Game 87, 2014

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Indians at Dodgers, 12:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch the final game of the four-game series for the Dodgers. The lefty is 9-4 with a 3.12 ERA, including seven quality starts in his last eight outings. The Tribe sends out Trevor Bauer, who’s 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA. That’s a little misleading; he’s got five quality starts in eight tries this season. Bauer is a Southern California product; he went to Hart High School in Santa Clarita and was the first round pick (and third overall) by the D-Backs in 2011 after attending UCLA. The Indians acquired him as part of the three-team deal in which they sent Shin Soo-Choo to the Reds in 2012.

As bad a game as Kemp had last night, I’m a little surprised he’s not sitting today rather than Puig.

54 thoughts on “Game 87, 2014”

  3. Just noticed that Brett Tomko pitches for the Rockies at Colorado Springs. How does he keep managing to get teams to sign him?

  4. Whatever else can or need be said about yesterday’s woofer of a game, you don’t have to be a MLB manager to know you DON’T leave someone vital to your team’s pennant chances–someone already about 6 inches from the DL due to wheels issues–to run the bases after PHitting.

    Sheesh. I know options among position players were limited. But ANY of the reasonably athletic pitchers could have pinch run at least as well as gimpy Hanley. Say, Z. Greinke or C. Kershaw. Or Haren. Or even Josh General Soreness Beckett? Likely not on Beckett.

    Beyond that, DM is lucky Hanley didn’t tear up something chugging along and now be facing a lot more than 15 days on the DL–assuming the team actually can make a decision to DL him. No, he won’t like it. But he’s not the manager or GM or whoever pulls this trigger but can’t find it in themselves to do it.

    The team essentially is already a man down by keeping him active. Think if he’s DLd today he can come back right after the AS break.

    End of rant. But one last “sheesh” first.

    • Yes, sheer madness leaving Hanley out on the bases. But what is the big deal about the DL? Not sure that being a man down (who’s the man up anyway, Romak?) is all that important given how the DL restricts player use (i.e, Hanley’s calf could be better in 5 days but you wouldn’t be able to use him for 10 more if he went on the DL.

      • He can come back the day play resumes after AS break. As brittle as his shoulder and rest of him are, he could use the time to heal and likely help out more later on.

        I’d think the corresponding move should be bring up Arby. Let him play regularly between now and the break to continue his development and see how he does drinking his second cup of MLB coffee. The defense would be great; that much is known.

        If Hanley had been DLd when the calf first flared up he’d likely be pretty close to back now.

        • This is conjecture and hindsight, which is pretty much all that we have from where we stand. However, there is a trade-off between having a 25th man and flexibility in dealing with Hanley’s injuries and I would opt for the latter.

  5. Just saw the recap . . . in 7 innings, Ryu walked NO ONE.
    Then Wilson walks the first two hitters he faces.
    The bullpen as a whole has been equally poor in this regard. Are they all terrible with their control . . . or is there something inherently wrong with their preparation?

      • Ha! — and the starters use a regulation plate for their warmups?
        Makes as much sense as anything else.

  6. The best thing about today’s game is its time . . . it shouldn’t keep me from losing sleep tonight.

  7. (shaking head) Dodgers win 3 of 4 from the Cards to pull even with the Giants (for all intents and purposes), then lose 2 of 3 to the Indians. . . . . to once claw their way to a winning record at home, only to slip back . . . to improve their defense, then have it blow up on them . . .

    Of course, there wasn’t a good feeling when I saw this lineup. Still, there was a chance, until it went into the Bullpen’s hands . . .

    At least the batters came through (even tho 2 runs were attributable to a pitcher) . . .

  11. Gameday’s Live Look In is very controlled. Saw about 2 pitches of Ramirez’s at bat and then it was over.

  13. Gameday has issues right now. It reads 2 consecutive “coaching visits to mound.”

    Highly appropriate if so, as long as someone brought a big hook.

  16. Have to leave soon to go to work, hold the lead fellas
    (hopefully I will see some good news later in the day)

    • He’s chimed in pretty well offensively lately. Streaky as he’s always been, he could be getting hot.

  20. Gameday says Ryu with a sorta interesting outing. 5 IP, 7 H, 7Ks. So if you’re an Indian batter you’re in line to get a hit if you don’t K.

    Ryu also may think he has to find a way to help himself given some soft spots in the lineup. Wish that were a joke…
    ========================
    Which he did, right after I commented.

  23. If Puig was there, they probably would not have even tried (Well done Van Slyke)

  26. Fresh off of last night’s fiasco/prototype, I think we can all agree that this has been a season of missed opportunities.

    Is there definitive proof of this, perhaps BA with RISP/bases loaded, with none, 1, and 2 outs? Where does LA rank? Who is worse than them? — probably not a contender. Imagine where they would be if they could come up with clutch hits . . . on a regular basis!

    • Late in the last thread foul tip posted this quotation

      Eric Stephen notes this :

      “On the season the Dodgers are 8-for-55, hitting .145/.183/.218 with the
      bases loaded. They rank 30th in baseball in those situations in batting
      average and on-base percentage, and are 29th in slugging percentage and
      OPS, with only Tampa Bay worse.”

    • Don’t know about clutch situations, but overall we are league average (14%) in terms of baserunners scoring. So given our dismal record with them filled, we must be somewhat above average in other situations.

    • Well, day game (and EARLY day game, at that) after night game, and a night game which wasn’t pleasant for anyone in a Dodgers uniform.

      • I know. I was just having a little fun. Still, when the 5 through 9 spots are Robinson, Van Slyke, Rojas, Triunfel and Ryu, it is not inspiring. I hope they prove me wrong.

  28. Matty had a fine catch last night. But he may get himself tossed anyway if he K’s again.