About three weeks ago I wrote an article declaring I would start Alex Wood over Clayton Kershaw in a game for all the marbles. Although Kershaw has improved his standing with me, namely by stopping his trend of giving up way too many homers, Mr. Wood has done nothing that would make me change my mind that HE is the reigning Dodgers ace at this point of the season.
For example, tonight Wood pitched seven shutout innings behind the teeny-tiny one-run lead the boys of the Steamroller gave to him. He didn’t even allow a hit until the fourth inning, which was really the only time Wood and the Dodgers felt any heat from the snakes.
In that inning Wood gave up a lead off walk and surrendered a double, which put men on second and third with two out. However, he got himself in trouble, and he got himself out of it by striking out the next batter to complete atriking out the side. Wood let loose with an exuberant fist pump on his way off the mound, and the D-backs never threatened him again.
The Dodgers picked up their solo run in the bottom of the second. Yasmani Grandal doubled – his 18th – to knock in Chris The Flash Taylor from first. That little run stood up all night.
The snakes may not have put much fear in the Dodgers’ hearts tonight, but that didn’t mean it was all cherries and cream for the boys in blue. Pedro Baez relieved Wood in the eighth and he immediately commenced to missing the strike zone. He walked his first batter on four pitches. When he threw a fifth straight ball, the skipper went out to the mound and gave Pedro a pep talk. Whatever Doc said, Baez took to heart because he got the next three batters on a strikeout, a force out, and another K to finish off the inning.
The Dodgers made a murmur of a sound at trying to get an insurance run in their half of the eighth after Corey Seager hit a two out double, but the snakes intentionally walked the red-hot red head, Justin Turner (who already had a double in the bank tonight) so they could face almost- ice-cold Cody Bellinger. Cody went down on strikes for the third out, and the Dodgers went to the big man for the save.
Kenley got a flyout, a K, gave up a single, and struck out the next man swinging to record the save, help Alex Wood earn his tenth win, and ensure at least a series defeat of the Diamondbacks.
Dodgers Win 1-0 WHEW!
Breathing Room: The Dodgers have opened up a 4 1/2 game lead over the snakes.
That’s a good pitching: Alex Wood is the first pitcher to open 10-0 since Dodger Stadium’s inaugural 1962 season.
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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Wood has exceeded expectations. This was a great game for him. Baez did a great job after the walk. Bats asleep again. Turner is da man. Grandal with a clutch hit. Jansen save # 20. Wood first Dodger pitcher to start 10-0 since Ed Roebuck in 1962. Roebuck did it out of the pen.
July 6..this day in Dodger history. 1912, cornerstone for Ebbets Field laid….1942, Leo Durocher first Dodger to manage all star game. 1955, Sandy Koufax makes his first career start. 1980, Duke Snider’s # 4 retired.
Good to hear from you Michael, believe it, or not!
Thank you MJ, been a little under the weather……
Wood is just looking very controlled and is even starting to give off a dominating vibe. Hitters seem not confident when stepping into the box.
YF
I think our concern about our set up guys, is a legitimate concern.
It was pretty obvious that Baez is just not quite there yet, if Roberts has to go out there, to give him confidence.
I think Roberts is smart to do that, but the first time Roberts went out there against the Reds, it didn’t help like it did last night.
And Baez has not always been good, in the post season.
I would rather have Morrow and Dayton be our lefty/righty set up guys. Baez too if it’s a clean inning. I’d rather not trade specifically for a set up guy as I think we will get lots of relief pitching help in September.
We just need to drop Hatcher, Romo and Gutierrez to make space.
I also think we need to rest Kenley a bit more in the second half. Maybe give some clean inning save chances to Baez.
In other lefty ace news, Bumgarner got shelled in his rehab game (9 runs, 9 hits, 4 innings). Our very owh DJ Peters hit 2 home runs off him.
YF
Bumgarner may not be that same pitcher, after hurting himself.
He already had that bad delivery where he pitches across his body, and all of those miles on his arm.
And he isn’t getting paid close to the amount of money, he should be paid.
I just watched the video of those HR’s. It is on MLB.com. Neither was a cheapie. He crushed them.
I’m happy our future RF DJ Peters clubbed 2 off a World Series stud. Huge confidence booster for him.
Post break, 30 of our first 36 games are against teams with losing records. That’s great for our record, but bad for evaluating any needs we may have.
Bobby
You were right about Kenley getting that HR out of the way in the game before.
That made it easier to watch Kenley last night, with only the one run lead!
That HR the night before, made the odds much better, in last night’s game.
I notice that outside the Western Division, only 2 teams are better than .500, and the Cubs are at .500.
Peters now leads the league with 18 dingers.
Rich Hill is getting good again, too. I daydream a little bit over the prospect of Kershaw, Wood continuing to pitch like Ron Guidry in 1978, and now Hill returning to the form that led the Dodgers to sign him.
I noticed and commented at the time that in his last couple of starts the ball wasn’t sailing high and to the arm side like it was earlier in the season. I minor mechanical tweak has improved his follow through. That, and that new cutter.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/rich-hill-got-good-again/
I’d like to see how McCarthy pitches when he’s off the DL, but if he can return to form, that’s three exceptional starters and one really good one.
Jonah
I saw that it was legalized in Nevada.
It is suppose to be legal in California soon, and don’t know when the law goes totally in affect.
But the federal government needs to change there law or classification, on pot now too.
It is such a waste of money, to try to reinforce and arrest people for pot.
There are people that say the same thing about the hard drugs. Maybe they’re right, I don’t know. My own inclination is to take a very hard line on pot, hard drugs, even alcohol and tobacco. Possession equals death, right now. Don’t allow the courts and lawyers to get involved at all. I admit I could be wrong but I do know that all of it is bad for people to some degree. I do allow eating meat, Badger doesn’t even do that…
Jonah
Pot is under the same classification as Heroin, and that is the problem.
Also the federal government gets involved in states, that have leagalized pot.
I think moderation is probably best way to go, with most anything.
Because when someone over does something, it is not usually good.
I have never tried any, but I may some day, to see if it can do what my pain meds to for me.
Because it is suppose to be healthier.
But won’t smoke anything.
I would probably try, one of there edibles.
All the illegal drugs put together do less damage nation-wide than alcohol, and tobacco is the largest contributor to preventable disease.
Dodger patch
I agree with you that Hill pitched well in his last start, but I want to wait and see, what he does, against a more formidable team, then the Padres.
Roberts also said there has been no issues with his blisters, so that really sounds good to me too.
I would feel better, if we had one more good arm in our bullpen, to help set up in games, especially in the post season.
Big local news is last Saturday was the Grand Opening of the first store to sell recreational Marijuana here. Whoopee! Only benefit I can see is that it might put a couple of illegal pushers out of business. The older I get, the dumber I am… I won’t be doing any business with them.
http://pvtimes.com/news/record-marijuana-sales-grove-dispensary-pahrump#sthash.VentdBRH.dpbs
Jonah
I don’t know why but my first response to you, is a comment or two, above your post.
I didn’t realize that you had a courthouse and a government, where you lived.
I was thinking you lived in a town the size of Baker in California, which is on the way to Vegas, where they have that Bun Boy.
At least the size that Baker use to be, about 15 years ago.
What initially drew people to Pahrump, to make them settle there?
Get off the freeway when you go through Baker, it’s bigger than you think. There are all the fast food places there now. Yes, we have a jail and a courthouse, but they are only branches of the county system. Nye County is the third largest county in the US, after San Bernardino County in California and Hualapai County in Arizona. County population is less than 40,000 people and 30,000 of them live in Pahrump. Tonopah is the county seat and has a population of about 2500 people, so the tail sort of wags the dog in this county. Yet it borders California and is only 27 miles to Shoshone to buy lottery tickets or 90 miles to Baker to get on the 15 South to Los Angeles. It’s very quiet here and no traffic problems. You can buy any kind of fireworks here but you have to buy a permit ($5) promising not to use them in Nye County. Given that even possession is illegal outside the county and anywhere in California, even selling them at all is ludicrous and forcing people to buy the $5 permit is blatant highway robbery. Only a government could get away with it…
Jonah
I have got off the freeway in Baker before, but that was 15 years ago.
You are pretty far from Baker.
That is as far as San Diego is, from where I live.
I have such a bad sense of direction!
I thought this might make you feel better, about your weather, when you heard this.
It is suppose to be 106 on Friday here, and 108 on Saturday here.
So we didn’t miss that July fourth weather here, like I thought.
It would take longer to get where you are, then Vegas, from where I live.
I use to be able to get to Vegas in one and a half hours, at the fastest.
The maps say Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas is 230 miles. You would have to drive a tad over 150 MPH all the way to do that. Maybe it was two and a half hours, you only have to do 90 MPH. Vegas is about 60 to 70 miles for me, and no traffic to speak off. I average going over there about once a year. Reluctantly.
Jonah
I know but it said I could no longer correct my post, even though I did correct it, with ten seconds left!
It was quite impressive. I actually did it one time, Vegas to Westminster, in 3 hours. And it was snowing in the mountains. 90 MPH. I was going through an emotional time. How stupid. Most of us are too dumb to live…
Jonah
That is called being human!
love it
JT won the vote baby!!
A couple of things. JT getting to the all star game because of the fans is awesome and he is very deserving, but he should have been elected by the fans to begin with. Being out voted by smaller cities in the first place shows that LA fans are not that into voting to begin with. But he is there largely due to the efforts of Pantone 294. Wood should get the call to replace Kersh who will not be able to pitch since he starts on Sunday. In an odd note…..Jharel Cotton to the DL for the A’s with a wait for it………BLISTER on his pitching hand………..
I don’t think Dodger fans are as rabid as in other smaller towns, but overall I think Dodger fans are pretty good. I think this voting drive to get JT in the ASG is but one example, Pantone 294 is another. That’s a great group, and all Dodger fans should be proud of them when they take over a whole section of AT&T Park.
Cotton was never going to be a starter for the Dodgers. It’s good that he was traded. I hope he makes the best of his opportunity, but, as we see, not all prospects live up to outsized expectations. Montas was the guy I kind of liked, but he hasn’t panned out either. Don Sutton Hair 2.0 has regressed badly.
Still early on both, I remember a guy the Dodgers had in the 50’s. He was pretty pedestrian his first 6 years in the majors. They almost traded him in 1960 to the Yankees, but did not. In 1961 it all started coming together for him, the rest is history……Koufax. I do admit sometimes they really over value some of these kids. I think Urias is way over rated, and way too much pressure on a kid that young. But sometimes they fool you. Steve Howe came out of AA ball. I think they have some good pieces, but you never know until they are out there doing it every day.
SVS returns, Dayton to DL.
This umpire is really bady
Taylor’s day off June 30 did him a world of good. He’s been on fire since (after a poor June). He’s making adjustments and turning into another Turner.
This game is killing me. So many wasted chances. The coaching staff needs to get this fixed. I don’t want to see another Mattingly-like bout with complacency. Stop going with the 3 True Outcomes and just small ball the win if it’s right there for the taking. And trust the bullpen.
Give the pitcher a lot of credit, just like we do ours. Ray did what he had to do and the coaching staffs job is to teach, the teams to learn and produce. Once they get in the batters box the coach has little effect. Ray bared down and got 3 straight K’s. Only hitter to foul one off was Barnes. What I dislike is the all RH hitting thing except for Seager who was totally over matched by Ray. Also, Puig has not hit lefty’s well at all this year, I would have started SVS over Puig.
Seager and Taylor!!!
Some little known facts about Taylor.
1. He started as a wrestler (after his dad) and did not play baseball until high school.
2. In college, he came up with the bases loaded and down a run, and singled to send his team to the college world series. For what it’s worth, Taylor is 4-5 with bases loaded this year and 17 RBIs (!!) and his first MLB home run was a grand slam.
So he’s a very good athlete, a grinder with a nose for spotting and taking quick advantage of fleeting opportunities (like any good wrestler), and probably someone you don’t want to pitch to with the bases loaded even if it means pitching to Turner batting ahead of him!
Never a doubt with this bunch. Smoke and mirrors..wow…….whole thing started with a Puig single……