The Dodgers knocked off the Tribe in Tuesday night’s series opener to move into a first place tie in the NL West. Clayton Kershaw won his National League leading ninth win and Cody Bellinger hit two home runs as the Dodgers defeated the Indians 7-5. The Dodgers hit three home runs in the game as Bellinger was 3 for 4 and drove in 4 of the seven runs. Corey Seager, Justin Turner, and Yasiel Puig all had two hits each with Puig hitting his tenth home run of the season, a second inning shot off opposing starter Trevor Bauer. Bellinger now leads the club with 17 home runs.
The Dodgers scored two in the second, two in the eighth and three in the ninth, while going 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. The super kid stole the show as his late game dinger put the Dodgers ahead in the top of the eighth. It was Bellinger’s two-run home run off of Andrew Miller that broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth inning. He added another blast in the following frame.
Kershaw allowed just two earned runs on six hits over seven innings while striking out four. Opposing hurler Bauer went six innings allowing two earned runs on six hits as well. He struck out five and walked three but was not involved in the decision.
Of course Chris Hatcher nearly blew the game in the ninth inning with the Dodgers leading 7-2 because he’s horrendous. The Dodgers were forced to bring in Kenley Jansen to get the last out of the game. By doing that Kenley saved his twelfth of the season.
Check out Bellinger’s first home run of the game off of Miller below.
Joc Pederson was activated before the game and returned to the Dodger’s lineup. He went 0 for 4, but he appears to be healthy for now. Adrian Gonzalez was placed back on the disabled list with more back discomfort.
The lesson learned should be to never ever bring Chris Hatcher late into a game with a lead ever again. Actually the Dodgers should never bring him into a game when they’re losing either. Honestly I still have no idea why he’s wasting a roster spot. This is the third year in a row he’s taken away a roster spot from a more deserving pitcher. Here’s hoping the Dodgers finally wise up on him.
Oh and Puig flipped off some Indians fans after he hit his home run in the second inning. This is what he had to say about it…..
#Dodgers Yasiel Puig said 4 fans in dugout seats were riding him before/after his HR. "I reacted that way. I stooped to their level"
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 14, 2017
Cool. Great shenanigans.
With the Rockie’s 5-2 loss to the Pirates the two clubs are now in a tie for first place in the NL West. The Dodgers are actually three percentage points ahead of the Rockies and have won five in a row. Arizona is hot on their heels sitting a half game behind the Dodgers and Rockies. The series continues tomorrow evening as Brandon McCarthy counters Corey Kluber.
Actually they are .003 percentage points in first. Lets hope McBrittle can do the same today. It is my birthday and a win would be a great present. Actually Scott, it was a double bird by Yasiel. And I have seen a Dodger player do that to fans at Dodger Stadium. Bill Buckner was playing LF and made an error costing the team a couple of runs. Guys in the stands started chanting, you suck Buck! He nonchalantly gave them the bird. Guys get caught up in the moment sometimes, and I have birdied people a few times myself. He gets booed everywhere he goes, even if they have never seen him play. So maybe he just thought enough is enough. He will be fined and maybe get a 1 game suspension. So his action is not with out consequence’s. When asked if he saw it, Roberts said, are you sure he was not telling them we are #1……….Probably would be a good idea to teach him the Italian salute like we used to do in the Army………
Apparently people still really really hate Puig and were giving him a good jeering. I never understood that. When he came into the league yeah maybe he tossed his bat a little too nonchalantly, but really that’s it. Rednecks especially hate him. I love the effect he has on Bumgartner.
…I’m trying to place your profile pic. Is that Cpt. Kirk from the first Star Trek movie…circa 1979?
Yeah it is Patch, and he was an Admiral then…..Just a publicity still. Always been a trekkie. I was going to put up a pic of President Trump, with whom I share a birthday today…..but did not want to upset a few liberals on here….no problem…..I love the Kirk character and changing my gravitar about once a week has been fun.
I love old Star Trek. Never was much into the new stuff. The old show was very non PC, which is great in my opinion.
Upsetting liberals is one of my guilty pleasures. Although I didn’t vote for him, I wouldn’t have minded a bit if you’d posted a pic of yourself with a MAGA hat.
Happy birthday!
I will do that….especially after what happened today in Virginia…..and they call Trump supporters fanatics……I also will wear my Veterans For Trump T-Shirt.
Back in first, kind of, that’s great. I’ve been keeping tabs on the (young) Rockies pitching and they might now fade. I think we will have to play really well the rest of the way to win the division.
I think the Rockies kids have been doing a pretty good job, but it is their offense and relief corps that has kept them in the race so far. Our BP has been pretty good except for a couple of guys. Personally, I DFA Hatcher and Romo. Neither is all that great. I recall Morrow and bring up another bench guy. Playing with a short bench is not really all that smart. The BP basically has 2 long men now, Maeda and Stripling. 1 closer, Jansen, 2 lefty’s, Dayton and Avilan, and Baez, Fields and Hatcher to get them to Kenley. They can drop Hatcher, and Fields and Baez will do fine getting the game to Jansen.
YF
All the former pitchers on the MLBChannel said they don’t see the young Rockie pitchers, holding up the entire season.
They said in your first year you don’t relize how long the season really is, especially this early in the season.
That’s true. And the Rockies have done this before. They are good, but they are not first place good. We are supposed to win the Division, and for very good reason.
Flipping fans off is never cool. It can only make things worse. Taking verbal crap from opposing fans has been part of the game for a hundred years. You shut them up by beating them. Puig should be disciplined by the league and by the team.
Not sure what to make of Bellinger. I’m surprised with a swing as long as his opposing pitchers haven’t figured him out. Just before they brought him up, in his last 10 in AAA he struck out 1/3 of the time. But you can’t argue a .965 OPS. Can he keep it up? Not likely, but this is sure fun to watch.
Long swing, and he strikes out a lot, but that can be mitigated somewhat if you have good pitch recognition and/or you’re a good guess hitter. Interesting that both of those homers came off of lefties.
I read years ago most big league hitters are guess hitters. I learned to look fastball, adjust to spin. But Major Leaguers spin so tight it’s much more difficult to recognize in the time allotted. I admit I am somewhat surprised there isn’t a book on him. If minor league pitchers can strike him out (162 game average 212 K’s) Major League pitchers should be blowing him away. They are not. Hallelujah.
Badger
Did you notice that Joc was wearing that helmet when he was up to bat, that has that extra protection, against the rightie starter, I wonder what that was about?
So far, it looks like Bellinger is more advanced then Joc was, in his first season, and Cody only has had a month, in AAA.
I thought that ump favored Miller a little in that at bat, against Turner.
Because he made a bad call on Turner, so Turner had to swing at a pitch that was inside on him, even with his batting stance.
I knew Hatcher was going to give up that HR!
He comes into a game and makes it a game for the other team, when the game was out of reach, when Hatcher came into the game.
This is the second time that I saw that Roberts was pissed,about Hatcher’s performance.
I just don’t understand why he is so untouchable.
Hatcher is definitely interesting to watch.
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How important is “stuff”? How amenable is he to coaching?
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Obviously with the rest of the bullpen doing so well (even with Dayton not in peak form) it mitigates Hatcher, but for how long?
Joc wearing the flap because he is coming off the concussion DL. Standard procedure now. Stanton and Heyward wear them too because they were hit in the face. Joc almost always wears that against lefty’s. That call on Turner was TERRIBLE and pitch cast showed it was at least 4 inches inside. That ump stunk. Did you see that ump in the Nationals game get into it with Daniel Murphy? He actually told Murphy to FO…….wow……Murphy wanted him to move out of his direct line of sight.
I agree Bluto. Hatcher has the arm, and I’ve recently seen him mix in some off speed pitches, but his command of the strike zone is not good. Hitters can sit on that straight cheese and because he misses his spots they can barrel it up. I’m sure coaches are working with him. I’m also sure it’s frustrating to them as well.
Did they say or show what Puig did, on the Dodgers broadcast, because I didn’t see that at first?
I didn’t see that until later, on the MLB Channel, and I was watching the game.
Baseball will probably fine Puig, but he doesn’t do stuff like that all the time, so I have no problem with what he did.
And at least Puig showed those people with the bat, before he flipped them off.
He will probably think first next time, because of the fine, and the Dodgers will talk to him.
It kills me on TV when they won’t show someone flipping the bird.
Like no one has seen that before.
But at least Puig went the other way twice yesterday, that will help him to hit good fastballs easier, then trying to pull everything.
When Puig was at his best he hit the ball hard to the opposite side, and that is where most of his power is.
And Cody also had a pretty good night too, I would say, because it was Cody four, and Indians bullpen nothing.
Bluto
Hatcher has only been good for three weeks, and that was in the first year, he was with the team.
I just don’t understand why they continue to have this guy on the team.
I guess this shows that stuff doesn’t always play, when a pitcher is a thrower, and not a pitcher.
It must be mental with Hatcher too.
Because this happens way to much.
MJ,
Your confusion:
I just don’t understand why they continue to have this guy on the team.
Can be addressed with your guess:
It must be mental with Hatcher too.
Bluto
Are you talking about me or Hatcher?
I’m just joking!
They will definitely fine him MJ. Heat of the moment stuff happens a lot. And players flip off fans more than people think. Do you remember a game in SF when some fan snatched the cap off of a reserve catcher and the BP guys went into the stands after him? No nice words were spoken then you can bet. Ty Cobb would have just met them after the game and punched them out……..
He will be fined. That is a given. Probably a 1 game suspension to boot. I do not remember what they did to Buckner, but I do know he got traded that winter for Rick Monday. I was impressed with the homer off Miller, who has nasty stuff, but I do not expect Cody to hit like that until the end of the year. His average has dropped, but he keeps on ticking. At this rate he will come very close to breaking the Dodger rookie home run record held by Piazza.
Michael
Didn’t the Dodgers get rid of Buckner and Valentine, for reasons other then just baseball?
I thought one reason was about their long hair, or something like that.
I remember Buckner was fast before he got injured, and I thought he messed up his ankle badly.
I was still pretty young then, and you know there was not the same access to baseball back then.
And This Week in Baseball, on the weekends.
Valentine was Tommy’s fair haired boy. But the Angels insisted on him being a part of the Frank Robinson trade. His antics did not come until later in his career when he was a manager. He got injured as an Angel, and that pretty much derailed his playing career. It was pretty serious. I was at the game when Billy got injured, he slid into second and basically did the same thing that happened to Tommy Davis except his ankle was not broken, just a very severe sprain. He never regained his speed. He was traded because the Dodgers desperately needed a CF. He and Ivan Dejesus and another player for Rick Monday and Mike Guzman after the 1976 season. They had traded Jimmy Wynn the year before. Buckner’s hair was pretty long back then, but I doubt that was the reason. It was more out of need, and Buckner could no longer really play LF for them since Baker was there. By the way, Alston hated Robinson. Could not stand the guy. That’s why he was traded after 1 season as a Dodger….1972. Valentine was sent to the Angels with Robinson. And 3 other players for Andy Messersmith
I knew that Valentine ran into a wall and injured himself, and that ended his career.
A friend and,I went to see Valentine when he was appearing at a local mall.
He gave us a twenty to go call someone for him, on the team, to tell them when he was going to be able, to make it to the field.
The Dodgers had so many good young players, back then.
Yeah they did. If memory serves, they traded Grabarkewitz, and Singer and someone else along with Valentine and Robinson. Alston disliked Richie Allen too, and he also spent only 1 season as a Dodger. They of course traded him for Tommy John.
Can we DFA Hatcher already? This guy gets lit up in nearly every appearance he makes. Since his only consistency is the ability to get lit up, isn’t he just a wasted spot on the roster and in our pen. You really can’t even put him in for mop up duty, since he has the ability to screw up as a mop up. This is madness on the part of the FO, they can’t allow this to happen game after game with Hatcher. totally unfair to Roberts, the team and the fans. Move on!
Hatcher and Romo both need to go. Kenley should have never needed to pitch in the game. Part of the onus is on our vaunted catcher too. He has way too many passed ball. Had he held on to that 3rd strike, the game is over.
Hatcher may be a management favorite. Who knows. He’s got a great arm. His command continues to suck.
10 of 17 picks so far have been RHP. Stocking them up for future trades.
We won another Kershaw start. It’s a scoop when we don’t. Now the test – are we better than one of the Top 5 AL teams. Stand by.
That kid Wong they drafted is supposed to be like Barnes. Multi-positional and very versatile with a good bat. Grandal has receded into having LOUSY at bats again. Guy drives me NUTS!!!! They should just make Vanderbilt a Dodger farm team. They like their kids so much.
They have also drafted 5 short stops. I think maybe they feel they do not have very good ones down on the farm. Lux has not been all that. Not sure who is playing SS at AAA.
Of some concern to me, not a lot, but a little, is the amount of HR’s CK has given up this year. He is on pace to double what he gave up last year. And he has given them up to some really bad hitters. That guy yesterday was hitting .138. And that was his first HR of the year.
Kershaw has not been watching his first pitches well, and a lot of players, swing at his first pitch.
Also when Kershaw gets down on his count, he almost always throws his fastball, in those situations, and that makes him, to predictable.
Also he doesn’t want to walk anyone, so he throws to many balls, around the plate.
They were talking on the broadcast last night that his fastball location this season has not been great. He has trouble getting it where he wants it early in the game. That 1st inning double that Kipnis hit was off a fast ball up.
Down on the farm Monday……Isabel hit HR # 15 and Peters # 10. On Tuesday, at OKC, Oaks won his 3rd game. Trayce Thompson went 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBI’s and is now over the Mendoza line at .203. Dickson and Farmer also homered. Culberson was 2-4 with 2 ribbies. He is playing SS most of the time down there. Calhoun was 1-2 with a triple. This day in Dodger History, 1938. A crowd of over 38,000 watch the first night game in NY at Ebbet’s Field…Johnny Vander Meer no hits the Bums.,
BAD news out of OKC. Julio Urias put on DL and returns to LA with shoulder soreness……
More bad news out of OKC….Calhoun has a strained hammy…….dammy…..
Puig is getting suspended for one game, but he is going to play until the final word comes.
Yes, fined also…..that used to be about 250 bucks, not sure what they fine them today, 250 bucks is lunch money today.
Bellinger has made Gonzo obsolete…….they really cannot trade him so we are stuck with him now.
Dodgers drafted Logan Whites son. I think he is a catcher. Kike hits a HR off of Miller. Dodgers break 2-2 tie in the 8th again. Now up 6-2, Taylor flares one to CF and knocks in 2. New gravitar is one of my 3 Sandy Koufax bobblehead’s.