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Dodgers Use Power Hitting and Power Pitching To Muscle Past Angels

Clayton Kershaw

It was interesting to see how the Dodgers would rebound after Wednesday evening’s throwing debacle loss in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Dodgers ended up just returning to do what they do best, that is hitting baseballs over the fence. Clayton Kershaw won his National league leading twelfth game and struck out 12 in seven dominant frames as the Dodgers blasted three more long balls to go onto defeat the Angels 6-2, splitting the Freeway series. Pantone 294’s spirit was still felt throughout Disneyland.

Yasiel Puig, Chase Utley and Joc Pederson all launched home runs deep into the Anaheim night as the Dodgers broke the franchise record for most home runs in a calendar month with 50 taters in the month of June.

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Dodgers  6 9 1

Angels     2 6 1

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The game started out as a slow paced pitcher’s duel in the beginning as Kershaw and J.C. Ramirez exchanged zeroes through the first three innings. Ramirez would eventually have to exit the game after being hit in the hip on a line drive off the bat of Puig in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Dodgers had already gotten to him by then.

In the early innings the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a bloop single from Logan Forsythe, a two-base throwing error from Cliff Pennington that allowed Puig to advance to second base and Forsythe to go to third. There was a walk to Trayce Thompson and a sacrifice fly from Chase Utley. The Dodgers could have gotten a second run home, but Puig was thrown out at the plate on Corey Seager’s fielder’s choice ground ball to second. Seager returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on June 23. Seager went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

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Kershaw cruised the most of the game. He struck out the side in the first inning. He racked up two more in the top of the fourth inning, but some sloppy Dodger defense allowed the Angels to plate one and tie the score at 1-1. Cameron Maybin’s single to left was bobbled by Thompson and Maybin took advantage of the miscue to take second base. He would end up on third after a ground out and scored when Seager’s throw to the plate was wide on an Albert Pujols grounder. Kershaw would get frustrated but recover to strikeout Marte and Martin Maldonado to end the inning.

The Dodgers scored two more when Puig lined a missile over the low wall inside the left field line. One batter later Utley would smash a solo home run as well to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. Kershaw would strike out the side in the bottom of the fifth inning, retiring Danny Espinosa, Eric Young Jr. and Cliff Pennington.

The Dodgers would extend their lead with three additional runs in the top of the sixth inning. Justin Turner singled and Cody Bellinger doubles him to third. One out later Joc Pederson would smash a towering three-run home run to put the Dodgers up by a 6-1 score. Later in the inning Ramirez would be replaced by Blake Parker after getting hit in the hip by a Puig liner.

Kershaw would pitch around a Pujols double and whiff two more in the bottom of the sixth. Kershaw would then cruise through the bottom of the seventh ending the frame by striking out Young for his twelfth swing and miss of the game. The Dodgers should have had an easy win without any aggravation. Unfortunately Roberts took out Kershaw in the bottom of the eighth after only 93 pitches and brought in Luis Avilan for the 800 time. Avilan was predictably horrible giving up three consecutive singles (Pennington, Maybin, Calhoun) and was taken out with runners at first and third and the Dodgers leading 6-2.

Brandon Morrow was called in and he blows away Pujols for the first out. However he accidentally hits Yunel Escobar with a pitch in his shoulder. Escobar starts yelling like a lunatic and the benches clear. Don’t worry nothing happened other than some unkind words exchanged as both teams were issued warnings by the umpires. Morrow who has been very good since having his contract purchased strikes out Valbuena for the second out. Roberts finally stops farting around and brings in Kenley Jansen. The island beast gets Maldonado to fly out to center to end the inning.

With Kenley in the game is safe as he gets Espinosa to ground out, retires Yong on a grounder as well. Kenley whiffs Pennington for the final out. The Dodgers win 6-2!

The Dodgers will take off for San Diego for the weekend as Alex Wood gets the start on Friday evening. The Dodgers pick up a half game on the idle Colorado and a full game on the Dbacks. The boys in blue now lead Colorado by 6 games and Arizona by 2.5.

Kershaw pitching line : 7 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 12K – ERA 2.32

Scott Andes

Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic

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Scott Andes
Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic
https://ladodgerreport.com

33 thoughts on “Dodgers Use Power Hitting and Power Pitching To Muscle Past Angels

  1. That is how this team should beat this Angel team.

    Kershaw has pitched two pretty good games, in a row now.

    I am still concerned about mostly scoring runs by HRs.

    If we make the post season, we know that we don’t hit many HRs against good pitching.

    I hope Corey can get back where he was, before the Allstar break.

    Because he was just starting to heat up.

    I guess Joc hit a hanging curve, but I am not sure what Utley and Puig hit.

    The pitches they both hit were 94 but that pitcher threw sliders at that velocity, and his fasball was at the highest 98.

    When you see the velocity of 94 you assume it was a fastball.

    I think Orel said fastball, but they get off track sometimes, when they are talking amongst each other.

  2. Jonah

    I think the old man must of read what you wrote, because he came out hitting last night?

    He did his best imitation of Agone, and hit a sac fly to get the first run in, and hit a HR later in the game.

    But he was not playing first, he was his normal position at second last night.

    1. How many of you guys would take Kemp from Atlanta if they’d take Kazmir or McCarthey or Hill AND a couple of prospects? That would reduce his net cost to us and give us the right handed power we need. What would we do with him? Well I don’t see Agon playing every day when he returns. And I’m confident that Kemp could do a better job of playing first than Utley or Forsythe or Kike. He could also pinch hit and play some in the outfield. I understand his mobility has improved quite a bit this year. the way FAZ likes to move people around and cobble up lineups, I’m sure Kemp would earn his money more than those crapped-out pitchers….

      1. Jonah

        First is Bellinger’s position, remember?

        The Braves like Kemp a lot, so they won’t be dealing Kemp, anytime soon.

        That ship has sailed, and Kemp is happy in Atlanta.

        I do understand now why Kemp said that he was finally playing in a baseball town in Atlanta, because that article explained why, Kemp said that.

        I heard Kazmir has pitched in A ball, but the less I hear about him, is good for me.

        1. If Kemp is passive aggressively whining about how he’s finally playing in a place where he’s appreciated, that’s yet another reason why I’m glad he’s gone….and one of the reasons why he was shipped out.

          Answer me this, FAZophobes: do you think San Diego would make that trade again today?

          1. Dodgerpatch

            That turned me off when I first heard Kemp said that!

            But after reading why he thought that about Atlanta, I understand why he said that now.

            He said when he was a kid growing up in Oklahoma, the only major league team they could watch on TV, was the Braves.

            And he said, he and his cousin would watch the Brave’s games, and dream about being major league players.

            Don’t we all look back to the teams we liked, when we were a kid, when we first fell in love, with baseball?

      2. I’d be all for it if the NL instituted the DH and he didn’t have to play a position. Can we stop the ruminating over Kemp like some jilted lover over a past relationship? It was a good move.

        Oh, and I wouldn’t give up Hill (and the Braves wouldn’t take him) or any prospects. …Did you just write that he could play first base?! …please people, get real!

    2. Grandal plays better.
      Grandal plays a more important position better.
      Grandal costs less.

      That trade was and is highway robbery for the Dodgers. All those Kemp-lovers here who rely on Bleacher Report articles are as bonkers as Michael’s fear of G-men coming to take his guns.

      Sheesh, what’s going on with people today?

        1. The trade was ok then because Kemp was a dick. An injured dick at that. He’s better now. Everybody loves him in Atlanta and he’s a potential All Star. Grandal was a user hitting .225 with a negative dWAR. The trade made sense when it was done. We also got Rollins out of the deal and we know important that turned out to be.

          1. The Rollins comment was meant as a joke. We got Heaney too. I think FAZ would like him back. He’s what they like, damaged goods.

      1. You are a moron. I have no fear of G-Men taking my weapons. You know nothing about me so keep your big trap shut. What I was talking about is government control of a right that is afforded to me by the constitution of the United States. We are talking baseball, not personal choices so shut up asshole

        1. Total revisionist bull, Michael.

          Here are your original words:
          Still have my guns, which if the wicked witch had won, I might not have.

          Sure sounds like you were worried about the Government (which the President oversees) taking your guns.

          Don’t vent at others for your own inanity.

  3. Interesting article. He admits his head was up his ass here in LA. And obviously he was injured. We all knew that. It would appear he’s matured. Good for him. As much as I would like 35 home runs and 100+ RBIs from a right handed bat in those lineup I don’t really miss him. That ship sailed a long time ago. Would I trade Grandal for him? Hell yes. But it ain’t happening so – who cares?

    1. “Would I trade Grandal for him? Hell yes.”

      I can say with near certainty that that Padres wouldn’t.

      1. Why not? He played everyday, hit 46 home runs and drove in 169 in a year and a half. Do they have anybody else doing that down there? Nope. And, attendance was up when he played there. Grandal wasn’t all that in SD. Nobody bought tickets to see him play, that’s for sure.

        1. Grandal does not put butts in the seats. Grandal is about as popular as the bubonic plague. He has the personality of a squashed turd. Kemp was popular and good, he got hurt and tried to come back way too soon. He became bitter because he felt the manager was disrespecting him, not the first guy to do that. Selfish at that time, probably, and more than a little POed he was not playing as well as he thought he could do. Happy he is playing in a baseball town, well, ATL is not a baseball hotbed, but they do love their stars there. You do not see fans here stuffing the all star ballot box like Chicago did, St Louis is a great baseball city, so is the Bronx where the Yankees play. LA is more laid back. SF has been selling out AT&T for years like Cleveland did the Jake when they were on their run. You rarely see sell outs in LA. When you do it is when the Giants or Yankees or someone like that comes to town. There are too many other diversions in LA for it to be a real baseball town, they come late and leave early.

          1. Michael

            Dodger stadium is much bigger then A&T field.

            And the Dodgers out draw all of those teams you mentioned.

            And those other teams don’t have the same competition or entertainment, that people have in LA, yet the Dodgers out draw every team in baseball.

        2. San Diego was thrilled the Braves wanted to take him.

          Did he help the Padres win?

          Preller went bold and spent big to get some offense and the whole thing backfired on him. Looking back there’s no doubt he would want Grandal back.

          1. No doubt?

            3,000 more butts in seats every night is helping the Padres win.

            Did you not see the numbers Kemp put up? He had an .822 OPS and a 121 OPS+ at home.

            Kemp hit there. Grandal didn’t.

          2. Oh boy!

            I don’t know how many times we’ve gone over this, how many times I’ve explained how exceptionally poor Kemp has been defensively as an outfielder.

            His WAR has was barely above replacement level. That means he wasn’t much better – in total, both offensively and defensively – than a guy the Padres would have called up from AAA. This for a guy they traded a talented and young catcher for and were paying 18 million.

            If he helped them win and was so good, why were the Padres so quick to get rid of him? Why did the Padres go from a decent team with a good pitching staff and little offense to just bad team overall? Did he help them win? Did the butts in the seats help them win?

            My goodness, use your analytical skills. There’s more to life and more to a player’s value than OPS. Look it up. Look up Kemp’s WAR on Fangraphs. Do your research. Look at his defensive numbers. Imagine that poor defense – the bad lines, the poor jumps – imagine that in big Petco park. No. You need a good defensive outfielder out there in that pitcher friendly park.

            He did not help the Padres win, which is why the Kemp experiment lasted a year before he was practically given away to anyone who would pay his salary.

            I wish folks would stop citing Kemp’s home runs in Atlanta and spin it as though this was another one of Friedman’s incompetent mistakes. Kemp for Grandal was probably one of Friedman’s best moves. The way Wood has been pitching makes that one right up there, too. Oh, and the way Austin Barnes has been playing and Kike’s value puts the Dee Gordon trade in the running. If someone cares to objectively look at these trades, they are actually quite favorable to the Dodgers.

            I’m really glad each of those guys is on the team and the statistics back that up.

  4. Nice team win. Time to put some distance between the Dodgers and the also ran’s. Avilan shaky his last couple of outings…DL time…

  5. “Unfortunately Roberts took out Kershaw in the bottom of the eighth after only 93 pitches and brought in Luis Avilan for the 800 time.”

    I had a discussion with my brother-in-laws about this. My one BIL was complaining about pulling Kershaw. I pointed out that the idea is to reduce the workload on Kershaw’s arm and keep him fresh for Sept. The Dodgers were up 6-1. Why have him throw meaningless pitches in a meaningless game with a comfortable lead. …It’s like a basketball coach pulling his starters in garbage time.

    1. I agree with that totally. They need Kersh fresh for the playoffs, but they have to get there first. Avilan is not my first choice in those spots. I knew Baez was probably not available, but the way he has been pitching, Morrow would have been my choice to start the inning. He came in and stopped the bleeding, that’s the guy you want in there. Avilan sometimes is more like batting practice. Of course, Kenley was nails again. Wood vs Richard tonight. Richard was tough the last time he faced the Dodgers.

      1. Yep. And that is why I see him taking his turn on the DL sometime late summer. Kershaw is key to a championship.

  6. Barnes is a beast! I was never more wrong about a guy….. This kid is pure major leaguer. On the flip side, Bellinger is apparently in a slump now… No home runs in almost a week.

    1. He had a great night, but I wouldn’t look for that to happen again anytime soon. Still, a .935 OPS after 113 plate appearances is very impressive. Does he deserve more at bats? I don’t know, can he frame?

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