Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

Jun 13

Game 69, 2019

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Cubs at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCSCH, SPNLA

The Cubbies send wily veteran LHP Jon Lester (5-4, 3.56 ERA) to the hill against the Dodgers’ own wily veteran LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-1, 3.00 ERA). Lester had a strong outing on June 3 against the Angels but in his next start he gave up four first-inning runs to the Cardinals, although he went five scoreless innings after that blip. Kershaw had won every time out until his last start, when he went seven innings and gave up two runs to the Giants. His teammates could only get one run against four San Francisco pitchers and Kershaw took the loss.

The Dodgers put Corey Seager on the IL and activated IF Matt Beaty from the same list.

It was initially thought he had suffered a Grade 2 strain, which usually requires four to six weeks to fully heal. But the club said that an MRI on Wednesday revealed a strain “between Grade 1 and Grade 2,” less severe than Tuesday night’s initial exam indicated. The Dodgers have not placed a timetable on his return.

The Dodgers are pursuing LHP closer Brad Hand of the Indians, if USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is to be believed.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1957 In a game which features the ejection of Johnny Logan and Don Drysdale, Clem Labine loses for the first time in ten months and 38 relief appearances when the Braves beat Brooklyn, 8-5. The Milwaukee shortstop charged the mound after getting drilled in the ribs by the Dodger right-hander, resulting in banishment for both players.
  • 1973 The Dodgers infield, a quartet which will be together eight and a half years, setting a major league record for longevity, plays together for the first time. First baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, third baseman Ron Cey, and shortstop Bill Russell are in the lineup in the 16-3 defeat to the Phillies.
  • 1998 The first triple play ever completed at Dodger Stadium is turned by Darren Dreifort (p), Eric Young (2b), Jose Vizcaino (ss), and Bobby Bonilla (3b). With Colorado runners on first and second base, the 1-6-4 double play becomes a triple killing when Jamey Wright is thrown out at third base by the LA second baseman, who covered first base for the second out.
  • 2010 The Angels, with their first sweep at Dodger Stadium, complete their 14-game road trip with 11 victories, the most for the team on a single trip since 1962. In the 6-5 decision over their crosstown rivals, Halo hurler Jered Weaver strikes out his older brother, Jeff, who came into the game as a long reliever in the third inning, for the first time since they were kids.

Lineup:


Jun 11

Game 68, 2019

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Dodgers at Angels, 7:07 PM PDT, TV: FS-W, SPNLA

RHP Kenta Maeda (7-2, 3.48 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and Félix Peña (3-1, 4.53 ERA) pitches for the Angels. In his last start Maeda was pulled after five innings of two-hit, one walk and seven strikeout ball and wasn’t happy to be taken out after just 70 pitches. Peña had his worst outing of the year in his last “start” (the Angels are using the “opener” concept with him), giving up seven runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

First reports of NL All-Star votes:


This day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1957 The Dodgers’ Roy Campanella surpasses former Cub and Giant backstop Gabby Hayes to establish a new National League mark when he hits his 237th career round-tripper as a catcher. Campy’s historic home run comes off Ray Crone in the seventh inning of Brooklyn’s 7-2 loss to the Braves at Ebbets Field.
  • 1972 LA outfielders Manny Mota and Willie Davis both hit inside-the-park homers down the foul lines at Dodger Stadium off Bucs’ starter Bruce Kison. Roberto Clemente’s seventh inning home run over the fence proves to be the difference in Pittsburgh’s 7-5 victory, their 21st win the last 26 games.

Also, in 1938 In the first of two consecutive no-hitters he will hurl, Johnny Vander Meer keeps the Boston Bees hitless in Cincinnati’s 3-0 victory at Crosley Field. The Reds’ southpaw, in the first night game played in Brooklyn, continues his no-no mojo four days later by beating the Dodgers, 6-0, without giving up a hit in the Ebbets Field contest.

Lineup when available.


Jun 10

Game 67, 2019

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Dodgers at Angels, 7:07 PM PDT, TV: FS-W, SPNLA

The visiting Dodgers hand All-Star candidate LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-1, 1.35 ERA) to the Angel Stadium mound tonight. He’ll face rookie RHP Griffin Canning (2-2, 3.52 ERA). Ryu leads the NL in ERA and is tied for first in wins; he’s only faced the Angels three times in his career but is 2-0 and a 0.83 ERA against them. Canning is the Angels’ #2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline; he went six innings in his last start, giving up four runs and taking the loss.

If you somehow missed it, here are Muncy and Bumgarner after Max’s home run yesterday:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 2012 Bobby Abreu, who was tied with Mickey Mantle for 109th place on the all-time hit list, surpasses the Yankee legend with a second-inning double in L.A.’s 8-2 interleague victory over Seattle at Safeco Field. The 38 year-old outfielder has collected 2,416 hits playing for the Astros, Phillies, Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers.

Lineup:


Jun 09

Game 66, 2019

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

RHP Walker Buehler (6-1, 3.69 ERA) takes the hill for the Dodgers against the Giants’ LHP Madison Bumgarner (3-5, 4.05 ERA). Buehler’s last start might have been his best of the season: he went eight innings, gave up two hits, struck out 11 and walked none, getting the win against the D-Backs. Bumgarner pitched well against the Mets last time out, going six innings without figuring in the decision. He’s 15-12 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 2.56 ERA; today will be his 35th career start against them.

Here are Seager’s four hits in Saturday’s game:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1919 Dodger standout pitcher Rube Marquard breaks his leg running the bases, ending his season with a record of 3-3. The hard-throwing southpaw will finish his 18-year Hall of Fame career in 1925, after compiling a 201-177 record along with an ERA of 3.08.
  • 1973 Rightfielder Rusty Staub becomes the pivot man in a very unusual double play during a 4-2 Mets victory against the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. Racing in from the outfield, ‘Le Grand Orange’ gets a throw near second base from first baseman John Milner and tags Davey Lopes, who was picked-off from first, and then throws home to nail Tom Paciorek trying to score from second during the P-1B-SS-1B-2B-1B-2B-RF-C rundown.
  • 1990 Eddie Murray ties Mickey Mantle’s major league mark, hitting a homer from both sides of the plate for the tenth time in his career. The switch-hitting first baseman’s second home run of the game, batting left-handed against Eric Show, proves to be the eventual winning run in the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over San Diego in the 11th inning at Jack Murphy Stadium.

Lineup when available.


Jun 08

Game 65, 2019

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Dodgers at Giants, 4:15 PM PDT, TV: Fox

Grizzled veteran lefty Rich Hill (2-1, 2.25 ERA) goes for the Dodgers while somewhat-less-grizzled but nonetheless veteran Jeff Samardzjia (3-4, 3.61 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants. Hill went seven innings and 103 pitches against the Phillies last time out, giving up three hits and three walks and getting the win. Samardzjia got his first win since April 23 his last time out, going six innings against the Orioles.

Three bright spots from the game last night: Muncy made three defensive gems at second base.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1952 Prior to the start of a twin bill against the Reds, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen tells Cal Abrams if he wants to stay with the team that the benchwarmer will need to verbally taunt the skipper of the opposing club. Much to his chagrin, the spare outfielder, who spends the entire first game of a double-header severely heckling his opponents and their leader, is informed between games he has been traded to Cincinnati, effective tomorrow, and will need to report to his new field boss, one very angry Roger Hornsby.
  • 1955 After only eight games and 13 innings of work, the Dodgers option rookie left-handed pitcher Tom Lasorda to Montreal to make room for a bonus baby who is also a southpaw. Sandy Koufax, who had injured his ankle, comes off the 30-day disabled list.
  • 1968 Dodger right-hander Don Drysdale’s scoreless streak ends at a record 58 2/3 consecutive innings when Tony Taylor is driven in by Howie Bedell’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. It will be the Phillies outfielder’s only RBI for the season.
  • 2007 With their 3-0 victory over Detroit at Comerica Park, the Mets begin a span of 18 games to become the first team in baseball history to play six consecutive series against six different clubs that all participated in the playoffs the previous season. New York will compile an 8-10 record during the stretch playing against the Tigers, Dodgers, Yankees, Twins, A’s, and the Cardinals.
  • 2012 Six Mariners pitchers combine to hurl the franchise’s third no-hitter when starter Kevin Millwood leaves the game with an injury and five relievers, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, and Tom Wilhelmsen, keep the Dodgers hitless in the team’s 1-0 victory at Safeco Field. Brian Runge, the home plate umpire, was also behind the dish for Philip Humber’s perfect game, making him the first ump to call balls and strikes for two no-hitters in one season since Drew Coble accomplished the feat in 1990.

Lineup when available.


Jun 07

Game 64, 2019

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

LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-0, 3.20 ERA) goes to the mound for the Dodgers against the Giants’ LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-6, 8.08 ERA). Kershaw has gone at least six innings in each of his nine starts this season and the Dodgers have won all nine. He’s 22-10 in his career against the Giants with a 1.70 ERA. Pomeranz is having the worst season of his nine-year career; he’s given up 35 earned runs in 39 innings. He faced the Dodgers twice in April and got a no-decision and a loss.

MLB’s Richard Justice has a column titled “7 trades that make perfect sense,” and one of them is:

6. Brad Hand to the Dodgers

You’re probably looking at the Dodgers and thinking, “Do they really need anything?” Sure, they do. Every team needs something, and around the Trade Deadline, an impact acquisition can energize the clubhouse. Hand is about as close to unhittable as any reliever in the game (1.05 ERA), and would combine with Kenley Jansen to make the Dodgers’ bullpen the NL’s best. Along with Bauer, a shrewd Hand trade can really help the Indians rebuild their system.

Potential trade pieces: This one won’t be simple. Yes, the Dodgers have a deep system. Yes, Hand potentially is signed through 2021 at a reasonable rate. But Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is extremely protective of his best young prospects. Outfielders DJ Peters (L.A.’s No. 10 prospect) and Jeren Kendall (No. 15) would make some sense. So would any of three Dodgers catching prospects, possibly Diego Cartaya (No. 9).

I gotta say, I like anything that shores up the bullpen, which currently has a 4.63 ERA, 11th in the National League. Their strikeout rate ranks 14th.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1954 Dodger catcher Roy Campanella steals home in the top of the 12th inning in a 7-5 victory over St. Louis at Sportsman’s Park. Campy had added an insurance run with an eighth inning round-tripper, but the Redbirds scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score.
  • 1957 Howard University awards honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recently retired Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson. In the coming years, the former baseball great and the Baptist minister will often appear together at Civil Rights rallies, fundraising events, and demonstrations.

    Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  • 1982 Joining Lou Gehrig, Everett Scott, Billy Williams, and Joe Sewell, Dodger infielder Steve Garvey becomes only the fifth player in major league history to play in 1,000 consecutive games. The first baseman, establishing a National League record, will appear in 1207 consecutive games, before the streak ends next season when he breaks his thumb in a collision at home plate, playing for the Padres.

Lineup when available.


Jun 05

Game 63, 2019

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 PM PDT, TV: FS-A, SPNLA

The Dodgers ask RHP Kenta Maeda (7-1, 3.61 ERA) to complete the sweep against the Diamondbacks’ RHP Jon Duplantier (1-0, 3.18 ERA). Maeda made five starts in May, going 4-0 and recording a 2.73 ERA. Duplantier made his sixth big league appearance and first start last Friday against the Mets, giving up three runs on six hits in five innings, leaving with no decision.

Here’s Bellinger’s 8th outfield assist of the year from Tuesday night:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1977 On Old Timers’ Day, the Dodgers retire former manager Walter Alston’s uniform number 24. ‘Smokey’ compiles a 2040-1613 (.558) record along with seven pennants that results in four World Championships during his 23 years in the dugout.
  • 2015 Current Dodger Pat Venditte becomes the first full-time switch-pitcher in the modern era when he tosses two scoreless frames in Oakland’s 4-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The A’s ambidextrous reliever faces the minimum six batters in his two innings, allowing a single to Hanley Ramirez before getting an inning-ending double play in the seventh and then proceeds to pitch a perfect eighth.

Lineup when available.


Jun 04

Game 62, 2019

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

The Dodgers’ LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (8-1, 1.48 ERA) is having a season for the ages so far. He’ll face the D-Backs’ RHP Taylor Clarke (1-1, 4.67 ERA), who will be making his fifth big league appearance and fourth start. Ryu made six starts in May and had a 0.59 ERA for the month. Clarke gave up five runs on four hits in two innings in his last start against the Rockies.

In case you missed this:


This day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1957 At a seventy-five minute show-down meeting at City Hall with Walter O’Malley and Horace Stoneham, the club presidents of the Dodgers and Giants, respectively, Mayor Robert Wagner is told by the owners neither club has a commitment to move out of New York – and none to stay in the Big Apple. The teams, who have been given permission by the National League to explore the possibility of moving their franchises to the West Coast, are assured by His Honor that the city will be of assistance in replacing the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, the aging ballparks the clubs call home.
  • 1964 At Connie Mack Stadium, Sandy Koufax throws his third no-hitter in three years, blanking the Phillies 3-0. The Dodgers’ southpaw, who will add a perfect game to his resume next season, joins Bob Feller as the only other modern major leaguer to pitch three career hitless games.
  • 1968 Don Drysdale, pitching his sixth consecutive shutout, defeats the Pirates, 5-0. The Dodger right-hander will extend his major league record scoreless streak to 58.2 innings before yielding a run in his next start. Later that evening at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Robert Kennedy, giving his victory speech for his win in the California primary before being fatally shot, tells his followers in the packed ballroom, “I’d like to express my high regard to Don Drysdale, who pitched his sixth straight shutout tonight.”
  • 1972 The Dodgers retire Roy Campanella’s uniform number 39. Campy, who won the MVP three times catching for Brooklyn in the fifties, joins Jackie Robinson (42) and Sandy Koufax (32) to be honored in this manner.
  • 1976 In an 11-0 victory at Dodger Stadium, Mets right fielder Dave Kingman hits three home runs. Sky King’s two-run dinger and two three-run round trippers drive in eight runs, a new club record.
  • 1990 En route to a 6-0 complete-game victory, 22 year-old Dodger right-hander Ramon Martinez limits Atlanta to three hits. Pedro’s older brother, who will finish the season with a 20-6 record, strikes out 18 batters during the contest.
  • 1998 The Dodgers trade the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year Hideo Nomo (2-7 with a 5.05 ERA) and reliever Brad Clontz to the Mets for pitchers Dave Mlicki and Greg McMichael.

Lineup when available.


Jun 03

Game 61, 2019

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

The Dodgers’ RHP Walker Buehler (5-1, 4.03 ERA) takes the hill at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks’ RHP Robbie Ray (4-2, 3.59 ERA). Buehler struggled against the Mets his last time out, giving up five runs on seven hits in five innings, but before that he’d had four consecutive quality starts. Ray also struggled in his last outing against the Rockies, giving up five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He’s 4-0 in his last eight starts against the Dodgers.

Houston Mitchell of the LA Times looks at the history and concludes that Cody Bellinger is having the best season in Dodgers history. He uses OPS+ to prove it.


Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1969 Tom Seaver strikes out 14 batters in eight innings en route to the Mets’ 5-2 win over LA at Shea Stadium. The victory, fueled by Ed Kranepool’s two home runs, improves the second-place team’s record to 24-23, the latest they have been above .500 in franchise history.
  • 1989 In a 22-inning game played at the Astrodome, Houston beats the Dodgers, 5-4, when Rafael Ramirez’ run-scoring single plates Bill Doran to end the contest at 2:50 a.m., seven hours and 14-minutes after it started. The longest game in National League history features L.A. center fielder John Shelby going 0-for-10 and southpaw Fernando Valenzuela finishing the game at first base.

Lineup when available.

Jun 02

Game 60, 2019

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Phillies at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCSP, SPNLA

RHP Nick Pivetta (3-1, 7.71 ERA) goes for the Phillies while LHP Rich Hill (1-1, 2.73 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers. Pivetta’s first two seasons in the bigs (with Philadelphia) were losing ones: he’s got an 18-25 career W-L record. He’s given up 20 earned runs in 23 1/3 innings so far this season and opponents are hitting a whopping .343 against him. Hill, on the other hand, has pitched 33 innings this year and given up just 10 earned runs while allowing opponents to hit .242 against him.

Here’s young Mr. Smith’s walk-off HR from Saturday night:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1995 Hideo Nomo, limiting the Mets to one run on two hits in 8+ innings of work, picks up his first major league win, a 2-1 decision at Dodger Stadium. L.A. signed the 26 year-old former Japanese All-Star in the off-season.

In another game of note, in 2010 after retiring 26 consecutive Cleveland batters, Tigers starter Armando Galarraga appears to have hurled the season’s third perfect game when the throw from the first baseman to the pitcher, covering the bag, clearly beats the batter-runner for the final out. Umpire Jim Joyce emphatically calls Jason Donald safe. After seeing the replay, the first base arbiter tearfully admits his error, apologizing to the 28 year-old Venezuelan pitcher for his blown call.

Can that really have been nine years ago?

Lineup when available.