There aren’t many ballparks that can keep the Dodgers from hitting home runs. The Oakland Coliseum is one of them. It looks like the Dodgers are playing on the moon in that massive Park. Without the benefit of a home run the Dodgers had to play some small ball as they opened a two-game set at the Oakland Coliseum against the A’s on Tuesday night. The Dodgers had to manufacture runs in their 4-2 win over Oakland in the series opener. They didn’t hit a home run but they managed to plate four runs and Rich Hill gave them another solid start and the road warrior Dodgers moved back into first place in the National League West.
It was actually refreshing to see the Dodgers play a little small ball for once. They resembled an actual baseball club, squeezing, stealing bases and making contact. Imagine what baseball teams had to do before launch angles and uppercut swings. Putting the ball in play is a skill that is really forgotten these days. Oakland is a feel good story of baseball because they’ve had a great season competing for a playoff spot with a small payroll. Dodger Blue small ball beat Oakland moneyball in front of a raucous Oakland crowd.
Dodgers 4 9 0
A’s 2 4 0
WP-Hill-5-4
LP-Manaea-10-8
SV-Jansen-32
HR-Davis-32
Hill allowed just two earned runs on three hits across 5.1 innings pitched. He walked four and struck out five before being taken out in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Dodger bullpen was outstanding as four relievers tossed 3.2 scoreless innings. Dylan Floro, Scott Alexander, JT Chargois and Kenley Jansen allowed just one hit, no walks and struck out six.
The Dodgers scored one run in each of the first three frames resulting in the boys in blue sending opposing starter Sean Manaea to the showers early. Manaea lasted only 2.2 innings and his poor command was a contributing cause of him giving up three earned runs on five hits with three walks. Manaea struck out only one and took his eighth loss of the season.
The Dodgers scored one run on an RBI groundout from Enrique Hernandez in the first inning, and the second run on an Austin Barnes safety squeeze in the top of the second frame. In the top of the third Cody Bellinger’s bloop RBI single scored the third Dodger run of the night. In the bottom of the sixth with the Dodgers up 3-0, they tried another squeeze bunt with Barnes at the plate but Bellinger (who was at third) is tagged out on Ryan Butcher’s shovel pass to the plate. Bellinger’s slide made it close but the call was upheld after a lengthy review.
The A’s got back in the game in the bottom of the sixth when Khris Davis smashed a two-run home run over the center field wall. That would be all the Oakland offense could muster. The Dodgers added one more run in the top of the seventh. Joc Pederson doubled off the wall and Matt Kemp followed with an RBI floater single (over first base) into right field to score Joc and give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. That’s where it would stand. The A’s would be limited to just one base runner over the last three innings. The Dodgers were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Brian Dozier had three walks, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner each had two hits.
The Dodgers wrap up the Oakland series on Wednesday night then they fly to Denver where they can really swing for the fences. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers while Oakland counters with newly acquired Mike Fiers. Catch first pitch at 7:07 PM PST.
Our bullpen is firing on all cylinders. There are no apparent problems there. When Roberts uses his best relievers to hold and save games, we are very good.
The bats helped a lot. Dozier, Turner, Joc, Belli, Machado, Kemp, all got hits. Machado still is not driving in rune. He left 7 on base! Will it really matter if he’s moved down in the order? If there are men on base, you have the chance to bring them in no matter where you are batting. This stat perplexes me. He still manages to get on base, though, and his defense seems pretty solid.
Good to see Turner in the games. He always gives us a chance.
Oakland announcers are quite funny and give you a lot of info. I didn’t know that Rich Hill was not a starter for Oakland. He was a reliever with constant blister problems. Why the Dodgers signed him as a starter knowing his history and gaving him big bucks is a mystery. Maybe both he and Maeda should join the pen for the playoffs. It would be great to get Ryu back healthy and eager to play.
I love this kind of Dodger baseball.
Urias
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/daily-prospect-notes-8-7-18/
Who’s upset that NotShyte replaced ForShyte now? That’s what I thought.
Thanks for jinxing the bullpen Jeff.
Joc missed an HR by about 2 inches left.
Damn I’m glad ForShyte is screwing up some other team. Nice contract extension signing the FO made with that P.O.Shyte.
Sign-in on this site Sucks donkey, btw
True
That was off Petite, who some of the Dodgers have seen a lot of.
Turner hit the starting pitcher hard in every at bat.
Cody hit in an important two out run, against this same leftie starter.
Kike was very lucky the third baseman didn’t throw the ball home, because he should have, because Kike shouldn’t be pulling the ball on the ground there.
Kiki needs to get that pitch into the outfield on a fly, or hit it to the right side!
Puig had a couple hits too, off the starter.
If I was the A’s manager, I would have never brought Petite into this game, because some of the players on the Dodgers know Petite well, especially Turner, Puig, and Joc.
But I guess the A’s bullpen is very over used, and it seems like Petite could have a rubber arm, but he is not always effective, especially when hitters have seen a lot of him.
Because he was on the Giants for a couple years, and on the Nationals too.
I wish our hitters, would not bunt the ball right back at the pitcher, because that makes the runner on third, have to take off at he perfect time.
And Barnes has to be perfect, if they are going to do this twice, in the same game.
Weird….my address stays here on my pc, but when I use my laptop I have to reenter it every time. Anyway nice game overall despite Dave the Dummy’s weird ass lineups. Kike is hitting .150 in the 4 hole. Not smart Dave……Back in first by .5. I would like to see that margin a whole lot bigger by the end of the month.
Bear
Does your PC have a box that says “Remember Me”? My laptop used to have this but does not now.
Hey Pack. Not on this app it does not.
Now it is not working…oh well, WTF? Fiers gets start against Kersh tonight. Have not seen the line up yet, but I would bet the lefty’s are back in there.
Fields to Az for re-hab, Ryu to OKC for re-hab. Angels release Valbuena.
Kershaw, Hill, Maeda. Buehler, Wood, Stripling, Ryu, Urias, Ferguson, heck even Brock Stewart is being activated. That has the solid underpinnings for a 6 man rotation where everybody pitches with plenty of in between downtime. Teams everywhere are changing things up, even letting some pitchers a low stress inning on throw days against the bottom of the order. A creative manager could make this work and look like a genius doing it.
Unfortunately not ours
Well Kemp is out again. Dummy has waved his magic dumb wand and put in another screwy lineup. Someday he will be gone, I hope. Sorry this makes no sense to you Jeff. Sorry you don’t like me calling Roberts Dummy. Live with it.