Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA
Carlos Frias makes his second start for the Dodgers after being called up from Albuquerque for a second time this season on September 2. His first start was on September 3, when he pitched six innings of 3-hit ball in a game the Dodgers eventually lost to the Nationals in 14 innings. He’s 0-0 with a 3.91 ERA. His opponent will be Jorge De La Rosa, who’s 13-11 with a 4.28 ERA. Pitching at Coors Field, though, De La Rosa is 44-14 in his career.
Lineup when available.
Today's Dodgers lineup:
Barney 2B
Puig CF
Gonzalez 1B
Kemp RF
Uribe 3B
Crawford LF
Federowicz C
Rojas SS
Frias P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 17, 2014
Update: Well, in light of that eight-run disaster of a first inning, we’d better hope the Diamondbacks beat the Giants this afternoon.
NPUT
At Wrigley, old friend Todd Hollandworth just sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame..”
From the recap http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_17_lanmlb_colmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=la” But on Wednesday, he (Frias) couldn’t get his sinker working in the Denver altitude, hanging almost every offering up in the zone.”
Is that a concern dictated by physics — trying to throw a sinker at altitude? . . . If so and it wasn’t known by the LA staff before, it better be filed away for the future — one wouldn’t want to handicap your starter/team with an iffy proposition from the git-go.
Have a look at the charts at http://dodgersdigest.com/2014/09/17/rockies-16-dodgers-2-carlos-frias-makes-terrible-terrible-history/
The guys on the radio were calling them fastballs as well — but my question is, were they SUPPOSED to be sinkers that didn’t do anything?
Thanks for the link. Always liked this guy, but comment section was not my taste.
Final, 4-2, SF . . .sure were a lot of SF (or anti-LA) fans in AZ.
Dodgers now 2 GA.
Actually, the Giants control their own destiny as well.
SF just scored 2 in top of 9th to lead, 4-2.
Sure hoped AZ could’ve helped LA.
But shouldn’t need someone else to help out.
You control your own destiny, Blue!
Silver Lining Dept.: there will still be time to have a productive day when this is over
If my math is right, the LA bats are equally effective as last night:
Tuesday: 16 hits, 4 runs
Today : 4 hits, 1 run (so far)
Barney!
15-0. Splendid. Just splendid.
“Disaster” is exactly the word I had in mind when I tuned in and heard this go from 9-0 to whatever it is now.
These last two games highlight my concern for whatever postseason action the Dodgers are able to see:
1) The season-long inconsistent offense — whether it’s getting runners on and not bringing them in (last night: 16 hits, just 4 runs — in Coors Field!) . . . or it’s making the opposing pitcher look like Kerhsaw (today).
2) The lack of a consistent starter after Kersh & Zack. I know it’s Coors Field, but the starters’ inadequacies brought in the bullpen, who then showed their own inadequacies.
In the three games prior to yesterday, the Dodgers scored 32 runs. The depleted starting pitching is a far greater concern than the offense, which even yesterday would have scored more but for inept third base coaching.
The 32 runs were great.
But which is more indicative of this year — those three games with 32 or these past two games?
As someone posted earlier, just when we think things will turn around, they revert.
Neither seem indicative to me. Before now, we really haven’t been in many lopsided games, either way.
Not the lopsided losses of these last two games, but the inconsistent offense: either runners on but not getting them in or totally ineffective against the pitcher.
Not really. The team may not be producing they way we would have liked and expected coming in, but really hard to characterize the team offense during the year that way. We are, after all, second in OPS+, first in hitting with RISP, and virtually tied for 3rd in runs/game.
If Correia stays in, 17-0 is well within reach.
Just got word that I will be able to make the Friday game in Wrigley!
And that’s Kersh, right?
Yep, should be.
Great to see, even better to see The Kid.
Sure hope you bring ’em good luck!
Have seen him three times and he hasn’t lost yet.
By the way, it’s 1-1 Giants-Diamondbacks in Phoenix after four innings. I’m going away from the computer for a while, rending my garments as I go.
Headline at dodgers.com: “Elbow keeps Hanley out; no MRI planned”
“no MRI planned.” Course not. It’s Hanley. He’s allergic to them.
Correia working on a lifetime membership in the Kerosene Korp.
Frías threw nothing but fastballs. One would hope FedEx would have figured out that wasn’t working.
FWIW, Gameday has him with a FB/cutter mix.
Irrelevant, since obviously the cutter didn’t cut and the FB wasn’t fast enough.
This seems to be the MLB.tv free game of the day. Should I be in a hurry to log on?
Guess there’s a guaranteed refund. ;-])
I would let Elbert hit in the 3rd. We need innings, and additionally it would be useful to see how he can do over a few of them.
He’s coming back from surgery and may not be 100% yet. But I don’t think Gameday has had him as much as 90 today, and not over that if that in other outings since his callup.
IIRC he used to sit 92-3. But also IIRC his slider was his best pitch. That right?
Your memory is better than mine. You may be younger, which would explain it. 😉
As it turned out, Don thought runs more important than innings, so he sent up noted hitter Alex Guerrero to make the same out Elbert could have.
But didn’t want to see Alex G in the field, apparently.
Who would he have replaced? He already had Barney at 2B and Rojas at SS. 😉
It’d have to have been CC in left. AG played several games in LF for ABQ, (which may reveal the Dodgers’ confidence in him as an infielder).
Then again, they could have been just trying to add different positions he might play. [He said, optimistically.]
Right, they stuck him in LF in SF for three innings.
I recall 94 and the slider.
On the bright side, the Dodgers get to see several relievers today…
Gameday link to D-Backs – Giants game in Update to post above. Cross your fingers for the Arizona team.
“there are some particular quirks to Frias’ pitches that made them especially difficult on batters”
Apparently not today.
just tuned in, my goodness.
This is the frustrating thing about this season, just when we think they have turned the corner and are on a roll, they do this to us 🙂
What’s really frustrating is that this is the division’s last-place team doing it.
In light of the analysis in the link provided below, it’s safe to say Frias hasn’t found it today. Man,
fivesix runs down before the fans are settled in their seats, as Vinnie would say.Come on, kid.
Timely and informative piece on Frias and Lee.
“there are some particular quirks to Frias’ pitches that made them especially difficult on batters. Lee’s repertoire is more diverse, but his pitches are “more traditional.'”
Doesn’t say what it is that makes them tough on hitters, just “more on that later.”
I’ve seen something about a tailing power sinker, I think, and he has said he’s a ground ball pitcher, not a strikeout pitcher.
Good description of Lee’s ABQ situation also:
“Figuring out how to adjust to a hitter-friendly league that’s adjusted to you, Dishman said, is hard.
“That’s one of those things as a young kid, once you get amped up, that takes maturity,” he said.
‘Lee didn’t figure it out until arguably his last start of the season.
“Frias did.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2014/09/13/a-few-words-on-carlos-frias-and-zach-lee-and-why-one-of-them-is-here/