Game 159, 2014

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Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ESPN, KDOC-56, CSN-BA

If the Dodgers win, they win the NL West. If the Giants win, they clinch a playoff berth. One way or the other one of these teams is going to be celebrating something after tonight’s game.

Most every sportswriter in the country and most fans as well are probably chalking up this game as a win for the Dodgers, what with Clayton Kershaw pitching for them tonight. Well, Tim Hudson is having a poor year, but he’s not chopped liver. He’s started 456 games in his 16-year career and won 214 of them (first among all active pitchers) while losing only 123, with a lifetime ERA of 3.45. However, in his last outing he went only 4 1/3 innings against the Padres, giving up four runs on seven hits. The start before that was against the Dodgers, and it was awful: six runs on eight hits in just one inning.

In personnel news, Mattingly thinks Hyun-Jin Ryu won’t be seen on the mound again until the playoffs.

Lineup when available.

60 thoughts on “Game 159, 2014”

  5. If I were running the Dodgers for the next three games, this is what I would do:
    The only real question on the playoff roster is the bullpen, so all those guys get used so I could see who’s going and who isn’t. The position starters sit to rest and recuperate, avoid injury. With one exception: Dee Gordon. After his big improvement this year I have to know if he can cut it as a shortstop, because we’re for sure going to need one. And don’t tell me he proved it last year. and that’s final. Last year he wouldn’t have made it as a second baseman either, maturity helped him and it may have helped him as a shortstop as well. And that brings up Guerrero, we have to find out if he is a second baseman or an outfielder. As an outfielder he becomes trade bait because we’re stuffed there. So I’m playing Gordon and Guerrero around second and filling in the other spots with bench players.

    • Three games is not much of a measure. I would just concentrate on setting things up for the playoffs. I am actually a bit concerned with Dee lately. Too many games? Maybe I am spoiled, but a couple of the sort of spectacular defensive plays that I have come to expect have just not be made lately. I notice that he has actually being replaced in late innings in recent games (normally associated with a double switch, but still) by Barney, who has made some great plays.

      • The radio guys were talking about Barney as defensive replacement . . . but Dee was so great most of the year, so perhaps it is fatigue. (As an aside, I’m a bit concerned with A-gon in the field — I ‘ve heard a lot go by him the last couple of weeks.)

        Dee bounced back great after rest a few weeks ago. I know there’s increased pressure in the playoffs — but perhaps there’s even more to get in there, especially with the expectations placed on this team.

        Speaking of expectations — Bob, you’re the man with the #s . . . could you put together a player- by-player list to see how everyone did compared to last year and/or their career? Mid-season, my feeling was that all but Dee and Puig were underperforming amongst position players. But Adrian showed he IS “slow and steady” (with results as well as on the basepath) and others may have recovered as well (tho I’m not holding my breath with AJ’s results).

        • Measured by OPS+, CC Kemp, and Dee are the only ones performing better than last year, significantly in the case of Matty and Dee. Agon and Uribear are about the same. Hanley significantly less, but still good. Dre is about an average hitter now, where he was good last year. AJ was an average hitter, but is now poor (probably average for a catcher at this point).

          • Thanks!
            We know that CC and Matt got hot after the break, so it definitely tipped towards “underachieving” as a whole before then.

          • I think that was because on most occasions Puig and Dee carried the whole team in the first half 🙂

        • Yeah, Agon has also recently booted a bunch of plays that we have become accustomed to him making

    • This isn’t about the upcoming 3 days, but I’ve seen where the Dodgers are not sold on Guerrero anywhere in the infield, which is why he was in LF some in ABQ and which is an issue with a contract the size of his. As you note, he’s not going to play for LA in the OF. IIRC his contract says he can’t be sent to the minors after this year, so the offseason will be interesting.

      Too bad he and Arry can’t be combined, since Arry supposedly can’t hit at all but is an elite defensive player. For that matter we don’t know Guerrero can hit, but numbers wise he was strong offensively at ABQ even by those standards–when all in one piece and in playing form.

    • Dee is a pretty good second baseman now. He was a terrible defensive shortstop, and unlikely to improve at all.

  7. Kersh was plugging for AJ to remain with the team . . . and did he mention Honeycutt as well? Was there a question about Rick staying?

  8. Hi all! We made it! Such a good feeling. Caught the second half, but taped the whole thing. Kershaw is something else, isn’t he?

    • On top of everything else, I’m wondering if this was the greatest year an athlete has had after signing such a huge contract. . . . Didn’t A-Rod say he started using when he felt the pressure of such a contract?

    • That’s the only pre-WS game I could possibly attend . . . knowing Kersh is starting is awfully tempting . . .

      • Since I can’t go unless and until we make the second round, I vote for you to go. Represent, you know?

        • Great, now there’s pressure! 🙂
          I was thinking of saving up time and money to make a play for the Series. I was saying the same to one of my bosses, who’s a big ChiSox fan — he was lucky enough to be there when Chicago clinched the Series . . . what a Moment/Memory that must be!

  12. I’m glad Andre gets in the game, but I would’ve liked to see Kersh take the mound, then be removed while the fans show their appreciation . . . or even go up to the plate, then be taken back.

  14. Okay, maybe the offense has turned the corner, now even getting a bases-loaded hit . . . I sure hope so!

  20. If Dodger hitters aren’t inspired by Kershaw, they should be embarrassed by him (by their own performance — Kersh wouldn’t do that to them).

  26. Considering the timeliness of a recent very short Jon W post and how well it ties into this occasion, here goes, in its entirety–

    “1) On this date in 2013, Kershaw had thrown 3,346 pitches. This year, he has thrown 2,605. It would probably take Kershaw six or seven playoff starts in October to surpass the pitch count he had already reached in September 2013.

    “2) Of the 191 innings that Kershaw has begun this year (189 full innings, plus two in which he was replaced with two out), he has pitched scoreless baseball in 165 of them. He allowed unearned runs in two innings, meaning that he has allowed earned runs in only 24 innings out of 26 starts this year.”

  27. Milwaukee leads Cincy 2-0 in the 7th. But if the Brewers lose and the Dodgers win, will both L.A. and S.F. have big celebrations in their clubhouses? That would be odd. I know the Dodgers will have one . . . if they have won.

    • Cerveceros leading comfortably. Gnats could still have meaningful games v. Padres starting tomorrow.

  28. I believe the Gnats can clinch tonight even if they lose, presuming the Cerveceros lose in Cincy. Since that game starts three hours earlier, they may know by the time they take the field.

  29. Yesterday was one of those infrequent times where all aspects of the game clicked for the Blue. Hopefully that becomes the status quo for the rest of the year.

  30. Whoever celebrates last celebrates best. Dodgers might have beat giants in playoffs to get to world series.

    • Grins. You’re forgetting there are only four games left in the regular season. The postseason isn’t that far off.

      “I think we’re pleased with the progress with Hyun-Jin and how he’s doing, and he’s moving forward and not having any complaints afterward. I’m happy with his progress.”

      Mattingly said that Ryu has been progressing well in his catches, throwing with increased distance and velocity.

      • Yeah, but in an idea world we wouldn’t want his first game coming back to include live rounds.

        • He did pretty well last time coming back from the DL. Presumably he’ll have a simulated game, at least.