In his first start of the season Wood had a disastrous meltdown after just five innings, but he bounced back and looked much improved against the Diamondbacks last week. Time would tell which Alex Wood the Dodgers would get this time out.
The Dodgers faced Williams Perez on three days rest, before an Atlanta crowd that I generously estimate at 2,000. Here’s how things went for the Dodgers in Flatlanta.
Atlanta
Two base hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly resulted in the first score of the game for Atlanta.
Later an RBI single made it Atlanta 2-0.
They went down quietly.
3rd inning Atlanta 2-0
Dodgers
After a smart, 10-pitch at bat, Joc Pederson earned a lead off walk. If nothing else, that was the only bright spot for the Dodgers up to that point.
Braves
A hit batter, sharp base hit to right field, and another to the same place made it Atlanta 3-0.
Alex Wood then walked the number eight batter with bases loaded to walk in a run. After a 27-pitch inning, Atlanta was up 4-0.
4th inning Atlanta 4-0
Dodgers
After three no-hit innings for Atlanta, the Dodgers got back-to-back singles from Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig.
That was it for Perez.
More telling, that was it for the Dodgers.
Atlanta
Wood quickly retired the first two batters, but then a walk, a single, and an error by Corey Seager at shortstop resulted in yet another run. Atlanta 5-0.
A sharp grounder off of A-Gon’s glove was cashed in for another two-out run. 6-0.
5th inning Atlanta 6-0
Dodgers
Joc Pederson and Chase Utley rapped out a pair of singles. A ground out by Corey Seager brought Pederson in with the first Dodgers run of the game.
Atlanta
Wood burned up.
Adam Liberatore in. He tossed the first 1,2,3 inning of the night for the Dodgers.
Atlanta
Yimi Garcia in.
Immediate base hit.
Later came the only defensive highlight of the night for the Dodgers – a double play by Gonzalez and Seager that ended the inning.
7th inning
Louis Coleman in for the Dodgers. This was his first appearance in a week.
He was pulled after quickly allowing two on and getting one out.
J.P. Howell came in and promptly gave up a double that scored the two runners.8th inning Atlanta 8-1
Old friend Chris Withrow came in to pitch for Atlanta.
The Dodgers went out meekly, and were never heard from again.
Whatever the reasons, this first game of the Atlanta series was a mess defensively, ugly from a pitching standpoint, and a complete letdown at the plate. Here’s hoping they can shake this one off and recover in time for tomorrow’s game.
In other Dodgers news, today was the 126th anniversary (1890) of the franchise’s first game in the National League.
They were known as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms back then. They played the old Atlanta team, that was in Boston at the time, and was known as the “Bean Eaters”. Unfortunately, the Bridegrooms/Dodgers lost that game as well. The good news is, the Bridegrooms went on to become National League champs that year, so let’s hope that part of the tradition will continue as well.
Alex Wood (1-2) went 4 innings. Gave up 7 hits, 6 runs, 3 ER, 3 walks, 1 K ERA 5.06
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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Can’t win every game. Wood if they could.
The Bridegrooms, sometimes known as the Superbas, were managed by a guy named “Foxy Ned” Hanlon. I believe Wee Willie Keeler (Hit ’em where they ain’t) and Wilbert Robinson (who would become the team’s manager for many years) were on that team.
The dangers of relying on memory in old age: Hanlon and friends arrived later in the 1890’s after winning pennants in Baltimore. Sorry to bring it up.
All I can say is, we don’t have enough healthy arms to put Wood on a short leash.
One more outing like this from Wood and/or Kazmir, I think it’s time to give Zach Lee another chance. At least if Zach does well, or does not suck, he has some trade value.
So a team wins 50 and loses 50 and it is the remaining games that determines just high or low they go in the standings. Therefore, some of you take lightly the lost last night as one of the 50 loses.
Well now, no matter who was pitching for the Dodgers — they would have lost. I did not see much of the game, but the few pieces I did see, the Dodgers looked terrible. AGon striking out with a pitch out of the strike zone. The Kid with an error. Some relief pitching that was out of sink.
And Wood. The GM’s made him one of the big 5, and that is no good. Dodgers struggling to keep up with Colorado now. Interesting.
Lots of depressed people this morning. Why not?? We get pummeled, last night, by a last place team. We looked like a 70 win team. BUMMER! But, then I remember we could be 7 – 8 like the competition. Or worst of all, I could be this guy:
A man wakes up in the hospital bandaged from head to foot. The doctor comes in and says, “Ah, I see you’ve regained consciousness. Now you probably won’t remember, but you were in a huge pile-up on the freeway. You’re going to be OK, you’ll walk again and everything, but your penis was severed in the accident and we couldn’t find it.”
The man groans, but the doctor goes on, “You have $9000 in insurance compensation coming and we now have the technology to build a new penis. They work great but they don’t come cheap. It’s roughly $1000 an inch.”
The man perks up. “So,” the doctor says, “You must decide how many inches you want. But I understand that you have been married for over FORTY years and this is something you should discuss with your wife.
If you had a five incher before and get a nine incher now she might be a bit put out. If you had a nine incher before and you decide to only invest in a five incher now, she might be disappointed. It’s important that she plays a role in helping you make a decision.”
The man agrees to talk it over with his wife.
The doctor comes back the next day, “So, have you spoken with your wife?”
“Yes I have,” says the man.
“And has she helped you make a decision?”
“Yes” says the man.
“What is your decision?” asks the doctor.
“We’re getting granite countertops.”
REMEMBER, LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!
If there is an excuse to be made the Dodgers just finished a series against the Giants in front of 50,000 plus fans with the last game on National TV, had an off day, flew cross country to play a game played at 4:00 PST in front of 1000 yawning fans. Closeups of the infield looked like a football game was just played on it.
For those of you who care, I have a theory about Alex Wood.
He’s a good ole’ Southern Boy who was born in North Carolina and went to the University of Georgia. He was a Braves fan and became a Brave. While he was injured last year, it was a also a big blow to this young man to get traded away from his team. Going back last night was emotional for him and I think he just was trying too hard. That start means nothing to me. I want to see what he does in his next 4 or 5 starts. Then I can form an opinion.
I am open to his being a starter or a long reliever at this juncture. Let it play out….
MM you left yourself wide open with that theory, because now I want to ask you, what happened in SF.
That’s the excuse for not being able to get out a lineup full of minor leaguers? I think he just sucks. He’s show very little since being acquired last summer.
Cotton threw a 5 inning, 2 Hit shutout last night at OKC!
MM Orel said that Wood was just dreaming that he is a major league pitcher. And Orel doesn’t say negative stuff, infact he try’s to say positive things.
And Orel has saw all of Wood’s starts, with the Dodgers. I think I have only seen two good starts from Wood, since he has been a Dodger. And I was giving him a chance this year, because of his injury last year, but he doesn’t seem to have good control, that often.
Wood not only walked three hitters, I believe I read, that Wood hit two hitters too. I don’t understand why someone, doesn’t try to change Wood’s delivery and help him pitch with better mechanics.
Maybe he would have better control, and even more velosity, by eliminating his bad mechanics, and all the wasted energy he uses, on his ackward delivery.
I know it can’t be done this year, but maybe in the off season.
Anyways, Latos had another good start. He didn’t allow any runs. All of these pitchers, looking good after they leave the Dodgers, doesn’t make Honeycutt look very good.
When is Bolsinger due back? It can’t be too much longer. You can’t really bump Stripling. Maybe Wood goes to the pen.
Exactly Dodgerpatch!
As of last night we still had only 4 position players on the bench. Not good!
Wood has been awful on the road since the Dodgers acquired him. I’m sure someone could look up his home and away splits and I would bet they’re drastically different. You can’t pitch in the bigs always behind in the count.
Not the least bit surprised by any short outing after Kershaw. But, I am willing to “let it play out.” What choice do we have?
Our left side dint look so very good last night did it. I saw Seager commit a couple of errors in ST that looked pretty sloppy. Yeah, he’s ok out there. But, he’s not one of the better shortstops in the league. I still want him on the corner and a fleet footed vacuum at short. Some day.
Footnote: 0 for 7 WRISP.
Shame what is happening in Atlanta. Attendance listed at 14,160. I believe the 160. Didn’t look like 14,000 was there with them. I wonder what would happen in LA if we were in rebuild. Probably not that. Yeah, probably not.
So, 14 games in and we are talking about our minor league starters. Yes, I expect to see them too. Been saying it for months now. I believe the over/under for # of starters was 12. Not many willing to talk about it – until now maybe.
Dbacks shutout the midgets. I think that’s a good thing. Both now 1.5 out. Even the lowly Pods are within 3.
Might be just like this all year. Yeah, might be. Who knows.
Badger Howie came up at least three times, with runners in scoring position, and did nothing. Maybe if Roberts is goIng to play Howie, he should put Howie, lower, in the batting order, until he starts hitting.
Roberts put Kike in for Howie later, but it was to late. Kike didn’t get a hit, but he hit the ball hard, to deep rightfield. I can’t imagine how he is feeling, being blocked out by Howie, at second, and now in leftfield.
I haven’t checked Kike’s stats against righties this year, but he has looked fine to me, against righties, but I don’t know, just how many times, he has faced righties this year.
Badger, where do you want Turner to play?
I know he doesn’t have enough at bats, to make a good judgement, about his hitting, but I looked at the stats on Kike, and he still has a big split, against righties.
And he has had more at bats, against righties, early in the season, so I was wrong.
And Howie also has a big split against righties, and has better stats, against leftys, early in the season. It will be interesting, to see if Howie continues to have a big split, facing righties, this year, when he has had,more at bats, further in the season.
By the time he is done, Wood will be a #5 starter for about 7 different teams. Nice pension. He does not elevate this staff. I’m not sure he brings it down, but he certainly doesn’t improve it. Just about any of our 3A starting pitchers can do what he does. But he has a contract, so he will stay where he is. Trying too hard? Maybe in the first inning. After that, it is on him. Pitchers are supposed “to clear the mechanism” like Billy Chapel did in the movie. I doubt if anyone will make a movie based on Wood’s career. The bullpen couldn’t even mop up successfully last night. Howell is a mess. Stripling will find out early what it means to be a stopper of a losing streak. Pitching behind Wood gives him a lot of that experience.
Interesting coincidence? Tulsa got beat. Kyle Farmer didn’t play.
Dee Gordon
http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2016/4/19/11464824/dee-gordon-pendant-marlins-batting-title
A very nice gesture. How many diamond studded pendants has Kershaw received for his Cy Young awards and MVP. Oh, that’s right he will be receiving it in the form of cold hard cash……as in $40K per season soon.
oops….$40M per season.
Okay, I’m gonna say it. FAZ is surely smarter than me, but they’re stupider too! I absolutely love Kike but the path he was acquired was a stupid move. It is plain stupid-stupid to trade off such an integral, much in need, piece of what a winning team is about. I stated before that trade that Gordon had to apply all his concentration on improving one skill at a time and though doing so takes away from the skills possessed that it was all going into his bank and it’d all come together. Was I wrong? With all the resources this franchise has at hand, Kike being acquired should of been traversed on just about ANY other path.
Wood has not pitched well since he has been a Dodger but he does have huge home/road splits. Last year he was 3-2, 2.41 at home and 2-4, 6.14 on the road for the Dodgers. The problem is that he doesn’t get to only pitch at Dodger Stadium.
I have said before that he doesn’t pass the eyeball test to me.
I would rather see one of the Dodgers’ young prospects get a chance to pitch than watch Wood stink it up at least every other game.
On the other hand, the Braintrust’s Walking Wounded Brigade (Ryu, Anderson, McCarthy, Bolsinger, Frias, et al) will have pitchers returning someday – so – does the team wait for one of them to come back and send Wood to Siberia or does it try one of the prospects?
Badger – I once saw the Dodgers play a Double Header at the old Fulton County Stadium in about 1990 in front of a crowd of about 7,000
Soon after they demolished it and built Turner Field and had that wonderful dynasty for a long stretch.
I sat at home here in the UK wondering where the 10s of thousands of extra fans had come from, sitting there going their “Tomahawk Chop” song or whatever it was.
Maybe they are just reverting to type, in that they have a lot of fair weather fans.
The Dodger fans still turned up even under McCort.
Last night was very disappointing & does nothing to change my original opinion on Wood.
By the way, The Dodgers lost both games.
It was a long day.
I saw the same thing at Candlesick when the midgets sucked. I think it was the year they lost 100. Mid 80s. Strange. So quiet.
This team will be a tale of two halfs. Like Rick mentioned, walking wounded coming back. Sure would like to see one more 135 game season out of Crawford. I think he can still hit. And he can still run when his legs allow him to. It’s a shame to see a player with that much talent age so quickly.