May 18

Game 41, 2016

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Dodgers at Angels, 7:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-W

The Dodgers’ Mike Bolsinger makes his season debut tonight. He’d been sidelined with a strained oblique muscle since Spring Training and has made two starts for AAA Oklahoma City, with no decisions and a 2.25 ERA. The Dodgers say they’ll have him on a pitch count of about 80. His Angels’ counterpart will be Nick Tropeano (1-2, 3.68 ERA). Tropeano’s a puzzle: he’s allowed fewer than two runs in five of his seven starts but hasn’t gotten past 5 2/3 innings in any of them.

Lineup when available.

May 17

Game 40, 2016

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Angels at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-W

Clayton Kershaw (5-1, 1.74 ERA) makes the 251st start of his career (he also has two relief appearances; I didn’t remember that) on a roll. He’s struck out more than ten batters and walked no more than one in each of his last five games. His K/BB ratio is a ridiculous 19.25 for the season. He’ll face Jered Weaver (3-2, 6.10 ERA), whose last start climbed the heights and sank to the depths in just four innings. He got the first 11 hitters in order and then put 9 of the next 10 on base, giving up 8 runs on 9 hits and losing the game.

Lineup:

Hmm. Whoever plays first base also hits cleanup? Trace Thompson has a hot hand, so it’s good to see him in the lineup again tonight.

May 16

Game 39, 2016

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Angels at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-W, MLBN (out-of-market only)

The Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda (3-2, 2.30 ERA) makes his first-ever Freeway Series start against the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker (1-5, 9.12 ERA). With that record you might wonder why the Angels are putting him on the mound. Well, he

finished April with a 9.15 ERA, was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, came back up because the Angels have four injured starting pitchers and struggled against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing four second-inning runs and being unable to record an out in the fifth. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in his only other start against the Dodgers in 2014.

Four injured starters! Not even the Dodgers can match that!

Lineup:

May 15

Game 38, 2016

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Cardinals at Dodgers, 5:05PM PT, TV: ESPN

It’s Sunday Night Baseball! If ESPN’s producers were smart they’d go back to something the network did years ago; it would pick up the local TV feed (if there is one) or ask the team broadcaster to come into the booth and do play-by-play so the national viewer could get a taste of what the home teams’ fans hear every day. Baseball lovers all over the country should get a half-inning of Vin Scully, particularly in his last year.

The Cardinals send out Mike Leake (1-3, 5.10 ERA) to try for his second win as a Redbird. It took him six starts to get his first, which he did his last time out. He’ll face the Dodgers’ Alex Wood (1-3, 4.58 ERA), who’s been a much better pitcher at home than on the road so far this season, posting a 1.33 ERA at Dodger Stadium and a horrible 8.05 ERA elsewhere.

In other baseball news and notes, congratulations to Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays, who graduated and took part in the customary ceremonies at Duke today.

And then there’s this amazing scoring play in a softball game between Notre Dame and Army yesterday:

Lineup when available.

May 14

Game 37, 2016

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Cardinals at Dodgers, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-M (HLKLA, take notice!), MLBN (out-of-market only)

The Dodgers hope Scott Kazmir (2-3, 5.54 ERA) can right his ship. He showed signs last outing, coming within one out of a quality start (5 2/3 innings, three earned runs against the Mets). He’ll face Carlos Martinez (4-2, 2.61 ERA). The Cardinals hope Martinez has recovered from a respiratory illness which caused him to lose 15 pounds in ten days and pushed this start back two days.

Lineup when available.

May 13

Game 36, 2016

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Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Tonight’s pitchers: The Cardinals’ Michael Wacha (2-3, 3.12 ERA) will pitch against the Dodgers’ Ross Stripling (0-2, 3.82 ERA). They were teammates at Texas A&M for three years and were each drafted in 2012. That winter they even roomed together and they work out together in the off-season. Knowing how these things work, they’ll probably try to beat each other’s brains out on the diamond tonight.

Wacha has lost his last three starts and Stripling’s most recent was the best since his first of the year. In those starts the Cards’ pitcher has given up four home runs which cost him dearly. The Dodgers’ home run production seems to be picking up a little, so maybe…

Lineup when available.

May 12

Game 35, 2016

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Mets at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Save us, Clayton! That’s what the Dodgers are saying to their superhero Mr. Kershaw, (4-1, 2.04 ERA) as they ask him to salvage a split in the series with the Mets. He’ll face Bartolo Colon, whose 3-1, 2.82 ERA record was overshadowed this week by the first home run of his career the other night.

Things to think about:

David Wright, Curtis Granderson, and Lucas Duda lead the current Mets in plate appearances against Kershaw. In 124 combined plate appearances, they’re hitting .142/.224/.150 against him. Wright holds the sole extra-base hit of the group, a double.

Lineup:

May 11

Game 34, 2016

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Mets at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

It’ll be Noah Syndergaard (2-2, 2.58 ERA and 49 Ks) for the Mets and Kenta Maeda (3-1, 1.66 ERA only 35 Ks) for the Dodgers. Syndergaard hasn’t won in his last three starts, while Maeda has lost and gotten no decision in his last two. Something’s Gotta Give.

Lineup:

May 10

Game 33, 2016

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Link to Scully interview accompanying above

Mets at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market)

The Mets’ Jacob deGrom (3-1, 1.99 ERA) of the Flowing Locks starts against the Dodgers’ Alex Wood (1-3, 5.18 ERA) of the Moussed Pompadour. The right-handed deGrom only has 16 strikeouts in his four starts, which seems low. Lefty Wood would undoubtedly trade his 28 Ks for a couple of wins; he hasn’t had one in his last five starts.

Lineup when available.

May 09

Game 32, 2016

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Mets at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

It’s a battle of dueling lefties tonight at Chavez Ravine as Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.68 ERA) of the Dodgers meets Steven Matz (4-1, 2.83 ERA) of the Mets. This is the first meeting of the two teams since last season’s Division Series, and the Dodgers had better have their hitting shoes on. After Matz they’ll face Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon in this four-game series.

Lineup when available.