First game: Cubs at Cardinals, 3:30PM PT, TV: TBS
The Cubs and Cardinals have been rivals for decades, but this is the first time they’ll face one another in the postseason. As if that weren’t enough, the opposing pitchers once played together for the Red Sox.
John Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) starts for the Cubs, while John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA) starts for the Cardinals. Lackey leads all active pitchers in two playoff categories: today will make his 19th playoff start and he’s already thrown 117 postseason innings. Lester has a 6-4 record with a 2.57 ERA in the postseason himself.
Further game notes here.
Second game: Mets at Dodgers, 6:30PM PT, TV: TBS
LHP Clayton Kershaw (16-7, 2.13 ERA) starts for the Dodgers. RHP Jacob deGrom (14-8, 2.54 ERA) starts for the Mets. Kershaw’s only blemish in his brilliant career is his 1-5 record and 5.12 ERA in the postseason. This will be deGrom’s first playoff appearance. He faced the Dodgers once this season and gave up two hits over 7 2/3 innings.
The Mets added Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson in mid-season and got David Wright back as well. “It’s a completely different lineup, not just Cespedes,” Kershaw said. “…a completely different team. Obviously, a lot better than what we faced in July.”
Dodgers’ playoff roster:
Introducing the #Dodgers official 2015 #NLDS roster … pic.twitter.com/OzImvYihhu
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 9, 2015
Lineup when available.
NLDS Game 1 #Dodgers lineup:
Crawford LF
Kendrick 2B
Seager SS
Gonzalez 1B
Turner 3B
Ethier RF
Ellis C
Pederson CF
Kershaw P
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 9, 2015
NPUT
Bob Timmermann, longtime Dodger Thoughts Contributor, has an interesting take on the playoffs. Maybe he’s right… http://bobtimmermann.tumblr.co…
WBBsAs and package, will you two guys please knock it off? The constant sniping annoys others, including me. It’s unnecessary and it’s devolved into “So’s your old man!” territory.
I only analyze content. There’s nothing personal on this end.
It needn’t be personal to annoy. Just refrain, both of you.
Bob Timmermann, longtime Dodger Thoughts Contributor, has an interesting take on the playoffs. Maybe he’s right… http://bobtimmermann.tumblr.com/post/130627436394/tell-me-when-its-over
I can’t imagine anyone really being surprised by last night’s result. Disappointed, yes, surprised, no,it’s not like it hasn’t happened many times this year. I don’t see how Greinke can not opt out of his contract. And Clayton too, when his option comes up. And if I were a top tier free agent pitcher this off-season, I’d have to think mighty hard to sign a contract with the Dodgers if they don’t try to fix their hitting problem.
Of course Greinke will opt out, but he’s likely to return.
Well, you’re half right, which is above average for you…
And you’re half-baked, which is above average for you.
Some consolation for last night’s loss: Miami Marlins would like Mattingly to manage if he becomes available. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/25332673/marlins-owner-loria-hoping-to-land-don-mattingly-if-he-becomes-available
I came down from the Monterey Peninsula to visit my mother, who turns 95 next month, and attend last night’s game. Kershaw was one notch below his A plus level and had run out of gas in the 7th. Had he ever walked three batters in an inning before? deGrom was brilliant, but the season-long issues at the leadoff spot and middle relief helped doom us. Weather was hot and sticky. Rare unenjoyable weather at a Dodger Stadium game. Go get ’em Greinke!
In talking with my friends last week, my greatest fear was Kershaw and Greinke pitching well, and the Bums losing 1-0 on unearned runs. Well, it wasn’t unearned, but just the same….
Looking at the hitters, not sure where the spark will come from…they don’t seem to string together a bunch of hits, they certainly aren’t going to win any games with the long ball. Seeing them against good teams, they seem to remind me of the money ball A’s (yes, a very expensive version) as they seem to be built for the long haul of the season, but I don’t see 2-3 hitters who strike fear in opposing pitchers.
On another note, maybe Kershaw gets a little too “up” for the playoffs…it takes him a couple innings to relax and settle in, burning a lot of pitches in the process. No idea if this is the case, or how to deal with that….it’s not really the number of pitches in my mind, it’s the effort expended.
Hard to imagine him being more intense than he already is for regular season games, but you are probably right. Donnie might be second guessed for not starting another left-hand bat in Grandal, as AJ despite his offensive surge is still dreadful against righties. No guarantees with Grandal however, given his ongoing slump. Not sure either that having a better pitch framer would have been helpful, as Clayton is a swing-and-miss guy in any event.
I personally like AJ, and he did get a hit last night. And I have never been a fan of the lefty righty matchup thing, unless that is all you have going for you…in which case you’ll probably lose anyway. The good hitters hit.
Grew up with Dodgers switch hitting infield and Earl’s O’s, so I appreciation for the approach. You may not want to construct your team that way but looking at splits for guys like Dre, SVS and Ruggs, the advantages in specific plate appearances are clear to me.
Although the Mets’ pitcher tonight, Syndergaard, is another righty, I’d start Puig, putting him in right and moving Ethier to left.
Sure, Puig’s splits are not too bad.
And Crawford was overmatched last night. Led off four innings, was hitless and fanned twice.
CC rarely looks good at the plate unless he is getting a hit.
He has been over-matched for years. Do you think we could trade him to the Padres for Kemp back….
We outhit them but left 7 on base. We out-struckout them, but that’s not generally considered desirable. de Grom was a monster, and he beat Clayton at his own game. I can’t remember the last time Kershaw walked three guys in one inning, and it sure came back to bite him.
Hopefully they can find a way to beat a “quality” team . . . in two series after this one as well!
Ooph. Rough game. To me, it was Wright’s 12 pitch at bat, the one bad pitch to Murphey, and DeGrom’s dominance that made the difference. Mostly DeGrom.
It was deja vu all over again with Wright’s AB and the MIA LA bats.
The 3 walks in one inning, 4 in the game from Kershaw was a total surprise.
Seems to me that he was throwing more than pitching.
Announcers noted Baez problems with first batter faced. OPS of .773. Not the luckiest fellow, however, with babip of .516!
Win tomorrow. Win 1 game in NY. Win game 5. On to the NLCS.
They outplayed us, fair and square.
Yep. That’s true.
Round up the usual suspects: bats & bullpen (tho Kersh didn’t help his cause).
DeGrom was lights out.
Ethier, Ellis and Peterson – or a few pinch hitters?
Need some 9th inning magic!!!!
And no Vin to ease the pain.
Things DO go down better with Vin.
Woulda, shoulda, coulda have been 1-1.
7 (-th inning) is not a lucky number for Kersh in postseason.
He looked a little gassed.
How so? (if you are wishing, why not make it 1-0?)
The ball hit by Wright just missed being caught by Kendrick.
Not lookin’ good.
Bring home the bacon JT.
At least it’s not a shutout . . . c’mon, JT!
We’re on the board!
Tying run at the plate.
C’mon, bats — no bottom of the 9th — let RBI (and everyone) get out early!
Gotta ask…… LA Dodgers….. Can we feel a heart beat ?????????
Feels more like Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Buried under the floor boards.
Pretty grim here at the stadium.
Look alive out there!
AGon! Yes! An RBI!
Jon W. has a series running on the ’65 WS winning Dodgers. Noted that Koufax and Drysdale lost the first two games, yet LA came back to win. Let’s hope Greinke wins tomorrow–tho this one isn’t over just yet.
Nice perspective — of course, that was best of 7. And I think their # 3 & 4 were better than today.
Seven games with Sandy pitching three of them.
I really don’t recall the last time Chase Utley came up to bat and I thought, “oh good, Chase Utley is coming up to bat.”
Exactly.
As great as Kershaw is and was, he didn’t get it done.
Neither did the bats. He shouldn’t have to pitch a shutout to hope for extras.
I’m afraid he’s going to have the reputation as the Petyon Manning of baseball.
Who’s that?
Phenomenal regular season quarterback for the Colts and Broncos (multiple winner of the NFL MVP), who has almost equally poor results in postseason . . . tho his team DID win one Super Bowl.
I know nothing about handegg, and care even less.
Answering cuz you asked.
If I’d known it was handegg, I wouldn’t have asked.
Who really hasn’t gotten it done is the offense. You have to tip your hat to deGrom at this point, but the Dodgers have had their chances and done nothing with them.
Not surprising . . . but still sad.
Yes, that too. The whole thing hurts.
Ahhhhhrrrrrggggghhhh.
……………………………………………………………………………………
(If any other part of my comment included actual words, I’d violate every rule on the blog)
Ha.
Tell me about it.
Took the wind right out of the stadium’s sails.
And the bullpen folds yet again.
Tough call, but Clayton unable to put away those two hitters. (just wish it was someone else coming in)
I literally can’t watch.
Hadn’t really focused on that hesitation step by Clayton before. See it a lot with Japanese pitchers.
Why must it always be on such a razors edge? Why so tight and so tough to score runs?
It’s Dodgertown, Dave.
I know. Stomach in knots.
Rule one violation. AGon crushed that foul ball, and it truly looked like it was a HR until the last minute.
Please tell me… (in terms of “regular season scrub – turned Dodger post season killer HR”)
…
Daniel (does not Matt Adams (does equal) Matt Stairs
Murphy equal)
We kill ourselves by not scoring.
I used to say that to the fellas when we went out looking for girls on Saturday night…. 🙂
Quick inning. Now time for the bats to awaken.
Ever consider changing your Nome de Plume to Polyana?
Hope springs eternal. Until it becomes bleak, dreary winter.
Not a good showing by the top three.
12 k’s now for Kershaw. Time to score 2 or 3 runs.
11. But I agree!
Yes. My mistake. Hold fast Dodgers and find a way to score a run.
Up to the bats. Again. Maybe DeGrom will tire this inning. He’s thrown a lot of very hard fastballs, many inaccurately.
He seems to just be warming up!
What a pitcher. Seriously.
If our boys were to lose this game 1 – 0 ….
…
My newspaper headline would be…
…
” One bad pitch call from AJ Ellis…… Dodgers down 0-1 In Series with Mets “
If we score zero, that should probably be the headline.
It would be “Offense fails to support Kershaw.”
Totally agreed, you guys…. 🙂
…
Just would be looking for a reaction from AJ.
10 Ks in 5 innings. Whoa.
Kershaw better and better.
Cool it, people. The game’s tense enough without the verbal fistfights.
Would it be barely possible to drop the edginess and just enjoy a playoff game?
This kind of stuff makes this blog far less enjoyable for me–and most likely others.
Oh, man. So close to dropping in!!!!!
Pitch count mounting (de Grom)
What da ya say we give our boy, Clayton some help, ayyyy Fellas?…. 🙂
Well, had to score at least one to win, now we just have to do it to tie.
Boo!!! I just went to the restroom and this happens!
He’s thrown 59 thru 3 innings, Kershaw’s thrown 51. Neither is going to pitch a complete game at this rate.
Seven strikeouts for de Grom.
Cuddyer continues to channel the ’62 Mets.
Another break.
Okay. Top of the lineup. Time to score some RUNS!!!!
Ump is giving us heart attacks out here.
Seems just a little bit erratic, just to keep us on our toes.
Took forever to call that SO.
Curve ball not so sharp, but Kershaw’s other two pitches are fine.
Got a couple swings and misses on it, though.
That last one was much sharper. Kershaw does get better as he goes along some games. This may be one of those.
Pitch count mounting.
45. The other guy struck out the first six (outs, anyway). We’ve already left three on base.
Gotta get’m on to leave’m on.
Well, yeah. All the lefties have struck out. Two of the three righties have gotten hits.
On pace for a 202.5-pitch CGSO.
Too busy watching. Stadium is electric!
TBS’s Ron Darling said he’s never heard Dodger Stadium this loud this early.
Dre needs to take this guy deep. (bad call)
Nice break. Found the weak spot defensively.
11 pitches, including two Ks. How does he DO that?
20 pitches for de Grom, 22 for Kershaw.
2-0 pitch . Let’s go Agon!
Howie, ha!
de Grom is a star, let’s not forget. This could be a 2-1 game.
Big-time talent. Mets’ young pitching is very impressive.
C’mon, bats!
Unfortunately, no matter what the Dodgers do, we fans lose in the postseason without Vin. Speedy recovery to him!
NY’s plan has to be to get rid of Kersh and get to the bullpen ASAP. Hopefully not many more pitch count innings like that one.
Yet, at the same time they are going after the first pitch.
Good point.
So maybe the plan is swing early (hope Kersh and AJ are aware of that) and the hope is wear him out.
Seems like the best strategy for them. Though Clayton will throw 120 pitches if he has to.
C’mon, Kersh– double play!
One-pitch outs work for me, though.
The first pitch thing that RBI was talking about (though in the case of the ‘Stros)
I know. I saw that right away. Plus, get his count up.
Alright! Ready to go.
So while watching the opening innings I’ll browse my copy of the SI NFL preview issue, which just arrived in the mail this week, four weeks into the season. It’s dated Sept 7. I have gotten three issues dated more recently than its issue date.
I thought I’d be a wiseguy and wrote them a letter; we’ll see what they can think of to explain this.
Maybe Kershaw will strike out the first six guys while I’m reading.
Takes a while for the Matsonia to make the trip.
I actually rode the Lurline from LA to HNL in July of 1968, just a year or two before Matson stopped sending passenger ships along that route. I was 17. Fortunately there were about a dozen other teenagers on board or I’d have gone mad.
Blasted Cardinals. Up 4-0 in the 8th on two home runs, one by their Atmosphere and Energy Engineering graduate Piscotty.
Dodger dog, check.
You made it through the traffic?
Yup. Wasn’t too bad. And I parked right on Sunset!
Ticket, check. ’88 championship t-shirt, check. Kershaw Cy Young pin, check. Butterflies? Check check check.
Still babysitting, even on the Internet.
Is Bill Lackey truly capable of pitching an interesting game?
Cards lead 1-0 after one.
Does anyone here have experience with Linux?
Feeling excited and nervous. It seems like so much postseason action has already happened. Let’s get it on Dodgers.
I’m out tonight until and will miss the first three innings or so. Look forward to checking in and chatting when I get back.
Get some ice cream, celebration or consolation…
Or tequila. Or tequila ice cream.
Wrong neighboring country.
EDIT: Probably impossible anyway, the alcohol would lower the freezing point quite a bit.
Tequila ice cream? A ghastly thought.
I’ve had Bailey’s ice cream – sold in supermarkets here – and Cabernet and Torrontés and beer ice cream in Argentina.
Well known in Mexico. (more of an ice margarita)
We have a lineup:
I like this lineup. Seager hitting third is a pleasant surprise. Pederson in the lineup is good. I like Kendrick over Utley as well.
It suggests that they are not platooning with Utley.
Utley may have been one of the last to make the team.
Double switch bait and emergency 1st base, as far as I can tell. Would prefer Schebler.
Agree. Utley didn’t look good in his one at bat.
NLDS Preview from Sports Illustrated with attention to the slightly-misleading nature of Kershaw’s postseason losses (no run support: “Among the four postseason losses he has suffered over the last two seasons, two came by scores of 1–0 and 3–2.”)
Somehow, I am not consoled.
Well, read the whole thing. It’s not quite an apologia, but it does explain the circumstances (like an untrusted bullpen) to the non-Dodger fan.
I am certainly consoled by Clayton’s pitching, it’s the offense that I am offended by.
Peralta. Yikes.
He’s been better than Nicasio lately: http://dodgersdigest.com/2015/10/09/heres-your-nlds-roster-and-why-joel-peralta-is-on-it/, but hopefully he won’t have to prove it.
Yes.
Cueto really tanking in KC. Before the deadline, I was mildly interested in acquiring him, but the Dodgers FO appears to have known better.