Apr 15

Game 12, 2017

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Wait a minute. After 11 games of the season Andrew Toles and Yasiel Puig lead the Dodgers in home runs with three each?

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Lefty Patrick Corbin (1-1, 1.80 ERA) goes for the D-Backs and righty Kenta Maeda (1-1, 6.30 ERA) goes for the Dodgers. In Corbin’s last appearance he went six scoreless innings and gave up just four hits against the Indians. Maeda hasn’t gotten past the fifth inning in either of his outings so far this season but got the win last time out despite giving up four runs.

Today’s big event won’t be the ball game, really. It will be the unveiling of a statue of Jackie Robinson at the Left Field Reserve Plaza entrance, where nearly 20% of all fans enter the stadium.

Jackie’s widow, Rachel, and children, Sharon and David, will attend the ceremony. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson will also be there, along with Dodgers icons Tommy Lasorda, Sandy Koufax, Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin.

Lineup when available.

Apr 14

Game 11, 2017

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Epitaph for the Cubs series from the LA Times:

On 24 occasions during these 27 innings, a Dodger came to bat with a runner in scoring position. Only once did a Dodger supply a hit. The team stranded 26 runners and managed only four runs in all.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

Today it will be a treat: Clayton Kershaw v. Zack Greinke, two guys who were 1-2 in the Dodgers’ rotation in 2013-2015.

The duo went 104-34 during their three seasons together. Greinke finished second in National League Cy Young award voting in 2015, while Kershaw finished third. Kershaw won the award in 2013 and 2014.

Other info:

Kershaw has started 24 games in his career against Arizona and is 12-8 with a 2.75 ERA in those contests. Last season, he faced the D-backs once and struck out 11 in 7 1/3 innings.

Greinke has started seven games against the Dodgers and is 3-2 with a 3.80 ERA.

Lineup when available.

Apr 13

Game 10, 2017

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Dodgers at Cubs, 11:20AM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only), CSN-C

The Dodgers ask LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-1, 3.86 ERA) to defeat old friend and fellow LHP Brett Anderson (0-0, 1,89 ERA). Ryu went 4 2/3 innings last Friday and gave up two runs on six hits while keeping his velocity above 91mph.

This will be Anderson’s first start at home for the Cubs and his first start against his former teammates as well. He went 11-11 with a 4.18 ERA in 35 games (34 starts) with the Dodgers in 2015-2016 but pitched in only four games last year after shutting down due to disk surgery in his back in March. He came back in August but struggled. The Dodgers didn’t offer him a new contract over the winter and he signed with the Cubs in January of this year.

Lineup when available.

Thompson gets his first start of the season, Puig is at cleanup, and A-gon gets the day off. Also, it looks rainy.

Apr 12

Game 9, 2017

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After the first ten days of the season we can say the NL West is showing depth beyond the Dodgers and Giants. Whether the D-Backs and Rockies can keep up their good play remains to be seen, but so far the division looks more competitive than anticipated.

Dodgers at Cubs, 5:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Brandon McCarthy (1-0, 2.00 ERA) goes for the Dodgers against John Lackey (1-0, 4.50 ERA) of the Cubs. McCarthy allowed two runs on four hits in six innings last Thursday against the Padres. Lackey went 7-4 with a 2.62 ERA at home last season; this is his first start at Wrigley this year.

The Cubs got their banner Monday; tonight they’ll get their rings.

Late news: Franklin Gutierrez goes on the 10-day DL with a strained left hamstring.

Lineup when available.

Apr 10

Game 8, 2017

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Dodgers at Cubs, 5:10PM PT, TV: ESPN (No SPNLA today)

It’ll be lefty Alex Wood (0-0, 0.00 ERA) making the start for the Dodgers, replacing Rich Hill (on the 10-day DL with a blister). Wood has made one appearance this year, against the Padres April 5. He threw two scoreless innings in relief of Hill in the Dodgers’ 3-1 win that day.

He’ll face lefty Jon Lester (0-0, 1.80 ERA), who went five-plus innings on Opening Day against the Cardinals in a game the Cubs eventually lost 4-3. Lester’s only 33, but it feels like he’s been around forever. He’s 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in five career regular-season starts against the Dodgers.

The Cubs get their World Series rings and the Championship banner today, and that’s nice, but Dave Roberts is less than enthusiastic:

“Is it inspiring to see? No,” he said. “I think it’s great for the Cubs and great for their fans, and it’s been a long time coming. But for our guys to be on the line for 45 minutes to watch the rings when it’s 40 degrees, I don’t know how inspiring that will be.”

Lineup when available.

Joc starting against this left-hander.

Apr 09

Game 7, 2017

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Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTSRM

The Dodgers ask Kenta Maeda (0-1, 5.40 ERA) to keep the Rockies in check while they try to solve yet another lefthanded pitcher, this one named Tyler Anderson (1-0, 7.94 ERA). So far this season they’re 0-2 against lefties; they were 22-24 against them last year. Maeda is 2-2 lifetime against the Rockies; Anderson is 2-0 in three lifetime starts against the Dodgers.

Lineup when available.

Apr 08

Game 6, 2017

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

LHP Clayton Kershaw will attempt to get his second win of the season today as he faces RHP Jon Gray. Kershaw went seven innings and allowed only two hits and one run to get the win Opening Day. Gray struck out seven in the first four innings of his game against the Brewers but collapsed in the fifth when he gave up five runs and got no outs, but the Rockies bailed him out and he escaped the loss.

Lineup when available.

Apr 07

Game 5, 2017

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Dodgers at Rockies, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTRM, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Hyun-Jin Ryu makes his first start of the season and first in two years, really. He’s had two surgeries on his pitching arm in the past two years. He had shoulder surgery in May of 2015 to repair the labrum, which kept him from pitching that season. Then in 2016 he came back and tried to pitch in July but had elbow discomfort and eventually had debridement surgery on the elbow in September. He had a minor groin injury this March but he’s recovered and posted a 2.57 ERA and 12/1 K/BB ratio across 14 Cactus League innings.

His opponent will be Kyle Freeland, a Denver native who’s making his MLB debut. He split time between Hartford of the AA Eastern League and Albuquerque of the AAA PCL last year, compiling an 11-10 record with a combined 3.89 ERA.

The Rockies have a new-to-them manager this year but a familiar one nonetheless. Bud Black managed the Padres from 2007-2015 and was fired in June, replaced for one game by current Dodger manager Dave Roberts, who’d been the bench coach.

Lineup when available.

Apr 06

Game 4, 2017

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Padres at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SNPLA, FSSD

The Padres are hoping Jared Weaver has something left in his right arm after losing velocity for the last couple of years while pitching for the Angels. He was consistently in the 80s on his fastball during spring training, which is no improvement over last year. Weaver had a 2.66 ERA against the Dodgers in 11 starts over his 11-year career with the Angels.

The Dodgers have a reclamation project of their own going for them tomorrow in Brandon McCarthy, who signed a four-year contract with the Dodgers in 2014 but has pitched just 63 innings while battling elbow and hip injuries. He’s 7-1 over his career against the Padres.

Lineup when available, or somebody post it in comments if I haven’t gotten to it by game time.

Apr 05

Game 3, 2017

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

The Padres’ righthander Trevor Cahill makes his first start of the season against the team he’s faced more often than any other in the big leagues: he’s pitched against the Dodgers 20 times with a 6-5 record and a 3.86 ERA. He spent the last two years with the Cubs and went 4-4 in 50 games with a 2.74 ERA in 65 innings. He hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2014.

The Dodgers will counter with lefty Rich Hill, who signed a three-year $48M contract after coming over from the As at the trade deadline last year. He pitched well for the Dodgers despite ongoing blister problems, going 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts.

Lineup when available.