Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

May 09

Game 30, 2015

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Dodgers at Rockies, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN

Clayton Kershaw makes his fourth try to win career number 100 this evening, weather permitting. He’s won six straight against the Rockies and has a 1.62 ERA over those games. He’s 14-5 with a 3.11 ERA in his career against the Rockies and is 7-3 at Coors Field, posting a 4.58 ERA. His opponent will be Jorge De La Rosa, who has 45 lifetime wins at Coors, more than any other pitcher in the history of the stadium. De La Rosa started the year on the DL, however, and he’s 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA after coming off it.

In outfielder news, Yasiel Puig tweaked his hamstring in a rehab game with Rancho Cucamonga Friday night.

Lineup when available.

The weather is not looking good, unless you’re a skier/snowboarder.

Continued rain today will increase the possibility of flash flooding throughout the urban corridor and plains. Residents should be on alert for flooding in their vicinity after heavy rains pass over. The far eastern plains could see severe weather with increased heating. Chances for large hail and tornadoes increase by this afternoon. For the mountains, the snow level will be around 9000ft lowering to 7000ft by this evening. Areas above 9000ft could see 2 to 6 inches by this afternoon with another 4 to 10 inches overnight. Mountain roads will be slushy and snow packed by this evening.

Okay, lineup for today’s game:

The weather is forecast to be in the low 40s with a small chance of rain.

No explanation given for Ethier’s absence in right field, nor for Uribe’s absence at third base. It could just be that the Rockies’ pitcher De La Rosa is a lefty.

May 08

Game 29, 2015

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Dodgers at Rockies, 2:40PM 5:40PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Dodgers’ Brett Anderson was a member of the Rockies last season, but injuries to his finger and his back cut his season short and they let him depart at the end of the year. Anderson is 1-1 with a 4.21 ERA for the Dodgers. His opponent will be Eddie Butler, who’s 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA.

Lineup:


Kendrick gets a day off and Turner plays second in his place. Adrian Gonzalez celebrates his birthday but doesn’t get the day off, and the Dodgers got their pink Mother’s Day gear today.

May 07

Game 28, 2015

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Dodgers at Brewers, 10:40AM PT, TV: SPNLA

Carlos Frias brings his 2-0, 0.00 ERA (over 7 2/3 innings) to the hill for the Dodgers to face the Brewers’ Mike Fiers, who’s 1-3 with a 4.74 ERA this season but is coming off a 2 walk, 12-strikeout performance over 6 innings against the Cubs in which he got the win.

The Dodgers plan to sit Jimmy Rollins and Justin Turner in this game and to have Yasmani Grandal do the catching. Juan Uribe will be back at third with his 13-game hitting streak.

Lineup when available.

May 06

Game 27, 2015

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Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The man whose name spawned a zillion headline puns pitches for the Brewers today: Wily Peralta. He’s got a 30-31 career record with a 3.87 ERA, but he’s had a tough start this season: 0-4, 4.35 ERA. He’ll be (possibly) facing Joe Wieland, who is still a rookie despite spending parts of 2012 and 2014 with the Padres. He’s only got 39 innings of MLB experience, earning a 1-4 record and a 5.31 ERA.

I say possibly because the Dodgers tweeted that it would be Carlos Frias pitching today. We may have to wait until game time (or follow the Twitter account) to see who it’s going to be.

Lineup when available.

May 05

Game 26, 2015

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Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Brewers ask Matt Garza to win in his first career start against the Dodgers, while Zack Greinke tries to win after a Dodgers’ loss, which he’s done at least 3 times this season. He’s 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA against the Brewers, but by dint of his short career in a Brewers’ uniform he’s won 15 and lost only 2 at Miller Park. Which fact will prevail?

Lineup:

May 04

Game 25, 2015

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Dodgers at Brewers, 4:20PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (Free game)

This will be game one of the Brewers’ Craig Counsell era; they fired Ron Roenicke over the weekend.

Clayton Kershaw tries again to win career #100, this time against Kyle Lohse. Kershaw is 1-2 with a 3.73 ERA in five starts in 2015, while Lohse is 1-4 with a 7.28 ERA, also in five starts. The Brewers’ Ryan Braun and Gerardo Parra have both had pretty good success against Kershaw, while Adrian Gonzalez has been a thorn in Lohse’s side.

Lineup:

May 03

Game 24, 2015

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Two Andersons face off in the third game of the series this afternoon: Chase for the D-Backs, making his fifth start, and Brett for the Dodgers, also making his fifth start. Chase is 0-1 on the year with a 4.24 ERA; he started and went five innings against the Dodgers on April 10, giving up three runs in a game Arizona eventually won 4-3. Brett pitched in that same game, giving up three runs over six innings and getting no decision. He’s 1-1 on the year with a 5.49 ERA. He hasn’t gone longer than six innings in any start this season, and in his last two he didn’t make it through five.

Lineup when available.

May 02

Game 23, 2015

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Note the start time is an hour earlier than usual.

Scott Baker makes his second start for the Dodgers and Jeremy Hellickson makes his fifth start for the D-Backs. Hellickson is 1-3 this year with a 5.24 ERA. He’s got a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, which sounds good till you look and see that he’s got 16 of the former but 8 of the latter. Add the walks to 31 hits in 22 innings and you see why he’s had trouble winning so far. Baker did well in his first start, going 7 innings while giving up 4 hits and 3 earned runs. Unfortunately the Dodgers got only one run to support him and he lost the game.

Lineup when available.

May 01

Game 22, 2015

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

It’s a battle of righthanders as the D-Backs send out old friend Rubby De La Rosa to face off against Carlos Frias of the Dodgers. De La Rosa was sent to the Red Sox by the Dodgers as part of the trade which brought them Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford two years ago. Arizona acquired him in the off-season, and he’s gone 2-1 with a 4.68 ERA this year in 25 innings over 4 starts. Frias is making his first start of the year for the Dodgers after two relief appearances.

Update: Mark Saxon of ESPN has a discussion of the Dodgers’ bullpen and its management. Three different pitchers have been used in save situations at the MLB level, and it’s the same in the minors: “The Dodgers’ four minor-league affiliates have had a total of 14 pitchers record at least one save.”

Hmm. Interesting.

Lineup when available.

No Uribear and a Guerrero sighting.

Apr 29

Game 21, 2015

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Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

It will be Zack Greinke v. Ryan Vogelsong in the rubber match of the series. Greinke didn’t pitch in last week’s series against the Giants, while Vogelsong gave up two runs in six innings in the Giants’ 10-inning 3-2 victory. That was the game Kendrick saved with his headlong dive behind second base in the ninth inning only to watch Maxwell single past third base to drive in the winning run in the tenth.

Greinke has been the best pitcher the Dodgers have so far this season, going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four starts, all of them quality ones. Vogelsong is 0-1 in four starts with a 7.71 ERA, and righthanded hitters have been particularly troublesome for him, hitting .298 so far this year.

Puig and Crawford are on the DL, but Van Slyke, who’ll probably replace one of them, has a seven-game hitting streak of his own. If Guerrero replaces the other all he’s done is hit five home runs in limited duty.

Lineup when available.

My goodness, what have we here? Joc leading off, Rollins in the two-hole, Uribe in the eight-hole, and something which will cause lots of talk, no Guerrero in the starting lineup.