Game 21, 2020

Dodgers at Angels, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: FS-W, SPNLA

LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-1, 3.60 ERA) pitches for the visiting Dodgers against the Angels’ LHP Patrick Sandoval (0-1, 2.70 ERA). Kershaw gave up three homers to the Giants (the Giants!) and lasted only 4 1/3 innings. Sandoval’s last start was pretty good: he went six innings against the Rangers and gave up just two runs.

The LA Times has a whole bevy of interesting Dodgers stories today:

In Houston Mitchell’s Dodgers Dugout he lists all the Dodgers (Brooklyn and LA) who have hit three homers in a game; I was surprised to see that Adrian Gonzalez had done it twice while in a Dodgers uniform, and of the current players, Pollock, Turner, Seager and Hernandez have all done it in the last three years.

The LA Times’s game story recapping Mookie Betts’ 3-HR game is full of quotes from the happy guy.

The LA Times’s Bill Plaschke writes about his experience with COVID-19 in his column today.

Yesterday’s game had so many highlights that it takes five minutes of video to show them all:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1919 In a total of two hours and seventeen minutes, the Dodgers and Cubs split a doubleheader. In the opener, the Cubs blank Brooklyn 2-0, in one hour and ten minutes, and in the nightcap, it takes the Dodgers one hour and seven minutes to shut out Chicago, 1-0.
  • 1932 Brooklyn’s 10-inning, 2-1 victory over the Giants at the Polo Grounds makes reliever John Quinn, at the age of 49, the oldest player to win a major league game. Johnny Frederick, who will have a total of only six home runs during the entire season, hits a ninth inning game-tying homer off Carl Hubbell, his fourth round-tripper as a pinch hitter, establishing a new major-league record.

Also, in 2015 the Padres’ Matt Kemp hits a ninth-inning triple to complete the cycle, making him the first player in the 35-year history of the franchise to accomplish the feat. The San Diego outfielder’s home run in the first, single in the third, and double in the seventh contribute to the team’s 9-5 victory over Colorado at Coors Field.

Lineup:

110 thoughts on “Game 21, 2020

  1. Delightful result at SF’s Software Stadium. Gnats’ “closer” gives up game-tying slam in ninth, and Oakland wins it in extras.

  2. Rendon was hitting .180 and has now homered in 4 straight games?! Muncy and Belli should be so lucky.

  3. Kershaw gets the win. Kenley gets the save. Bellinger homers. Just like old times.

  4. And for the record, “Dodgers win!” was my 20,000th comment. (I must admit – I was tracking it tonight and set things up to have that work out like that.)

    • That’s crazy. I think the Dodgers have lost lots of 3-2 or 4-3 games if I recall.

  5. Betts and Seager 0-8 tonight. It takes a whole team to get it done. The Dodgers are that team.

  6. At Software Stadium, the Gnats have blown a 7-3 lead in the ninth with a grand slam by Biscotti (sic).

  7. That was a very good pitch but a better hit. Now we’re in a little bit of trouble with Trout at the plate.

  8. Lance Lynn has just finished a complete game two-hitter to beat the Rox at Coors. Dodgers can take over sole possession of first place.

  9. Llaneros lead 3-2 in bottom of ninth, but Rox have Story, Blackmon and Arenado coming up.

  10. Rios is looking like Belli tonight – which unfortunately is not a good thing right now.

  11. Seems like just a few days ago Barnes was hitting .087. Look at him now – a very respectable .250.

  12. Not sure I love Orel’s “hitterish”
    word to describe batters. As in “Rios looks more and more hitterish.”

  13. Dodgers were 7-3 in their first 10 games.
    They were 6-4 in their second 10 games.
    Here’s hoping they at worst alternate between those in their last 4 sets of 10 games.

  14. Belli can’t escape the significant at bats, and can’t execute. I really feel for him.

    • I was thinking that as well. Those opportune moments seem to find him – and so far, he has not been able to answer.
      I feel bad for him as well – but if we find out later he is injured I won’t be totally surprised.

      • I don’t think he’s injured. I think it has everything to do with the extreme changes he adopted in his batting stance before ST, and then abandoned very late in Dodger camp. Now he’s all freaked out.