Game 140, 2014

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Nationals at Dodgers, 12:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN

A 12:10 p.m. PT start on Wednesday meant that right-hander Dan Haren wouldn’t get a full rest between outings, so Dodgers manager Don Mattingly tabbed 24-year-old rookie Carlos Frias for the series finale against the Nationals.

It seemed like the obvious choice.

“We felt like he was a good guy for this 12 o’clock start,” Mattingly said. “He’s young. He doesn’t need sleep.”

Don hasn’t read or heard the story that youngsters need more sleep than us old people.

You might say “what’s this kid doing starting, when he’s done nothing but pitch out of the bullpen for the Dodgers?” Well, he started all but one of his games at AA Chattanooga and AAA Albuquerque this year. He’ll pitch against Jordan Zimmermann, who’s 10-5 with a 2.93 ERA on the season, 2-1 with a 5.61 ERA against the Dodgers in five career starts.

Mattingly apparently thinks Puig needs time to relax and not think so hard about his performance on the field. He hasn’t said whether he’ll play Pederson or Puig tomorrow.

106 thoughts on “Game 140, 2014”

  1. This last week sums up the feeling I’ve had a large part of the year — even if they make the playoffs, it’ll be tough for them to win three series in a row against winning teams (plus possibly a win-in game).

  2. With a 5-10 recording in them, our tendency seemed to have been just to roll over in xtras. We did show a little bit of fight in this one, but our thin pen finally got to us.

  3. I have to return to my real life now. I’m glad for the day off tomorrow.
    Next, I’ll be in Toronto all weekend, and pretty busy, so I”m counting on y’all to fly the blue flag, and get us some Ws.

  4. Such a baffling team this year. As everyone keeps noting, we don’t ever seem to have all cylinders firing at the same time.

    • Baffling AND frustrating.
      As a Cowboys fan, I’m used to the feeling of ‘How are they going to lose it THIS time.”
      Unfortunately, that’s fitting with this team this year.

      • This is where Donnie is his strongest, I believe. The players know he’s ‘been there, done that,’ so perhaps he has some words of wisdom for them.
        But he can’t hit for them.
        He can’t pitch for them.

  7. If this doesn’t get them fired up for next game and come out and perform, I don’t know what will

  12. “Bullpen” is a 4-letter word for the Dodgers this year.
    Too often, so is “offense.”

  14. So it’s the Dodgers who have the wild pitch . . . and error. And lose the lead. Again.

  22. Doesn’t that sum up this year? — the pitcher batting so as not to use another pitcher . . . and he hurts himself doing it!

  27. Regardless of the outcome of this game, all Dodger batters should work on getting legitimately HBP. That would work even with 2 outs.

    Additionally, one would hope they concentrate on finding a ball to drive for a sac fly.

  29. The bullpen is sure hoping there are no further innings.
    Much as he doesn’t deserve it, get League the W.

      • Was it Wilson whose excuse before was ‘it wasn’t a pressure situation’? . . . If such is the case, hypnotize them to think they are trailing and down to their last out.

  35. I like to think I’m an optimist . . . but when it comes to the Dodgers — at least this year — it’s very hard to be one.
    As noted below, they are not playing like a first place team.
    Vin had an early stat (I hope I get this right): in games Kersh started, LA is 15 games over .500. In all other games combined, they are just 2 above.
    That’s because not only is Kersh an incredible pitcher, he’s a tough player and batter . . . as a whole, there is no clutch hitting on this team, no feeling of ‘If not ________, then _________ will pull through.’ In fact, it’s even the opposite — who will blow it? if not the offense, then the bullpen will blow it. (At least the defense situation straightened out.)

    • I agree. My hope is that they will suddenly wake up and go on a crazy offensive run, but it feels like a very long shot at this point.

    • Sorry to hear that.
      Still, even tho it hasn’t been as good as last year, A-gon DOES lead the team in HRs and RBIs (tho I hope Matt pushes him on the dingers and they both increase).

    • I just got back to a computer, RBI — no movie for me. I had rehearsal with the Dodgers up 2, needing 3 outs to go up 3 on the Giants.
      We know the story . . . (tho I need to look at the specifics, I understand KJ was bit AGAIN by the HR bug.)
      I am soooo glad I didn’t look for an update during rehearsal or those kids (K-7) would’ve heard some language they shouldn’t . . . and in a church!

  40. Coulda shoulda won this game in the tenth and again in the eleventh, but an inability to hit a sac fly with the bases loaded got us a loss instead (barring another miracle in the bottom of the twelfth).

  42. Vinnie, talking about the team’s inability to score with the bases loaded: “The Dodgers are a questionable first-place team.”

    Yes they are, Vin. Yes they are.

    • Totally agree with both you and Vin.
      Bill Parcells said your record shows what you are — but the Dodgers are not a dominant team. Instead of finding ways to win, they seem to find ways to lose.

  46. Pitchers who I would not be sorry to be off our roster in 2015: Wright, Maholm, Wilson, League, Perez and Correia. We need to remake the middle of the bullpen.

  51. Regardless of the outcome, I think this game demonstrates some of Donnie’s strategy shortcomings as a manager. (I have been watching on MLBTV, so I didn’t post before.)

    My reasoning:

    1 — Pulling Frias when he did. He was masterful for 6 innings. Instead of pulling him after 6, why not let him start the 7th and then pull him if a runner gets on? Howell started the 7th, which worked out, but that left us in potential trouble in the 8th.

    2 — Pinch-hitting Ellis to lead off in the bottom of the 8th. Ellis isn’t hitting .200, it was a righty-righty matchup, and even if Ellis gets on he is difficult to move around the bases. We had at least one lefty bat in the dugout. Ellis popped up foul.

    3 — Trying to get a four-out save from Jansen, who had pitched the night before, striking out the side. Jansen has 7 four-out saves in his career. I wonder how many have come in day games after night games. That was asking a lot. Wilson had gone strikeout-walk-strikeout before being relieved so he wasn’t in big trouble. Donnie didn’t start Haren today because he said that Haren wouldn’t have had his full four days rest because it was a day game today. He should have used the same logic regarding Jansen.

  56. Justin!
    Steinered on that — but happy with the result!
    Did Vin know it was gone? Steiner thought it would be caught.

  58. So, how likely does Frias’ showing make it that we’ll see him, not Hernandez, when the latter’s due out next, or whenever rest days and bullpens and such can be coordinated?

    Not very, IMHO.

    But he’s already coordinated with Haren……hmmm….

  59. Dodgers.com item making it all but official Beckett is done. Surprise, surprise. The suspense was just awful.

  60. Folks with eyes and/or ears….does Frias throw a heavy sinker? Gameday just says FB. Going by the amount of groundouts, you’d kinda think so.

  62. Frias’ performance is a welcome surprise.
    Dodger “offense” is an unwelcome non-surprise. . . C’mon, bats!

      • At just 68 pitches hope they don’t pull him. DM said they were hoping for 5 from him and go from there. Go is right, watching closely.

  63. I like Turner, but here’s where I second-guess Donnie: why is Uribe sitting?
    Unless he’s terrible against Zimmerman, I think the hot hitter trumps L/R thinking. His contribution was the only non-D.C. gift or amazing Kersh offense last night.

  64. Frías goes 8-1/3 before losing his perfect game to catcher’s interference, but bears down and finishes the no-no.