Nationals at Giants, 2:00PM PT, TV: MLBN
The Nats have their backs against an 0-2 hole and need both a good outing from Doug Fister and some luck in order to beat the Giants and Madison Bumgarner. Fister has plenty of postseason experience, as does Bumgarner. The Nationals may start Ryan Zimmerman for the first time in the playoffs after two pinch-hitting appearances, which would add a potentially stronger bat to the lineup in left field and allow Bryce Harper to move to center, while putting the light-hitting Denard Span on the bench.
Dodgers at Cardinals, 6:00PM PT, TV: Fox Sports 1
The Dodgers rest their hopes on Hyun-Jin Ryu, who hasn’t pitched for nearly a month while resting a shoulder. Based on a simulated game he threw last Wednesday and two bullpen sessions, they think he’ll be fine. The Cardinals hope that the John Lackey who’s been a star during previous postseasons with the Angels and Red Sox is the one who shows up today, rather than the guy who went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA after they acquired him at the trading deadline.
NPUT
Good News/Bad News Dept… Dustin Nosler says if the Dodgers lose today, there is an excellent chance Donnie and Ned get the ax. No tears for them but a loss hurts us all.
Who’s he?
One of the lead writers at Dodger Digest.
G’nite all!…. 🙂
Mo is questioning if Puig is even in tomorrow’s lineup, much less the #2 slot.
I would put in someone else . . . can Zack play the OF?
He’s also repeating a point he made earlier, that Dodger pitchers have continued to pitch Carpenter the same way, primarily fastballs. . . . Isn’t that the definition of insanity, repeating the same action and expecting a different result?
I know it’s driving us fans nuts!
Doubt Puig is out, but SVS might be next in, since Dre hasn’t done a whole lot.
I would seriously consider sitting Puig, especially with August’s slump so close to this one, especially since he’s playing to a hostile crowd and we know how he plays with soo much emotion.
Donnie is good about playing the long game, building confidence. But there’s no time for that now — if they don’t perform, game ends.
The Dodgers have performed better than the Angels and Tigers.
But I’m spoiled now — this team SHOULD be in the postseason.
And they SHOULD win.
My brother — a former HUGE Dodger fan until he gave up on baseball after the strike — called me on Saturday and said it’s over, if they can’t win when their best pitcher has a lead and they lose.
I said I understand the sentiment, but I’m actually more confident than before, because the offense actually showed up.
Now that the offense has once again hibernated . . . all I can say is ‘Poor Kersh.’ The pressure he must be feeling is just magnified when he knows he HAS to be perfect . . . and play for a tie.
Ha! HUGE fan, eh? You need to tease him and remind him of 1965 when our two best pitchers were beaten off the bat (of course, this is only best of five) and we were rescued by Gomer Osteen.
Would have wanted Clayton going for the series clincher, but …
We all remember… the Braves beating the Dodgers over a decade ago. The frustrating ‘overhead’ cam views of Glavine’s pitches 10 inches outside being called for strikes….
…
We’ve gone through various managers…. Can’t get any more ‘decorated’ than Joe Torre….
…
We’ve been though the “Spend more on the roster” … and even the “Get a better manager than Mattingly”….
…
At some point, it’s not the ump… it’s not the manager…. it’s not the owner…. it’s not the rain….
Heck! it’s not even the other team……
It’s on these PLAYERS… period. Who are the gamers? And, who shrivels up come October?
Definitely.
The problem is, the offense has shriveled up during the year, as well.
Okay, guys, still breathing!
C’mon, Uribear . . . remember the LDS last year! (and I’m not talking religion)
Hanley comes to life . . . and everyone else goes MIA.
It’s those times when they’re clicking — like Friday — that make the times they go missing soo much more painful, knowing what could be . . .
What are odds the Dodger pen has a Help Wanted sign up quickly this offseason, regardless how the rest of this postseason goes?
If they posted that here in Vegas, I’d bet on it.
That was already evident during the season, no?
JP seems pretty happy.
Nice end to a(nother) scary inning.
Now . . . 9th verse, same as the first — GET SOME RUNS!
So much for SL not being able to hit the long ball, like they didn’t much regular season.
The Royals were the same.
Oh, Wilson.
So much for hoping Puig would turn it around.
Doesn’t matter who the Dodgers put out there, ya gotta score to win. . . . I can only imagine the pressure Kersh must be feeling!
FS announcers pointing out that DM put relievers in position to succeed v. same handed batters.
Result in 3 games? 2 HR for LH hitters off LHP, 1 HR for RH hitter off RHP.
Oh, Puig.
Long day at the office….
Got home just in time to watch the Elbert Debacle…..
….
Giving myself a 10 minute rule as anything I post within this time will be too negative.
So, I’ll wait it out…. 🙂
See ya shortly.
League gets tattooed, but gets out of it
That’s getting a leg up, League!
3rd base coach does know who we have in lf.
How disgusted is Mattingly, you think?
I would bet on “very.”
He puts a good public face on things — not throwing them under the bus — but I wonder what he says behind closed doors?
Who’s next?
Bring ’em in NOW!
Three different relievers, three home runs.
We’ve said it most of the year . . . bullpen roulette.
What a waste.
If we went back 7 months, wasn’t pitching the least concern?
Pen was always the weakest link and boy have they proved that.
Stories I’ve been reading the last month or so said they were confident with the pen because there were so many former closers.
But then reality set in.
Elbert, please.
Wow, Donnie has lost confidence in Howell.
You can exchange that last name for several, by now.
Once again, the starting pitching has come through.
Offense has — barely (tho just a quarter of a “quality” game — so far).
Now the biggest question mark, the bullpen.
With this downpour, should be fairly easy to throw a spitball. ;-])
OK, now we have to go to that place that we don’t like to go.
What a great performance by Ryu!
Get him the W, Blue!
Hanley!
Phew!!!
Maybe that releases some pressure from the team as a whole!
Phew!
Jinx — ANOTHER Diet Pepsi!
Come on, Matt!
Had to turn it off and back to hear Puig connected — good for him!
Twice A-Gon failed with runner at 3rd??!!!!
C’mon, Matt!
OK, get him home. and more!
Ryu now at 77 for 5, almost matching Lackey on pitch count.
Need hits, need hits.
Ha, would have needed two to get AJ in from second.
Ryu at 62 pitches thru 3. Be good if he has a couple innings with single digit pitches.
Needs more first pitch strikes. Rust maybe showing.
That’s a good start — 1 pitch, 1 down.
You asked — you received.
Ask for some runs!
Nice catch by Hanley.
Nice hands, Hanley.
That dude is really getting tiresome.
If a Dodger pitcher accidentally hits someone, be good if it were him.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a playoff Dodger hitter who elicited that same feelings in the opposition?
The closest would be A-Gon or Matt, I imagine.
Carpenter puts another nail to the Dodgers.
One run, meh. I hope we planned on scoring more than that.
Planning is one thing.
Execution is another — Friday proved that.
I am more concerned right now with Ryu than with us scoring runs. Hope he can catch his second wind.
I don’t think he’ll make 6 innings, but this is great — he’s doing much better than two of the bullpen pitchers we’ve seen this series.
Doesn’t matter who pitches for you if you can’t score . . .
C’mon, Blue! Show that the REAL LA team can hit!
A non-K here would be a moral victory . . . c’mon, Puig!
Defeat.
Again.
Wow.
Is that seven in a row? Lessee, two in this game, four in the previous game, and a strikeout in his last AB in Game One. Yep, seven.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2221645-yasiel-puig-must-transform-from-enigma-to-star-for-dodgers-to-win-in-october
Come on, kid.
6 or 7. I think 7.
So now he gets 11 hits in a row?
Good job, Ryu.
Sounds like there are some controversial ball/strike calls going vs. Dodgers . . . is he calling the same when LA hits?
They’ve been swinging more than the Cardinals have. There have been at least two pitches which were third strikes from the TV view which weren’t called.
Thanks.
Vin sounded surprised by a couple of those calls.
I really enjoyed watching BadGums throw that ball down the LF line this afternoon.
Hope people are up in the ‘pen.
Gameday thinks Ryu has touched 94. Good sign.
Big wheels keep on spinning . . . (tho this didn’t hurt like the 1st inning).
But that WAS a great catch (or it sounded like it, anyway).
Rip Van Ryu says ‘Thanks for the rest — let’s get down to business!’
Now get him some runs!
Umpire McSqueezy.
Ryu looks on.
Take THAT, Carpenter, you Nemesis, you! 😉
Waste not, want not . . . shoot!
C’mon, A-Gon . . .bring him in!
What snapped Puig out of his August slump?
I think with the intensity against him, we won’t see it happen unless he can bust loose with a clutch hit.
WA wins . . . Game 4 manana night.
May the other NL visitors also be victorious!
looks like Clayton is up in game 4
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97769336/undefined
Who didn’t see that coming?
Giants are threatning — 2nd & 3rd, none out.
4-0, Nats in 9th.
Nats need 3 more outs to go to Game 4.
Which means the Dodgers play tomorrow afternoon.
And I go to the play tomorrow night.
That’s more like it. 3-0 Nationals in the 7th.
Jinx — you owe me a Diet Pepsi.
You actually like that stuff? I fall on the Coke side of the cola wars, but adding “Diet” to it? Shudder!
I prefer to eat my sugar, not drink it. Gave it up after an intense softball practice, then downing 3 sugar-filled sodas and getting sick.
If Diet Pepsi isn’t available, I prefer Coke Zero . . . or Diet Coke if nothing else.
We’ll see what we can do. 😉
Come ON, Nationals! I want more than just Dodgers baseball, as important as that is. The Tigers and Angels have already let me down this postseason!
They responded — 3-0 in the 7th.
Well, at least I know what happened to Clayton. SI cover jinx. He was one of 3 regional covers.
And I have proof. Wainwright was another one of the covers.
Quick — rush the Cardinals pitchers and Carpenter onto a cover to hit the stands tonight!