Game 71, 2014

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Josh Beckett (4-3, 2.35 ERA) takes the hill for the Dodgers against Bronson Arroyo (6-4, 4.22 ERA) of the D-Backs. Arroyo has been sneered at by some media folk for his hair and his guitar, but he’s a tough bird: apparently his arm has been hurting, but he’s never missed a start in his fifteen years in the bigs and doesn’t plan to now.

18 thoughts on “Game 71, 2014”

  1. Cliff Corcoran says that despite a bit of regression Dee should stay solid for this can’t-get-out-of-its-own way bunch:

    Actually, he didn’t say the can’t-get-out-of-its-own way bit. That was my editorial contribution. Which, evidently, appears accurate, at least for now. Teams that win titles just do not continue to play like yesterday. But they’re 6-4 lately, so maybe a turnaround is in the offing.

    http://mlb.si.com/2014/06/12/dee-gordon-los-angeles-dodgers-regression/

  2. Progression of errors:
    Beckett ignores runner on second and lets him steal third with no throw.
    Beckett wild pitches that runner home.

    Kemp doesn’t assume runner will go from first to third and doesn’t hurry throw to third until he sees the runner going to third and by then it is too late.

    Gonzales says he didn’t see the ball off the bat and instead of covering first base he goes toward second on a ball hit midway between second and first.
    Beckett doesn’t cover first because pitchers don’t usually cover first on a ball hit to the second baseman.

    Gordon, a Gold Glove candidate, with the infield in, does a great job of getting in position to throw home but seems to stiffen up just before he would catch the grounder and whiffs it and two runs score.

    Gonzales continues to hit fourth even though he is slumping and slow.

    Bundy, who I really like, was waving in the first runner rounding third and didn’t put up the stop sign for the following runner until he already rounded third. A third coach who has two arms and hands needs to use one to keep the first runner going and the other to stop the second runner and do both simultaneously. Killed a big inning but not all Bundy’s fault as the second runner was Butera who is slow and should have been thinking about sliding into third much less thinking about trying to score.

    • Seems more like a list of various things that we might call “errors”, rather than a progression of anything.

  5. In my mind, it’s close between the bullpen and the offense as to which is the larger culprit so far this year . . . but I’m leaning to the latter, especially since if you take away Haran’s clutch hit yesterday, it’s a loss.

    But a winning team needs to be firing with all areas of their game . . . right now, the Dodgers just have people who need firing.

  8. WBBsAs: Thanks for posting that Sam Cooke rendition of “Danny You” last night. His voice was magnificent. He died way too young. A friend of mine was with him that night more than a half-century ago a couple of hours before he was killed.

    • You mean “Danny Boy,” which seems an odd choice for Sam. A great singer who could have been even greater.

      • I just corrected it. Was typing too fast. Cooke’s singing seems as unique and fresh now as it was then.

  9. Dre sitting against the righty Arroyo seems strange and he hit the ball well last night and does OK in his career against him. Might have had a couple of doubles and a bunch of ribis except for a couple of great plays by Goldie. I guess since he has played five games in a row he gets the Sunday off.

  10. Meanwhile, in SF, Ángel Pagán is out of the lineup because of “back stiffness” (translation: “glove stiffness”).