Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

Jul 03

Game 84, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTS Sports

Brandon McCarthy makes his first major league start since April 25, 2015 when he went on the shelf for Tommy John surgery. He insists he’s looking at this game as just another start. Right. He’ll face the Rockies’ Jon Gray (5-3, 4.83 ERA). Gray has pitched at least six innings in all but one of his last seven starts.

Corey Seager got a hit in his 15th consecutive game Saturday night and now holds the longest current hit streak in the big leagues.

Lineup when available.

The Sunday Night Baseball game between the Braves and the Marlins wouldn’t ordinarily hold my attention, but it’s being held in a ballpark which was built at Fort Bragg, NC in just four months. It replaced an overgrown golf course on the base.

It marks the first time a professional, regular-season game in any sport has been played on an active military base and is the first time the state of North Carolina has hosted a regular-season Major League Baseball game.

What’s going to happen to it after the game is played?

…the site will be converted into softball and multipurpose recreational fields following Sunday’s game. The playing surface will remain, along with the foul poles, dugouts and bullpens, as a lasting reminder of Sunday’s historic event.

Okay, Imma gonna wanna to see this.

Jul 02

Game 83, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTS Sports

The visitors send RHP Chad Bettis (6-5, 5.84 ERA) to the mound to face the Dodgers’ LHP Scott Kazmir (6-3, 4.67 ERA). Bettis has given up at least three runs in each of his last seven starts, but he hasn’t surrendered a dinger in his last three. Kazmir said he’s going to try a simulated inning in the bullpen before the game in hopes of avoiding a repeat of his last start’s four-run 40-pitch first inning.

Corey Seager’s riding a 14-game hitting streak which includes 11 extra-base hits. It’s the longest active streak in the major leagues right now.

There will be a two-inning Old Timers’ Game starting about 5:00PM, and the Dodgers will also honor their triumvirate of co-MVPs from the 1981 World Series team, Guerrero, Yeager and Cey.

Lineup when available.

Jul 01

Game 82, 2016

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Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOT Sports

The Rockies start Jorge De La Rosa (5-4, 6.47 ERA) against the Dodgers’ newly-acquired Bud Norris (3-7, 4.22 ERA). After a hiatus De La Rosa moved back into the rotation on June 14 and has won all three starts since while posting a 2.11 ERA, but he’s not made it past the sixth inning in any one of them. Norris had a bad two months to start the year with the Braves but has gone 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six appearances in June.

Pitchers’ history:

De La Rosa has faced the Dodgers 25 times in his career, opposing only the Padres, Giants and D-backs more. He has historically struggled against Los Angeles, holding a 5.22 ERA over 120 2/3 innings. However, he has a 3.90 ERA at Dodger Stadium and has a 2.87 ERA in his last five starts against the Dodgers, spanning back to August 2014.

[snip]

[Norris] is 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 10 games (five starts) against the Rockies in his career, but 13 of the 21 earned runs came at Coors Field.

Other news of note:

  • “The Associated Press will begin using an automated writing service to cover more than 10,000 minor league baseball games annually, the news cooperative announced Thursday.”
  • Two nitwit Congresspeople (one of whom has now retracted her sponsorship) wrote legislation attempting to exclude Minor League Baseball from the Fair Labor Standards Act because the millionaires and billionaires who own MLB and pay the minor leaguers’ salaries don’t want those wages to be governed by labor law. Grant Bisbee rips the argument to shreds.

Also, Kershaw and Pederson have been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Will Venable has been brought up.

All Star Game voting ends at midnight ET. Vote often (well, up to 35 times)!

Lineup when available.

Jun 30

Game 81, 2016

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Dodgers at Brewers, 11:10AM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only)

It’s a battle of righthanders as the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda (6-5, 2.91 ERA) goes against the Brewers’ Zach Davies (5-3, 3.74 ERA). This will be the last time the two teams meet this year, right at the Dodgers’ halfway point of their season. Maeda faced the Brewers on June 19 and gave up just one run in 6 1/3 innings but got no decision. Davies faced the Dodgers on June 17 and gave up just one run in seven innings, also getting no decision.

Joc Pederson is unlikely for this game due to his sore shoulder. Meanwhile Kershaw has gone on the 15-Day DL. Here’s the interesting part:

Kershaw had been receiving treatment for the condition for two weeks, but reported more discomfort Monday after losing to the Pirates on Sunday night.

Lineup when available.

Jun 29

Game 80, 2016

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Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSWI, MLBN (free game)

Brock Stewart started the season in Class A (Advanced) with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. During his rise to AAA the 24-year-old righthander has compiled a 1.47 ERA and a 99:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 starts. He’ll be opposed by 31-year-old rookie Junior Guerra, who’s 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA. He faced the Dodgers in LA and had the worst start of his season in which he gave up five runs on five hits but came away with a no-decision.

Here’s a stat which may surprise:

Coming into the series, both teams ranked in the top three for percent of wins via comeback this season. With 19 out of 34 (56 percent), the Brewers ranked second, and the Dodgers were right behind, winning 23 of their 42 games (55 percent) via a comeback.

Lineup:

No surprise, Pederson is not in the lineup after his wall-banging catch last night.

Jun 28

Game 79, 2016

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Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSWI

Julio Urias (0-2, 4.33 ERA) gets one more start (when are they going to sit him down, really?) and will face Chase Anderson (4-7, 5.13 ERA). The Dodgers are still trying to limit Urias’s number of pitches, but that puts a burden on their bullpen, which had to go four innings on Monday. Anderson missed his last start; his previous outing was against the Dodgers in LA when he gave up 7 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Here’s a good profile of Trayce Thompson in Sports Illustrated. Here also is a plug for Corey Seager to start at shortstop in the All Star Game. Have you voted for him your allotted 35 times?

Hopefully this news about Kershaw’s back is minor.

If you haven’t noticed, Seager is now the team leader in the three Triple Crown batting categories with a .298 average, 16 HRS and 38 RBI. For good measure his OBP is .356.

Lineup when available.

Jun 27

Game 78, 2016

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Dodgers at Pirates, 9:35AM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOT Sports, MLBN (out-of-market only)

The Dodgers ask Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.52 ERA) to stop their slide before it gets worse. His last start was a quality one in which he gave up only two runs to the Nats in six innings. The Pirates ask Francisco Liriano (4-7, 5.17 ERA) to stop his personal slide during which he’s gotten no wins in his last five starts and walked 19 batters during that stretch.

Expect Adrian González to sit this one out as per this word from Dave Roberts on Sunday.

Lineup: somebody post it in the comments when it turns up. I am NOT getting up at dawn to watch this game.

Jun 26

Game 77, 2016

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Dodgers at Pirates, 5:08PM PT, TV: ESPN

The Dodgers make their fifth appearance of the season on Sunday Night Baseball tonight. They’ve split the previous four. Tonight they’ll ask Clayton Kershaw to break the tie, and the odds would seem to be in their favor. He’s 11-1 and leads the major leagues in ERA (1.57), innings pitched (115), strikeouts (141), WHIP (0.67), K/BB ratio (20.14), opponents’ batting-average-against (.174) and shutouts (3). His opposite number is set to be Chad Kuhl, who will be making his major league debut. He’s been pretty good in AAA, though: 6-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

Annoying fact: “The Pirates have won 12 of their last 15 games vs. the Dodgers, winning five of six games vs. Los Angeles last season.”

Lineup:

Jun 25

Game 76, 2016

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Dodgers at Pirates, 4:15PM PT, TV: Fox

Kenta Maeda makes his first trip to PNC Park. He carries a 6-4, 2.64 ERA record with him and for now appears to be the #2 guy in the Dodgers’ rotation, at least in terms of reliability. He’ll face the Pirates’ Jeff Locke, who’s 6-5 with a 5.44 ERA. His latest outing was a 6 2/3 inning one in which he outdueled Madison Bumgarner with help from the bullpen and won 1-0.

Local color:

Dodgers left-handed reliever and native Pennsylvanian Adam Liberatore is having an off-the-radar phenomenal season. In 24 innings over 32 games, he has a 0.75 ERA, second lowest among National League qualifiers, and he didn’t even open the season in the big leagues.

Tepesch DFA’ed, IF Chris Taylor up.

Lineup:

Jun 24

Game 75, 2016

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Dodgers at Pirates, 4:05PM PT, TV: SPNLA, MLBN (out-of-market only), ROOT Sports

To start this game the Dodgers brought up Nick Tepesch from OKlahoma City, where he’d achieved a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings. They acquired him as a free agent June 6 after he was released by the Texas Rangers, where’d he spent five years, mostly in their minor league system. He has a 9-17 record and a 4.56 ERA in the big leagues, all with the Rangers. His opponent will be Jameson Taillon, who’s 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his previous three big league starts.

To make room for Tepesch on the roster, the Dodgers designated Will Venable for assignment.

Lineup: