Game Four, 2023

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Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: Bally Sports Arizona Extra, SPNLA

My goodness. There were 11 runs, 13 hits, 5 walks and 17 strikeouts in Saturday’s game and it was played in 2 hours and 14 minutes.

RHP Zach Davies (2022: 2-5, 4.09 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks and RHP Noah Syndergaard (2022: 10-10, 3.94 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers in his debut with the team.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 2003 Todd Zeile homers in his first at-bat as a Yankee, becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams, surpassing Tommy Davis, who went deep for nine different clubs. In addition to homering with the Bronx Bombers, the infielder has also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.
  • 2007 For only the fourth time in major league history, a hurler under the age of 21 wins an Opening Day assignment when 20 year-old Venezuelan right-hander Felix Hernandez pitches eight strong innings in the Mariners’ 4-0 victory over the A’s at Safeco Field. Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers was the last pitcher ‘not of age’ to accomplish the feat, beating the Astros, 2-0, in 1981.
  • 2008 Third base ump Ed Montague tosses Larry Bowa for not staying within the boundaries of the coaching box although he warned the Dodger coach several times to follow the new edict put in place by MLB following the tragic death of Tulsa Drillers’ first base coach Mike Coolbaugh. The former infielder and manager’s behavior will lead to a three-game suspension for “inappropriate and aggressive conduct,” in which he had to be restrained by manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer in the sixth inning of the 3-2 victory over the Giants in Los Angeles.

In non-Dodger history, on this day in 1972 after playing a round of golf in West Palm Beach with his coaches on Easter Sunday, Mets manager and former Dodger Gil Hodges, two days shy of his 48th birthday, suffers a fatal heart attack. The club will name current first base coach and former Yankee skipper Yogi Berra to run the team when the strike-delayed season begins.

Lineups when available.

55 thoughts on “Game Four, 2023”

  1. In Cincy tonight, Bellinger has hit a three-run dinger and is now batting .077.

  2. Granted, the team needs to score more runs. That goes without saying. But the fact of the matter is, the Dodgers will lose more close games than they should if their relievers continue to be used improperly. Their second best reliever pitched the 9th inning on opening day with the team ahead by six runs. Don’t want to use him back to back days, so he wasn’t available to pitch in the second game in the 8th inning with a one-run lead, and Vesia gave up two runs. Ajax gets the three-inning save in the blowout win in the third game, so that’s fine. The bullpen is reset. But then in the fourth game, the best reliever on the team faced the bottom of the order in a tie game in the 8th inning, and then one of the team’s shakier relievers over the past two seasons (an argument can be made that he’s the worst reliever on the team for the past 2 years) faced the heart of the order in the 9th inning with the score still tied. Where was Almonte? If he wasn’t good to go, then the decision not to use him is understandable. But that still leaves us with Graterol facing the heart of the order in the 9th, when he instead could have faced Arizona’s banjo hitters in the 8th.

  3. Very disappointing series. I guess we will just have to endure some growing pains while the Dodgers put players out there to see what they have. The first month or two of the season is like the shake down runs of a new ship. Gotta try out all the pieces to see what is working and what needs to be fixed.

    It would be great if we could unload KT3 as I have little faith that he will be a productive offensive piece. We can survive as he is, or should be a part time player. Trayce or Heyward can platoon with Peralta in LF and they can put Outman in CF and let him play everyday. Then Taylor can play once or twice a week to give the infielders a day off.

    On the other hand, if Muncy and JDM do not produce, we are not going to be very successful.

    Hopefully they won’t stick with the unproductive players too long and make the necessary changes.

  5. Something I wondered about and am pleased to see:

    The Twins also entered camp needing to see how Kenta Maeda’s arm would bounce back in his first consistent action since his Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2021 season — and that has also gone well.

    Good. I always liked him.

    And in Canada:

    “My goal, my ideal date and time that I have set up for myself is sometime in mid July,” Ryu said through a club interpreter. “I’m going to try to rehab myself to get back to being able to compete at that level by that time. Hopefully our team has a playoff chance and I can play through October with the guys.”

    Ryu has ramped up his rehab alongside his Blue Jays teammates this spring. He’s in the clubhouse each morning, a towering iced coffee in one hand, smiling and chatting.

    Always liked him too.

  6. Gnats got blanked in NYC, and Trashtros lost at the Juicebox, but Rox trail the Paddles 3-1 after seven.

  8. Diamondbacks (1-2)
    Dodgers (2-1)

    SP Zach Davies R
    0-0 .00 ERA
    SP Noah Syndergaard R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    2B Mookie Betts R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    DH J. Martinez R
    LF D. Peralta L
    RF T. Thompson R
    CF James Outman L
    3B Chris Taylor R
    SS Miguel Rojas R

    Clear-day
    0% Rain
    66° Wind 8 mph Out

    Vargas and Muncy get the day off.

  9. Not pleased with the end result, but Thor’s effort was highly encouraging. This may be a year of ups and downs, but the talent is there.

  16. Roberts doing his thing again. Now we will have Barnes, Taylor, and Rojas in the bottom of the 9th. I’d take my chances with Outman leading off.

  26. Not generally a fan, but they handled that during game interview pretty well. Actually enjoyed it.

    • Yeah, I’m not fond of in-game interviews, even of managers between innings. It’s even worse in college basketball. The coaches can’t possibly want to talk to the TV media when they’re winning or losing by ten points or more with time left in the half.

  29. As the grandson of Norwegians, I have eaten lefse for breakfast and am cheering for Thor.

    • The Gnats should reacquire him, because he’d have access to BALCO™
      Flaxseed Oil there.