The Dodgers return home to open up a nine game home stand with an interleague series against the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers were able to salvage one win in their three game series at Denver thanks to a quality start from Kenta Maeda and some well timed offense from Corey Seager and Yasmani Grandal.
Tonight with their pitching staff still in flux they’ll give the ball to left hander Scott Kazmir while the Red Sox will counter with right hander Steven Wright. It’s anyone’s guess which Scott Kazmir will show up. Will it be the good Kazmir? Or the bad Kazmir that allows over 8 runs per outing in the first inning?
Dodgers Lineup vs. Boston
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Reddick RF
Gonzalez 1B
Grandal C
Kendrick LF
Pederson CF
Kazmir P
Steven Wright-12-5 vs. Scott Kazmir-9-4
Game Time – 7:10 PM- TV -SNLA
The Red Sox are in third place in the American League East with a 59-48 record and they are 2 games behind Baltimore and Toronto. They are 25-23 away from Fenway Park. The Dodgers will be saying goodbye to big papi David Ortiz and also saying hello to former Dodger Hanley Ramirez. Both should be on hand during tonight’s game. However with no DH, Ortiz might have to be penciled in at first base.
Wright is a 31-year old right handed knuckleballer from Torrance, California. He was originally with the Cleveland Indian’s organization before being traded to the Red Sox for Lars Anderson. Wright has posted a 12-5 record with a 3.20 ERA in 21 starts this season. He’s struck out 114 and walked 50 and has one of the lowest home run rates in MLB.
He keeps the ball in the park and has a 3.49 FIP across 137 frames. Wright has pitched very well since the beginning of July. He was 4-0 in July and has won four consecutive decisions. Wright has never faced the Dodgers before and is 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA in interleague matchups. Josh Reddick is the only Dodger to have faced him before. He is 4 for 6 with two runs driven in against Wright.
As for Kazmir, he lost his first decision since May 9th last week against Arizona allowing 4 earned runs on 8 hits over 6.2 innings pitched. Overall he is 9-4 with a 4.41 ERA over 116.1 innings pitched. He’s struck out 124 and walked 39 while allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings. Kazmir has had plenty of experience against the Red Sox from his days in the American League.
Over 29 career starts he is 9-9 with a 3.99 ERA against the Red Sox. That includes 164 whiffs in 162 innings pitched. The first inning could really be a problem with the current Red Sox batting .320 against him with 7 home runs and 28 runs driven in. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .481 (25 for 52) with 4 home runs against him.
Kazmir vs. Red Sox
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| David Ortiz | 68 | 58 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 13 | .207 | .324 | .345 | .668 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 63 | 52 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 4 | .481 | .565 | .885 | 1.449 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Aaron Hill | 40 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 | .306 | .350 | .500 | .850 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hanley Ramirez | 11 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .222 | .273 | .333 | .606 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xander Bogaerts | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .143 | .250 | .286 | .536 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brock Holt | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | .667 | 1.167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mookie Betts | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .400 | .400 | .400 | .800 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Hanigan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jackie Bradley | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 206 | 178 | 57 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 25 | 28 | .320 | .400 | .545 | .945 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
The Dodgers will be honoring David Ortiz as this is his last season. The ageless wonder is batting .311 with 25 home runs and an OPS of 1.021. The best way to honor big papi would be to beat him. The Dodgers can show him that respect. I would like to see big papi leave Dodger Stadium sad and dejected.
While the Dodgers are battling Boston, the Giants are in Washington playing the Nationals. The Dodgers are still 2 games back and have a 3 game lead in the wild card race.
Go Blue!
is the other thread done now?
For those who are interested I just got off the phone with Roger. He and his wife have been very busy, just got back from a cruise with his kids and grandkids. We talked for about an hour. If he chooses he can tell you what about.
Not much to add. I did notice more name calling from one of our FAZophant brothers. Some people just can’t help themselves I suppose.
4 zip now. 4 earned in 4 innings. 77 pitches to get 13 outs. Kazmir is consistent, we have to give him that.
I must have inspired him. Double play as soon as I posted.
Translation: Patch is a arrogant douchebag that thinks his point of view is what others point of view must be. Get over yourself stickypatch, you ain’t all that. I think you need some regular time on the couch with a professional, I hope you can work thru your issues, but it ain’t likely with a narcissist. Plus I detect a professional liar is stickypatch’s trade, I’d be willing to bet on that.
Badger, thanks for the update on Roger, much appreciated.
2011 was an unlucky draft for the Dodgers. They missed Jackie Bradley in the first round and Mookie Betts in the fifth. Got to hand it to Theo.
Kazmir – 4 runs in 5 innings
Dodgers – 1 hit in 7 innings
Kaz is currently the Dodgers #2 starter with Kershaw away – they are not going to be able to compete in the postseason with that
Chavez – hasn’t been good with the Dodgers. Either has Reddick yet. No sign of Hill (maybe Sunday?).
The big trade – it’s only been 3 games but not so good so far
Dodger rick
What do you expect for Bolsinger?
I knew that Chavez wouldn’t be good.
That is what makes me mad.
They could have picked up a better arm for the pen, that wouldn’t cost big prospects.
You would think they could have at least did that, since there choice in starting pitchers, has burned out the bullpen pitchers.
Take the high road boys and girls. We have a good site let’s keep it that way going forward.
We all have our issues but it’s fun with jabs the right way.
Been quiet, let’s get it going.
Badger, you are an?!? ‘!!
Web have Pappi in the house. Lots of respect. Class A dude. But please don’t pitch to him.
Yes Tim. Yes I am. I am that and then some.
Boston looks good. They must have a lot more wins than we do.
Theo sure knows how to draft well, that is for sure.
You know what I just figured out? It’s mathematically possible for Grandal to break DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak this year and not hit .240.
I’m going to bed.
That guy Chavez, was he one of the “Elite” players Andrew promised us?
Badger, you trying to get MT out of hiding??? I wonder though how Austin Barnes would have fared at C for the season with AJ mentoring…
Still 2 games back but how long will the midgets let us hang around??? Still luv to look at midget’s schedule… We’ll be in first by the 22nd. a day of rest and commence to sweep the midgets in our crib…
Hot Tip: I’ve had Tulsa broadcasts for a couple months and that’s a fun team to watch…
Slotim – So right… It was like a Trump rally there for awhile…
P.S. Badger, yes I’ve had bad coaches but always great mentoring from especially my Pop… In the late 50’s I sat for hours with Joe Pignatano who was with the Blue and lived with Carl Furillo in my hometown…
No Pete, not trying to lure a troll out of hiding.
Point about bad coaching was simply they don’t get as much out of their players as a good coach will. My senior year we had a new varsity coach and we went from a top OC program to 2-6-1. The next year the team was 0-9. Terrible experience for all the players.
But I’d bet the ranch you never rolled over… MLB today, you don’t chastise the players, you talk to the agent first…
Although it will never happen, I’d love to see incentive driven contracts… Sort of like Maeda has now I’m thinking…
Of course not. You always give your best. But, a good coach gets all 11 guys on the field pulling on the same end of the rope. A good coach can get all 11 guys to believe they can run through that wall if they do it together. A ineffective coach can get guys to run fast up to the wall, but they stop and say “I don’t think so. Not for this guy”. You know this is true. I know it because I lived it the Marine Corps. Nobody better at convincing than those guys.
Do the Dodgers players believe in this system? I have no idea. Maybe. But when they see Latos instead of Hamels, when they see Kazmir instead of Cueto, when at this deadline they see what appears to be a switch in philosophy, when they see those with injury go down with injury, then they see their leader go down with what looks like injury from carrying too much of the load – what ARE they saying in private moments? Some thoughts may leak out, but we don’t really know.
What we do know is that Vegas does not like us but fangraphs does. What does THAT mean. It means we will probably be in this until the last week, exactly what most of us believed to be the case. It’s absolutely possible that those injured pitchers will be fresh and ready to go starting in September. That would be cool. Do we expect that? Some do. I don’t. Gut feeling. I’d like to be wrong about that.
Come on Badger, you don’t get rah-rah with inflated egos and over blown contracts… I know I was in Anti-Submarine Warfare chasing Russians for the USN…
I’d love to have a team of Utleys and Turners and the kid Seager….
Badger, you know Cueto is gonna fold up like a cheap beach chair come Oct… At least that’s what you guys told meofold up like