In the first game of the post-Andrew Toles era, the Dodgers brought us Chase Utley and Scott Van Slyke as starters and Kenta Maeda to the mound. Twenty four hours ago, the Dodgers looked like a blue behemoth running over the Pirates. Now it was looking like even money for the sweep. Here’s how the game unfolded.
Kenta Maeda started off on the right foot with an easy first inning. In the Dodgers’ half of the first, Justin Turner walked, and then up stepped Cody Bellinger.
BLAMMO !!!
The blast from the kid put the Dodgers up 2-0. Then an RBI single from Chase Utley brought home Yasmani Grandal and the Dodgers were sitting pretty on a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Maeda was getting plenty of routine and acrobatic defensive support to hold the Bucs scoreless through four innings.
Those days on the bench really recharged/motivated Utley, because he was it again in te fourth, with a gapper double to score Chris Taylor from first, and push the boys in blue up 4-0.
Meanwhile, Maeda was steady as she goes, and scoreless through six. Pitch count: 72. Then he was through 7 innings on 76 pitches, and heading for the 8th inning for the first time in his ML career.
Maeda made quick work of his first two batters in the eighth, dispatching them on three pitches, but he couldn’t get strike three on the next man, who fouled off five pitches before finally grounding into the 6-3 third out. Maeda finished at 89 pitches.
in the bottom of the eighth the Dodgers kept the steamroller going, with Grandal’s third hit of the night, a high-bouncing single over first base to score the Dodgers’ fifth run.
Then Maeda went to the mound in search of a complete game shutout. Harrison led off the ninth with a base hit, but it wasn’t terribly worrisome as he was the only Pirate to give Kenta any trouble all night (Harrison went 3 for 3).
However, that last batter in the eighth really took something out of Maeda, as his pitches looked tired and were hanging around the middle of the plate too much. The next batter then tagged Maeda for a two run bomb, and it was suddenly 5-2. The shutout was gone and the happy-go-lucky atmosphere was tainted, but the skipper left Maeda in for one more batter. He struck out McCutchen, and his night was through.
With one out, Grant Dayton came in for the finish. He made quick work of the next two Pirates to record his first save and complete the sweep!
Dodgers win 5-2!
On the bright side: There was a bit of cold water thrown on his game tonight with the home run, but Maeda gave 8 1/3 quality innings, was never really in trouble, and he led the Dodgers to the win. He only had five strike outs, but he had outstanding defense backing him up, and the Bucs were never able to put a rally together.
Now playing, Bugs Bunny: Cody Bellinger played left field and first base, hit a home run and made a tumbling, head over heels catch in the field.
Kenta Maeda (3-2) went 8 1/3 with 5 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 5 Ks. ERA 5.03
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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Bellinger in LF and batting cleanup looks great. We can afford him as a Super Two. Here’s hoping Bellinger and Taylor keeps it up all year.
It was strange Dayton wasn’t used yesterday. However he looked good today. I haven’t checked, nor do I know how to, but maybe Honeycutt and Roberts like Dayton after finesse pitchers like Maeda and Ryu? It makes sense to me to the extent that Romo is provabky a bad idea after Maeda and Ryu as the shape of their pitches may look too similar.
Another thought – the warmer weather helps our rotation as well as our bats?
It is wet and cold in Colorado lately. But weather is supposed to improve this weekend.
The weather in Crowley feels like April in Wisconsin. But you’re right Michael, we’re told it’s suppose to warm up after tomorrow.
Rockies are better than anyone we’ve faced since the dbacks a few weeks ago. This series will be a better test for us.
Ok, off we go. Wish me luck.
Good luck my friend….
Give a symbolic ‘Hello’ to Timmons…
Good one Jonah
You want to be real careful in places like Colorado and New Mexico. A little over a hundred years ago the folks in New Mexico did such a poor job of hanging Black Jack Ketchum that his head popped off. It wasn’t that they disliked him so much, it was just the opposite as a matter of fact. He was so well liked he was kept in the little jail for months and months as townsfolk came to talk to him and brought him lots of food. He gained a lot of weight and they didn’t do sophisticated things like using his weight to compute the correct drop length to instantly break his neck and not have what happened there happen. Interesting times…
http://www.executedtoday.com/2010/04/26/1901-black-jack-tom-ketchum-clayton-hanging/
Jonah
I bet that hanging was talked about in that town for years.
I guess that is obvious, because it is still a story told today, like on that tread, you shared.
The weather isn’t good in California right now, but it is suppose to warm up tomorrow here, too.
Go to Tombstone, pretty interesting place. Behind the courthouse, which is now a museum, they have a yard, and there is a gallows there. One that was actually used for hangings.
Badger
I hope your back home tomorrow because that is when the weather will really be better, for you.
I guess you don’t love, a one horse town.
Jonah
I like that music, but it sounds like current country music, and that doesn’t sound like something, you would like.
It is funny because sometimes I have these old sayings come out from some where, and I think, is this the exact right saying, like when I mentioned, one horse town.
The town right next to Corona is Norco, and Norco’s population, use to have more horses, then people
And I believe that use to be Norco’s spiel.
I think the minor stroke I had, sometimes messes with me a little, especially when it comes, to spelling
Once I see it, I am fine, but sometimes, I just need to ask Siri.
You’re right, I have no use at all for that kind of music. Include Rock, Rap, and Latin in that. New National Dollar Store opened here in the boonies between my house and my nephews. What makes it odd are the three 5000 gallon water tanks in the parking lot. Open a business here, you have to put up tanks for ten to fifteen thousand gallons of water in case of fire. There is a very small water system in the downtown area, other than that, every home homeowner has to have a well drilled and septic tank dug for his own use. It works out well most of the time, except nobody drinks the water, we all buy drinking water. Sign of the times. When the electricity goes out, so does the water and the bathrooms. Plan ahead.
Jonah
My dog drinks Arrowhead water, and so do I, when I have to.
In the house I use to own before the one I live in now, it had fire sprinklers, because the city required all new homes, to be built with fire sprinklers.
I lived off the Sierra exit off the 15 freeway, in those homes, just below the 15 freeway, and it was considered, North Rialto.
I lived just off, Riverside Ave.
Sierra, and Riverside Ave, met at a three way stop, just off the freeway there.
Canon has more than a few horses, and we also have a bunch of prisons. The lake I go fishing at most of the time is about 50 miles away. There are actually 3 lakes about 50 miles or less away. So there is plenty to do. The Arkansas river runs right through the middle of town, and there is pretty good fishing there too. The raft riders use it a lot. With all the snow run off, it is pretty high right now. I am going to go to a game in Colorado Springs when the Dodger AAA team comes to town.
I think I could live there but the cold weather might be a deal breaker. Thirty and forty degree weather here in the winter is bad enough. At least we don’t get snow very often…
Jonah
I am with you when it comes to cold weather.
I don’t like when it gets cold here, either.
I always thought it might be fun to go fishing, in the high sierras, just below , Lake Tahoe.
There are a bunch of little streams, on the way down, from Tahoe.
It does snow here sometimes, and it can get bitterly cold. But the snow is usually gone in a day or two, and you actually get used to it. On the other hand, 100 degree days happen sometimes in the summer. The run off comes from the Sangre Di Cristo mountains. That’s the closest range to us.,
I may hail from India, but inside I”m really an Eskimo . I love super cold weather, and have always wanted to check out the Colorado Rockies (the mountains, not the team) and experience that cold
Can’t wait for this big 4 game set!
Bobby
I can’t wait either!
I really hope Corey has a big weekend too!
That would be great for the team, and especially for Cory, who has been struggling, lately.
Bobby
I use to love this movie that Patrick Swayze was in, that was filmed, in India.
Because it showed the country of India, and it showed the soul, of the people, from India, too.
It was called The City of Joy!
The Himalayas don’t do it for you, hunh?
nah MJ, you just liked the movie because of Patrick Swayze….
haha Jonah, never been. I’d like to, one day.
Story to the DL. So we won’t be seeing him this weekend. Awwww
Bobby
I heard Story was really struggling!
Michael
And that too!
I knew it…….
Maeda to 10 day DL and Ryu activated …Maeda must have a hangnail….
FAZ has a plan. Work on getting MLB to authorize a 4 Day DL. Starting pitchers go on the DL between starts, so the club can carry 4 extra relievers.
Michael
And that too!
“It’s not a seven-man rotation, guys just keep getting hurt at the right time.”
Pitching change for Rockies ..Jeff Hoffman starts in place of Anderson…Dodgers line up…Pederson CF, Seager SS, Turner 3B, Bellinger LF , Taylor 2B, Utley 1B, Puig RF, Barnes C, Ryu P. Maeda has a strained hammy…hmmmmmmmmm
Nice to see Roberts give Barnes a start today.
But I don’t know if I would like that, if I was Grandal, because he just started hitting, again.
But they both helped win that one game, when Barnes had the walk off hit.
I wonder how far Cody will hit one.
I found this to be a good splanation:
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/209999278/10-day-disabled-list-could-cause-big-changes/
Works well with our 13 O/U starting pitchers number.
Sun came out. Still cold. The countryside here is pretty when the sun shines. Very Midwest looking. I think Colorado begins on the west side of I-25 and Kansas on the east side
Crowley CF sucks, but isn’t as bad as Fremont. Fremont is all state cops. They’re mostly dicks. Crowley is a private facility, they are out of shape corporate stooges, not nearly the attitude of cops. Still a horrible place.
Game on tv tonight here. I’m beat. Trains kept me awake last night.
Joc in his usual form today, a strikeout before the seats get warm. I still think FAZ is looking at him.
Has anyone ever hit one into the C F bleachers here? How far would that be? I mean the second deck.
Officially measured as “a long ways”
You got to love the mentality to give a guy a day off once he finally starts to get some hits. I know pitch-framing squirrel has been doing a lot of catching but really, you can’t give him some rest when he isn’t hitting.
Ryu not long for this game. Dodgers going to need about 8 or 10 runs tonight.
Jonah
Our guys are trying to do to much, when they are up to bat, especially toward the back of our line up.
But this umpire hasn’t been good from the begining with Ryu.
The ump gave the Rockies pitcher the corners, but not Ryu, before this game got out of hand.
But this is Colorado, where is Toles when we need a grand slam.
Stop it. Ryu stinks tonight. Game over, I’m glad to see they’re trying to save the bullpen in this lost cause.
As good as Maeda was, Ryu is as bad. But, these are the Rockies, not the hamburgers we’ve been playing.
When you have a ten run lead, you can throw it over the plate, even to the .150 hitters. I suspect we will score some runs tonight.