Aug 06

Game 110, 2023

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Dodgers at Padres, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: ESPN

It’s a battle of deadline acquisitions this afternoon as RHP Lance Lynn (7-9, 6.32 ERA) makes his second start for the Dodgers and old friend LHP Rich Hill (7-10, 4.76 ERA) makes his first start for the Friars.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1981 The players approved a split-season format necessitated by the seven-week strike. The Yankees, A’s, Phillies, and Dodgers are declared the first-half champions and will be automatically qualified for the divisional series.
  • 2016 Giancarlo Stanton drives a pitch thrown by Rockies starter Chad Bettis deep into the Rockpile seats, a 504-foot blast that becomes the longest round-tripper in the 21-year-old history of Coors Field. The Miami Marlins slugger’s fifth-inning solo shot in the team’s 12-6 loss surpasses the 496-footer hit in 1997 by Dodger catcher Mike Piazza off current Colorado bullpen coach Darren Holmes.

Lineups when available.

Aug 05

Game 109, 2023

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Dodgers at Padres, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: FS1, SPNLA, San Diego Padres (see list at prior post)

RHP Michael Grove (2-3, 6.75 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers while LHP Blake Snell (8-8, 2.50 ERA) does so for the Padres.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1954 Stan Musial, in a 13-4 rout of the Dodgers in Brooklyn, paces the Cardinals attack, hitting two homers and driving in seven runs. The defeat is Preacher Roe’s first loss to St. Louis at Ebbets Field in four years.
  • 1969 With a titanic blast that clears the right-field pavilion, Willie Stargell becomes the first player to hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium. The 506-foot round-tripper helps the Pirates defeat LA, 11-3.

  • 1979 Don Sutton, surpassing Don Drysdale, becomes the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout leader with 2,487 when he fans six in an 8-1 victory over San Francisco at Chavez Ravine. After establishing the mark, and receiving a two-minute standing ovation that he acknowledges by tipping his cap, the right-hander is charged with an automatic ball due to running his fingers across his lips while thanking the crowd.
  • 1979 Outfielders Willie Mays (Giants, Mets) and Hack Wilson (Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, and Phillies) are enshrined into the Hall of Fame. Baseball administrator Warren Giles, who served as the president of the National League from 1951 to 1969, is also inducted during the Cooperstown ceremony.

Lineups when available.

Aug 04

Game 108, 2023

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Dodgers at Padres, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: Dodgers –SPNLA; Padres — DirecTV (channel 694-3), Spectrum (channel 305), AT&T U-Verse (channel 781), Cox (Back on good ol’ channel 4); streaming options here

All those optional channels are a result of Bally Sports SD and Diamond Sports failing to make a rights fees payment, resulting in Major League Baseball taking over the broadcasting rights.

RHP Bobby Miller (6-2, 4.37 ERA) takes the mound at Petco Park for the visiting Dodgers; he’ll face the Padres’ RHP Yu Darvish (8-7, 4.53 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1908 In Brooklyn, the last-place Cardinals blank the Brooklyn Superbas (Dodgers), 3-0. The entire Washington Park contest is played with just one ball.
  • 1941 Mickey Owens becomes the first catcher to handle three foul pop ups in one frame. The Brooklyn backstop’s third inning defense contributes to the Dodgers’ 11-6 victory over New York at Ebbets Field.
  • 1942 In a military relief game at the Polo Grounds, which will be the last war-time twilight game played, Pee Wee Reese’s grand slam in the top of the ninth, which puts the Dodgers up 5-1, doesn’t count, because of the 9:10 pm government curfew. The game ends up as a 1-1 tie with the Giants.
  • 1948 Ernie Harwell, filling in for Red Barber, who is recovering from a bleeding ulcer, calls his first major league game as the Dodgers beat the Cubs at Ebbets Field, 5-4. To obtain the future Hall of Fame broadcaster, Brooklyn general manager Branch Rickey trades minor league catcher Cliff Draper to the Atlanta Crackers.

Lineups when available:

Aug 03

Game 107, 2023

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Athletics at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: MLBN (out-of-market only), NBCSCA, SPNLA

LHP JP Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) pi8tches for the A’s this evening. He’ll face the Dodgers’ LHP Julio Urías (7-6, 4.98 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1959 In the second All-Star Game played this summer, Yogi Berra’s two-run home run off Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale in the third inning at the LA Memorial Coliseum proves to be the difference in the American League’s 5-3 victory over the Senior Circuit. The home run will be the last one hit by a Bronx Bomber in a Mid-Summer Classic game for 41 years until Derek Jeter goes deep in 2001.
  • 1995 Making his first start for the Rockies since being acquired from the Mets, Brett Saberhagen gives up 13 hits and walks three batters, but gets the win in the team’s 9-4 win over the Dodgers. The sellout crowd gives their new hurler an enthusiastic standing ovation when he departs the game with one out in the seventh inning.
  • 1997 Jeromy Burnitz, coming off the bench in the Brewers’ 6-5 loss to Seattle at County Stadium, homers as a pinch hitter for the second consecutive time, tying an American League record. The major league mark for consecutive pinch-hit appearances with a home run is three, shared by Lee Lacy (Dodgers – May 2, 6, and 17, 1978) and Del Unser (Phillies – June 30, July 5 and 10, 1979).
  • 2013 The first-place Dodgers set a franchise record, winning their 13th consecutive game on the road with their 3-0 victory over the Cubs in Chicago. The Giants established the National League mark in 1916 when the team won 17 straight games away from the Polo Grounds.

Lineups when available.

Baseball in Bhutan? Is there any place even flat enough for a field? Barely, but the kids apparently love the game anyway.

Aug 02

Game 106, 2023

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Athletics at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCSCA, SPNLA

The A’s send LHP Hogan Harris (2-5, 6.07 ERA) to the mound to face the Dodgers’ RHP Tony Gonsolin (5-4, 4.25 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1938 Bright yellow baseballs designed by Frederick Rah, who believes the visibility of the dandelion-hue sphere will help players avoid getting hit by a pitch, are used in the first game of a doubleheader. The one-game experiment draws mixed reactions and the Dodgers complete their sweep of the twin bill from the Cardinals, 6-2 and 9-3, using the traditional white ball in the nightcap.
  • 1982 During a ceremony held in Cooperstown, NY, the United States Postal Service unveils a 20-cent stamp commemorating baseball great Jackie Robinson as part of its annual Black Heritage series. The Dodger infielder becomes the first individual baseball player to be depicted on a U.S postage stamp.

  • 2002 Reds general manager Jim Bowden is fined by commissioner Bud Selig for the comments he made to reporters prior to yesterday’s game against the Dodgers comparing a baseball strike with the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Quickly realizing the use of such analogy was inappropriate and insensitive, the Cincinnati GM issues an immediate apology after the game.
  • 2008 In the first game after the Manny Ramirez trade to the Dodgers, the Fenway Faithful enthusiastically welcome Jason Bay, the player replacing the Boston icon. The former Pirates outfielder doesn’t disappoint, tripling and scoring the winning run in the 12th inning of the Red Sox’s 2-1 victory over the A’s.
  • 2017 The Dodgers lose to the Braves, ending their nine-game winning streak. Had they won it would have been the third time this season they’d have won ten straight. The bullpen gives up the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning at Sun Trust Park in Atlanta.

Lineups when available.

Aug 01

Game 105, 2023

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Athletics at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: MLBN (out-of-market only), NBCSCA, SPNLA

Oakland hasn’t yet named its starter, while the Dodgers hand the ball to the newly-acquired RHP Lance Lynn (6-9, 6.47 ERA).

Update: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-6, 6.38 ERA) will start for the A’s.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1906 After pitching 10 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, Harry McIntire yields a single to Pirates second baseman Claude Ritchey. The Dodgers and McIntire lose the game in the 13th on an unearned run, 1-0.
  • 1924 Dazzy Vance strikes out seven consecutive batters to establish a major league record when the Brooklyn Robins defeat the Cubs at Ebbets Field, 4-0. The future Hall of Famer, who will compile a 28-6 record for the Brooks this season, will lead the National League in strikeouts with 262.
  • 1957 Gil Hodges, in a 12-3 win over the Cubs, hits his 13th and last career grand slam in Brooklyn Dodger history. The first baseman’s bases-loaded shot off Dick Littlefield establishes a new National League record, previously shared by Rogers Hornsby and Ralph Kiner.
  • 2011 After popping out in a pinch-hitting appearance, Craig Counsell remains without a hit in his last 45 at-bats, tying the longest single-season hitless streak by a position player in history, established by Brooklyn backstop Bill Bergen in 1909. The major league record is 0-for-70, established in 1970 by Bob Buhl, a pitcher who toiled with the Braves and Cubs that season. Counsell and Bergen’s record for position players has since been surpassed by the Orioles’ Chris Davis, who got it up to 54 straight hitless ABs in 2019 before getting a hit on April 13.
  • 2015 Clayton Kershaw strikes out Mike Trout looking with a wicked curveball, marking the first time that reigning MVPs have faced one another in a major league game. The interleague contest between the two LA teams ends with the Dodgers southpaw keeping the Angels outfielder 0-for-3 while hurling eight innings in the team’s 3-1 victory over the Halos at Chavez Ravine.

Lineups when available.

Late breaking news:

I don’t understand that move at all. The Dodgers are in need of starting pitchers, not cash.

Jul 30

Game 104, 2023

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Reds at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: BS Ohio, SPNLA

RHP Graham Ashcraft (5-7, 5.64) pitches for the Queen City representatives today. RHP Michael Grove (3-2, 6.19 ERA) does the same for the City of Angels.

Here are Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser’s respective speeches from last night’s ceremony inducting Hershiser into the Dodgers’ Legends.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 2004 In a blockbuster trade, the Marlins deal Brad Penny, the winner of two World Series games last season, first baseman Hee Seop Choi, and southpaw prospect Bill Murphy (who will be traded to the Diamondbacks tomorrow) to the Dodgers for backstop Paul Lo Duca, relief pitcher Guillermo Mota, and much-traveled outfielder Juan Encarnacion.
  • 2017 Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre collects his 3000th hit when he doubles in the fourth inning in the Rangers’ 10-6 loss to the Orioles at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The twenty-year veteran, who has also spent time with the Dodgers, Mariners, and the Red Sox, is the first-ever Dominican-born player to reach the coveted milestone.

Lineups when available.

Jul 29

Game 103, 2023

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Reds at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: BS Ohio, SPNLA

RHP Luke Weaver (2-2, 7.20 ERA) goes to the mound for the Redlegs while RHP Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 6.75 ERA) pitches for the home team.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1915 Pirates third baseman Honus Wagner reaches Robins hurler Jeff Pfeffer for a grand slam in the eighth inning, helping Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn at Forbes Field, 8-2. The inside-the-park round-tripper makes the 41 year-old infielder the oldest player ever to hit a home run with the bases full, a record which will last until 1985.
  • 1996 After a mild heart attack last month, Tommy Lasorda, 68 year-old Dodger manager of twenty years, announces his retirement due to his health. The future Hall of Fame skipper, who was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1983 and ’88, led Los Angeles to four pennants and two World Series championships during his 21 seasons at the helm.

Lineups when available.

Mookie dropped from the lineup for as-yet-unexplained reasons.

Update:

Jul 27

Game 102, 2023

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Reds at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: Bally Sports Ohio, SPNLA

LHP Brandon Williamson (2-2, 4.60 ERA) pitches for the Reds and RHP Bobby Miller (6-1, 4.28 ERA) does the same for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1991 Expos right-hander Dennis Martinez pitches a perfect game, defeating Los Angeles 2-0 at Dodger Stadium. Ron Hassey becomes the first backstop to ever catch two perfect games, as he also was behind the plate on May 15, 1981 when Indian hurler Len Barker faced 27 batters, beating the Blue Jays, 3-0.
  • 2017 Alex Wood won his twelfth game against just one loss, going seven innings while giving up eight hits and four runs to the Giants. The Dodgers came from behind with four runs in the seventh and won 6-4.

Lineups when available.

Jul 26

Game 101, 2023

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Blue Jays at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: SPNLA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports, SN NOW App

32-year-old 3-time NPB All-Star LHP Yusei Kikuchi (7-3, 3.92 ERA) pitches for the Blue Jays and RHP Tony Gonsolin (5-3, 3.94 ERA) goes for the Dodgers, who hope he can get through six innings, something he’s had trouble doing this season.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1900 In Brooklyn, a sheriff seizes the St. Louis share of gate receipts to reimburse Gus Weyhing, recently released by the Cardinals after posting a 3-4 record in eight starts with the team, who claims to have been cheated out of ten days of pay. Next week, the right-hander, known as Cannonball by his teammates, will sign with the Superbas as a free agent.
  • 1948 Former Dodger skipper Leo Durocher, who left the team ten days ago, makes his first appearance at Ebbets Field since taking over the Giants. The return of ‘the Lip’ is less-than-triumphant when his new team drops a 13-4 decision to Brooklyn.
  • 1951 In a 9-1 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Jim Russell becomes the first player in major league history to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in a game in two different games. The Dodger outfielder’s accomplishment will be surpassed in 1956 when Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle goes deep both right and left-handed in the same game for a third time.
  • 1960 The Phillies end their scoreless streak of thirty-eight consecutive innings when Johnny Callison plates Tony Gonzalez with a sixth-inning single in the team’s 4-3 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Philadelphia’s drought began when the team failed to score in the last six frames of a 3-0 win against the Giants, and continued when they were shut out in three straight games ( 2-0, 2-0, and 9-0) by the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
  • 1991 Mark Gardner no-hits the Dodgers for nine innings, but Los Angeles wins the game in the bottom of the tenth on two singles off the Expos’ starter and Darryl Strawberry’s RBI single off reliever Jeff Fassero. It’s the first time the Dodgers had been held hitless at home for nine innings since Johnny Vander Meer’s second straight no-hitter in 1938.

Lineups when available.

Note that Kiké Hernández is in the lineup at 2B. Mookie is gonna lose playing time in the infield.