Game 157, 2014

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Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN, CSN-BA

Update: Whoops! Forgot that from here on out the games are also carried on KDOC. Channel numbers:

Provider HD Channel SD Channel
Charter 710 10
Cox 1012 12
AT&T U-verse 1006 6
DirecTV 56 56
Verizon FiOS 506 6
Dish Network 56 56
Over the air broadcast 56.1 56.1

Admit it. We’d be a lot more nervous about the penultimate three-game series of the season if the Dodgers hadn’t got a 4 1/2 game lead in the division. Barring absolute disaster the Dodgers should win the NL West with relative ease, since their magic number is down to three. The two teams have split the first sixteen games they’ve played this season.

Having said that, tonight’s pitching opponent is no palooka. Jake Peavy has a 7-1 record with a 2.85 ERA in 13 starts in Dodger Stadium and a career record against Los Angeles of 14-3. Dan Haren will take the mound for the Dodgers. He’s 6-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 17 career appearances (16 starts) against San Francisco.

Neither Michael Morse nor Angel Pagan will be in the lineup for the Giants in any of the three games; they both have injuries severe enough to see specialists.

Lineup:

106 thoughts on “Game 157, 2014”

  2. Pingback: Game 158, 2014 | Elysian Fields

  3. I was sort of resigned when Correia entered the game. Would sooner have seen Paco or even Yimi. It doesn’t get any more worthless than Correia.

    • Correia has been worthless his entire career, why would it change now? There had to be better pitchers than that to pick up. A good GM would never have signed him, a good Manager wouldn’t let him off the bench.

      • First of all, I also cringed when I heard Correia was coming in.

        BUT . . .

        Correia is a moot point if the offense does anything. SF pitched 11 innings of no-hit ball last night, the last 7 in a row. Sure Peavy is always good vs. LA — but he didn’t pitch all 13 innings. And he isn’t even their ace — HE goes tonight.

        Correia is also moot if Matt or Puig catch that ball.

        • No doubt about it, that loss is credited (or should it be “charged?”) to the “hitters”….

      • Correia had two or three years as an innings-eater, but he’s never been much. Mattingly had a couple other pen options but, as often, he preferred experience to talent.

  4. I bagged it here on the East Coast at 2 am, but didn’t miss anything I see. Warning track power was in full display.

  5. As poorly as they played, it was better than 9-0 . . . which is how the last series vs. SF started.

  6. Besides having a better record there, being on the road usually means they’re done earlier and I can get some sleep.

    But being home means Vin . . . so it’s all good!

    • The last road trip was the anomaly, both giving up and scoring runs.

      To me, the “key to the game” this entire season is ‘Can the offense produce?’ (Later, the key becomes ‘Can the bullpen hold?’ but that’s a moot point if there’s nothing to hold)

      What’s missing on this club is that feeling they can always come back late in the game. The poor extra-innings record and trailing-after-seven record underline that. (Can’t be underscore because they’re NOT scoring in those situations!)

      • Heh. I agree, underscore would be a poor choice of words.

        All the stats that say they’re way up near the top in the batting categories seem to me to be imaginary and unreal. I mean, who you gonna believe? The numbers or your own eyes and ears?

        • Actually, both. But take out this last road trip, and other CO and AZ games and I think there’s a more accurate stat. Numbers are good indicators, but can be misleading. If you score 17 in one game and 2 each the next 6, you’re still going to have an average of 4 runs a game, but only one of those games was a “quality” offensive game. To me, that’s what this year has been — spurts of runs coming easily, then struggling.

          I remember ’88 and Gibson scoring from 2nd on the wild pitch — the MAKING things happen late in the game. We’ve seen glimpses of that this year, but nothing like that stretch last summer when they were standing in line, waiting to be the hero.

          Still, if those glimpses reoccur at opportune times, they can make a run. But they better occur because these are all going to be vs. winning teams — and not played in Coors or Wrigley Fields . . . nor the once-and-always (since ya gotta love the name) The BOB.

          • You use an extreme example. Under that scenario the teams record would be what? 1-6, 2-5, 3-4? This does not seem to fit the Dodgers record. On the second part about quality of opponent, Baseball Prospectus does an adjusted standing calculation that tries to take that into account. By that measure there is only a difference of -1.3 in the wins column. They also make a calculation for expected runs/wins based upon underlying stats that suggests that the Dodgers should have won 3 more games than they have.

            BTW, last year’s run was historical and baseball may never see the likes of that again, let alone the Dodgers, so that is an unreasonable expectation.

            All of that said, winning in the playoffs will have to be against good teams, but, then again, they have to play us as well.

          • Sure it’s an extreme example and last year’s run was historic . . . but Link was talking about perception vs. statistics and I agree that I haven’t FELT the Dodgers are as good offensively as the stats say they are.

            Jon W. echoed that perception in a recent post: “My sense is that most people perceive the Dodger offense as a massive
            underachiever, the George Costanza of platesmen, characterized by
            singular bumbling and a laughable parade of opportunities wasted.” (“No, seriously — the Dodgers have a good offense” http://dodgers.mlblogs.com/page/2/ )

            But we all know that we can’t wave statistics nor our feelings at the opposition . . . it’s all going to come down to execution.

  10. Haren did his job.
    Many of the relievers did as well.
    The position guys need to shape up, at the plate and in the field. Or is that wake up?

    Let’s hope it’s just a bump!

  15. Poor offense.
    Poor defense.
    Feels like the beginning of the year.
    So they now have as many errors as they have hits? That says it all.
    CORRECTION: Guess it was just a “mental error” on Dee.

    • Nice start, just saw vision of the throw, that was incredible. The best part about it was that he didn’t rush, he lined him up and threw it to the perfect spot

  39. Disappointing to see the defense is playing like the beginning of the year . . . but glad to see Haren is, as well.

    C’mon, Blue — no bottom of the 9th for these next 6 games!

    Yea, running for Ellis!
    Go, Andre!

  40. Haren is not only Uribear Redeemed Player of the Year for within this season, he wins it for this game . . . I sure didn’t think he would have this kind of performance after that beginning.

  41. With that grin, I assume that AJ told Haren that he was vested when they were walking back to the dugout.

  48. Well — he gave up less than Kersh did in his last 1st inning. . . . Let’s hope there’s the same game result!

  54. Dodgers batting averages this month (not including September call-ups): Barney .500 (2-for-4), Crawford .434, Van Slyke .417, Uribe .387, Turner .382, Ramirez .371, Kemp .329, Gordon .320, Puig .319, Gonzalez .282, Ethier .222, Ellis .204, Butera .111, Rojas .091.

    • So you’ve had a wedding and a college reunion during this season . . . here’s hoping you can add a DS World Series visit!

  56. With that recent surge, we lead in NL in OPS+ at 109 (NL average is just 94). Every starter is above 100, except AJ (70) right now. The we have our subs, Turner, SVS and Barney all above 140. Wow! Even Dre is up to 97.

    • I find myself sympathizing with Ethier and admiring his ability to keep quiet about his lack of playing time after eight years of being the regular right fielder for the Dodgers. He’s been known in the past to be a little grumbly, so his restraint is notable.

        • Me three.
          It seems to me there’s a personality conflict behind the not playing. If I remember right, Andre was singled out for his work ethic before.
          I think we’ve seen how the team is only as good as its weakest link (which always pops up at the most inopportune times!), and I believe players like Dre will have key moments in the postseason (may it be a long run!).

      • Speaking of Dre, he was part of the 2009 outfield that averaged an OPS+ of 138 (Manny-144; Dre-132, Kemp-125). Our outfield now is close to that (Puig-147, Kemp-138, Crawford 110) at 131. Dre actually still has more PAs that CC this year.

  58. Ya got me, Link — I would be much more nervous than I am — gracias, Padres.
    But much to still be decided, including homefield advantage and postseason roster.

        • I remember that one. I remember a lot of the old ones, from “Terry and the Pirates” to “Mark Trail” to “Mary Worth” to “Apartment 3-G” to “Steve Canyon” to “Gordo” and on and on. I liked “The Wizard of Id” and “B.C.” before Johnny Hart started putting his fundamentalist faith into the strips.

          I’d be hard-pressed to name a favorite. “Pogo?”

          • When I worked for newspapers, there were few things that got readers more up in arms was when comic strips were dropped and replaced by others. When I was a little kid, my sister and I would crawl into bed with our parents on Sunday morning and we’d all read the funnies.

          • It’s still true that people get upset. On the other hand, I can think of three or four in my current paper that I’d just as soon see the back of, starting with “Garfield” and “For Better or Worse.”

            Then there’s the case of The Little Flower, Fiorello LaGuardia, 99th Mayor of New York. During a newspaper delivery truck drivers’ strike in 1945 he read the comics to the children of the city.