Dodgers at Rockies, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet-RM, SPNLA
RHP Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.81 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series. He went 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Angels and gave up three runs, taking the loss when Bellinger was thrown out by Calhoun to end the game. His opponent will be RHP Jon Gray (9-7, 4.05 ERA), who has surrendered three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts. The Rockies have lost three of the last four of those games, but they’ve gone 9-22 for the last month-plus so that’s not altogether surprising.
About the only bright spot in yesterday’s game was Corey Seager’s three-run HR in the ninth:
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1915 Pirates third baseman Honus Wagner reaches Robins hurler Jeff Pfeffer for a grand slam in the eighth inning, helping Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn at Forbes Field, 8-2. The inside-the-park round-tripper makes the 41 year-old infielder the oldest player ever to hit a home run with the bases full, a record which will last until 1985.
- 1996 After a mild heart attack last month, Tommy Lasorda, 68 year-old Dodger manager of twenty years, announces his retirement due to his health. The future Hall of Fame skipper, who was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1983 and ’88, led Los Angeles to four pennants and two World Series championships during his 21 seasons at the helm.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's Dodger lineup at Rockies:
Pederson 1B
Muncy 2B
Turner 3B
Bellinger RF
Seager SS
Pollock CF
Verdugo LF
Smith C
Maeda P#Dodgers | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/VhWFoRfFHp— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 29, 2019
NPUT
By giving up 3 earned runs in two innings tonight, Sborz lowered his ERA from 27.00 to 18.00. In his only prior outing this season he allowed 3 earned runs in 1 inning.
Pollock has lost his mojo with Gray.
Not much mojo for the Dodgers today anywhere. Oops, Maeda has it.
Until…
Gonsolin vs. Freeland tomorrow, I put the over/under at 19.
Actually, the Dodger starter will be Urías.
Outscored 20-5 in the last two games.
Let’s get win number 70 tomorrow.
That would be nice.
Bellinger back up to .330.
A small ray of light tonight.
Another double!
Come on Bellinger hit a ninth inning solo shot.
Well that was almost as fun.
What was I saying about Sborz doing well? ERA in the twenties!!!!
Definitely not playing our best at the moment. I’m glad it’s happening now, and not in September.
Or October.
Not that they don’t need to play better, but to give an idea what it takes in the playoffs: .579 winning percentage to win a WS (11-8). Prior to this game they were playing at a .571 clip in July.
Well if you are going to lose you might as well get schlacked.
Something about
playing against the Dodgers brings out the best in opposing pitchers. Gray was lights out today.
Their record suggests otherwise.
Even for Coors, five runs in one inning is a lot to ask for.
8 is even trickier.
Ooph. Looked away for a few minutes.
Muncy, that was ball four. Big time.
Can we squeeze out a run today? One?
A run!
Well, one at least.
Are the Dodgers catching pitchers on their best days or are the Dodgers just not producing and making pitchers look good?
The season lasts 162 games.
You are correct. Sometimes it lasts 163 if teams are tied. Then the playoffs happen.
A double! A double!
Your basic 3-4-1 putout at first.
Ian’s Desmond has three hits??? Yikes.
HR short of a cycle.
Who is Sborz?
I think Josh has been in the Dodger system for a while.
Just called up?
Yep. Replacing Peanuts Gang Schultz.
He did well!
As did Ferguson and Garcia actually.
Isn’t that a line from an eye chart?
Verdugo gets on, Smith homers, and we halve the deficit.
Never mind.
This is as a weak a batting effort at Coors Field that I can ever recall the Dodgers having. It reminds me of Captain Ahab’s ship “The Pequod” experiencing the doldrums. And yesterday was about the same until Seager’s three-run homer in the 9th. Throw out the 9-3 win on Saturday, and the Dodgers have had very few innings with hits on this road trip.
The Doldrums. Perfect.
Oh. So that’s how you turn a double play.
Alright Dodgers. It’s time to wake up and get hitting.
Answering my own question of a while ago, I think Bellinger will hit .320 but won’t reach 50 HRs.
If you are going to issue an intentional walk, let the pitcher who is already in do it, not the reliever, who thus begins his turn on the mound with four straight wide ones.
I was mistaken in this case.
Is Doc asleep?
That would be Sleepy.
Doc did much the same with Buehler yesterday, And with Gonsolin pitching tomorrow night, oh boy.
Muncy leads the team in errors and strikeouts and is second in HRs, RBIs and BBs.
Pull Maeda, Doc.
Clearly. Even on Gameday.
Slip sliding away…
Simon and Garfunkel were a good DP combination.
Still nobody out in this interminable inning. Not Kenta’s night, but he’s had no help from his defense.
The wheels on the bus keep falling off, falling off, falling off…
No eyes. How did Muncy not make an out on a ground ball to second?
He butchered it, but generous home scoring called it a hit. Shoulda been a DP.
That makes more sense.
Next inning hopefully will be more productive for the Dodgers.
I know. It’s underwhelming thus far.
Hope you are right. Given how we’ve done thus far tonight, it would be hard to be less productive.
Question: What do you think Bellinger’s batting average will be at the end of the season?
.299
I’ll say .303. Final answer.
Are you sure you don/t want to ask a friend?
Ha!
.335
Less than it is right now. Maybe around .305 or .310?
Which would still be fairly well above his total average in his young career.
Verdugo’s?
Amazing numbers. https://twitter.com/DodgerBlue1958/status/1156017468407599110?s=20
Bellinger started out today 9-14 against Gray.
Pollock butchered that one.
Make of this what you will… https://twitter.com/LosDodgers/status/1156010658267185152?s=20
What do you make of it?
If Merrifield comes to the Dodgers, Joc be going to KC
Doubtful. The Reales don’t want someone who’ll be reaching arbitration and free agency so soon.
As my knowledge of Spanish is quite limited, what was said in the Los Dodgers post?
It says that Merrifield loves hitting with men on base. The question is why an official Dodgers account would post this so close to the trade deadline.
Muchas gracias.
Did Pollock come close to making contact with any of his swings?
Everyone seems to be missing the sliders.
Well, at least the Dodgers (and Joc) have gotten their error in early today.
The sun is brutal at 1B in Denver.
I won’t disagree with you about the sun. However, Joc entered tonight’s play with the worst fielding percentage at first base of anyone in MLB who has played at least 10 games at the position. That was his sixth error in 20 games.
Steep learning curve but, in their position, the Dodgers have the luxury.
I’d rather they invest in slide rules or carbon paper.
Ha
https://twitter.com/DodgerBlue1958/status/1156008184026243087?s=20
I think the shoulder worry is total BS
Alanna hinted that with the big lead it is giving the Dodgers a chance to keep Verdugo and Pollock regular at bats by moving Joc to first. There are a lot of Dodger hitters that aren’t hitting right now.
Why would anybody expect anything different?
Yeah, you could see what Joc was looking at when he was trying to find the ball in the sun.
Getting on my flight to Mexico City. By tonight I will be higher than the Dodgers in Denver.
“Baby, do I feel high,
Oh me, oh my, do I feel high.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDZH29Glw9I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hbA1ILuv-k
Tener un buen vuelo
¿Crees que la Ciudad de México alguna vez tendrá un equipo de MLB?
Muy dudoso. Más probable, Monterrey.
Agree, Monterrey more better
If you think the ball flies in Denver, try DF.
Ball really jumps out of the stadium. Saw Dodgers-Mets exhibition game where the score was like 18-16. They play regular MLB games in Monterrey, but never in Mexico City, so my guess is that Monterrey would get the first opportunity for a team.
Imagine that the Dodgers have perhaps a better than .500 record at Coors over the years, if only because they are usually better than the Rox. But I also understand that the Dodgers record in the series following Coors is less than .500. The trade off of just forfeiting the Coors games may not be that high. As such, for the sanity of their fans (and their pen) they should consider such.
That is close to saying baseball should not be payed in Colorado.
I will second that.
Blackmon’s splits this year:
Home — 38 games — .415/.470/.848/1.318 — 16 HR
Away — 51 games — .247/.283/.395/.679 — 5 HR
In his career, Blackmon is a .350 hitter at home, .260 on the road.
I don’t think it is just the Colorado air. Players seem to have to adjust to the ball breaking more in the series immediately following in Colorado and especially hard to adjust when players play 10 or more games in Colorado. LeMatheau (sp) now with the Yankees is an example of a player doing good away from Colorado.