Sep 16

Game 147, 2016

Posted on by

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

RHP Kenta Maeda (14-9, 3.28 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and RHP (and old friend) Zack Greinke (12-6, 4.54 ERA) goes for the D-Backs. It’s hard to believe Greinke’s ERA is nearly three runs higher this year than it was last year when he pitched for the Dodgers. He’s gone against them twice this year with vastly different results. On September 5 he gave up eight runs on five homers to them in just 4 2/3 innings, while on June 13 he gave up only two runs in 7 2/3 innings and got the win. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have won seven of Maeda’s last nine starts. He’s pitching on four days rest for the first time since August 9, which may have an impact on him.

Lineup:

Sep 15

Game 146, 2016

Posted on by

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

LHP Rich Hill (12-3, 1.80 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Dodgers and his first since he was pulled after seven innings of perfect baseball against Miami on September 10. Hill has yet to give up a run in 19 innings pitched as a Dodger. He’ll face RHP Archie Bradley, (6-9, 5.10 ERA). Bradley lasted only three innings his last time out, giving up five runs to the Giants on September 10.

News of note:

The Dodgers have won 10 of 15 against Arizona this season, including four in a row.

[snip]

Joc Pederson has feasted on D-backs pitching this season with a .385 average, six home runs and 10 RBIs in 10 games. He has two of those home runs against Arizona’s starter on Thursday, Archie Bradley.

Lineup when available.

Sep 14

Game 145, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Yankees, 1:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, YES

Clayton Kershaw (11-3, 1.89 ERA) makes his second start since coming off the DL. He’ll face Michael Pineda (6-11, 5.07 ERA). Pineda has given up 14 runs in his last four starts. This will be Kershaw’s first start in Yankee Stadium; he’s got a 1.20 ERA against them in two previous appearances.

Lineup:

Welcome back, Andre!

Sep 13

Game 144, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Yankees, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, YES, MLBN (free game, out-of-market only)

Youth versus experience is the feature here in a battle of lefties. The Dodgers send out just-turned-twenty Julio Urias (5-2, 3.69 ERA) to face the Yankees’ forty-something C.C. Sabathia (8-12, 4.27 ERA). “Sabathia was already pitching in the Major Leagues when Urias was 4 years old.” The Yankee pitcher has made 479 starts in his career but only two of them against the Dodgers, one in 2008 and the other in 2010. Urias made his first big league start in Queens against the Mets in May, so he’s pitched in the big town before.

Lineup when available.

Kendrick at 3B, Puig in LF, Kiké in CF, Segedin in RF. Let’s shake things up!

Sep 12

Game 143, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Yankees, 4:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, YES

RHP Jose De Leon (1-0, 4.50 ERA) makes his second big league start for the Dodgers, and RHP Brian Mitchell (1-0, 0.00 ERA) goes for the Yankees. De Leon is rated the #2 prospect in the Dodgers’ organization, while Mitchell is highly regarded by the Yankees. De Leon went six innings against the Padres on September 4, giving up four runs, three earned. Mitchell spent five months recovering from a left big toe which needed surgery for a broken bone, so his first start of the year was September 7 against the Blue Jays. He went five scoreless innings in that game.

Turner or Ethier may DH for the Dodgers in this game.

Here’s a good story by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register talking to Joc Pederson about his improvement in hitting and reduction in strikeouts this season.

Lineup when available.

Kendrick at 1B? Hmm.

Sep 10

Game 141, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Marlins, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-F

Lefty Rich Hill (11-3, 1.94 ERA) makes his third start for the Dodgers. In his first two he’s thrown 12 scoreless innings. He’ll face RHP Tom Koehler (9-10, 3.87 ERA), who hasn’t won since August 9 but whose last outing was six shutout innings against Cleveland on September 4.

Personnel move:

“Manager Dave Roberts said Ethier will get an occasional start, but with the club’s outfield depth, Ethier will mostly be used coming off the bench as a late-innings pinch-hitter.”

Lineup:

Hmm. Utley gets the day off and Kendrick is back at 2B for the first time in a while. His LF slot will be taken by Puig.

Sep 09

Game 140, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Marlins, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-F, MLBN free game (out-of-market only)

Today marks the return of Clayton Kershaw after 75 days or so of inaction while he recovered from a herniated disk in his back. He was having a career year (11-2, 1.79 ERA) before the injury, which is saying something considering how good his first 8 years were. His opponent will be the Marlins’ own ace, Jose Fernandez (13-8, 3.03 ERA). Fernandez is even better at home: 10-2 with a 1.91 ERA at Marlins Park this year.

Chase Utley, who’s played 177 games against the Marlins in his career, has hit 30 HRs and gotten 125 RBIs against them.

Lineup when available.

Sep 08

Off-day factoid

Posted on by

“For the fourth straight game, a rookie starting pitcher earned the victory for the Dodgers.”

It’s true. DeLeon on Sunday, Maeda on Monday, Stripling on Tuesday, and Stewart yesterday. According to Elias Sports Bureau

it was the first time in franchise history that the Dodgers won four straight games with a rookie starter getting the win each time. The last team to do so was Oakland from Sept. 9-12, 2012.

For the record, the As’ pitchers were Tommy Milone, now pitching for the Twins; Jarrod Parker, who last pitched in OB at AAA Nashville for the As; Dan Straily, who’s having a pretty good 2016 for the Reds, although the Dodgers beat him 3-1 on May 25; and A.J. Griffin, who’s now pitching for the division-leading Texas Rangers.

The streak has probably stopped for the Dodgers, though, unless Urias picks up Kershaw in relief tomorrow night.

Sep 07

Game 139, 2016

Posted on by

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

The Dodgers send RHP Brock Stewart (0-2, 7.94 ERA) to the hill to pitch against LHP Robbie Ray (7-12, 4.46 ERA). These two guys’ last starts couldn’t have been more different. Stewart threw five scoreless inning against the Cubs, while Ray had four uneventful innings against the Rockies before they scored six runs against him in the fifth. Ray is a strikeout pitcher, averaging 11 Ks per nine innings. Most of Stewart’s ERA is the result of a performance against the Rockies in Denver when he gave up 9 earned runs in four innings.

This is the final game of the homestand for the Dodgers. They play Miami on Friday when Kershaw makes his first start in two months. They move on from Miami to New York and Yankee Stadium and then to Arizona before returning to Dodger Stadium for their final two home series of the year.

Lineup:

Note that A-Gon has the night off, barring pinch-hitting duties.