Nationals at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: MASN, SPNLA
The Nationals send RHP Aníbal Sánchez (0-5, 5.15 ERA) out to face the Dodgers’ RHP Kenta Maeda (3-2, 4.66 ERA) in the middle second game of this three-game four-game series. Sánchez has lost four straight starts and walked at least four in four of his six starts this year. Maeda has done just a little better; he’s walked at least two in four of his seven starts.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1953 With a double and home run, Roy Campanella drives in all the runs in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Campy’s total of 40+ RBIs in the first 30 games will not be matched until Tino Martinez accomplishes the feat in 1997 with the Yankees.
- 1955 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe faces only 27 batters when he one-hits Chicago at Wrigley Field, 3-0. Gene Baker, who will be thrown out trying to steal second base, ruins Newk’s bid for perfection, with a fourth-inning single.
Other historical notes: on this day in 1909 Fred Toney completes the longest no-hitter in organized baseball history, a 1-0 victory over the Lexington Colts of the Blue Grass League. As word spread around town about the Class D Winchester Hustlers right-hander’s performance on the mound, fans continued to stream into the ballpark before the lone run of the contest scored on a squeeze play in the bottom of the 17th. And if you thought the Phillies’ Ben Chapman was bigoted only toward African-Americans, think again. On this date in 1934 Ben Chapman, who will lead the protest against Jackie Robinson in 1947, harasses a Jewish fan during a Yankees’ 13-3 victory of the White Sox at the Bronx ballpark. The New York left fielder shouts disparaging epithets and taunts the team’s supporter with Nazi salutes.
Lineup when available.
Tonight’s Dodger lineup vs. Nationals:
Pederson LF
Muncy 3B
Bellinger RF
Freese 1B
Seager SS
Verdugo CF
Taylor 2B
Barnes C
Maeda P#Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/LVM1BukrJC— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 10, 2019
Old friend finds another new home. https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1127296668326682626?s=20
NPUT
Hmm.
For the series, 0-12 RISP.
Yesterday Joey Gallo got his 100th home run in the big leagues. He hasn’t got 100 singles yet.
Joc this season is on the same path: “Pederson has more home runs than singles (12-10).”
Woo-HOO!!!
Dodgers win!
Maeda and Julio down by the ballyard.
Trainer just appeared to say something to Doc that got a strong reaction. Something on Seager?
Hope not. But a reasonable conjecture.
I sure hope that it didn’t involve Seager. Maybe Doc had Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby (as I did) and he just learned what happened.
Ha!
Seems that he was scratched for having to attend to family matter, and not injury related.
Giving the ninth to Julio.
Stealing important innings from later in the season? If he is on a strict inning count then I wonder about the need for him to close this one out.
Current pace would put him around 100 innings for the year (that includes 4 starts). They probably don’t want him to do much more than that.
Buehler went 137 innings returning from TJ.
My goodness Max!
Future person?
Wow! Max.
Hadn’t noticed that my feed was lagging.
Such a brilliant play! Dove for the ball and dove for the bag.
Tense. Phew!!
Dodgers stand to gain ground on everybody except the Rox tonight.
Atlanta has just defeated Arizona, 2-1.
Helpful.
And I had been thinking of posting that I didn’t think that Freese, batting fourth, could protect Bellinger. Shame on me.
Heck, Jeff Kent didn’t think that Bonds offered him any protection.
I wonder what it was like in the Giants’ locker room with Kent and Bonds as your teammates. There would probably be a good book about that if one hasn’t already been written.
We had a taste with Kent and Kemp.
This is reverse of last night. Which is great.
David Freeeeese!!!
Wheee!
Futuring again?
Just for you!
I was there for Julio’s win in the division series at 19 years old in 2016. Had a seat for Link, but he had a late flight into DC. That’s when Klayton came in for the two-out save after Kenley when 2.1 innings.
That – was quite the game!
Quite the buzz when Klayton started to warm. My view above the pen.
Can’t manage to post photo for some reason.
Max shining.
Maybe JT can learn something from that.
Ouch.
Maeda won’t get the chance to be the last out in the 6th as he was in the 2nd and 4th.
But Joc will bat first in the 7th inning as he did in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th.
Pads have lost to Rox, Acuña just put Barves ahead of Snakes with a dinger in the eighth. Gnats getting blanked through six by Rojos’ Castillo, with ten K’s.
I’d say Big Frank is probably out of reach. https://twitter.com/jonweisman/status/1127058713070718976?s=20
Maybe Bellinger can catch one or two of those guys in the hundreds.
Pederson needs 92 more home runs to tie Snider this year. 121 games to go.
Don’t understand taking out Sánchez now with righties due up.
Whatever works. Or (hopefully) doesn’t work in this case.
Pretty high pitch count for the fifth.
But still below his usual pitch count. Probably gassed after the pressure of facing Joc, Max and Cody to start the inning.
Bellinger has cooled off since hurting his wrist. Of course he wasn’t likely to maintain a .400 average etc. But it will be fun to see him drive the ball again.
And by wrist I mean shoulder.
BA of .240 since shoulder thing coming into tonight.
There he goes again!
Joc!!!
Barves blow a golden opportunity in seventh, first and third with nobody out, bad baserunning followed by bad hitting.
CT3 knows place-hitting!
Big swing fools the fielders!
He’s been making much better contact lately.
And getting results. OPS+ 140 over past two weeks.
A break!
Woot! Double the score!
Snakes have tied the Barves in the sixth, but Pads still 9-2 behind Rox in the seventh and Gnats trail Rojos 4-0 after 3-1/2.
Dodger bats have gone quiet so far this series. 3 hits tonight by their seemingly most productive hitters. Still – glad to have the early lead.
And yet to face Max and Strasburg.
I doubt they’ll be any better than Corbin.
The lefty bats give the Dodgers more of an advantage.
Joc’s stride put his foot in the middle of the bag, otherwise might have beaten it out.
Bellinger woulda beaten it by a stride.
Sure, though Dozier maybe not so dozzy with his throw in that situation.
Joe taking about virtual reality machines that simulate facing individual pitchers. Recall visiting Southern League museum in Birmingham that had a primitive version of this and facing Satchel Paige.
I just watched Satchel Paige in an old western called The Wonderful Country.
Up late!
Well, I’m in Vegas so there’s that.
The Rojos have a 4-0 lead over the Gnats in the second – probably sufficient at Software Stadium – and the Barves are 1-0 over Greinke in the fifth.
Nomar analyzes the Executioner’s Swing.
Except for that dropped pop yesterday, Muncy’s D has been really great lately.
Pederson has 24 hits this season: 10 singles, one double, two triples and 11 home runs.
Lesson: if they put a shift on you, just hit it over their heads?
Belinger returns to the .400 mark, exactly, with that single.
Last Dodger to be .400+ with this many at bats was Jackie in 1951. Finished the season at .338. From Plunkett.
The season is one-fourth over in the middle of tonight’s game. So if you want to forecast, you can take what everybody has done and multiply it by four (except for those, such as Kershaw and Hill, who were late to the party this year).
This would mean Bellinger would become the Dodgers first ever 50+ HR hitter in franchise history.
Joc-O-Matic!
No shutout tonight!
Joc’s 162nd game leading off and 14th leadoff dinger (46 total in those games!). From Pedro Moura.
Rox have taken a big lead on the Pads, 9-0 in the fourth, but it’s still Coors.
Kenta is not inspiring confidence lately.
They could put him in stripes (to the pen!) and bring in Strip.
He’s not challenging anybody, just nibbling. I like Urías, but there are also good AAA options in Gonsolin and May.
Julio has the innings limit and the others probably better to keep on the farm for now.
They could appear later in the year. I appreciate the caution with Julito, given his medical history, and he’s still young.
Pretty sure that they will try to give both of them a good look, with Ryu and Hill both possibly gone next year.
Seager scratched.
Half the regular infield sits.
It’s a four game series. Scherzer-Buehler tomorrow and Strasburg-Ryu Sunday.
That’s not what I bargained for!
Normally, no great desire to face either Max or Strasburg, but we trump with Walker and Ryu.
Neither of them has been invulnerable so far this season.
With FIP’s of 1.95 and 2.88 they are doing their part. Max first in the NL and Strasburg 7th, in that regard.
So, will D’Arnaud still get his Series ring? https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1126986104996028426?s=20
So much for the time spent ruminating on him and his acquisition by the Dodgers.
Yeah, that turned around quick.
Ok, now who they bringing up? Almost game time.
Gale blowing in, apparently.
Was that ten days?
D’Arnaud was with the team for 5 days.
Yeah, unless replacing an injured player, doesn’t Rocky need to be down for ten days before being recalled?
I think he has been gone that long – d’Arnaud replaced Beaty, who’d been on the roster for several days after Martin was activated.
Apparently the Rays lost both their catchers to the IL this week, so they really needed someone.
“You have to have a catcher because if you don’t you’re likely to have a lot of passed balls.’ – Casey Stengel
He’s been Rocky thus far.
The Dodgers will not see their first Brazilian player this year, apparently. https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1126959075365924865?s=20
I’d hoped James Loney might be the next Mark Grace. He never reached that level, but he still had his moments. https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1126908377001594880?s=20
Weird Game James’ most similar player, according to BR is a dead-ball era first baseman! https://twitter.com/jphoornstra/status/1126921072211664896?s=21
I always liked Loney, and wanted him to be better than he turned out.
I remember when he, Kemp and Ethier all arrived within about a year of one another.
Ethier was a trade acquisition, but their quasi-simultaneous arrivals were encouraging.
He had his moments, the Loney Slam. https://twitter.com/jonweisman/status/1126920521331900417?s=21
That’s Tony Gwynn in the booth, I believe.