First game: Cubs at Nationals, 2:30 PM PT, TV: TBS
The visiting Cubs trot out veteran (133 2/3 playoff innings!) LHP Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA), who made two starts against the Nats this season and came away with no decisions but a 2.84 ERA. He’ll face LHP Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.86 ERA), who saw the Nationals just once this year; he gave up two hits and five walks over six innings and took the loss in June.
Second game: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 6:00 PM PT, TV: TBS
The D-Backs send LHP Robbie Ray (15-5, 2.89 ERA) to the mound to face the Dodgers, three days after pitching 2 1/3 innings of relief and making 34 pitches in the Wild Card game. He’ll face LHP Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32 ERA), who was 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts against the D-Backs this season. That ERA was skewed by one bad game in which they scored six runs in 3 2/3 innings against him.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1952 In the decisive Game 7, the Yankees beat the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, 4-2, to win their fourth consecutive World Championship. Gil Hodges finishes the Fall Classic hitless in twenty-one at-bats, which had prompted some Brooklyn fans to gather at local churches asking for divine help for their beloved first baseman.
- 1977 In Game 3 of the NLCS, the Dodgers rally for three runs with none on and two outs in the top of the ninth inning to take a one-run lead in their eventual 6-5 victory over the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The game appeared to be over when LA’s Davey Lopes is picked off first base for the final out, but a throwing error by Gene Garber advances him to second base, from where he will score the decisive run on Bill Russell’s single.
- 1978 In Game 4 of the NLCS, Ron Cey scores in the 10th inning on Bill Russell’s two-out game winning single, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Phillies and their second consecutive National League pennant. Cey, who walked after the first two batters were retired, advanced into scoring position when Garry Maddox misplayed Dusty Baker’s fly ball in center field.
- 2001 Barry Bonds extends his major league record for home runs in a season to 73 as he drives a 3-2 first inning knuckleball off Dodger Dennis Springer over the right field fence. The blast also secures two more major league records for the Giants’ left fielder when he surpasses Babe Ruth (1920 – .847) with a .863 season slugging percentage and bests Mark McGwire (1998 – one HR every 7.27 AB) by homering in every 6.52 at-bats.
- 2006 The Mets defeat Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, 9-5, to complete a three-game sweep in the NLDS. The Dodgers have won only one postseason game in 13 attempts since beating the A’s in the 1988 World Series.
Lineup when available.
¡Con esta novena inicial jugaremos el 2do partido de la #SDLN en el Dodger Stadium! #LosDodgers #Postseason
⚾️x⚾️: https://t.co/5T8bdDQUw4 pic.twitter.com/3msn2zIquh— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) October 7, 2017
NPUT
Noticed that Joc spent most of the game talking with Ward. I liked that.
I know Granderson had a key hit last night, but I still would have Joc instead of him on the roster
Granderson will not be a Dodger next year. Joc might not be.
He also struck out with runners on second and third.
Taylor wears Willie Davis’ and Steve Sax’ number 3. Wonder if he will wind up being a second baseman or a center fielder.
Turner reminds me of Tommy Davis in the latter’s two years prior to The Slide.
Maeda gets the win!
Roberts says Maeda is on the roster to get righthanders out, and that’s what he did. There were lefties coming up which is why he was replaced.
Before Monday, the Snakes will surround their swimming pool with razor wire.
Ha!
And stock it with piranhas!
The Dodgers won’t jump in the pool this time. It’s not about winning the NLDS, it’s about much more than that. They’ll celebrate, but they have bigger goals in mind.
Woo-HOO!!
There we go!
Yahoo!!!
Crazy stuff this series. AZ has out homered LA 6-1 and have barely been close in these two games.
Sure seemed close!
That is weird.
I know it is very early yet, but the Dodgers are doing something successful playoff teams seem to do, string together a series of singles and doubles. Its these types of rallies that seem to break the back of opponents, when they cannot seem to get out of an inning.
It wasn’t the singles and doubles per se, but rather wearing down the Snakes’ pitchers – Dodgers saw upwards of 170 pitches in each game. Even with the day off, the Phoenix pen could be tired.
Grandal still has considerable value, but has only one more year before becoming a free agent. They might shop him, if they can fill another need. Barnes does look capable of taking over the job, and the farm system is also deep in catching – Farmer could probably be the backup.
Nice!
We win!
JT!
Two games up!!!!
Let’s do this!
One more
K-enley!
One more out!
Two hands Corey!
Stay away from Goldie and Martinez!
No Goldy please!
Here we go,folks — three outs from a 2-0 series lead!
Cody needs to take a nice long easy breath.
He needs to stop swinging for the fences. Just hit the ball. The home runs will come.
Kenley should’ve just waved at the pitcher for a K, like the new IBB.
Three finger salute.
Big krush on Kenley.
Where in Mexico are you?
Puerto Vallarta.
No MLBTV? It should work in Méjico.
25$. I will get the games next week on regular tv. (Once a stingy Yankee always a stingy Yankee.)
Shocking! But actually – me too!
JT!
3 more outs!
Insurance would be nice, guys!
Yeah. Let’s make it so safe that Baez pitches the 9th. (Not going to happen I know.)
New kind of BP . . . Baez-Proof . . . the new definition of a true laugher.
What about Hatcher?
I have this to say about Hatcher – I’m glad we got Hernandez and Barnes.
Barnes a touch shorter than KJ.
Lots of shaking off on that pitch by KJ.
Runner on second.
And long may he stay there.
Or short because the inning is done.
K-enley!
O-K!
Nervous!
It’s Kenley, not Baez!
5 big outs to go.
Hopefully quick ones!
Kenley coming in.
At least it stayed in the park.
After a barely checked swing on what would have been strike 3.
Oof!
Josh! — K for 1st out!
Fields in now.
Fields and then Kenley for 4-5 outs?
Don’t know who else there is, but wary because of Kenley’s outing last night.
On the other hand, Sunday is an off day.
16 pitches low leverage. Hadn’t pitched before that for days.
Was a bit of a mess as well. But then it wasn’t a save situation and this most definitely will be.
This is what he does.
HUGE run.
C’mon, bullpen!
C’mon, JT!
Marte feels the pressure of Puig!
I wondered about that too. Wonder if Puig yelled or anything?
Probably just stuck his tongue out at him.
Ha! Perfect!
Go Dodgers!!
YES!
Through the wickets for an extra run!
What a break!
What you call for below.
Such a bad call on that pitch.
Big AB for CT.
I’d take a walk or WP or HBP. Anything to score another.
Need a run, Chris!
Dre for the walk — bases loaded!
Andre up, two on.
Let’s go Dre!
He’s got that distinctive stance — I can picture it.
Yep. It’s just like you imagine.
Hands in motion.
Bradley getting that outside call.
The one Hill never got.
Didn’t see that part of the game, but I hate when that happens.
Woah. Feel asleep on the couch there for a moment. and woke up to crazy scoring by AZ.
Stay awake! (Easier than going to China!)
I’m good and awake now for sure.
I guess Barnes was due.
Or undue.
Okay bats — go into the insurance business like last night!
Heeeere’s Archie!
Hope to send him away and increase the lead!
Stopping Goldie here is huge in soo many ways . . . c’mon, Morrow!
He recovered well.
Indeed.
Radio said Doc would not be opposed to a 6-out save situation for Kenley.
The problem is he didn’t have a short inning last night.
Whatever Morrow pitched to Drury, he was waiting on it!
Uh oh. Cursed seventh inning again.
The article I linked below talks about how historically bad it is for Kershaw, at least in the postseason. Doc acknowledged that.
Apparently it’s contagious.
Just read it. Good to know Doc is open to doing things differently.
Morrow’s 1st HR given up this year.
Bad way to emulate Kershaw.
Hindsight IS 20-20, but why remove Kenta?
We said it at the time.
Yep.
Like you say, hindsight. There was a good basis for bringing in the lefty at that point. Lamb pretty much owns Maeda.
Don’t know those stats, but really don’t like pulling someone just because of lefty/righty. Success/failure vs. a particular batter is another question.
OPS 1.024 in 28 PA.
That is definitely showing success.
For the sake of discussion, you have a 5-run lead and no one’s on base. Why not let him face that one guy, as long as he’s strong against successive ones?
looking ahead to tomorrow. it would be fun to see both Boston and New York knocked out on the same day.
NO!!!!
3-run HR
Can you feel it in Mexico, RBI? — Andre coming in!
Should’ve scored there. always need more runs.
Especially how the 7th has started.
Yeah.
Don’t think this was posted before: Doc says Kersh might be pulled quicker next outing — http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/257845520/dodgers-dave-roberts-mulls-kershaw-strategy/
4 SB for Dodgers, ties record set in ’65 and ’88 . . . those were very good years.
Seeing Cody swing and have the bat hit his back reminds me of Jim Gentile, who did that so often he had a leather pad made for protection.
Jim Gentile? Wow. That goes back a ways. Broke in with Dodgers in Brooklyn in ’57?
Find your groove Cody!
Scoop, you’re part of the largest-ever Dodger Stadium crowd!
Wow. What’s the attendance?
54K+
I sit corrected — it’s at least the largest since the 2012 renovation -I assumed that increased capacity but it may have cut it down.
10 hits, all in the last three innings
JT keeps it going — c’mon, Cody!
9 more outs until Zack . . . sure feeling better about that now.
Guessing Watson stays in to face Lamb, so he may go the full inning and then Morrow and Kenley.
Nice to see the team is back to scoring runs again.
Have to keep pace with the way Houston and Cleveland are scoring. 🙂
Not really of course – but it’s fun.
Tony Dubs looking good as well.
Why remove Maeda?
Match ups I’m guessing.
Lefties including Lamb coming up.
Overmanaging Roberts. Maeda was doing fine.
That’s my general feeling — see how they’re doing.
I first remember Torre doing that during the regular season.
Do we have any more lefties in the pen?
No, but we have Morrow, who does better against them, and Kenley.
Looks like Doc to matchup out of pen until he can bring in Morow and Kenley.
Maeda is throwing a series of great pitches.
He nailed that relief outing!
Kenta K!
Shut them down again, Kenta!
Can almost hear the crowd – We want Baez. We want Baez.
Or not.
They are actually yelling, “We want Trudeau!”
Ha! No comment.
Count me in on that!
At least he didn’t pull up and hurt his ankle.
Yes!
Any tongue after that?
Not on that one.
Standing O for a caught stealing.
You know they’re in a good mood!
Hope Doc is as well.
Can’t afford to lose Phil.
Never taking the t-shirt off now.
I love LA!
Puig!
Catcher steals 3rd — the Maury Magic!
Came back to the room. Put on my 1988 Championship shirt. Put on Gameday. Score moved from 2-1 to 2-6 Just sayin…
Where in Méjico?
RBI be RBI’ing!!
The question is why you weren’t wearing it from the beginning?
Or does it work magic only when trailing?
(I think my ’88 shirts are all torn up.)
Finally an extra base hit.
…and a timely one.
They ARE getting the clutch hits again.
Nice Austin
Oh yeah!
Huzzah!!!
Yahoo!
Barnes is noble — double for double RBI!
Woot!!!
On an 0-2 count too!
No eyes, but he sure SOUNDS better than Grandal. Why not start him, regardless of the matchup?
SB for LoFo.
Crowd is somewhat muted on the radio
Barrel it up Barnes.
Fine AB by Foursides.
As radio (and we) said, Dodgers are playing like mid-summer.
Thankfully!
Logan!
Logan delivers!
Yay!!!
This team!
Enticing us . . . now deliver!
Let’s score off this guy again tonight.
Granderson for Kike?
Cringing.
Prove me wrong, Curtis!
Righty reliever. Not a difficult decision given their relative splits.
Yes! Hit and taking the extra base!
I sit corrected!
Future man!
Yay, no more Ray!
Would have loved for Quique to face him again. Guy was on the ropes.
Ray still in. I hope he leaves mid-inning and the Dodgers don’t see him again until next season.
Got first part of that.
Another HBP? I hope JT is okay.
Having nice conversations with your friend Phillip and his son Sullivan. Enjoyable. They know their baseball.
Say hi from me!
Shouldn’t that be “hola”?
(Sorry to butt in)
I did. They said Mucho Gracias.
Quite a game so far! Place must be deafening.
I love how smoothly Tony C and Kenta handled the top of the order there.
Kenta!
Another 1, 2, 3 inning — nice!
Make it nicer, bats!
You’re way of me, future person. It takes the edge off when things are going well, though.
Hopefully I have nothing negative to post.
(But gotta vent if it happens!)
Ahead of me too. I’m always torn about revealing the new comment. But I always do.
I was giving a class the other day and someone was jumping ahead and I called her “lady from from the future,” thinking of our referencing that here.
Ha!
K-enta!
Okay,
KentaCingrani, be good.Hold that thought.
Try and walk the tight rope until the 8th and 9th with the bullpen.
Cingrani is a known quantity coming out of the pen, Maeda is mostly untested. I might stay with Cingrani through the fifth.
And now here we go with Maeda.
Oh, Corey.
Watching on Gameday in Mexico. Viva Los Doyers!
Weren’t you in LA just yesterday?
Yup.
Stay safe and have fun.
What!? My neck of the woods.
Where are you? I am in Puerto Vallarta. Friend gave me her timeshare week.
Back on the States. Our beach house is down in Oaxaca.
DF?
Catawampus!
CT legs it out for the lead!!
Fast running hitter!
Appropriate that speed helps the Blue when Maury Wills throws out the first pitch.
Marte thought he was faster than he is, rushed the throw.
OK CT. Just a little poke here.
Ray seemingly on the ropes . . . knock him out, Chris!
I’m impressed with Farmer’s ability to hang in there in his first postseason AB.
Almost folk lore stuff there.
Ended as it appeared destined to be at the beginning, but he ran up the count and the game was tied during it.
Tied!
New ballgame, folks!
WP!!!
That will play well!
Take ’em as you can get ’em!
C’mon, Kyle!
Farmer?
Yep.
Not my first choice. But I guess with one out you can give it a try…
Who then?
I was yelling for Utley.
That was my thought as well.
I hope Alanna or someone asks Roberts after the game why Farmer rather than Utley. Just lefty-righty or what?
Think you want Utley to bat against a righty, like Bradley or Rodney later in the game.
“Just a terrific at-bat,” says Mo.
Puig to load the bases, for . . .. ?
Hopefully a fast running, heavy hitting batter.
Sounds like Hill is done.
Hopefully . . . and hopefully he can go out with more runs scored vs. him.
Or at very least tied.
That works.
Same situation for Yasiel.
2nd verse, better than the 1st?
Yasiel the Eighth…
Good one!
— he is, he is.
Just when I was looking up Bill Bevens’s World Series game in 1947…
Austin proving to be a grand catcher for LA.
I see what you did there.
C’mon Austin.
Logan breaks up the no-no.
Keep them coming, bats!
Time to break through here Dodgers.
Maeda throwing in bullpen, TV says.
Rich getting stronger — at least better.
Nice curve!
75 mph on the jugs gun
Our lefty swingers are struggling against Ray.
They are flailing and failing.
A hit in either of these last two innings would’ve been GREATLY appreciated.
Hello Mr. Ray. Can you throw one away when we have a runner on third? Like now? Thank you.
Seager’s swinging the way Joc used to. And coming up empty.
Nice start, CT — get on and run up the count!
Let’s make this a open up inning – or whatever the opposite of shut down is.
Sounds good to me!
“Rich HIll holds serve,” the TV guy says after the third out.
But had long rallies so might tire by the 5th set/inning.
Wasn’t that his MO most of the year?
Except in Pittsburgh.
That was a Baez inning without the home runs.
Wasn’t efficient, but a shutdown inning.
RiKh!
Hill is getting squeezed on a lot of pitches.
Rich equals Kersh’s BB total from last night.
Hope the only other thing he equals is Kersh’s W..
Acc. to the TV Hill’s bat is a 35-oz job. That’s pretty big. They went on and on about it.
Positive inning even though they only scored one run.
Positive in the sense that Ray looked negative.
AZ has to worry about Ray as well after that inning.
Looking for CT and the big boys to jump all over him next inning.
Hill – 38 pitches after two. Ray – 39 pitches after two.
— plus Ray’s outing on Wednesday.
Will we see Maeda tonight?
Hope not, just by definition, if his job is to eat up innings.
This is a start to our comeback.
— on hold ’til the next inning.
Nice hustle, Puig — and bringing in the run!
Can’t let him off the hook!
They heard ya!
Puig might want to look for a fastball.
He likes the first pitch.
Do they walk Puig to get to Hill?
Intriguing, but too risky?
I wouldn’t want to do it if the Dodgers were pitching.
Perhaps now, 3-0.
Might do it now though.
Which is why I want them too.
Not with only one out.
C’mon, Puig — another tongue-wagging night!
Nice at-bat, AB!
OK Barnes and Puig. Let’s go back to back doubles.
Keep working up that count!
Good job, Kike!
Sticky would be a good nickname for him. That is one loaded helmet.
It is black and blue.
Try the moniker and see if it sticks.
I was verbally doing a Carlton Fisk on that foul ball.
It’s hard to know which way to wave at home and not at the game.
Just shout “Fair, Fair!” (and otherwise when they’re up)
You’re ahead of me again. Are you something other than MLBTV?
Radio.
Think national telecast is delayed a bit.
The first inning is still Hill’s nemesis.
But not Ray’s tonight. He usually is rough in the first too.
I am going to take a wild guess and say that is a problem for most pitchers (that and their last), given that they are facing the top of the lineup.
Rather than the 2nd with potentially the big boppers?
Yes.
Double play! Hill to Seager to Bellinger for the out.
Could hear the crowd cheering before the play was described to end that half-inning — nice to be at home!
Hill missing outside.
Need a nice little ground ball.
Whoops only 1 out so bunting.
Do bunts count?
Glad for the out on few pitches.
Hill was slow covering but if Cody had tossed the ball sooner, Hill might have have been able to tag the runner.
Ray did strike out 53 Dodgers this year.
— and counting.
Ray look a little uncomfortable. (I hope)
He made Cody look silly on strike three.
Thinking that Cody made himself look silly with an o-2 pitch off the plate.
Good job, Corey.
Keep up the hot postseason, JT!
Hope the bats find a way to solve Ray.
Well, if they don’t it won’t be for lack of familiarity. He’s faced them 5 times this year already.
Too many pitches: 27.
At least it wasn’t 48.
You are at DS, no?
Kersh and Hill, bit by walks and HRs.
Hopefully bats are eager to pick up from last night.
Thankfully, all of the dingers off of Klayton were solo shots, no?
Definitely.
Still, three walks for him — AND the four HRs = atypical Kersh.
Goldie doing what Goldie does.
Blast.
’twas.
(From the “Duh! Department:) The walk didn’t help.
Ump didn’t do hm a favor.
I was more at peace with it before the home run. But now it stings.
Oh fine.
Not a rich start by Hill.
The crowd was really into the game yesterday and are packed in again for tonight. Makes the game more fun to watch with a big boisterous crowd, whether on TV or in person. I haven’t been to a game in LA for a few years and miss the games where the full crowd was really into the game.
Have fun at the game tonight Scooplew!
Thanks, WinnipegDave! It is a beautiful, warm evening. The crowd is pumped.
Have a Dodger Dog for all of us . . . and may you exit DS tonight in the best of moods!
Just had that Dodger Dog. As good as ever.
At the risk of self-promotion, I’ll report that I wrote a little blurb on Brazilians in baseball: http://southernconeguidebooks.blogspot.com/2017/10/beisebol-no-brasil-o-brasileiros-no.html
If you like it, feel free to click an ad and earn me a few pennies.
Limited self-promotion is perfectly acceptable. That’s a nice piece.
Maddon decided to stick with the righty against Harper, with only 18 PA since coming back from injury. Rendon on deck seemed to be his bigger worry. Rendon manages a walk. Brings in lefty to face Murph, who singles. Leaves the lefty in and Zim homers. Baseball is tough.
Well, there ya go!
There it went…
Harper unloads to tie it up.
Indeed. Hanger games. It wasn’t a cheapie.
The Cubbies seem on their way to humiliating the Nats (gnot the Gnats, who got humiliated by everybody this year).
If we get past the D-Backs I’d rather face the Cubs. I don’t think their pitchers are as strong as Washington’s.
I wouldn’t underestimate either of them.
Nats have the big three and have shored up their pen mid-season, so they are probably more formidable at this point.
Alineación de hoy… https://twitter.com/LosDodgers/status/916788723303321600