Dodgers at Phillies, 10:05 AM PT, TV: SPNLA, CSN-P, MLBN (out-of-market only)
The Dodgers have lost 20 of their past 25 games and can’t clinch until Friday at the earliest since the D-backs came back from a 6-2 deficit in Wednesday’s game to win 13-7 and have the day off Thursday.
The Dodgers ask RHP Kenta Maeda (12-6, 4.21 ERA) to stop the bleeding and hold the Phillies and RHP Mark Leiter (3-6, 4.93 ERA) off.
Maeda’s last six starts have not been very good. He’s posted an ERA of 6.04 in those games and opponents are slugging .527 off him, and the Dodgers are 2-4 in those games. Leiter is a rookie who’s been both a starter and a long reliever this season. In his last three starts his ERA has jumped a full run.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1934 “If I’d-a known he was gonna throw one, I’d-a thrown one, too.” – Dizzy Dean, after his brother threw a no-hitter in the nightcap of a double-header. In the second game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, 22 year-old Cardinal hurler Paul Dean, called Daffy by his teammates, becomes the fifth rookie to throw a no-hitter, beating the Dodgers, 3-0. His brother Dizzy held Brooklyn hitless until the eighth inning in the opener, settling for a two-hitter in the team’s 13-0 blanking of the Bums.
- 1952 In front of the second largest crowd this season, with many of the 8,822 fans rooting for the Dodgers, the Braves play their final home game in Boston. Brooklyn catcher Roy Campanella hits the last home run at Braves Field in an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee-bound club.
- 1969 In a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the tenth inning at Candlestick Park, LA’s Pete Mikkelsen quickly retires the first two Giants batters, but then is ordered to intentionally walk Willie McCovey, who is 4-for-4 in the game. The Dodger reliever proceeds to issue free passes to the next two hitters unintentionally, loading the bases, and then loses the game when shortstop Maury Wills boots pinch-hitter Jim Davenport’s ground ball. I’m glad I didn’t hear that 10th inning.
Lineup when available.
Today's Dodger lineup at Phillies:
Taylor CF
Turner 3B
Bellinger 1B
Puig RF
Granderson LF
Utley 2B
Grandal C
Forsythe SS
Maeda P pic.twitter.com/ZbC1I5w6WA— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 21, 2017
Seager fouled a ball off his foot yesterday. X-rays were negative for breaks, but he’s getting a couple of days off.
NPUT
Interesting that the playoff roster might have so many with different roles than they had in the regular season and might have quite a few players that were not part of the team that got them on the SI cover.
I would love to see the Dodgers clinch the division on another walkoff by Culberson.
I missed most of the ninth because an unavoidable Internet outage as a technician worked on our phone lines. Still, gratified to see the result.
Woo-HOO !
Split the road trip with something like 5-55 RISP. All hail the dinger!
We win!
Buehler gets a W, Jansen gets an S, the magic number is one!
And the skid is stopped.
Let’s get this done Dodgers. Here’s hoping that Phillies 1,2,3 go down as easy as 1,2,3.
Well – almost sorta. Double play helped out.
Kenley time!
Kenley on his way in.
Win this game and a 5-5 road trip. Not all that bad considering.
Taylor almost but not quite did the exact opposite of hitting a GS there.
Grandal pounds bat into dirt after striking out. Monday: “Got all of the ground.”
Monday tends to be tougher on the players than other Dodger announcers and probably has more influence on listeners who can’t otherwise see the game. I can often tell by comments here on how my fellow communitarians are following the game. Not that Grandal didn’t look bad on that one.
Well, he was a pretty darned good outfielder (forget the flag rescue; he could play the game). Most of the rest of them are too polite to criticize much. Orel has his moments, but Nomar is innocuous.
Don’t disagree at all, that’s my point. But it does provide for a more critical, and dependent, point of view.
Monday as my memory goes was a terrible pinch hitter.
I agree about Monday being harder on players than the other announcers. I always got a kick out of Nomar when he would say a hitter was swing hard as he swung hard as well.
Taylor makes a play that Seager might not have.
Taylor has a place on this team. Just not sure where I love him the most – but obviously it won’t be shortstop. (Unless Seager goes to third for some reason.)
Not sure that Seager’s elbow plays well at 3rd now, but I guess you are thinking longer term.
I’d say short is tougher on the elbow.
Next year and – even more so – beyond.
His versatility enhances his value.
He plays a very good LF and not bad in CF either. You don’t like him there?
That’s the problem – LF, CF, 2nd, Short – I like him all over the field!
Fortunately, he’s got great range…
A regular Bugs Bunny!
So what’s the word on Turner? Does it seem like he will be out for an extended period of time?
I think Hendley said X-rays were negative.
Thanks everyone.
X-rays negative, so probably day-to-day.
Negative on the X-rays, so a flesh wound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNlcGpUD5zw
Don’t even have to open to know what you posted. But I will, since I enjoy it so much.
Yep. Good ol’ British humour.
Love how Rhys kicks the bat after the called K.
Would be great to have Dre perform such that he is included in the postseason roster. Bittersweet would be that it might be at AGon’s expense.
Small but encouraging sample size.
About the same size as El Titan’s, who has had poorer results.
This is more like it!
CT3!
He’s Dre(amy)!
Let’s see if Walker can get himself back into the discussion.
12 pitches, one out
99 mph strikeout
Pitcher of record. Let’s go pen!
Grande!
Almost.
And almost thrown out at 2nd.
He was fortunate.
And he was tagging up on the fly ball. Jeez.
A catcher should always know the number of outs.
Chase did something similar last inning.
Grandy!
Power versus power. Fields tends to give up dingers.
Or, in this case, a double. Arrrrrrgh!
Too bad guys on base.
Turner X-rays negative.
Barnes batting less than average over the past month, but on the upswing.
PH for Maeda in the 4th after just 61 pitches? That’ll help his confidence going into the playoffs!
Going to be relieving. Maybe told him to go out there with three innings in mind and not to hold back (though that didn’t seem evident).
Dodgers pitchers seemingly don’t like leads when they’re pitching and do their best when confronted with such a situation to eliminate such things.
Deuces wild?
Shutdown inning? Why would that be good?
Already did that in the second, no?
The Dodgers just scored a second run in the top of this inning.
I guess I meant the first.
How did Bellinger score from 2nd on an infield single?
Bad decision by official scorer.
Ball went off glove into short right field.
Ah. Thanks.
Seems to have nicked his finger on the catcher’s cleats sliding into hope. Does not seem serious, however.
A “hit” w/RISP!
Generous scorer.
Cut and print, Kenta — that’s the type of inning for the rest of the game!
Not only is JT hurting and out, Belli is back in the OF, his address when he was injured before.
I think we have enough black clouds without you looking for more. It’s not as if he hasn’t played OF, 44 games this year and 175 in the minors.
Oh, man. JT out of the game. That’s all we need.
I would say this is similar to when Hanley was injured in the playoffs . . . but back then, they were winning until his injury.
So far, Leiter lives in the lower quadrant, especially right hand corner.
Maeda on pace for a 279-pitch CGSO…
Go for it — save the bullpen and don’t depend on them!
Good recovery Kenta!
Maeda with 30 pitches already. Not making a strong case to relieve, much less start!
Not when he gives up all these walks with a normal time to warm up.
Not to mention the yip-like balls throughout.
He did well in his two stints this year as a reliever, but we are only talking about 5 innings (zero BB).
Everything was rosier back then.
Speaking to the issue of warming up.
Kx3-enta!
Over 30 pitches . . . so we’re gonna see the bullpen and often.
K’mon, Kenta — one more out!
Working today but I will peek in when I can. Go Dodgers (though I don’t have a whole lot of hope these days)!
Know what you mean. It’s a way to pass the time.
What is it with these lead-off walks?
Looks like we’re just Bob, Bob, bobbing along here . . .
At least they got one run.
But a possibly long-term harmful hit — on JT’s hand.
Well, he’s still out there.
Not anymore.
Last out last night and first today well hit. As was Puig’s lineout right now.
Drat! No shift, otherwise a double.
JT hit in the hand and hurting . . . shades of Hanley in the playoffs.
No likee that!
Not at all!
CT3 at 3rd — nice start!
Bring him in and many more!
Surprising get-away day lineup. Guess he thinks the regulars need work, offense-wise.
Not gonna get any argument from us. Tho the bats DID step up yesterday.
I’d say the bats gave mixed results yesterday.
Scored most since first game in D.C.
Yes, they missed opportunities, but even during the Great Stretch this year, they didn’t bring in everyone.