It’s too early to tell if the Dodgers have begun to stop their slide into baseball despair, but after taking the second game in a row from the NL West first place Arizona Diamondbacks, they certainly have cause for good cheer. Starting pitcher Alex Wood was a bit shaky, but he gutted it out to complete 5 innings and only surrender one run on four hits and eight strike outs. The offense did well enough, but they received lots of help when they were gifted a bases loaded balk and two wild pitches from the much vaunted Arizona bullpen.
Wood looked like he was due for a short day, and the Dodgers a long one, when the game stood tied at a run a piece after two innings, but he was already 51 pitches deep. Wood hung tough and he held Arizona scoreless over the next three innings, giving way to Yimi Garcia in the sixth. Kyle Farmer, playing third base erred Paul Goldschmidt onto first base, Garcia gave up a couple of seeing-eye singles, and the Snakes took a one run lead. Garcia was done for the day, and four more bullpen Dodgers held the Snakes scoreless for the rest of the day.
The Dodgers scored in the second inning behind a solo home run from Austin Barnes.
They followed that with five innings of assorted hits but nothing to show for it. Then the floodgates opened for the boys in the top of the eighth.
With bases loaded, Cody Bellinger hit a sac fly to tie the game at two. A balk advanced the runners and intentional walk to Austin Barnes loaded the bases again. A wild pitch brought home the go ahead run and suddenly the pressure was off the Dodgers. A second passed ball brought Matt Kemp home with a head-first dive across the plate. The Dodgers scored twice, the score was 4-2 and Kyle Farmer hadn’t done a thing at the plate. When he did get a pitch to swing at, he swatted a base hit, Austin Barnes scored and the Dodgers were up 5-2.
Kenley Jansen came on to secure the game in the ninth, but I have no idea how easy or difficult it was for him, as the Facebook feed I was watching – the only feed anyone could watch – suddenly sputtered and only showed stills of the action every 20 seconds or so. It was like watching a game on some kind of 19th century technology. I wasn;t the only one experiencing the glitches and frozen feed as Twitter users lit up the lines with complaints. I hope the Dodgers and MLB never make us suffer through that again.
The Dodgers finish the Arizona series with a split, an emotional victory after receiving several body blows over the past week, and are now off the May-Hee-Koh for a weekend series against the San Diego Padres. Let’s hope the winds of fortune are now securely at their blue-tinted backs.
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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I vote that Facebook does not get exclusive game rights again. No commercials was cool, but the announcer was annoying as was Eric Burnes and Orel. They won ugly, but it goes in the right column, and best of all it shut up the Dirtbag fans on twitter.
Mr. Norris
Facebook is terrible. MLB needs to correct this problem now! Don’t need facebook to view a game.
By the way, Kemp’s headlong slide looked pretty good. You think PED boy Grandal or fat Joc makes that play?
I didn’t see any of it. I’m done with Facebook and yesterday I was a bit upset mlbtv didn’t run the game. I paid for a full season and didn’t get it.
The more I analyze this team the more I realize how many things have to go right just to win the Division. Some of them will. Many won’t. We opened at 5/1 to win the WS. Oh the experts loved us. I believe it’s now 10/1. Not so much love after a month of playing like a geriatric slow pitch team. Amazingly we still have better odds than the dbacks.
I still believe we will compete. But the talent that is here has to get back on the field and perform. Will they? Who knows. Feels likely more will go down than will come back.
The high today is suppose to be 89, and tomorrow the high is suppose to be 90, and what has Badger been saying, they will hit more consistently after it warms up.
And which players helped us win the game yesterday, the players that should be playing everyday.
We can’t afford to take out our bats, we know can hit consistently, and hit in key moments.
Who is it that hits in key moments? I just read the stats. The team was 3 for 295 WRISP in April. Or maybe that was the bagels at Basha’s. At any rate, this team has sucked as a team with ducks on the pond. Ducks on the pond. I first heard that in Little League. Coach Masters. Had no idea wtf he was talking about. But I digress….. now, wtf was I talking about?……..
Badger
I am mainly talking about Kemp, so you got me on that, because that Facebook broadcast, sucked!
Your right, they have been terrible this month.
But this started right after Roberts started taking at bats away from Kemp, early in games, and taking away starts from Kemp, after he was the hottest hitter, on this team.
He didn’t hit in any runs yesterday, but he is the only one that had two hits, in this game yesterday.
And if he plays tonight, this will only be the third game he has played in a row, in the last two, or three weeks.
I expect to see more power from Kemp this weekend, if he starts again tonight, like I believe he will.
The thing about Kemp, is that he doesn’t swing from his heels, everytime he comes up, with a runner in scoring position, like most of our other players, do.
He adjusts to different situations in games, and that is why it isn’t good for the team, to not have Kemp’s bat, in the line up, especially when the offense is struggling.
MJ,
I don’t think the padres can acquire the AZ pitcher who hurled the wild pitches and get him to the game in time for tonights game
I look at Kemp like I would look at a pitcher coming back from injury, or surgery. There are x number of innings in those legs. Know it and plan accordingly.
All you need to do is look at the “Descension Due to Age and Injury (DDAI) graph at Fangraphs and you will clearly see nothing cuz I just made that up…… but the point is that anyone who has actually aged knows that as you get older the “usta coulds” really add up. Life is accumulative. There are numerous aging algorithms at Geezers.com that scientifically prove this to be true. Matt Kemp is not going to play 150 games ever again. He played 115 last year and projects somewhere between 320-430 at bats this year. If he gets 350 on this team, with so many left fielders and minute by minute matchups going on I’d be very surprised. He’s got 83 to date. You want him in the lineup in September? I do. The way to make sure he gets there is to make sure you monitor his innings. He’s played in 29 games. He’s put up .6 fWAR so far. Do the math and you will see that at the current pace of play he will put up over 3 WAR, more than earning the $18.25 the Dodgers are paying him. I say whatever they are doing with Kemp, keep doing it.
Badger
I agree with MJ, Kemp should be played every day if possible. You can preach that one only has a certain amount of ABs in their body but you and I know everyone ages differently. You may be older than be but do not get tired as easily as I. Roberts is hurting Kemp by not playing him. If you are hot you definitely should play. He is the best hitter on the team right now but we don’t play him. I say BS. Badger, you need to look at Kemp’s ABs over the years. He will top 320-430 easy if Roberts plays him. So far there is no telling how many abs he has missed out on.
Ok then. I feel a wager coming on.
I’ve got the under on 420. How about 50 push-ups?
10 on the side. He starts today.
Badger
No one is saying, never give Kemp time off, but he should be in the line up, most of the time, because this team is struggling for offense.
And if you want to get the best from Kemp, he needs to be in the line up most of the time, because he is use to starting, and getting four at bats, a game.
Even Grandal has had more at bats, and starts, then Kemp.
And you know catchers are usually rested much more, then most everyday players.
Badger
Look at the at bats, that Kemp has had each season, since he left the Dodgers.
The only reason he didn’t have 500 plus at bats last year, was because he had a hammy issue.
And that was probably because, Kemp was to over weight.
What is “most of the time”? There are roughly 700 plate appearances for the #5 spot in the order. Most of that would be 351 PA’s, or 320 at bats.
He will likely get most of the at bats for that LF position. That is if he doesn’t strain that hammy, or that oblique, or that tripleziac.
Kemp will get his at bats. I’m still looking at that 3 WAR for which he’s on pace. Wow. Keep it up Matt. Just keep doing what you’re doing until November.
Badger
You got it big boy!! It counts injury but not Dummy Roberts holding him out. Agreed?
Hey MJ, Badger is going to be in good shape if he keeps taking these easy bets. It is like taking candy from a baby.
Package
Badger sure is, but remember, his son is a cross fitness coach, so it runs in the family.
Package
We called this, three weeks ago!
And the team, hasn’t done that well, since!
Package
You are not going to like the line up tonight, because Kike is playing for Cody tonight.
But it is suppose to rain, so the game will probably not be on.
Ryu’s groin tear will keep him out quite a while. Dodger Blue reporting that Buehler is slated to take his rotation slot. Ok, throw the kid in the fire and see what he has got. No one else down on the farm is that great except Banuelos who sucked in spring. No other starter down there has more than one win.
Banuelos should start today. Along with Hernandez, Locastro, Taylora, Barnesío, and Farmería. We’re in Mexico. Show them we support immigration.
Buehler gets the start….Banuelos not even on the roster….someone on Twitter said Baez will be cheered in Mexico…hell, he is not a Mexican, he is from the Domican…a true Dodger fan no matter where he is from is not going to cheer that guy unless he strikes out the side every game the rest of the season…..I support immigration if it is legal…otherwise get your ass back where you belong….too bad Gonzo is gone, this would have been perfect for him, and Fernando will be treated like a rock star. By the way, even though Gonzo is not hitting for average in NY, he has matched his homer total of all last year. 3. Red Sox and Yankees to play a 2 game set in Lomdon next year….all that way for 2 games? What a waste of travel money……
It was a joke Michael. Banuelos, Tayloría, Farmeria, Barnesio….. Mexican Dodgers….. I know Banuelos won’t start in the next few days. But if he continues pitching well at AAA, they may have to add him. This team will win, or lose, with pitching. We are not a top tier offense. We will be streaky because of the squirrels on the squad, but I think it’s going to be pitching.
I knew that…..No way you can Mexicanize Bellinger…….Harvey DFA’d by the Mets…….Ichiro to Mariners FO, Jose Bautista called up by the Braves…….I will probably watch part of the Angels game to see if Albert gets # 3000…wish he would have gotten it at home..
Harvey? Like the name. Get him.
Coyody Bellinmonte. Codemais Belli’d’oro. Coducho Belladonna.
I give up.
Corazon Bellingeria.??????
How about Cleto Bellingería?
Bellinguez
Why would Dummy play Kiki at 1st base. I tell ya, he is an idiot. He thinks he is smart but he is the dumbest person in the room. He keeps counting on luck. I will be glad when this crowd is gone.
All righty lineup probably…but it won’s matter…game will most likely get rained out…tarp is still on the field.
Hernandez is why he’s playing first.
Play the game. They use wooden bats. There’s little danger of anyone dying.
Package, Be careful betting Badger push ups, even at 55 he is in damn good shape.
It’s true. At 55 I was in great shape. Was still playing ball and benching 200. But that was 15 years ago. I can do 50 push-ups though. If I start now I can be done by Sunday morning.
It’s an easy bet to win. Kemp’s innings are monitored and we know how much FAZ loves them their Joc, add Hernandez, who will back to reserve role when Turner and Forsythe return, and now Verdugo getting ab’s, Toles when he returns, we got 700 PA’s divided by 5. Under 420 feels pretty safe.
Hey Tim, any new scars from trail bouncing? Hope you had a great time.
Badger
I can only imagine how excited you got, when you saw this line up.
But this is better then the Facebook experiment.
These teams look like two AAA teams.
Tim
We will see how he does at 70?
Tim
We will see how he does at 70?
Well that was worth watching.