Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 3:40 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A
Two thirteen-game winners face off tonight at Chase Field: the Dodgers’ LHP Alex Wood (13-1, 2.33 ERA) against the D-Backs’ RHP Zack Greinke (13-4, 3.10 ERA). Wood cited fatigue as a reason for a drop in his velocity (his fastball had a 90.8-mph average, lowest of the year) in his last start but says a change in mechanics has resolved that. Greinke saw his ERA jump nearly a full point from 2.12 to 3.10 after he gave up six earned runs in six innings in his last start.
Wood needs to be careful with A.J. Pollock; he has a .462 batting average and two homers in 13 career at-bats against the Dodgers’ lefty.
This date in Dodgers’ history:
- 1975 At Shea Stadium, Davey Lopes steals his 32nd consecutive base without being caught, breaking Max Carey’s 1922 record in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory over New York. The Dodger second baseman’s mark will be broken by Vince Coleman in 1989.
- 1976 John Candelaria becomes the first Pirate since 1907 to throw a no-hitter in Pittsburgh. Nick Maddox threw the first and only Buc home no-hitter until the ‘Candyman’ beat the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium. (There was never a no-hitter pitched in the 61-year history of spacious Forbes Field.)
- 2001 Mike Hampton ties the National League record for pitchers with his seventh homer when he goes deep off Felix Heredia in the Rockies’ 14-5 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Colorado southpaw equals the mark established by Dodger hurlers Don Drysdale (1958, 1965) and Don Newcombe (1955), and two shy of the major league standard set by Wes Ferrell, playing for the Indians in 1931.
- 2013 The Dodgers rally for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, overcoming a six-run, seventh-inning deficit, for their fifth walk-off victory of the season. The team’s 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay is their 11th consecutive win in a one-run games, a span in which they have defeated ten different clubs.
Lineup:
Tonight’s Dodger lineup at D-backs:
Taylor LF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Bellinger 1B
Grandal C
Utley 2B
Pederson CF
Puig RF
Wood P pic.twitter.com/xcTIfepTxj— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 9, 2017
NPUT
Grant looks into the Gnats’ future, and sees the present… https://twitter.com/mccoveychron/status/895721179608166400
Check out the AB (and batflip) by now top prospect Verdugo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geLrOMIbBk0
Verdugo-yard
Lose the facial hair, kid, it’s ugly. Nice swing, though.
Heh. From the LA Times’ game recap:
Yahoo!
Julio Urias says his shoulder feels good but he has no timetable for return yet.
Playoff atmosphere, coming off a bitter loss, and going against a CYA winner who hasn’t lost at home this year . . . nice win!
Woo-HOO!!!!
Nice redemption from last night!
KK-enley!!!!
Get the K! Get the K!
Blanco the ex-Gnat…
Uno mas, Kenley!
I don’t remember the last time he hit a batter
Bet that batter does!
Only his second this year. 14 over his 8 year career.
No repeats here, Kenley.
Get the K, KJ (or any other form of an out)!
K-enley!
This feels like a preview of playoff baseball.
I was thinking the same thing. Best team we’ve seen in a while.
Would really be nice to get the win, especially after last night!
I dislike these one-game losing streaks…
ANY form of losing streak!
More so after having the lead AND vs. a quality team.
Kenley time!
C’mon, Kenley!
No insurance from agent Farmer.
Go into the insurance business, Yasiel!
Good going Joc.
A sadly high number to folks on Twitter becoming growingly anti-Joc.
Going through a dry spell, so easy pickings for the jackals.
Not to say Joc will ever be equal to Willie Mays, but young Mr. Mays was hitless in his first 12 at-bats in the big leagues. Slumps happen.
Amazing to read about Mays and how much grief he received from sportswriters for much of his career. Probably the greatest player of my lifetime.
Even with the recent 10 game downturn, from when the Dodgers started their winning ways 53 games ago, Joc has been OPS .870 with 10 dingers. (.985 during that 43 game stretch)
He really scorched that ball.
Nice double!
All right, Kike! Let’s have another two-out rally!
Barnes still not ready I guess.
Let’s go Grandal!
Bats, make this a non-save situation!
I’d be happy with at least an insurance run!
DP!!!!
Can we trust Fields v. Goldschmidt?
Yes. (Whew!)
Gives up a lot of dingers.
Fields just gave him the finger. Two of them for two outs.
??
I don’t think Bob was giving anyone the finger.
The “f” is right next to the “d” on a keyboard.
Shoeless Dan has been a pain lately.
C’mon, bullpen, Part 2!
Bradley has a serious beard.
C’mon, bats — pad the lead!
Great Fields trip!
C’mon, bullpen!
That half-inning started like April and ended like July.
Joc’s gotta be feeling good — breaks the slump, vs. a pitcher like Zack, AND gets the RBI.
Both Cody and Joc have hit Greinke very well in their limited PA coming in (12 and 10).
Greinke said Joc was an easy out just before he left the Dodgers and didn’t have any love for Puig.
Our bottom is coming up on top.
Another clutch, two-out hit!
Puig!
Great two-out, clutch hit!
Joc!
*Joc!
Joc-ularity!
Bad situational hitting by Grandal.
I mighta walked MartĂnez to get to Marte, who then lobbed one in safely down the line.
Yeah, that was my thought as well.
I’m shocked when Puig fails to catch a ball.
What is Greinke’s walkup music?
Some good wood from both sides, but too close to the fielders. Belli hit it to the fans.
Interesting they didn’t ask Wood to bunt after the first try.
Extreme defense by Snake infield.
He hit the ball solidly, but not quite deep enough.
Old friend Scott Van Slyke is DFA’d by Cin.
Nice Puig, drawing the walk.
He’s drawn quite a few. In 106 games, 41. Last year in 104 games, 24.
http://m.mlb.com/player/624577/yasiel-puig
Hard to imagine, but at some point someone in the Snakes organization had to have said, “yes, these uniforms look good”.
Snakes are good. Their record would have been good enough to be first in the West at this point last year.
They are indeed good, and a playoff rotation of Greinke, Godley and Robbie Ray (presuming he recovers fully) could be formidable.
Given how bad they were last year, and their disorder in the front office, it’s remarkable how they’ve recovered. That said, there are still some weaknesses.
Awful nice, Belli.
Here’s a more complete list of Dodgers’ nicknames. Ryu is “Monster.” Stripling is “Chicken Strip.” Who knew?
I checked out the Braves’ unis for the event, but Kemp’s number isn’t there. I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t play as The Bison.
That said, we are getting the Wild Horse.
Think he is on the DL.
He is. Improving, though.
His #27 is not among the Braves’ unis for that weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7wip0eYQCU
There’s a new event on August 25-27 called Players Weekend and the players get to pick their own names for the back of their jerseys, among other things. The cynic in me says it’s a way for MLB to sell more paraphernalia, but the game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off and the proceeds donated
Here are the Dodgers’ uniforms:
I saw that a certain Mariner third baseman is wearing “Corey’s Brother” for the weekend.
Yep.