss the first time these two righthanders met last week.

If you think the Royals are the latest edition of The Comeback Kids, you’re right: “Kansas City has now won six games this postseason after trailing by multiple runs.”

Oct 31

World Series Game Four, 2015

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Royals at Mets, 5:00PM PT, TV: Fox

(Insert pro forma rant about World Series games played at night in the Northeast)

Why can’t MLB at least schedule weekend World Series games during the day so the average eight, nine or ten-year old can watch them through the end of the game? Yeah, yeah, college football. Yeah, yeah, the NFL. Competing with those entities and expecting to win is done, guys. That ship has sailed. But real baseball fans are going to watch the Series, not Texas-San Antonio v. North Texas.

On to tonight’s game. The Mets send rookie lefthander Steven Matz to the hill to face Tall Chris Young, who pitched three shutout innings of relief in the fourteen-inning Game One. If the Mets win the Series is tied, if the Royals win they’ve got a 3-1 edge.