Nationals at Dodgers, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN
Two division leaders open a three-game series tonight. The Nats beat the Dodgers 2 of 3 at Nationals Park in May.
Roberto Hernandez, who’s made four mostly-good starts for the Dodgers after coming over from the Phillies, will pitch for the West Coast team. He’s 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in those games. While pitching for the Phillies Hernandez allowed Washington one unearned run in 15 innings. Overall he’s 8-9 with a 3.81 ERA. He’ll be opposed by Gio Gonzalez, who’s 6-8 with a 3.56 ERA. Gonzalez didn’t pitch against the Dodgers in the May series.
Dan Haren was originally scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Wednesday but will now start on Friday. Rookie right-hander Carlos Frias will likely start on Wednesday.
Lineup when available.
NPUT
Would’ve been great if Joc had homered to win it, or delivered an XBH, or single, or even walked to keep the inning alive as well as give him success his first ML AB.
An upside of his not doing any of that could be sightly tempered expectations. Lots of fans see him as this year’s Puig and are overexpecting big-time. Lots of them seem to think that if he’d been in the lineup all year the team would be up by, oh, at least 15 games.
They’ll still overexpect if he does have some success, but maybe it won’t be quite as over the top.
Naaaah…
Not intended as a Haren rant, just some stats from Dodger Digest:
Haren gave up one HR his last start against the Mets, bringing his season total to 25. Only 12 hitters have more HR than he has allowed this year, as of that start.
Haren has allowed 15 unearned runs to score this season. Clayton Kershaw has allowed 15 unearned runs since 7/16/2011.
===========================
And from Eric Stephen at TBLA….in 4 Dodger starts before last night, Hernandez had not given up a HR. So, now he’s averaging one per start. That regression is a really mean thing.
He also said the last Dodger to allow 4 HR at Dodger Stadium was Derek Lowe, July 2, 2005.
It’s unfortunate that Haren has not replicated his second half from last year for us, but his overall numbers for 2013 and 2014 are remarkable similiar. He was signed as the 5th, and we have had worse, but misfortune has made him our 3rd at times. Is comparing anyone to Clayton useful other than to show how great Kershaw is?
As said at the outset, that wasn’t intended as a Haren slam. Passing it on for the exact reason you noted, showing how far short of Kershaw a struggling mere mortal pitcher can fall.
I’ve been on Haren’s case, maybe a bit much. But those were facts that struck me as worth passing on, as was the item about Hernandez.
I’ve praised Haren when he’s done well, or at least noted it. Be more than happy to going forward, if merited. I’d like nothing better than for him to win comeback player of the year in 2015 if he’s back.
However unlikely, that would mean he’d made an invaluable contribution to next year’s Dodgers.
Foul tip – Yes, I didn’t understand it to be a rant from you, just trying to give some sort of perspective related to the numbers that Dodger Digest was putting forward.
what do you all think, with the tying run at first, was it wise to put Pederson up, would someone else like even Butera or Rojas have been better?
Probably, but Donnie had used Turner in the 8th.
yes, i just noticed that, so I changed the names 🙂
It’s tough to fault Donnie when the players aren’t producing.
(That said, I think Justin should be starting until he cooled off.)
JM Turner has basically be playing every game for two weeks, he has to rest at some point (and get reacquainted with the bench somewhat).
All things considered, I liked the idea of using Pederson at that point. It was a lefty-right matchup. Besides, neither Butera nor Rojas is much of a hitter.
Fair enough, I guess it was a pretty high pressure situation to put the rookie in first up
Joc’s AB was not terrible – with another umpire he might have already walked before that tough 3-2 pitch from Soriano – but Don probably only used him because the alternatives were Barney and Butera.
Recap quotes Joc wishing he had the 2-0 FB that he hooked foul back, saying he shouldn’t have missed it. Game of inches, etc.
Nice to see that bottom of the ninth had some vim and vigor to it!
Maybe they got used to going 10+ and they figured there was plenty of time.
Shoot . . . but it was a tough AB and the Dodgers didn’t roll over. Maybe they can have that same intensity the whole game tomorrow.
C’mon, Joc — a Puigian impact!
(As if he’s not nervous enough, the PA announcer reminds everyone it’s his Major League debut!)
That sure would have been nice….
Uribear definitely stepped in and up!
Take a look-see at the Giants / Rockies box score…. must have been a great game….
Perhaps there’s cause to hope the Dodgers will be less sluggish (they’re definitely not sluggING) after today? . . . Perhaps they have been laboring all weekend in honor of this holiday?
Or they are observing Labor Day by taking most of it off.
Bob… They are definitely ‘In Labor’ …..
They’ve been in labor for the last two-plus hours trying to ‘lay this egg’….
“Breathe, fellas….. breathe…… almost there….” 🙂
C’mon, Dodgers — no bottom of the 9th for these next 9 games!
Bob in Vegas: Thanks for responding. I will get back to you on this site when I know more about when I will be in Vegas. I actually prefer hot chocolate to coffee.
Really, really nice DP!
And…. just in case any of us were starting to get concerned that the ‘suspense’ would get to us, on comes Brandon League. 😉
The Dodgers’ answer to Dr. Kervorkian?
League has never been good, but he’s not so awful as last year.
Agreed.
On the “Bad Scale”…. He rates better this year.
He’s had his moments this year, at least.
I accidentally “Upped” my own comment … My bad!
You can also down it.
League’s WHIP in his last 10 games is 2.50, and his ERA is 5.40 in that span.
Yimi and the other ABQ callups are probably all better, which means they’ll only see action in blowouts.
Mo: Dodgers haven’t played like a division leader the last 6 games.
Steiner: They have an urgency emergency.
Silver lining tonight may be the Rockies’ win over the Giants.
How’s the Nationals’ bullpen?
Radio just said they’re terrific.
My Nationals fan friend says Detweiler bad, otherwise good.
They’re occasionally erratic.
Gordon now 0-for-16, Puig 2-for-31. That makes winning really hard.
And getting worse.
Well, the go-to-a-movie-while-the-Dodgers-win strategy didn’t work today.
Saw (for the 2nd time), the wonderful “How To Train Your Dragon 2” but the joy ended when I saw the 3-2 score. And worse, the grand total of 1 Dodger hit.
By the time I walked home, the deficit grew but the hit total didn’t.
Oh well. Maybe we can take hope that the Dodgers can pull a Rockies — or Rocky — comeback.
I guess he did OK, but what was the rush to get Perez back on the mound?
Rockies walk off!
Rox pull it off. They win, 10-9.
thank goodness, especially the way our game is going
Nice Dee
Rockies up 9-7, batting with 2 outs in bottom of 8th, man on third.
Gameday for that game: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_01_sfnmlb_colmlb_1&mode=gameday
unfortunately now 9-9 with no one out
Pesky gnats.
Heh. My experience with gnats is located in a subdivision of Washington DC, mowing our 3/4-acre lot in August from 1962-1968. Clouds of gnats surrounded my head, getting in my nose, mouth and ears.
They are annoying.
Did you live in the District? I lived in Mount Pleasant for a semester while teaching at GW.
Annandale, 10 miles outside DC in Virginia. Went to high school there.
lets get some more here
Culd be if you’re a Dodger starter and your name begins with “H,” you’re going to catch the home run virus. Hernandez has now done the full Haren, already allowing 3.
I blame it on Honeycutt!
Via Twitter: “ROSTER UPDATE: #Dodgers recall Yimi Garcia, Tim Federowicz & Alex Guerrero from Triple-A and select contract of Joc Pederson from @AbqTopes
#Dodgers also reinstate Chris Perez from the DL and designate Carlos Triunfel for assignment.”
Go Rockies! They caught up, and pulled ahead. Meanwhile, this is an exciting game so far. Balls a’carrying!
wow, last time I looked they were down 2-7 and I was just checking in
“To make room for Pederson on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated infielder Carlos Triunfel for assignment.”
Hallelujah!
In 1963, the Cardinals won 19 of 20 to close in on the Dodgers, and there was widespread panic that the Dodgers were collapsing. At that time, the Dodgers had won 13 of their previous 19. The Dodgers then swept a three-game series with the Cards:
“With the Dodgers and Cardinals embroiled in a heated pennant chase, the Dodgers traveled to St. Louis for a three-game series to hopefully cinch the deal – or risk letting the Cardinals back in.
After winning the first two games to take a three-game lead in the division, the Dodgers fell behind 5-4 in the ninth inning.
But up came Dick Nen, a rookie first baseman from South Gate making his major-league debut.
After flying out in his first at-bat to lead off the eighth, Nen smashed a tying home run. The Dodgers ultimately won the game in 13 innings to sweep the Cardinals and extend their lead to four games.”
That was Nen’s only hit all year. He was the father of Gnatcloser-to-be Robb Nen.
I thought Hendley would appreciate that.
My dad and I listened to the last few innings of that game on my transistor radio, with considerable static, in a motel that was actually a trailer park in Appleton, Wisc., on a family trip across the country. I will never forget the moment.
I was also listening on a transistor, in Tacoma (KFI had a strong signal).
Are you saying we should try to sign Nen?
Ugh. Gnats already won one against Rockies, and on their way to winning two in one day.
I hope the Dodgers feel better about themselves than I do right now. Technically they are, but I don’t feel like they’re in control of their destiny.
I feel the same way that you do…..(Also, take a look at my response to your e-mail yesterday about San Diego and Vegas.)
I responded this morning — sounds good!
During the seventh-inning stretch at Cleveland, on Labor Day, they’re playing GBA instead of the Internationale.
Perhaps they play the Internationale when the Reds are at home.
Dodger starters allowed two ER the final 4 games of the week, but only won 2 of the 4.
Eric Stephen checks in with a good line describing the Dodger’s 4 IF between 1st and 2nd the other night…
“the Dodginot Line”
Your last line made me smile.
Your first line made me sad . . . and frustrated.
I know these are all professionals, and most of the hitters are or were All Stars. How can all but two of them underachieve at the same time?
We all know how the final year of a contract seems to bring out the best in a player . . . I wish all contracts were built mainly on performance-based bonuses.
The “contract year” thing is simply anecdotal and, more than likely, just a fairy tale.
Other than Kersh, I can’t think of a Dodger who lived up to past performance after signing a major contract. Kemp HAS had the injuries, tho.