Game 138, 2017

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

The D-Backs send ex-Dodger Zack Greinke (16-6, 3.08 ERA) out to extend their winning streak to twelve, while Hyun-Jin Ryu tries to stop the Dodgers’ losing streak at four.

Greinke has not been as good on the road this year as at home; he’s got a 3-5 record with a 4.28 ERA away from Chase Field. Ryu has had a good second half if you take away his last outing against Arizona, when he gave up six runs and eight hits including three HRs in a 6-4 loss last Wednesday.

Pederson and Thompson have been recalled from OKC.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1908 Superbas southpaw Nap Rucker strikes out 14 Doves en route to tossing a no-hitter in the team’s 6-0 victory over Boston at Washington Park. The only runners to get on base off the talented left-handed redhead come as a result of three Brooklyn errors.
  • 1938 For the third time this season, Dodger catcher Babe Phelps breaks a bone in his throwing hand. Although the injuries will limit his playing time to only 66 games and 208 at-bats this season, the southpaw-swinging backstop will hit .308 and was named to the National League All-Star team, the first of three consecutive games he’ll play in the Mid-summer classic.
  • 1955 In an 11-4 win over the Phillies, Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe hits his seventh homer, establishing a National League record for home runs by a pitcher in a season. The victory is Newk’s 20th of the season.
  • 1998 Barry Bonds sets a new National League mark, reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances. The Giants outfielder’s five singles, two doubles, two homers, and six walks during the streak break Dodger Pedro Guerrero’s mark of 14 established in 1983.

Lineup when available.

199 thoughts on “Game 138, 2017

  1. Another Silver Lining Dept. note: Zack is still tied with Kersh for Wins . . . and hopefully Kersh is able to do something about that tomorrow. (Yes, bats need to participate, but Kersh will be one of them — ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me!’)

  2. Looking back to fearly July, The Dodgers (61-29) entered the All-Star break with the best record in baseball and won 26 of their last 30 games.

    Those 30 games is what finally separated the Dodgers from Arizona and Colorado; two teams that kept on winning with the Dodgers until they couldn’t.

    Here are the stats for key players during that 30 game stretch sorted by the ratio of outcome per plate appearance.

    Sorted by runs per PA

    Forsythe.202
    Pederson .200
    Turner .196
    Bellinger .190
    Seager .151
    Taylor .141
    Puig .141

    Sorted by HR per PA

    Bellinger.103
    Pederson.082
    Puig.076
    Turner.074
    Seager.058
    Taylor.028Forsythe.020
    Sorted by RBI per PA

    Bellinger.224
    Seager.209
    Pederson.176
    Turner.168
    Taylor.132
    Puig.130
    Forsythe.101
    Sorted by K per PA

    Turner.084
    Pederson.174
    Puig.185
    Forsythe.192
    Bellinger.233
    Taylor.292
    Seager.314
    Sorted by Average

    Turner.369
    Seager.364
    Forsythe.309
    Pederson.304
    Bellinger.290
    Puig.284
    Taylor.258
    Sorted by OBP

    Turner.495
    Pederson.435
    Seager.430
    Forsythe.424
    Bellinger.379
    Puig.359
    Taylor.321
    Sorted by SLG

    Bellinger.730
    Turner.702
    Pederson.696
    Seager.636
    Puig.568
    Forsythe.444
    Taylor.433
    Sorted by OPS

    Turner1.198
    Pederson1.131
    Bellinger1.109
    Seager1.067
    Puig0.927
    Forsythe0.869
    Taylor0.754

    The Dodgers need Pederson or someone that hit like Pederson during those 30 games and it is clear that that person is not Granderson or Gonzales.

    • Without even looking at it, I remember my brother sending me something similar on November 8th showing the immense possibility that the election would end in a way that I would be happy.
      It didn’t.
      Let’s hope this has a happier outcome!

  3. There is something to be said living on the east coast and games starting after 10. I called it a night real early in the game and now I know not to watch it this morning. Enjoyed everybody’s comments–they really do give the tenor of the game.

  4. If they’re healthy, follow the advice of my old writing prof — “Dance with the one ya brought” — recreate the lineup that was winning. At least until they start winning again.

    • Any port in a storm, but from August 15 when they moved Puig up through the 25th, the Dodgers went 8-2, so that was a winning lineup at that point, then, some other things happened.

  5. Silver Lining (tougher and tougher to find each day): Ryu bounced back even better than Rich.
    AND, for the first time since Saturday’s “throw in everyone because it’s the Padres,” LA had a legitimate chance to win it in the 9th (thank you, JT!).

    • Roberts should have had Kershaw pitching Wednesday. It would have been on regular four days of rest, and it would have been against Arizona.

      • Maybe he doesn’t want to show he’s concerned.
        But he should be.
        Managers have to walk the line of expressing confidence in the team but doing what’s best to win.

        • I see your point, and I think it has some validity. Roberts announced the six-man rotation several days ago.

        • Maybe he wants to make sure that you, being one of the club’s most loyal fans, gets to see Kershaw in person! Seriously, he announced recently that he was going with a six-man rotation, at least for this week or so.

    • What a treat, regardless of the game’s outcome! (He hit the ball great twice last Friday, including a basehit, so that’s a boost for the bats . . . and we know they need every kind of boost they can get!)

  6. Mo said Grandal should’ve had the throw.
    I know he does fairly well catching runners trying to steal . . . but I believe he also has a lot of pitches get past him . . . is Austin better?

    • D-backs have 12 wins in a row. They need to be stopped. I am glad the Indians have them beat as far as this unbelievable streak goes. Otherwise they’d be even more obnoxious.

  7. Fortunes are going to have to change immensely . . . to get into the playoffs AND to do anything once in them.

    • Absolutely. A five-game losing streak, followed by tense 1-0 win by Kershaw, followed now by another five-game losing streak.

        • I shudder to think what the team’s batting average has been starting with the Rich Hill near-perfect game, near-no-hitter, 1-0 loss in 10.

          • You’re right — that was even worse production . . and to me, that was definitely the start of all this., even tho they won twice after.

  8. Divisional lead in danger of dropping . . . which will also drop HFA lead in both areas.

    If time was spent counting chickens, it should be spent on ways to field the best possible team, regardless of assessing anything other than the chance to win THAT game.

  9. Imagine how redemptive and mood swing-y it would be if Dodgers walked it off this inning. It would wipe smiles off AZ players faces and put them in the Dodger dugout.

  10. I know Grandal can’t hit in the clutch. I didn’t know that he can’t field in the clutch.

  11. Two walks to start the inning — just what you want from a reliever with the game on the line.

  12. Hidden by that DP was the fact that Granderson is now hitting .105 as a Dodger (6-for-57). Yet he is in the No. 2 spot tonight.

    • Can’t say that I didn’t try. Forsythe tonight: two strikeouts, one GIDP. He simply should not be playing. Hate to say it, but lately Roberts’ managing reminds me of Mattingly at his worst.

      • Utley didn’t do any better, but at least if he had batted for Forsythe, the latter would be out of the game.

  13. On the Schadenfreude side, the Gnats lose again and, after going 0-for-4, Phlablo Sandoval is hitting exactly .200.

    • Sandoval is on an 0-for-37 run after tonight’s game. He is making Granderson seem like Ted Williams.

      • It’ll be interesting to see if the Gnats bother to keep Phlablo over the winter, even though the Sawx are paying almost his entire salary. After all, he occupies a space on the 40-man roster (maybe even two spaces).

  14. Finally able to take a look. I had to peek one-eyed at the score. A tie game feels like a miracle.

  15. As I’ve been doing lately, I looking to you guys for the update — glad to see Paul Revere brought good news!

  16. The camerawork is beyond awful – can the Snakes broadcast really be as bad as what we’re being shown?

  17. Just got home and saw where things stand. Old adage: You can’t win if you can’t score, and it is real hard to score if you don’t get any hits.. I am beyond crabby. Much of my unhappiness is directed (misdirected?) at Granderson and Forsythe.

    • Lately in the playoffs, the bats disappear.
      They’re practicing that drill earlier this year.
      But — they’ve had a tradition of scoring later and often this year . . . maybe they’ll remember how to do that.

        • If there was a “we’ll win when we want to” attitude, that didn’t help.
          Obviously the Dodgers peaked and have since crashed. Hopefully they’ll pick themselves up and be able to compete.
          Meanwhile, hope AZ will peak soon . . . crash optional.

          • The Dodgers have lost their feeling of invincibility. I think they may also have lost their self-esteem, but I hope not. They have 3 1/2 weeks to recover the second. The first is gone.

          • I agree about any thinking that they can beat everyone every day.
            I was also wondering about the self-esteem/confidence . . . perhaps I was just projecting how I would feel.
            That’s why I’ve been harping on get back on a winning streak before experimenting with personnel.

    • 25 games if you include tonight.

      Meaning if the Dodgers win them all they will win 117 games and break the record for most wins in a season.

      How’s that for blind optimism?

  18. Is Puig terrible against Zack? Shouldn’t a hot bat counter righty/lefty considerations? — especially when the alternative is Granderson? (Grandy, prove me wrong — I WANT you to show that you can get this team to the playoffs and are worthy of the postseason roster.)

    • Puig should be starting over Granderson against Greinke, a righty, if for no other reason than his defense. Also, Puig this year is .284/.354/.550/.905 against righties and .167/.317/.235/.553 vs. lefties. In his career Puig has nine PAs vs, Greinke, a real small sample. He has a single, two walks and two strikeouts. Granderson is 15-for-66 vs. Greinke (.227) with three doubles, two triples and two homers, four walks and 13 strikeouts.