Game 41, 2017

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Dodgers at Giants, 12:45 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS BA, MLBN (out-of-market only)

LHP Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.43 ERA) goes for his 20th career win against the Giants. His opponent will be RHP Johnny Cueto (4-2, 4.15 ERA), who’s already pitched against the Dodgers twice this year, winning once and giving up three runs each time.

The Dodgers have lost three straight and the Giants have won five straight.

This day in Dodgers history:

  • 1947 At Forbes Field, Hank Greenberg asks Jackie Robinson if the Dodger infielder was hurt in a collision with him at first base earlier in the game and then tells the embattled Brooklyn rookie, “Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up.” Jackie will remark to the writers a few days later that his “diamond hero” is Hank Greenberg, knowing that the Pirates’ first baseman, who due to the bigotry endured as a Jew, can appreciate his difficulty of facing racial injustice every day as the first black player in the major leagues this century.
  • 1978 Pinch hitting for Davey Lopes in the Los Angeles 10-1 rout of the Pirates, Lee Lacy goes deep in the bottom of the eighth inning off Will McEnaney at Dodger Stadium. The utility player becomes the first player in major league history to homer in three consecutive at bats as a pinch hitter.

Lineup when available.

41 thoughts on “Game 41, 2017”

  3. There was a play in the game where the second baseman double pumped and then threw too late to first and Utley was safe on first. It was originally ruled an error and then changed to a hit. Joe and Orel couldn’t understand why it wasn’t an error. What I saw was the first baseman in getting to the bag still had his back turned to the second baseman and the second baseman had to double pump to avoid hitting the first baseman in the back. Joe and Orel never noticed what I thought I saw.

    • I was listening to the Giants radio broadcast and they said the same thing about Morse, the first baseman, that his back was turned. It was a mental error, which I didn’t mind.

    • We expect so much from Klayton. Going in his BB/9 was 1.3, which was lower than anytime from 2011-15, when he won 3 CYAs and came in 2nd and 3rd in the voting. Of course, it was almost double the 0.7 from last year, which, though shortened, was perhaps one of the greatest performances by a starting pitcher ever.

    • It is funny that your auto correct changed your comment to say that the Twins and Rockies are in first place.

  9. It’s kind of startling to think that in just ten years Kershaw has beaten the Rockies 20 times and barring a calamity here he’ll have done the same to the Giants. 40 of his lifetime 133 wins (again, assuming today finishes as it stands) will be against just two teams, each in the Dodgers’ division, which adds a lot of value.

  15. I wonder what is the origin of Gorkys Hernandez’ first name. Does he have a brother named Tolstoys? Or Dostoyevskys?

  16. Wonder when the Dodgers last had a leadoff hitter, this late in the season, batting under .200. Did Alfred Griffin ever bat leadoff in 1988?

    • In 1968 Zoilo Versalles led off eight games, one in July, for the Dodgers and batted around .196-.198 most of the season.

  18. On the bright side, this is the last time I’ll have to suffer Steiner for quite a while.

  19. I am conflicted. I could avoid the blackout by going to my neighborhood gastro-pub, where there’ll probably be fewer Gnatfans than there would be during a night game. But I don’t want to legitimize the Gnatblackout and pay, even indirectly, for any event at The Phone Booth To Be Named Later.