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Farmer’s Insurance: Dodgers Finally Win a Series

Dodgers Win

It’s hard to believe but the Dodgers had yet to win a series coming into Tuesday evening’s match against the Padres in the second game of the three game set with the Friars. It seemed that they were poised to do just that after Alex Wood turned in 5.1 innings of one-run ball and Matt Kemp launched a two-run blast in the first inning to put the Dodgers ahead early.

The boys in blue were leading 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning and it looked like the stars were finally aligned for the Dodgers to secure a comfortable win. Unfortunately Kenley Jansen blew another lead as the Padres scored twice in the ninth to tie the score and the game went into extra innings. The Dodgers had to score four runs in the top of the twelfth, highlighted by Grandal’s two-run double, and Kyle Farmer’s two-run pinch-hit double to win their third consecutive game of the season.

The game started with a Chris Taylor single and Matt Kemp launched his third home run of the season over the center field wall to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. Lost in the shuffle of another Kenley blown save, was Chase Utley being plunked in the second inning for the 200 time in his career. Save that ball for Cooperstown!

Embed from Getty Images

Dodgers  7 11 1

Padres     3 5 1

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LP-Webb-0-1

HR-Kemp-3-Hosmer-2

The Dodgers wasted a run in the fourth inning when Cody Bellinger tripled (just over the leaping glove of Hunter renfroe) to lead-off the frame but was left stranded at third. Opposing starter Bryan Mitchell Got consecutive grounders from Yasiel Puig, and Yasmani Grandal, plus an inning ending fly out from Kyle Farmer. The Dodgers did add another run in the fifth frame when Taylor walked, Corey Seager singled and Kemp’s sacrifice fly plated Taylor to put the Dodgers up by a 3-0 score.

Things looked ideal as Wood breezed along. The San Diego top of the order was 0 for 14 with ten whiffs until the ninth inning. Wood was good, until he wasn’t in the bottom of the sixth. Carlos Asuaje doubles and pinch-hitter Matt Szczur walks. The Dodgers caught a break when Jose Pirela accidentally runs into his own batted ball and is called out. The runners are forced to return to their respective bases. Freddy Galvis’s grounder back to the box should have been an easy inning ending double play, but Wood throws the ball wide of the second base bag, allowing Asuaje to score and Szczur to advance to third.

The Dodgers remove Wood and bring in Tony Cingrani, who has been the Dodgers most reliable reliever thus far. Cingrani strikes out Eric Hosmer before being lifted for J.T. Chargois, who in turn also strikes out his man, Renfroe to end the inning. The Dodgers still lead 3-1.

Chargois gets the first two outs of the seventh before making way for Pedro Baez. He may be slow, but he pitched fantastic tossing an inning and a third and striking out four.

In the bottom of the ninth, Kenley Jansen enters the game to try and close out a 3-1 Dodger win. Unfortunately he’s still broken and we don’t know what the heck is wrong with him. Hosmer promptly greets him with a solo home run and the Padres close the gap to 3-2. Dread begins to fill Dodger fans again. But Kenley recovers to strike out Renfroe and gets Christian Villanueva to fly out to deep center to put the Dodgers within one out of a win. If it had not been for this amazing catch from Taylor, the Dodgers would have lost.

But this is the 2018 Dodgers and you should know by now that a comfortable win is just not in the cards. Jansen walks Franchy Cordero, (who steals second) and then Kenley balks the runner over to third. Pinch-hitter Chase Headley’s double scores the tying run and here we go again into extra innings.

We move into the tenth and Ross Stripling is on the mound. The Dodgers had to wiggle out of a jam like David Copperfield in order to not lose. After Stripling walked Spangenberg, Pirela and intentionally walked Hosmer, He strikes out Renfroe and Villanueva.

Move to the twelfth. Tyler Webb gives up a single to Seager and Enrique Hernandez follows with a walk. After a Bellinger force out, Yasmani Grandal’s line drive two-run single scores two to put the Dodgers ahead 5-3. Two batters later Kyle Farmer would double in Grandal and Utley and the Dodgers would lead by a 7-3 score.

Right hander Josh Fields strikes out Spangenberg in the bottom of the twelfth for the first out. Puig makes a nice shoestring catch on Pirela’s sinking liner for the second out. One batter later Fields whiffs Hosmer swinging for the final out. The Dodgers win!!!

Before the game the Dodgers optioned Breyvic Valera and recalled Max Muncy. The infielder is expected to play third base tomorrow. He singled in the eleventh inning of tonight’s game. They also sent Zach Neal to the Reds along with first baseman Ibandel Isabel for reliever Ariel Hernandez.

The Dodgers go for the series sweep on Wednesday night. Kenta Maeda will counter the suspended Luis Perdomo. The Dodgers can win their fourth game in a row. Dodger baseball is fun again! Well almost.

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

46 thoughts on “Farmer’s Insurance: Dodgers Finally Win a Series

  1. Tonight’s game gave the perfect example why you don’t lift a power player like Kemp in favor of a Joc or Kike before you have a very secure lead. Up 3-1, looking good for Wood, Kemp is replaced by Joc. Why is this a move that is condoned by anyone? Kemp is an RBi guy. RBI guys win games and bring us back from losses. The real RBi guys on this team are Kemp, Bellinger, Turner, and Grandal when he is playing well. Kemp is probably still good for 100 RBI’s. You never want to handicap your team with moves like Roberts is making. As long as Kemp is here, let him play. It’s good for the team and it’s good for the fans.

    Why was Breyvich brought up for 1 game? Is Muncy going to start at 2B?

    1. Muncy is going to start at third. Originally they were going to bring up Muncy instead of Valera. But Muncy had been playing first. So the brought up Valera for a couple of games so Muncy could play 3rd at OKC. According to Joe and Orel that is.

  2. Wow a 3 game winning streak.

    Kindly Gascan has a big problem, which means we have a big problem. Has Kindly gotten too cute and is now throwing too types of pitches? He used to throw one pitch and it worked pretty damn good, now has Kindly Gascan gotten too creative for his own good? You’ve got to wonder.

    CAn you imagine how bad this would have been without Matt Kemp, since it is bad even with Kemp?

    Pleading with our FO, please don’t have your next move be to acquire Renfro, we need him right where he is. Renfro is no OF.

    Agree Jeff, WTF is going on with Roberts hard on for Joc and his lack of hard on for Kemp?

  3. Jeff, clearly you aren’t buying the explanation on why Kemp is removed in favor of Joc. I think you should get used to the idea. It’s going to happen a lot. I didn’t expect it this early, but I knew it would happen. It might pay off late summer – if Matt is still here.

    Kenley has an issue. Is it fixable? Man I hope so.

    Give our squirrels enough at at bats and good things can happen.

    Moving on up…..

    1. Badger
      I keep hearing your explanations of the Matt Kemp/Joc Pederson playing time issue. I think the problem is that people can clearly see that Matt is very heavily contributing to the Dodgers success or what there is of it and has contributed to the Dodgers in past years as well as other teams sucesses while Joc continues to be a nothing player. He has never been much of a player. While Roberts keeps trying to get him to play good, he never does. That is because he does not have the makeup to be a strong MLB player. He is actually a failure. Getting rid of Kemp does not solve the problem either.
      Getting rid of Joc might help. Roberts and the FO clearly show favorites and Joc is one of them. It might pay off in the summer is not a good answer. We have been hearing about how Joc will bloom for years. IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN.

    2. I hear you pack. I DO understand what you are saying. And I mostly agree.

      It’s been my experience throughout life that in order to respond appropriately to who and what you are dealing with it is important, no, it is PARAMOUNT that you understand as much about what you are being presented as possible.

      That said, it appears to me that if you do understand the strategy you don’t agree with it. That’s cool. I respect your opinion. It appears you want Kemp in there every inning of every game and if he should break down in August, well, we go around that bridge after it collapses.

      I get what they are doing. And, frankly, knowing Kemp’s injury history, I don’t, in principle anyway, disagree with it. If this strategy works we will have a healthy Kemp through October. I think that is a worthy goal. I don’t take him out in the 5th though, unless it’s 100 degrees on the field and we’re up by plenty. This team is allegedly built to hold leads. Allegedly. We get a lead, the bullpen and the defense hold that lead.

      As for Joc, hell I traded him months ago, you know that. But I ask you to accept what it is that FAZ values, and submit to you that through the FAZ lense, they are looking for the ‘15-‘16 Joc, the guy who had OBP’s of .346 and .352, and carried an OPS+ of 113 and 126. THAT Joc could help this team. They have faith in him, you and I don’t. We’ll see who’s right

      1. The strategy has some merit but the player mentioned, Joc, doesn’t. Much better to have a player like Toles who has already proven that he can play in the majors and can be plugged into the outfield with little fear. Can we say the same thing about Joc? No, I don’t think so. They need that kind of energy that a player like Toles brings. He’s hungry.

  4. Who the hell is this Kenley guy you reference? You must be talking about Kindly Gascan.

    The last time I saw Kindly pitch, his velocity was down, like topping out at 91. Good thing Roberts let Kindly Gascan have a laid back ST, it really was a wise decision.

    Blessing in disguise was Forshyte going down, gave Farmer a chance. What are the chances of Farmer being buried again once ForShyte returns, probably pretty damn good.

    1. Forsythe will be given the at bats he needs to justify $9,000,000. When Turner returns Farmer goes back to the farm. We’ll see him again. Later.

  5. Giants offer for Stanton surfaces:
    https://t.co/4NPVcbyK3N

    Grandal and Kemp. Two players I thought the team would trade, are crushing.

    While I agree that Kemp’s lack of defense is driving the late subs, it’s in the spotlight because of the short bench and Alexander/Jansen kinks.

    1. That’s a decent offer. SoCal boy would rather go to NY than the hated giants.

      And yeah, Stanton strikes out a lot. So what. GMs don’t care about that anymore. Launch angle and OPS. You can strike out 250 times but if you launch 50 nobody in charge cares about about Ks. I’d still take Stanton in a heartbeat.

      1. It’s not a bad offer, but one the Dodgers could easily outbid. Still stings not getting him.

        That said, the Span contract was $$ for the Marlins to take on. Wonder what Miami would have done if Stanton was more amenable.

        1. Jeter sending Stanton to Yankees has some oblique foreordinal synchronicity. I’m not even even sure I know what that means but it sounds right.

          Marlins:
          “Dodgers don’t want you, how about the Yankees?”

          Stanton:
          “Sure”.

          They’re a good fit. The Dodgers? No. I can hear the uproar the first time the great and powerful FAZ pinch-hit Pederson for Stanton.

  6. In last night’s game, at least Roberts didn’t take Kemp out, after two at bats.

    But after he used Cingrani and Chargois, I was thinking I hope this game doesn’t go over nine innings, but the biggest issue in this game, was Kenley.

    And Kenley doesn’t have the command he normally has, and this has come back to haute him.

    We also have to be more productive when a runners are in scoring position.

    After Cody hit that triple, with no outs, our players didn’t get Cody in to score, and that can’t happen!

    What is going to happen when we face the Nats this weekend, and face both Scherzer, and Strasberg, if we can get a runner home from third, with no outs, against a Padre’s pitcher.

    One good thing about last night’s game, is the fact it looks like Corey is heating up, because he has been hitting the ball hard lately.

    Last night Corey hit a ball that had an exit velocity, that was more then Kemp’s HR.

    And believe this was a multi hit game for Corey too, so that is good to see, because Corey really is our best hitter, behind Turner.

  7. I am starting to agree more and more with True about Kenley. He asn’t been the same since the playoffs and having a paid vacation in Spring Training didn’t help.
    Baez is starting to impress me. He still takes too long on some pitches and he looks cocky when ho does it. But he mixed his pitches up really well last night. I don’t cringe quite as hard as I used to when he came in mid-inning. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
    The pulling of Kemp is exactly what Badger says, “it is what it is, get used to it”. And Joc has pictures of DOC so he will always get his chance to showcase his inabilities.
    Wood was Good, We all like Good Wood, then Wood got pulled prematurely, and nobody likesprematurely pulled Good Wood. Ok that was really bad, but I bet I get some good chuckles about it.
    Nervous about this weekend and facing their #1 and #2. Okay there is a joke in there someplace too but I will spare everyone. Honestly if we don’t greatly improve our RISP production this will be a long weekend. The weather is suppsed to be fairly cool all weekend so if we have to rely on the long ball and not going station to station we could be in trouble. Then again the Nat’s tend to rely on the long ball a bit too. Although if you can hit a ball 430 feet with a broken bat you can hit one out at Chavez Ravine in the cool weather of spring time. He would be great in Blue but it ain’t gonna happen.

    1. That was bad.

      And yeah, I laughed.

      We will be ready for the Nats. They won’t sweep us.

      Kenley needs to get it figured out. If his velocity is off, give him a few days to get his velocirupture repaired. Ok, that was bad too. Anyway, let Fields or Baez (yeah, I know, but he has the arm) have a shot at it while Kenley rehabs.

      1. Yeah, that was pretty bad Badger…..but not awful as some other puns have been…..noticed Bluto has not had much to say lately….especially about Kemp.

  8. Thoughts on the game. Actually I had no problem when Joc came in for Matt. Wood was cruising and they were playing good baseball. I really believe Roberts pulled Wood because he looked unhinged after he made that throwing error that allowed the run. The tying runs were on base and things needed to calm down. Cingrani did a good job and so did Chargois. I thought that letting Cody rot at 3rd after his triple was going to come back and bite them in the butt and it did. Jansen has now been in 7 games. He has a loss, 2 blown saves, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks, has given up 3 homers, in 6.2 innings. His ERA is over 8. His velocity is down almost 2MPH. He did touch 94 on a couple of pitches, but he was around 91 most of the time. My take, and what I saw, was he was missing his spot badly. He is pitching up in the zone this year instead of burying that cutter on the outside corner and keeping the ball low. The pitch that Hosmer hit out and the one that Villanueva almost hit out were both belt high cookies right down the pipe. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. The velocity does not bother me as much as the location of his pitches. If his cutter is doing what it is supposed to do, he gets people out. But he cannot live up in the zone with the kind of junk he is throwing right now. And the reason is right there. Lack of work in both the spring and now the season. 16 games into the season and he has pitched 6.2 innings. Only Chargois in the bullpen has pitched less. That is not conductive to being consistent. The guy needs to get some innings, either in a blow out or with some more side work. The offense, although it has looked better the last few games, is still far from hitting on all cylinders. Taylor and Seager seem to be warming up. When all they needed was a sac fly to score Cody from 3rd, they got a weak ground ball from both Grandal and Utley before Farmer flied out to end the inning. Stuff like that loses you games. Grandal was 0-4 with 4 meek groundouts before he doubled. The 4 through 8 hitters left 15 men on base. They were 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position. That’s pitiful. Kudos to Ross Stripling for one of the gutsiest innings I have seen in a long time. He came in having only walked 2 all year and walks 3 in the inning. But he strikes out 2 after loading the bases with 1 out and keeps the Pads of the board. All in all it was a win, but it was a draining game to watch. The good news is that they are now in 3rd, a full game ahead of the Giants.

  9. The biggest problem with Kenley, is that Kenley needs to pitch often to stay sharp, so instead of trying to protect Kenleys arm, they better pitch him more regularly, or he won’t be effective.

    But I know it isn’t easy to find a good medium with this, but they better try to find that medium, so that Kenley will be ready to save a game, when he is needed.

    1. Could not agree more MJ. Kenley has not looked anything like the pitcher we saw last year. Even in his 2 saves.

  10. Jose Bautista signs with Atlanta and will play 3rd base. Flaherty must really feel warm and fuzzy about that since he is hitting over .350 and leading the league in hitting while playing 3rd.

      1. It is a minor league deal, but the story is that he is just down there until he is game ready and then he will be promoted to the big club. Reported on both ESPN and MLB.com

  11. OKC report. Verdugo now tied for the team lead in HR’s with Ramos at 3. Hitting .333. Ramos leads the team in RBI’s with 17. No one else in double digits. He is hitting .415. Solano is hitting .421 and Taijeron .400. They are also carrying 3 catchers down there, Gale, Brockmeyer and a new guy, Alex Burg. He has been in only 3 games. 30 year old signed as a free agent after the Rangers released him. Segedin, Gale, Peter, and Mora the only players hitting under .300 on the team. The team is 11-1 to start the year. Banuelos the only pitcher with 2 wins. 9 different pitchers have won games. Banuelos, Buehler and Stewart all have ERA’s below 3. Venditte has been in 6 games, but only pitched 5.1 innings. Uncharacteristically he has walked more than he has struck out. But he is 1-0. The teams walk to strikeout ratio is not all that great, but they are not getting beat by walking hitters. Over all they look pretty solid and will only get better when Toles returns.

  12. Just a question. Does Joc Pederson’s Dad know Dave Roberts? Just noticed where Stu Pederson was in the Dodger organization in the mid to late 80s.

  13. Badger
    What do you hear from our friend who left when you did. Was it Jerico or I can’t remember. My mind is not good at remembering. I think he lives in Nevada. I wish he would come back.

      1. Badger
        Please tell him hello for me and also say that he needs to come back. He is a good contributor
        Thanks

    1. I think that many of us could/should qualify for going on the DL with an inflamed “finger”.

      I’ve mentioned this before and it seemed to sail overhead, but I think both our manager and FO misidentify what are the problems and then formulate a errant strategy which only compounds the issues on the team. ST was a prime example, signings of scrap heap shit and immediately inserting it in the lineup, etc. It is hard to build something when your blueprint is faulty.

      1. Hill addressed the injury in a press conference saying it is a split finger nail, not inflammation.

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