Angels at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-W, MLBN (out-of-market only)
The Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda (3-2, 2.30 ERA) makes his first-ever Freeway Series start against the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker (1-5, 9.12 ERA). With that record you might wonder why the Angels are putting him on the mound. Well, he
finished April with a 9.15 ERA, was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, came back up because the Angels have four injured starting pitchers and struggled against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing four second-inning runs and being unable to record an out in the fifth. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in his only other start against the Dodgers in 2014.
Four injured starters! Not even the Dodgers can match that!
Lineup:
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Kendrick 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Grandal C
Pederson CF
Thompson RF
Crawford LF
Maeda P— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 16, 2016
NPUT
In irritation, I closed the iPad window after the bottom of the third, but it took me a while to get to sleep. Had I continued to watch, it would have gotten worse.
The power in the offense seems to be returning:
Well, this one lasted so long that I managed to catch Grandal’s last plate appearance here in Italy. Long night for him it seems (and for you guys as well).
Well that was anti-climatic. I knew it would take at least getting to Pederson.
Pfui. Four hours for that result?
Oh, Yasmani. Frozen in place.
It’s like Sondheim’s song from Into the Woods – “It Takes Two.”
We need one. It takes two.
If the bottom of the ninth is still 7-6 and if it gets around to Pederson and Thompson, we can win this thing. They would bat 4th and 5th in the inning.
I am astonished that this game is only now in the 8th inning.
Top of the 7th took 30 minutes. 24 pitches in 30 minutes. 30 looong minutes.
Can that be right? 24 pitches, 30 minutes? What the heck were they doing?
Sorry it was 29 pitches. And a bit of a review on whether Pujols took off from first too soon. And other boring bits.
Now just need Seager to knock one out. Then bring in Jansen and head for home.
Darn it. Puig with the foul out.
Obviously he was the only real option off the bench (not going to use Ellis) but he is back to struggling again. He had been squaring the ball up well but not at that at bat.
So is Trayce Thompson this year’s Alex Guerrero or is he more of the real deal?
Good fan.
Hey hey! That was exciting. Maybe, just maybe! Thompson with a 2 run shot – his 2nd HR of the game.
Trayce! That’s more like it!
I guess I must be an optimist. I’m struggling to leave. The Dodgers don’t have any realistic chance of winning but I still have a glimmer of hope they will pull it out.
Although I agree with RBI and must say my hope is certainly not based on Grandal’s last at bat and definitely not his last swing. That was awful.
Did you stay?
That’s it for me tonight. It’s up to the rest of you to pull out a win.
Grandal might as well have been wearing a blindfold during that at bat. That last swing? Wowser.
Why was Gonzalez removed from the game?
Lower back tightness. Yikes. Hope it is not too serious. And hope that SVS comes back soon as well.
Unhappy to hear that, but thanks for the report.
That would have been Baez’ first plate appearance in the majors. However, he played many seasons as a third baseman in the minors and had over 2,000 at bats.
Can umps just call it? Anyway, I’m done for tonight. Kershaw tomorrow brings much hope.
Terrible game, and I’ve only been watching for twenty minutes.
Oh brother.
Just got home. Bad timing. Bases loaded and no outs. Pujols up. Yikes.
You know Dodger hitters – it is not up to you to make the game go faster for me. You can make your part of the game last longer than 7 pitches.
Ok – there is no way I stay to the end tonight. This game feels really sluggish.
Both this game and this blog are sluggish tonight.
Yep. Oh hey – the top of the 6th inning is over. On to the bottom – yawn – of the inning.
Charlie and Rick chatting with Rod Carew. He and I share a birthday although he is 25 years older. I recall when he got his 3000th hit – same day as Tom Seaver got his 300th win.
Think the Dodgers are banking on Kershaw to pitch late into the game tomorrow? It will be at least a 5 inning bullpen outing tonight.
Maeda has come back to earth after the first several weeks. Kazmir and Woods getting in stride is crucial.
That and Thompson hitting home runs!
Need to get one back here.
Maeda with the RBI single!
How about a big hit now from Crawford.
That will suffice.
The Dodgers’ lack of hitting is reflected in their statistics. Dodgers entered tonight’s game 10th in the NL in batting at .240, 11th in OBP, 12th in slugging and 12th in OPS.
After an uneventful first, I’ll watch as much as I can stay for from bed.
I don’t understand the second paragraph in this Lincecum signing story. Can someone explain it to me?
“Lincecum spent nine seasons with the San Francisco Giants, but he has not pitched in the majors since last June. Yahoo! Sports reported that the Chicago White Sox and Giants were two of the last teams to not make the cut.”
Yahoo, clearly, cannot afford editors.
Well said.
Or writers, for that matter.
That may mean the CWS and the Giants declined to offer as much as the Angels would, either in money or in duration.
Thanks. Odd phrasing.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15564685/tim-lincecum-agrees-deal-los-angeles-angels
Angels added Lincecum to their depleted roster.
I wonder if the Dodgers will see him in their back to back 2 games series? Probably throw a 7 inning gem against us because you know – baseball,
I expect he’ll spend some time in the minors before being added to the 25-man roster. Sign of desperation for the Angles, though – if he’s successful, which seems doubtful, he’ll leave at season’s end.
I might put in an early-innings appearance here, but I’m not likely to last the night. Right now, heading out for a very early (8 p.m.) dinner in Buenos Aires.