Dodgers at Padres, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD
The Dodgers send out Mat Latos, who’s 4-9 with a 4.76 ERA overall and 0-2 with a 6.05 ERA since coming over to the Dodgers. Worse, he hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in any of his last three starts. I think it’s fair to say he has not performed to their expectations. He’ll be opposed by Colin Rea of the Padres, who’s 2-2 with a 5.95 ERA in his rookie season.
The Dodgers have an 8-4 lead in the season series and the Padres lost three players to injury during Tuesday’s game: starting first baseman Yonder Alonso (back tightness), catcher Derek Norris (hyperextension of left shoulder and elbow) and reliever Shawn Kelley (right forearm tightness).
Lineup when available.
Tonight's #Dodgers lineup:
Pederson CF
Utley 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Turner 3B
Crawford LF
Grandal C
Van Slyke RF
Seager SS
Latos P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 3, 2015
Check out the Dodgers’ repostings of tweets sent out by Brandon McCarthy, Kiké Hernandez and Brett Anderson, all reflecting on Kershaw’s performance last night.
NPUT
Greinke’s serial killer stare may be rubbing off on Kershaw. How’d you like to be a batter, knowing how futile your attempt to hit him is very likely to be, then look out and see this look on his face?
https://mlblogsdodgers.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/kershaw-scrutiny.jpg?w=1110&h=888
Counter-factual history is a risky endeavor, but I think there’s a reasonable case to be made that the missed call at second was all the difference in the game. If Báez gets through the sixth unscored upon, the Dodgers still have a three-run lead and the Pads are at a different spot in the batting order when Howell comes out to pitch the seventh (if indeed it’s Howell at all, with Norris due up). That doesn’t excuse the bullpen from what ensued in the actual game, but it makes the circumstances vastly different.
What I find perplexing is that Conroy appears to have said that the play at second was automatically safe – there was apparently no way for Utley to get an out, whether he was near the base or on it. The call was at least as bad as Jim Joyce’s imperfect game blunder, or the Todd Helton play in Colorado.
Check out Upton’s visual reaction to the double play call, mirroring that of most people.
http://zippy.gfycat.com/VastSpryIbadanmalimbe.mp4
Nobody on either side could believe that call.
http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/147242706/bryce-harper-scores-four-without-hit-at-bat
Pretty amazing. 20 pitches, and Harper didn’t swing once.
Yes – he went full Votto last night.
Notice that Uribe did him one better (21 pitches, no swings) in 2010?
Uribear doing something like that constitutes a minor miracle (get the Vatican on line!)
I posted about “the neighbourhood play” several months ago and predicted it would hurt some team in a critical situation. Last night wasn’t a critical situation, but the Dodgers, and every other team should force reviews until the umps start calling the plays right. I don’t care whether they allow it or not, but if they do, they should amend the rule book and call it the same for every team in every situation. Makes more sense to me to not allow it, the fielder actually touches the base or the runner is safe. But the call must be consistent.
Last night was sort of a Catch-22. Neighborhood plays are not supposed to be reviewable. This ump appeared to make a bad call, but NY didn’t think that there was enough evidence to overturn his call. My understanding is that they were not judging on whether it should have been a neighborhood play.
Hard to imagine that MLB would do away with the neighborhood play, given the injury risks. Witness the recent Posey Rule.
Here’s that second-base play.
Nice to know the SD announcers knew he was safe even before the replay was done.
Homers.
I suppose it’s possible that Utley’s front foot missed by about an inch, but I don’t see how the ump could have told that at game speed.
An inch! Compared to most double plays? And to me, his foot is grazing the length of the base. According to Mattingly, the ump “doesn’t believe in the neighborhood play.” So I could understand if there was any visible gap whatsoever, even though this ump is deciding things on his own here. But not on that play.
What a lack of perspective.
Bolsinger tomorrow, we’re told.
Looking at the box score, Latos threw strikes (40 of 54 pitches), but they were almost TOO good, seems like. 8 hits and four runs in four innings. Peralta, Baez, Howell and Avilan did okay, but Johnson (again) did not. Neither did Nicasio.
So you are saying there is a bit of a drop off in quality from strike throwing Kershaw to strike throwing Latos.
I think so.
Me too!
I think it’s the tattoos, myself.
SI Best and Worst 2015 trade deadline deals.
Latos and Johnson both make the “Worst” category. Here’s the blurb on Latos:
Jerry Hairston is hot under the collar over this call. I mean, HOT! Gotta love him.
Jerry Hairston knows a thing or two about blown calls by umps. It’s the replay review gone wrong that blows my mind.
http://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Welke.jpg
I remember this. Ugh.
Jerry Hairston Jr. is on the postgame and he is LIVID. He thinks the ump who made that safe call at 2nd in the 6th should be relieved of his duties. Judging from the replays I’ve seen on the tube, Upton was clearly out, so I don’t blame him for being angry.
Ha! Here we go again.
I love his passion.
I found this game so frustrating, even with Seager doing so well. Why are we still using Latos? Why is our bullpen so uneven?
Woulda, shoulda, coulda but didn’t. However to me, it was the one game in this series that looked most like a loss going in. Let down from the sweep plus starting pitcher.
Good point.
Solid debut by Seager. Another day off the schedule, as the lead remains the same.
But the bullpen! Yikes!
This team just doesn’t win when Seager plays. He is clearly the culprit.
Ha!
Johnson’s ERA as a Dodger — up to the minute — is 13.90.
Wow. That is not good.
I think it’s important we get at least one back in the ninth, just for the sake of morale. Four would be even better.
The bats tonight have proven that the bullpen is the weakest link on this team.
The Mattingly School of Bullpen Management is the weakest link.
Nicasio is good tonight.
Was.
Was, is right! Geeze.
You spoke too soon.
Worst game of the year, potentially, but the sweep of the Gnats makes it easier to handle.
Worst because of our playing? Or the call?
Because of the call. That changed everything.
Yes. I agree.
And the Gnats loss.
Nomar was making the point that the blown call really broke our momentum. Should have been a quick clean inning. Instead…
Just when I was beginning to trust Johnson.
I know. That pitch was asking to be hit out.
Supposedly a groundball pitcher.
Somehow I knew this was coming. They’re up by one.
Okay, Johnson. Time to get Upton out.
Think Mattingly will lodge a protest if we lose? Can he even do that?
Good question.
You cannot protest a judgement call. Any rule interpretation call must be protested at the moment it takes place. So the answer is no.
Ah. Thanks. So we’d better just win then.
That blown call makes me want to win this one even more.
Twice blown it was.
And now we’re only up by one… I would protest the game if we lose by one.
JT just missed that one. Just.
Just in not out!
Very clever. I like it!
Not hit all that hard.
That run is on the umpire.
That was truly egregious.
Umps line – 1 error, 1 run and 1 blown review.
Baez needs to get this guy.
Not that.
Justin-Justin conversation at 3rd.
Turner: See my slide last night?
Upton: Slide? Who needs to slide?
Bad call all around.
Horrific.
Love Upton’s reaction!
Classic.
Worst DP missed call I have ever ever seen. Even Upton was rolling his eyes.
Okay Pedro. DP, please.
Got it – I think!
Apparently not. Upton’s look was priceless. Review did not work at all there.
He got the DP, but he didn’t…
Worst call since the imperfect game.
Ha! Maybe Utley should be a foot off next time. Then he’d get the neighborhood call.
Re: Seager. You know you are hustling to make plays when you have both the green grass stains and the brown dirt smeared across your jersey!
it’s like a kid getting to play in a new sandpit for the first time
Utley wanted to keep running all the way home I think.
See Chase run!
peeked at score earlier when down 0-4, nice comeback!
Joc caught on air dropping the F-bomb twice, after his foul ball was caught…
Seager! Seager!
Seaver? As in Tom?
As in clumsy thumbs. Thank goodness for the edit function.
Ha – very true!
Raise your hand if you are glad the Dodgers called up Seager.
He either had the green light, or doesn’t know the signs yet.
2998 to go.
Dude! Smokin’!
Seager has a chance for his first RBI now too.
Sacks full. No outs. Gnats lost. Seager’s called up. Life could be worse.
My jaw hurts a little bit but I see your point. 😉
From tension? Smiling?
Uhh, from falling asleep funny on the couch actually.
Rox flatten Gnats, 11-3.
Magic number: 23. And could go down to 22.
5 seems like a good number for Seager. Uribe, Nomar, etc before him. Who else?
Norm Larker was the first L.A. Dodger to wear #5. He barely lost the 1960 batting crown to Dick Groat, .325 to .323. Groat was the MVP that season, Larker finished 15th, just behind Warren Spahn and ahead of Stan Musial. Other L.A. Dodgers to have worn #5 include Jim Lefebvre, Mike Marshall (the non-pitcher), Dave Hansen, manager Davey Johnson, Hee-Seop Choi and Nomar Garciaparra. Sandy Amoros and Carl Furillo each wore it for one season in Brooklyn, Cookie Lavagetto for many years.
Thanks Scoop. Great stuff.
Nice to see Crawford and Utley heating up.
I’m satisfied. First fielding chance, first hit (extra base hit), and first run for Seager.
RBIs were nice as well.
Yep.
First DP would have been nice.
Glad the pitcher is okay.
Yes.
Joc hammered that.
Nice from Corey!
Corey! Congratulations!
Bet we know where that ball is going.
Yah Seager!
Amazing how blissfully unconcerned I am with this game. Thanks Colorado for beating up on SF.
Latos looks lost. So do his tats.
He’s been tattooed by the Friars tonight.
Latos needs a winter to recover/work on his game, I think.
He won’t be a Dodger next season.
If we want to get any value for him we still want him to recover.
He’ll be a free agent, and Dodgers won’t bother with him.
They shouldn’t have bothered in July.
Minor risk worth taking, didn’t really cost anything.
Olivera???
Three lower level minor leaguers
Got Wood, Avilán and Peraza in the Olivera deal. A real steal.
I think it cost us four games. Bolsinger was a much better bet.
Ballslinger was taxing the pen and they sought someone who might throw more innings. Hasn’t worked out. We still have Ballslinger.
I think he is miscast as a starter. Wonder how he’d do as a set-up man?
Rox score four off Vogelscheiße in the first in Denver.
Glad to see that they continue to bury themselves
Fails to last the fourth, now 7-2 Rox.
Lincecum had hip surgery today, too.
He’s done for.
So, tonight’s game features the Los Angeles Hamstrings v the San Diego Padres, right?
The Padres have been renamed St. James Infirmary. See Paragraph Two above.
We have an interesting lineup: https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/639567604772835328
It is a strange one.