Game 24, 2017

Phillies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, TCN

The Phillies start RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 2.55 ERA). This will be his second appearance against the Dodgers; he gave up four runs in a six-inning start last season. The Dodgers will counter with Kenta Maeda (1-2, 8.05 ERA), who had some extra days of rest and spent it working on his mechanics. Maeda leads the major leagues this season in an unenviable category: among the 17 runs he’s allowed in his 19 innings of work are seven home runs.

Surprising news (to me, anyway): Ethier won’t be back any time soon:

Ethier has still not been cleared to resume baseball activities, and manager Dave Roberts indicated there is no timetable for that process to begin. Given Ethier’s extended downtime, Roberts admitted on Thursday that Ethier will not be ready to rejoin the Dodgers until June — “at the earliest,” he said.

And arriving even that soon is predicated on Ethier making significant progress in the next week or so.

Puig, on the other hand, has shown plate discipline and a willingness to take walks that he hasn’t shown since 2014. He’s letting that low outside pitch go by so far this year, after a year or more of lunging after it.

Lineup when available.

Hmm. Is this the first day Puig has had off since the season began?

99 thoughts on “Game 24, 2017

      • I LOVE Dodger Stadium.
        I HATE getting to Dodger Stadium. (I need to get there like I did in the two playoff games in ’13 — come straight from Vegas, approaching from the north — anything to avoid downtown LA around rush hour!)

  1. Here’s the main event-such a magnificent sculpture. I know where the future Linkmeister bloggers reunion should meet up.

    • Nice.
      Is it as tough to get a photo in front of the statue as it is in front of Walt & Mickey in Disneyland?

  2. The standings in the NLDS West have tightened up both between 1st and 2nd, and between 4th and 5th (with SD moving into the basement).
    The good news for tonight is that the Dodgers are now closer to first (3 games back) than last (3.5 out of 5th place).

  3. Really impressed to learn Kenley hasn’t walked anyone this year . . . taking a page from Kersh!

  4. Maeda went 7 innings for only the 3rd time in his career. (Great job!)
    Seems like Kersh has had only three times in his career when he DIDN’T go 7 innings. (It’s soo easy to take him for granted!)

    • Wow – only 3 times in Kershaw’s career he didn’t go 7? That is an amazing stat.

      • Just peaked at Baseball Reference and it looks like Kershaw has had many more than 3 starts going less than 7 innings. In his first year in 2008, he had only 2 out of about 19 starts where he went 7.

      • I meant to say — and even my edit obviously didn’t work — that it “seems” like he always goes 7.
        Sorry for the extra work.

    • For this era Kershaw’s kind of a throwback: 24 CGs and 15 shutouts.

      Koufax had 15 in one season (1964) and, get ready, 27 in each of his last two seasons (1965-1966). In fact, Sandy completed 43% of all the games he started — 137/314. Drysdale completed 32% — 167/518.

  5. If Gutierrez is activated, and with Thompson waiting in the wings, I think we may see the end of Van Slyke’s Dodger career. Diminishing returns every year since his solid season year in 2014.

    2014 — .297/.386/.524/.910 in 246 PA
    2015 — .239/.317/.383/,700 in 253 PA
    2016 — .225/.292/.314/.606 in 113 PA
    2017 — .133/.257/.267/.524 in 35 PA (and 12 Ks)
    SVS and AGon (and the injured Ethier) are the only Dodgers position players remaining from 2012, which was SVS’ first year. Kershaw and Jansen are the only pitchers.

    • Not in terms of batting (L vs R) but positionally Bellinger is a match for SVS (LF and 1st) as well.

    • Sedegin would seem like the natural replacement for SVS, otherwise no one to spell Gonzo. Thompson still struggling in the minors to get on track.

  6. So maybe Maeda isn’t the worst pitcher the Dodgers have ever signed.
    How exciting/helpful if he pitched closer to last year’s numbers for the rest of this season.

  7. Don’t know much about Eickhoff but he seems like a pretty serviceable pitcher for the Phillies. He pitched well tonight.

    • The Phils are showing signs of life, even if they’re not in a class with the Nats (though definitely above the Gnats).

  8. Gameday-view suggests that Maeda is doing well tonight, on par with the last five who started.

  9. I could understand sending Gonzalez if it was Maeda up next. But it was Hernandez who has already doubled in a run tonight.

      • Needs to heed Kenny Rogers song…”got to know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” 😉

  10. It appears that the cream is beginning to rise to the top. Washington, Chicago (and St. Louis), Cleveland, and Houston are all on top or in 2nd within their respective divisions. Some of them had started the month a bit slowly.

  11. Heading over to the stadium w my husband and sister-in-law. See you on the other side! I hope my dodger game luck has changed…

    • The Dodgers are lucky to have you as a fan, and we are lucky to have you as part of this community!

  12. Puig had started all 23 games so far. In limited PA, Quique has been hitting righties so far this year, so good opportunity for him to get a start in RF.

  13. David Vassegh reports that Forsythe playing catch and Ethier doing agility drills at Dodger Stadium today. Not earth shattering my any means, but small steps in the right direction.

  14. I was surprised yesterday that Toles’s ball didn’t make it into the gap for at least a triple. I was also surprised that Chutley didn’t score on it, though he redeemed himself on Turner’s sac fly to the Busted Poseur.

    • Woody held him with no outs, but Grandal not aware that the train had been stopped, over-ran second and a good throw would have nailed him.