Jun 11

Game 63, 2016

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

The Dodgers send Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.46 ERA) to do battle with Jeff Samardzija (7-4, 3.33 ERA). Kazmir has made two starts against the Giants this season and they haven’t been good: he’s given up 10 runs in eight innings in the two games. In Samardzija’s last start he went five innings against the Cardinals and gave up six runs on nine hits, four of them HRs.

Puig goes to Lake Elsinore Rancho Cucamonga to begin rehab on Monday. The Dodgers want him to shorten his swing a bit while there, hoping to reduce his rotation and “eliminate some of the strain he exerts.”

Lineup when available.


I just noticed that in this lineup all members of the infield hit first. Then Roberts goes off script and has C Yasmani hitting between CF Joc and LF Howie. Come on, Doc, symmetry is important!

Jun 10

Game 62, 2016

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Dodgers at Giants, 7:15PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only), NBC Bay Area

Two heavyweight pitchers go at one another tonight, each with only one loss this season, one with eight wins and one with nine. The eight-game winner is the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, who also sports an ERA of 1.46. He’s got a career record against the Giants of 17-7 with a 1.60 ERA, and if that’s not enough, in the Giants’ home park he’s 9-3 with a 1.23 ERA. Facing him will be new-to-the-Giants Johnny Cueto, who’s 2-0 with a 4.40 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this season but has a losing record overall (4-5) against Los Angeles.

This is the last series the two teams play against one another until August, but from that point forward nine of their last 38 games will be head-to-head.

The Dodgers’ draft picks are enumerated and expounded upon here. Their first pick was a left-handed hitting high-school shortstop named Gavin Lux.

Lineup:

Jun 08

Game 61, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOT SPORTS

The rubber match of the three-game series features Kenta Maeda (5-3, 2.84 ERA) for the Dodgers and Chris Rusin (1-4, 4.62 ERA) for the Rockies. Maeda has allowed but one run in his last 11 1/3 innings over two starts, and in Rusin’s last start he went seven innings and gave up three runs.

Remember the kerfuffle at the Mets’ stadium when the Dodgers wanted to mark the outfield in order to position their players out there, and the Mets said “Holy Tris Speaker, NO!” Here’s a discussion and an exhortation for MLB to recognize that this is the 21st century and technology is here to stay.

Lineup when available.


Now this is a weird lineup. Seager out, Utley out, Pederson out. I’m all for giving guys days off, but three including two of your bigger producers in the same game?

Jun 07

Game 60, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOT SPORTS

The Dodgers’ 19-year-old prospect Julio Urias (0-1, 9.39 ERA) makes his third start for them against the Rockies’ Eddie Butler (2-3, 5.65 ERA). Butler pitched poorly his last time out, giving up 11 hits in four innings, but that was his first bad outing of the year despite his W-L record. Urias has given up 8 runs in the 7 2/3 innings he’s thrown in the big leagues, but the Dodgers seem to have seen more favorable than unfavorable things about him. I’d point out that even the sainted Koufax went 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA in the 12 games in which he appeared when he was 19.

Lineup:

Jun 06

Game 59, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTS TV

Two righthanders go at one another tonight: Tyler Chatwood (6-4, 2.99 ERA) for the Rockies and Mike Bolsinger (1-2, 4.20 ERA) for the Dodgers. Chatwood gave up 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Reds in his last start, but he’s been solid in his previous appearances. Bolsinger’s season didn’t really start until May; he suffered an injury to his oblique muscle in late March just as he’d earned the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ rotation. His first outing of the year wasn’t real good but he’s pitched better and better with each subsequent start.

Lineup when available.

Hmm. No Joc in the lineup. Probably just a day off, but one wonders.

Jun 05

Game 58, 2016

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Braves at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSO

The Braves send righthander Matt Wisler (2-5, 3.16 ERA) out to face the Dodgers’ Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.38 ERA). Wisler’s last two starts were quality ones, but he did give up six runs combined in them. He’s 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA on the road this season. This is his second big league season, both with the Braves. They got him in the Craig Kimbrel/Upton Jr. deal with the Padres last spring.

This is almost unbelievable. Kazmir has made 282 starts in the big leagues and has never faced the Braves. Yes, up until this season he had only pitched in the AL, but there’s been interleague play for quite a while now; you’d think at some point along the way his team would have played Atlanta. Huh.

Lineup when available.

The Dodgers designated Carl Crawford for assignment and brought Austin Barnes up from AAA. Vin speculated on the radio that Crawford might just retire, as poorly as his body has served him over the last few years.

Jun 04

Game 57, 2016

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Braves at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSO

Fresh off his National League Pitcher of the Month award, lefty Clayton Kershaw (7-1, 1.56 ERA) tries to start June off right. He’ll face the right-handed Bud Norris (1-6, 5.71 ERA), who’s filling in for Mike Foltynewicz; he’s got a bone spur in his right elbow and is on the DL. Norris made five starts earlier this season and amassed an ugly 8.74 ERA before being removed from the Braves’ starting rotation.

Vin on Ali’s death:

Lineup when available.

Jun 03

Game 56, 2016

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Braves at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSO

Los Bravos send out Julio Teheran, whose 1-5 record makes no sense when you look at his 2.77 ERA, against the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda, who’s 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA. Neither of them has had much success at Dodger Stadium:

In five starts against Los Angeles, Teheran has posted a 0-4 record. His 5.63 ERA and .298 batting average against are his worst against any National League team. He’s struggled mightily at Dodger Stadium, where he’s allowed 10 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings (16 runs in 15 innings including the postseason).

The Dodgers will counter with Maeda, who was given an extra day of rest after being struck in the right hand by a comebacker in his start against the Mets on Saturday. The rookie right-hander has also experienced his trials when pitching in his home park, going 1-3 with a 4.08 ERA this year.

A-Gon hit .312 for May, raising his season average to .299. He leads all Dodgers in average, followed by Utley, Seager and Thompson.

In praise of Kershaw, MLB’s Richard Justice appreciates his work.

Lineup:

They’re apparently being very careful of Puig’s hamstring by sitting him again tonight.

Jun 02

Game 55, 2016

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Dodgers at Cubs, 11:20AM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSN

Julio Urias (0-0, 10.13 ERA) gets the start which would normally be Kenta Maeda’s, but Maeda’s hand is still a little sore from getting hit with a line drive his last time on the mound. He’s expected to start Friday against the Braves in Los Angeles. Urias’s opponent today will be right-hander Kyle Hendricks (3-4, 2.93 ERA), who got a complete game win over the Phillies on May 28. Urias lasted only 2 2/3 innings in his major league debut against the Mets May 27.

Alex Wood has a posterior impingement of his elbow and will need four weeks of rest. After that he’ll start a throwing program and then pitch in a rehab assignment. Hyun-Jin Ryu threw a 90-mph fastball in Fresno last Wednesday and woke up with shoulder soreness, so the team has slowed his rehab down. Brandon McCarthy threw 45 pitches in two innings of bullpen work and hit 89 mph. Scott Van Slyke is expected to come off the 15-day DL this weekend in LA.

Lineup when available.

Jun 01

Game 54, 2016

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

The Dodgers send righty Mike Bolsinger (1-1, 4.50 ERA) out to face the Cubs’ lefty Jon Lester (5-3, 2.48 ERA). Lester is 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers, and Bolsinger has had even fewer appearances against the Cubs.

Lineup: