Game 127, 2017

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Brewers at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSWI

This is the first day of the MLB-promoted “Players Weekend,” so the uniforms are going to look a little different and the names on their backs may look a lot different.

The Brewers send RHP Chase Anderson (7-2, 2.83 ERA) to the mound to face the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda ((11-5, 3.88 ERA). This will be Anderson’s second start since coming back from the DL for a left oblique strain. In his first one he went five innings and gave up only one run while striking out four Rockies. Maeda has a 3.09 ERA in his four August starts and is 7-2 in his last 10 starts.

This day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1979 In a Hollywood Stars vs. the Media game played at Dodger Stadium, Robin Williams, the star of the hit television series Mork and Mindy, a show in which he plays an alien, runs the bases backwards. The comedian explains circling the bags clockwise is very common on the Planet Ork, his character’s home in the universe.
  • 1995 At Veterans Stadium, Gregg Jefferies hits for the cycle when Philadelphia crushes the Dodgers, 17-4. The Phillies’ first baseman, who has four RBIs and scores four runs, collects all of his extra-base hits off of LA starting pitcher Hideo Nomo.
  • 2008 After being swept in a four-game series earlier in the month in L.A., the Phillies return the favor, beating the Dodgers, 5-0, to complete its own four-game sweep. It is the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has swept the Dodgers in a four-game series at home.
  • 2009 With a 5-4 win in ten innings over the Dodgers, the Rockies move 18 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history. The wild-card leader, winning 52 of their last 74 games, the latest on a Troy Tulowitzki bases-loaded single, has cut LA’s Western Division lead from 15.5 games on June 3 to just two games.
  • 2012 In nine-player blockbuster trade, the Dodgers obtain Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto, and cash considerations for James Loney, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, Jr., and two players to be named later (Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands). The deal gives the new Dodgers ownership an opportunity to show their fans they are serious about making a run for the postseason, while giving an under-performing Boston team more financial flexibility in the offseason.

    Lineup when available.

96 thoughts on “Game 127, 2017”

  2. With a Dodger win or Padre loss today, San Diego will join the Gnats as the only teams to have been mathematically eliminated from division championship contention.

  3. Andrew Simon @AndrewSimonMLB

    This appears to be the 1st time since at least 1913 the Dodgers have allowed no more than 1 hit in a game 3 times in same calendar month

    • Fortunately, the Dodgers’ front office is far ahead of the curve on issues of depth. It’ll be interesting to see other teams try to mimic their approach.

    • “Dayton is done for the year”

      When you see this and your mouse pointer covers the D in Dayton and Clayton still is technically on the DL, your reaction will be a bit, um, unsettling. 😉

  6. BTW, all — happy 4 months until Christmas!
    I wouldn’t mind an early gift from the Dodgers this year!

      • There was a nice article about a week ago, saying we should all enjoy what’s going on now and not stress the “win or bust” attitude.
        I agree that this can’t be “the best team of all time” if they don’t win it all . . . but I’ve come to treasure what they’re doing — and I look forward to seeing them in San Diego next Friday and Saturday.

  7. Magic number is 14. When it gets to ten, I will start the first exclamation point countdown. Just letting everyone know. Post season will bring on the blue toe nails.

  8. Steal a run + two dingers, great starting pitching, mostly great relieving = tying last year’s total wins . . . on Aug. 25th!
    Only cloud here is the bases loaded woes . . . I’m expecting the next hit in that situation will open them up.

    • Some regression to the mean was to be expected on their bases loaded hitting, as they were rather phenomenal in those situations until the last few days (even then there was Grandy’s grand). Where they are actually way below average is with runners on first and third.

      • and poor Grani doesn’t allow a hit or a run, but has El Cuervo and Kenleyfornia as follow-up acts.

        • TC worries me.
          But like radio said, Doc has the benefit of essentially Spring Training again, testing different people in different situations.
          I’m thinking they may give some call-ups a chance for a week or two, but really start focusing on the postseason roster the rest of the stretch.

          • Yeah, I have little confidence in Grani as well, but he did his job. Quote I saw from Doc suggested that they won’t be filling the dugout this year and giving the farm boys a taste of the Bigs is not a priority.

          • Verdugo fits the prospect bill, but I can see them concentrating on getting Dizzy going again as opposed to using the games to audition Alex.

  24. Kenta matches Rich (tho 3 innings less) — one hit, one run.
    Hopefully Maeken gets the W tonight.

  25. The bases loaded woes continue.
    But at least the Wild Horse rode them to a lead extension.

  27. Seager beats it out.
    Familiar situation — bases loaded. Hopefully a better result than lately.

  28. Hi all. Finally have the house to ourselves so I can watch the game with full attention. Meanwhile, Puig!

      • Gotta think that if it’s a toss up performance-wise that Maeda has the inside track over Ryu because of the relatively paucity of good lefties in the pen. Mac, of course, may have something to say about this.

  40. Had to visit and chime in. I know I will sound fuddy duddy, but you take the best home uniforms in sports, and now it is like we are watching a Friday night Slo Pitch beer league. How about teaching the young uns what class looks like instead?

    • When it comes to uniforms, I’m also a traditionalist. Home whites and road greys. I blame Charlie Finley.

  41. Don’t think this story about Kenta’s change in pitch usage keying his recent success got a lot of play when it came out, so linking it here.

    Does anyone know more? Whatever his changes were, they seem to be working.

    Does anyone know what was working so well for him in his perfect 5 IP v Verlander?

    I saw somewhere a while back that his slider was getting hit by lefties because it would leak back and catch too much of the plate, so he needed something different. That may have been last season about the time Kenta hit the wall.

    https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/maedas-change-in-repertoire-turned-the-course-of-his-season-345af354598b

    • Radio guys said he and Ryu were both told they were much more successful when they were aggressive in the strike zone. They’d been nibbling and their stuff was good enough to not need to do that.

      How much of that is “pump your guy up” and how much is accurate I don’t know, but it seems to have worked.

    • That’s great. Thanks for sharing that. Black umpires, of course, were also kept out of the majors and minors until Emmett Ashford. I hadn’t given that much thought.

      • He began in 1966 in the AL. It took seven more years for a black ump to reach the NL. First Hispanic was 1974. No woman has ever umpired in the big leagues.

        Timeline of umpires.

      • I saw Emmett Ashford umpire in Tacoma. The crowds there loved him for his showmanship.

  43. Off to see the Nats-Mets. Supposed to be De Grom versus Max, but the latter delayed coming off the DL.

      • These uniforms plus line ups heavy with benchwarmers and AAA call ups due to recent trades by Mets, DLed Harper, Werth, Turner and Scherzer, and Nats resting starters after flying in from Houston and extra inning game, makes this seem like a minor league game tonight.