It looks like my prognostication that the Dodgers would never score again was wrong. In my defense it looked like that was certainly the case. I mean the way they were hitting it was very possible that the boys in blue would not score a single run for 162 games. Then they busted out by scoring five runs in a 5-0 win on Saturday night. The Dodgers were looking for a series split as they gave the ball to Rich Hill on Sunday night baseball. The Giants countered with Chris Stratton. I love to joke, but it looks like the Dodgers are back on track.
The Dodgers made up for all of the ohfers from the first two games of the series by letting loose with a nine-run barrage. The boys in blue exploded by scoring four runs in sixth and four more runs in eight innings. Rich Hill was dominant and the Dodgers finally hit their first home run of the season, a wall scraper from Cody Bellinger in the sixth inning. The Dodgers were the last team in the majors to hit a home run.
Giants 0 6 0
Dodgers 9 13 0
WP-Hill-1-0
LP-Stratton-0-1
HR-Bellinger-1
The beginning of the game was yet another scoreless pitching duel between Hill and Stratton. However the Giants kept getting runners on base as Hill wiggled out of jams. The Giants had one on with one out in the first inning after Joe Panik singled, but Hill induced Andrew McCutchen to ground into an inning ending double play.
In the third inning it looked like the Giants would take the lead when Brandon Belt walked and Brandon Crawford singled him to third. With first and third Stratton placed a sacrifice bunt, with Hill coming off the mound to field it and throw him out by a step. Jackson grounded out to third with the Dodgers holding the runner at third. After a walk to Panik, the ice cold McCutchen flied out to left.
In the top of the fourth, Buster Posey singled and Hill recovered to whiff Longoria and Hunter Pence. Then Belt doubles over Puig’s head and it appeared that Posey should score, but the Giants held him at third. Puig’s arm can be quite a deterrent. After an intentional walk, Stratton struck out swinging.
In the top of the sixth inning which was Hill’s final frame, Posey leads-off with a double off the top of the wall. Hill gets Longoria to fly out and Pence to ground out. After a rare Posey steal of third, Belt lines out to Puig in right field.
Hill would finish with 6 innings of work, allowing just five hits, three walks and striking out five. The Giants left seven runners on base and were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile the Dodger bats were awakening from their deep slumber. But it took them a few innings to do it.
A defensive mental lapse allowed the first Dodger run to score in the bottom of the fourth inning. Seager and Puig both single and one out later Bellinger flies out to shallow left. Seager tags up to third while Puig dances off of first base. The Giants relay the ball back to the infield as they try to get Puig in a rundown. One little problem there, they forgot all about Seager. He trots into score and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth inning the Dodgers broke the game open. Chris Taylor doubled and after Seager whiffed, Puig’s double to center scores Taylor to put the Dodgers up by a 2-0 score. The Giants bring in Josh Osich, and Yasmani Grandal’s ground ball single to left scores Puig. 3-0 Dodgers!
Bellinger immediately homers to left to put the Dodgers up 5-0 and the game on ice. The home run barely clears the wall hitting the top platform and bouncing into the pavilions. The Dodgers poured it on in the bottom of the eighth inning. Three consecutive singles from Puig, Bellinger and Grandal put the Dodgers up 6-0. An RBI double from Enrique Hernandez and an RBI ground out from Joc Pederson gave the Dodgers an eight run lead. Finally Austin Barnes got into the act with an RBI single as well and the Dodgers were up 9-0.
The Dodger bullpen performed well too. Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields and even Wilmer Font pitched a scoreless inning in relief. The Dodgers were 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Five hitters (Taylor, Puig, Grandal, Bellinger, Hernandez) all had at least two hits or more. Puig was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. The Dodgers had four, count them four extra-base hits.
Now that the drought is over and the series with the stupid Giants split we can put our minds at ease a bit. The Dodgers will embark on their first road trip of the season with three in Arizona against the miserably annoying Dbacks. The series begins on Monday as Hyun-jin Ryu makes his season debut against Taijuan Walker.
Four games is too small a sample size but how about that new and improved SF offense. With Longoria, A. Jackson, and McCutchen:
Game 1 – 1 run
Game 2 – 1 run
Game 3 – 0 runs
Game 4 – 0 runs
Maybe they’ll start playing the Panda. Oh baby!
I think the Giants offense ran into the Dodger pitching. I can’t remember a better display of pitching prowess in an opening 4 game series like this one. I went from agony to ecstacy. No one could ask for better pitching from the 4 starters. They gave up 2 runs in 4 games! If Ryu pitches anywhere near what we’ve just seen, we can all take a very deep breath and take back the finger we gave to the FAZ. lol
I would imagine the D-backs offense will not be as tame as the Giants. This is a dangerous club with some good pitching as well, not as good as ours, though.
Looking forward to more HR’s (by our bats!).
It’s a long season Jeff. The big question was always, always about durability. And the big issue there is whether the lack of durability wears out our bullpen.
We, or at least most of the oldtimers here, know that you’re just warming up your mojo Scott, I dare say you’ll get plenty of practice before the postseason, so buckle up boys and girls!!!
Here’s a scoop – the Dodgers pitching is not this good and the giants offense is not this bad. After a 4 game home stand we are tied for second with those guys.
We’re favored tonight -113. Odds Shark computer has the dbacks winning 3.5-2.7. Arizona home opener against the team they really want to beat. Should be a good one. It’s on local tv, Bob Brenly and Steve Barthiaume. Ooh Brenly hates the Dodgers.
Badger
Has Brenly publicity said that?
Ex Candlestick Giant . Of course he hates the Dodgers.
No. But its obvious. He’s really funny and clearly knows more about baseball than I do. I really like him. But his tone changes when the Dodgers are in town. It goes back a long way.
Badger
Thanks!
I always have heard that the Dbacks announcers in general, don’t like the Dodgers, but I have never heard their broadcast.
Jeff
Remember tonight, Ryu is pitching in a hard place to pitch, and all our other starters, were pitching in a pitcher’s Park.
The Dbacks even talked about using a humidor, but I don’t know for sure what they ended up doing with that.
But you should be seeing more HRs in this Stadium, let’s hope there are more HRs, from the Dodgers, then Dbacks.
I noticed we were facing most of the pitchers that were just promoted to the majors this year, although I don’t know much about the Giants starter last night.
I hope our offense is more about our hitting, then the pitchers the Giants throw against us, last night.
Is there a Brenly Publicity Company? Just wondering.
Since the Giants Starting Staff has been rocked with injuries, did we really see any pitcher that is better than a #3 starter? Cueto I guess is about a #3 on most clubs in the MLB.
So we got fat the last two games on 4,5 and 6 starters. And really game three we only had 4 hits, so in effect we got fat last night on a #6 starter and #hideous bullpen.
I reserve my optimism about this squad for another month or two.
What is the Brenly Publicity Company saying about that?
True, if you asked Brenly using your blog name he would tell you to suck eggs. He’s his own publicist.
Have you ever heard him do color? He’s really good. But, he wears his feelings about the Dodgers on his sleeve. Krukow and Kuiper feel the same, but contain it better. I lived in Northern California for a few decades before I moved to Arizona. Local telecasts aren’t exactly pro Blue where I’ve lived.
Since I have a long standing hatred for the Giants and some of the pinheads that used to play for them, I guess if Brenly’s Publicity Company told me that , I would tell them to “eat _____ and die”. So I guess it’s a draw. “Hey Brenly, take a seat, MEAT!” (Yeah I used to live in the Bay Area as well. At least Krukow is interesting to listen to). I still hate driving into The City and it’s surroundings, I avoid trips there as often as possible, but yeah I have a Fastrak however.
I usta like being in SF, never liked driving in it. When I lived in Napa we’d take the ferry in from Vallejo and cab wherever we wanted to go. That was cool. Getting to thevballpark can be a pain though. Never bought FasTrak but I know it’s a good idea if you’re going in there a lot.
Brenly’s a’ight. I don’t mind people hating the Dodgers. I played on many softball teams over the years and my teammates all hated the Dodgers. They loved me though. And who could blame them, right?
Badger
You are a very likable guy, that is for sure!
True
That is what I was thinking too, especially in this last game.
Although Cueto has always given us trouble, and so has Brach at times.
But I was also thinking about the pitchers in the Giants bullpen we faced, because it seemed like we faced a couple of pitchers, that were just promoted to the majors, this year.
I’ll take the angle that Kershaw, Maeda, and Hill were all in quite a bit of trouble. Only Wood was fantastic. It’s just that the Giants’s bats were dormant for 4 games. Any decent hitting team would have knocked all three of those guys out fairly early. But like I said these were the Giants!!!!
Go over to McCovey Chronicles. Their readers are very knowledgeable and already see how this team (despite FA) has a lot of problems. Actually these saw this even before the season started.
However our starting pitching – after Kershaw and Wood – yikes!
Badger what does the -113 mean? Does it mean put down $113 to win 100? Is that how you read it?
The bookies would love me 🙂
Bookies love everybody who bets.
If you win you get your original $113 bet back plus the $100 you won for a total of $213. If you lose you’re an idiot for betting in the first place and $113 lighter in your pocket. I don’t gamble. Never did really. My vices lie elsewhere. I just like to look now and then to see what the money says about todays game. Could be some offense today. 9.5 runs. I expect some thunder – Dodgers 7-4.
The Dodgers feasted (if that’s what that was) on the Giants #4 & #5 starters. They did nothing against there #2 & #3 starters. OTOH, The Giants offense did nothing against the Dodgers top 4 starters. If it wasn’t for Panik they would have been swept and the panic would have set in.
Onward to Arizona where the ball flies and folks frolic in the pool.
Chili
The Giants don’t hit a lot of HRs, but they do tend to have a much more productive offense, then we do.
And they have to, because they play in that large park, and because they don’t hit a lot of HRs.
They usually do the little things better then us, like moving runners over, and either getting a hit, when runners are in scoring position, or an out, that will also score a run.
But it wasn’t only the Giants starters that looked bad, a couple of the relievers that Bochy brought in yesterday, didn’t look that good either.
Orel is not exactly an unbiased announcer, himself.
But with him, I don’t see him putting the other teams down, but he always puts on a positive spin, when it comes to the Dodgers.
If you are interested in the Dodgers system and player development acumen, I’d suggest tracking the Tulsa Drillers.
It’s a prospect-laden team, headlined by Yadier Alvarez, DJ Peters, Keibert Ruiz, Dennis Santana and Will Smith also starring Caleb Ferguson, Drew Jackson, Luke Raley, Errol Robinson, Josh Sborz and Devin Smeltzer.
1. Joc Pederson (L) CF
2. 1. Joc Pederson (L) CF
2. Corey Seager (L) SS
3. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
4. Yasmani Grandal (S) C
5. Cody Bellinger (L) 1B
6. Matt Kemp (R) LF
7. Chase Utley (L) 2B
8. Logan Forsythe (R) 3B
9. Hyun-Jin Ryu (R) P Seager (L) SS
3. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
4. Yasmani Grandal (S) C
5. Cody Bellinger (L) 1B
6. Matt Kemp (R) LF
7. Chase Utley (L) 2B
8. Logan Forsythe (R) 3B
9. Hyun-Jin Ryu (R) P
Hope it works.
That was weird.
Badger
Guess I am not supposed to know what the hell all that is? Just playing Joc sickens me.
Joc and Utley in at the same time.
-113 went to -107.
The rest of that is a cut and paste error that I didn’t fix in time. Maybe it’s a sign. If it is, I don’t get it.
Dodgers trade Ysla and sign Hudson. Hudson is interesting. Good arm when it’s healthy.
Where is everybody?
Grandal hitting the ball nicely this year SO FAR.
That what Squirrel do. Collect nut for long drought.
He’s actually stopping balls in the dirt too. He does however continue to drop borderline pitches trying to frame them. Just catch the ball cleanly and quietly Yasmani. The strike zone is 4’ in front of you.
Here is a disturbing tid bit. In the last 5 games he has pitched that meant anything, Jansen is 0-2 with 2 blown saves, and 1 save and 3 homers given up. He has morphed into Josh Fields. Font loses the game, but blame that on an inept offense that kept leaving runners on base.
I blame it on Jansen. If this is what he is, the Dodgers are in trouble.
Yeah, a lot of zeros on the scoreboard last night, 19 for 61, only 4 extra base hits, 8 walks, only 11 opportunities WRISP, 4 hits. Not exactly an offensive lightshow, but that game was won in 9 and Jansen blew it. Something is definitely not right with him.