Dodgers at Rays, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: Fox Sports Sun, SPNLA
It’ll be Dodger LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 3.40 ERA) versus some guy named TBD of the Rays. This will be the second (!) time Kershaw has faced the Rays in his career. The first was six years ago when he gave up one run and struck out eight in eight innings of an 8-2 Dodgers win.
Does it strike anyone else odd that Kershaw’s ERA in May is above 3.00? It looks weird to me.
More on Kenley Jansen and his cutter-love from Houston Mitchell of the Times:
Rick Honeycutt put it this way: “Truth of the matter [is] we want Kenley to pitch more. We want him to use his two-seam. We want him to use his slider. He throws the cutter to both sides so … everybody says, ‘What’s the big deal? You only got two pitches. Your cutter, slider.’ Well, he doesn’t. He’s got more than that.”
Jansen throws his cutter 85% of the time. This season, hitters are batting .254 against Jansen’s cutter. Last season, they hit .185.
So, on one side, you have those who wish Jansen would use all his pitches, and on the other side you have Jansen, who owes his success to his cutter and is not willing to give up on it so quickly.
Mitchell also had fun with the question: “If you wanted to pit an all-time L.A. Dodgers team against an all-time Angels team, how would you pick the players? One way is by using the Wins Above Replacement stat, or WAR.” So he does the work and lists the two best starters for each team at each position except pitcher. He lists five starters and four relievers. Startlingly, the best Dodger relief pitcher is not named Jansen or Gagne. Nope, by WAR it’s…Jim Brewer. Take a look.
Urias has been reinstated by MLB but the investigation continues. LAPD has not pressed charges. To make room for him the Dodgers sent OF Kyle Garlick back to OKC.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1927 For the second consecutive day, an umpire at Ebbets Field is the target of fan abuse. Arbitrator Frank Wilson needs a police escort after the Robins (Dodgers) drop a twin bill to the Cubs.
- 1952 The Dodgers score a major league record fifteen first-inning runs en route to a 19-1 rout over the Reds at Ebbets Field. After Ewell Blackwell retires the first batter, the next 19 Brooklyn batters reached base (10 hits, 7 walks, and 2 HBP), including Pee Wee Reese getting to first base three times during the frame.
- 1963 Jim Maloney ties a major league record shared by Max Surkont (1953 Braves) and Johnny Podres (1962 Dodgers) when he strikes out eight consecutive batters, beginning with the last out in the first inning, in the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Milwaukee at County Stadium. The Cincinnati right-hander also equals the franchise mark with 16 strikeouts in one game, established by Noodles Hahn in 1901.
- 2000 Major League Baseball has its first six grand-slam day less than one year after establishing the mark with five, with Garret Anderson (Angels), J.T. Snow (Giants), Brian Hunter (Phillies), Jason Giambi (A’s), and Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green (Dodgers) all contributing to the record. The NL also set a league record, blasting four of the six base-loaded homers.
Lineup when available.
Today’s Dodger lineup at Rays:
Beaty DH
Muncy 1B
Turner 3B
Bellinger RF
Hernández 2B
Seager SS
Taylor LF
Verdugo CF
Barnes C
(Kershaw P) #Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/x7KIOSru1j— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 21, 2019
NPUT
From the AP game story: “Los Angeles has won 15 consecutive regular season games started by Kershaw.”
Random morning thought – I’d like to see a rematch of the 1965 Series.
They can play in the snow!
Snakes lose to Pads again, so both teams are now seven games behind Dodgers. Rox win and are still 9.5 games out, but the Barves blew one to the Gnats, who remain 10 out.
The giants are three games out of second!
Thanks to an extraordinary run of good fortune – they’re truly awful. Also, you misspelled “Gnats” again.
Bah!
Snakes lose to Pads again, so both teams are now seven games behind Dodgers. Rox win and are still 9.5 games out, while Gnats are losing and should be 11 out after tonight.
Interesting game going on in Houston.
No longer so interesting.
Satisfying win with only one worrisome inning.
Relievers got the grief, but two of them were Kershaw’s.
Run expectancy with 2nd and 3rd and no outs is at least 1.9.
It was only one out I think.
Then 1.4.
15 Games over .500
On a pace to win 105.8 games.
The pace for April, when we had the 6 game losing streak, was 98 wins. So even when they are “bad” they are good.
Zippitty doo-dah, zippity day!
Jansen did throw one slider.
Woo-HOO!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZTHinuQP0
Kenley is fond of his cutter.
So he says…
Is there anything Belli cannot do? Blind high fly ball catch.
GG
Kenley or Kelly?
Yes.
Nice, Joc!
V. a lefty.
“Right upper leg contusion.” I thought it hit bone, the way it sounded.
I suspect he’ll go on the DL, but at least it’s not a fracture.
Great catch and tag by Turner, too!
Seager, actually.
OK, you’re paying closer attention than I am.
Wotta throw!
And the momentum swings back…
Nice to have a right fielders arm in center field.
Wow! Out!
Keep up that positive futuring!
Coulda been worse, I guess. https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/1131016143999819778?s=20
I am very relieved.
Now lets get the Dodgers relieved and win this one.
I’d like to see this Tampa Bay reliever pitch against Tyler Wade of the Yankees.
Why?
Roe v. Wade.
They’re in the same division, so it’s probably already happened.
I looked it up. Not yet, but it probably will happen, Perhaps it has in the minors.
Kershaw started tonight with an ERA of 3.40. It is now 3.33.
Floro comes through. Thank you, Dylan!
¡Good future person!
Nice throw by Joc.
Alexander just serving them up at this point.
He got grounders, but they found holes.
I hate Astroturf.
Ground hoggers
Come on, bullpen, do your frigging job.
Unofrtunately, they’re doing what they often do . . . sign Kimbrel.
Alexander throwing hard, but high in the zone.
I think only Baez has done a good job with inherited runs scored stat.
The others better step up here.
That can’t be good
I agree. Like someone took a bat right to his knee.
I’m watching TV shows while checking in her and Game Day and you guys sound gruesome.
Oh man, that looked and sounded like his knee got hammered – maybe something even broken. Great, just when Petey has been so lights out.
What was the injury delay for?
Báez hit on knee by liner. Limping off the field.
Thanks. Ouch.
Hopefully Petey can shut them down. If so, Klayton at ERA 2.93 versus career March/April of 2.90. Given that he didn’t start until the 18th game of the season, he seems to be on track.
Drat
Double Drat. Kershaw’s ERA back above 3.
Adames has struck out twice in two ABs vs. Kershaw. Leave Clayton in there.
Kershaw’s ERA has dropped below 3.
Perhaps we can improve on our small ball record. What are they, 2-9, when they don’t get a dinger?
Nice, Joc!
The BABIP gods owed Joc a hit on a soft grounder.
This could be a Joe Kelly game.
Getting closer, maybe one more run.
Time for a pinch hitter?
PH deluxe.
Nice, Corey!
Double future person!
Nice, Kiké!
Meanwhile, across the bridge, https://twitter.com/FiveThirtyEight/status/1130977840718077952
Klayton’s having a pretty easy time of it so far.
Suddenly Kersh isn’t getting the close pitch calls for strikes. But he gets another K anyway!
He got that last one.
Valiant effort by Kiké.
Small ball keeps working!
Hey, it’s old friend Travis D’Arnaud.
He came, we saw him, he left. Gone without a trace.
Kind of like the guy who walks out of the subway when you walk in.
One day in the future he might be in a Dodger Old Timer game.
Maybe in a Dodgerf short-timer game, no?
Klayton has always been a slow starter. His career March/April ERA is highest at 2.90. So there is that.
Devil Rays looked like an expansion team on that one.
Wow! I hit a triple like that once… in my first ever little league game.
Again, optimum results on yesterday’s off-day: Snakes lose to Pads, so Dodger lead is now six full games (though Pads gain half a game and are now just one game behind the Snakes). Gnats lose to Barves, and now sit alone in NL West basement, ten games out. Rox idle.
Anyone know why Pederson isn’t in the lineup tonight, in place of Beaty, for example?
Since the Devil Rays are using an “opener,” I suspect Roberts wants to see what happens thereafter before committing to Joc.
Ahh, thanks. I guess that’s why the lineup is a balance between lefty and righty bats.
A profile of Verdugo at Dodgers Insider, Jon’s old haunt.
Alineación sorprendente – https://twitter.com/LosDodgers/status/1130920928643309573?s=20
The latest from Julito – https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/1130938134605246465?s=20