The beginning of the freeway series at the Big A. Kenta Maeda was going to go up against Shohei Ohtani. This game turned out to be a pitcher’s duel with Felix Pena of the Angels in the sweltering heat. In the bottom of the 2nd, Maeda struck out Ohtani. Maeda used his changeup a lot tonight and it looked good. In the top of the fourth with two outs, Cody Bellinger hit a double. Matt Kemp then came up and singled him in and the Dodgers led 1-0.
In bottom of the fourth the Angels got their first hit as Andrelton Simmons hit a double. The perfect game was gone. In the top of the sixth, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner both walked. Matt Kemp singled in a run thanks to Cody Bellinger’s heads up base-running by getting in a pickle allowing Justin Turner to score and the Dodgers led 2-0.
David Fletcher with an RBI single against Kenley Jansen with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, tying the game, 2-2. Ohtani had walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Grandal. #Angels
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 7, 2018
In the bottom of the 6th, Maeda got into some trouble. Ian Kinsler singled followed by an infield hit by Jose Briceno. Mike Trout would also walk in the inning. Maeda would balk in a run and the score was 2-1. Justin Upton then walked and Scott Alexander came in to strike out Albert Pujols.
That is Kenley Jansen's first blown save since April 17.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 7, 2018
The game went along after that and the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth with Kenley Jansen coming in. Then the game got weird. Jansen got the first two outs. He then got the first two strikes against Ohtani. He then pitched four straight balls to walk him. Ohtani stole second but what made it worse was Yasmani Grandal throwing the ball into centerfield allowing Ohtani to go to third. David Fletcher then singled him in to tie the score. Ian Kinsler came up and hit a flare to Yasiel Puig who got short-hopped by the ball and bobbled it twice. Puig then threw a laser to home to get Kinsler who was trying to score. The ball bounced in front of Grandal and took a weird bounce past Grandal and the Angels won the game.
James Moya
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It should be noted that Jansen stood and watched the fatal play like a paying fan, instead of backing up Grandal. You can bet Toady won’t call him on that as he does young players. If you’re guessing I’m not a big fan of Jansen or Toady, you would be right… https://www.mlb.com/gameday/dodgers-vs-angels/2018/07/06/530722#game_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=530722
Another Blown Save. We are still at the top of the charts in that stat. 19th in Save %. So, yeah, we still have a bullpen problem. And without all those solo home runs we are less likely to score enough to cover mistakes like those last night. First place didn’t last long.
Ok, put it in the rear view and move forward.
Badger, I have a post above yours caught up waiting for moderation. You know how it is…. I put in a link showing a video of the final play of the game. You wouldn’t think that would need moderation, would you? Apparently Scott has the spam filter set too tight, it should be fairly simple to adjust that.
Anyway, my beef was about Jansen standing there like a bump on a log watching the ball go by Grandal instead of backing him up like he’s supposed to. If he had, no score. It being Kenley, Roberts won’t say anything about it…
Jonah
There is no reason a major leaguer shouldn’t use the fundamentals of the game, and because of that, you are right, Kenley should have been backing Grandal up, in that situation.
I remember even when I was 10 years old, everyone on my team not only knew the fundamentals of the game, they also practiced the fundamentals of the game, and it was second nature for all of us, to back up and be in the right place, in different situations in games.
And that is why I get on Puig when he doesn’t always practice the fundamentals of the game, because against good teams, or in close games, these type of things, can cost the team a win.
And there is no excuse for this, and this is not expecting to much, from any player on the team.
Defensive fundamentals Jonah. Been a gripe of mine for years.
And no excuse for a 2 out four straight balls walk from your all world closer. Kenley showing some cracks. I blame it on Roberts.
And I do understand the moderation frustration. I have to wonder how we got a Freedspot Top 10 Award with such a serious flaw in our presentational continuance algorithms. I blame that on Roberts too. And Scott. But Roberts could do something about it if he wanted to.
I know we’re supposed to avoid politics as it’s impossible to not get stupid in discussions, but I saw a political ad this morning that is bumper sticker material. “Weiner-Holder 2020”. Sounds like weinner to me.
Badger
Sounds good to me. Blame it on Dummy.
Package
I must admit, that was a good one!
What about Weiner-Holder MJ? You think that’s a winning ticket?
Found this written in March.
Dodgers 2021:
The Lineup (By Position): Ruiz, Bellinger, Altuve, Suarez, Seager, Diaz, Kendall, Verdugo
Also said Harper is going to Philadelphia. Some people actually get paid to do this. I could probably do it. If I wasn’t so outdated. And lazy.
Badger
I like what Holder is doing, and the other, no one likes what he has done, including his ex wife.
But I think we should plant a bug, so we know what is said, at that meeting with Putin.
It’s of course a joke MJ. Maybe I’m the only one who thinks it’s funny. Putin and Holder wouldn’t get along quite as well as he and his current BFF.
Well we were lucky to score those two runs, because Kemp is he only one on this team, that not only is hitting 300, he is one of the only players in this line up, that we can count on, to get a hit when runners are in scoring position.
And hitting 300, and being able to get a hit when runners are in scoring position, is no coincidence.
And after slumping for a very short time, Kemp is right back to doing what he has done all year, for this team.
Kenley is no sure thing, when we are only leading by one run.
But we should have scored more then two runs off the Angel’s Young starting pitcher, and the Angels relief pitchers, because the Angels don’t have top pitching.
And that is why I didn’t get so excited after what we did against the Pirates, because it was pretty obvious the Pirates were not a very good team.
And when we come back after the Allstar break, our schedule is going to get a lot tougher, until the end of the regular season, so we need to win all of these games against the Angels and the Padres, before they go out, to try to take the lead in the division, and get ahead of the Dbacks and the other teams in our division.
That game and loss was on Jansen, pure and simple. Gets the first two outs, then instead of staying within himself he amps up the next 4 pitches, totally screwing up his release point and walks him. First pitch to the next hitter is way high and Ohtani would have stolen the bag easily because Jansen never even looked at him. Grandmal compounds the bad pitch by trying to throw out a runner he has zero chance of nabbing and throws a laser high fastball into center field. No chance for the fielder to catch that thing and boom, 2 outs, runner on 3rd. Instead of calming his pitcher down and taking stock of the situation, Grandal calls for another high fastball, not Kenley’s cutter, which is his best pitch, and Jansen leaves it right in the middle and boom, game tying single. Now Kinsler hits a flare to right that Puig basically should have dived for because he makes the catch if he does, and he actually is too close to the ball to field it cleanly, bobbles it, throws a laser ball to the plate that Grandal cannot catch and it is game over. And 90 % of the chatter on twitter was blaming Puig for the loss…It was on Jansen and no one else.
Agree it was Jansen. 4 balls after 2 strikes is inexcusable in a closer. Not bothering to hold the runner on is something he does all the time. Grandal defense is hit and miss. We blew it. Stuff happens. Sometimes you suck. We did it a lot early in the year. Looked like we snapped out of it. Apparently not.
Michael
Kenley’s cutter, is a fastball that cuts, and that is what Grandal called, because Kenley only throws a cut fastball, or a slider.
That was straight fastball, not a cutter and it was high in the zone. Kenley’s cutter sinks. And MJ, I know the difference between a cutter and a straight fastball. That pitch had no cut to it.
Michael
If you did, why did you say Grandal called a fastball, and not a cutter?
Kenley only throws two pitches, and sometimes he doesn’t get the same spin on the ball, it might look straighter, so Grandal called for a cutter.
And Kenley’s Cutter doesn’t always sink like you said, he throws it high and in, at times.
Kenley’s slider is the pitch that always sinks.
He also throws a fastball…he always has. It is just not his best pitch….I could not see what Grandal called, but that was a straight fastball……
Kenley Jansen Pitch Repertoire At-A-Glance
Kenley Jansen has thrown 9,021 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2009 and 2018, including pitches thrown in the MLB Regular Season, the MLB Postseason, The World Baseball Classic, Spring Training and Fall/Winter Ball. In 2018, he has relied primarily on his Cutter (93mph), also mixing in a Sinker (95mph) and Slider (83mph).
BETA Feature:
Basic description of 2018 pitches compared to other RHP:
His cutter explodes on the hitter, has sweeping cut action, is blazing fast and results in somewhat more flyballs compared to other pitchers’ cutters. His sinker generates an extremely high number of swings & misses compared to other pitchers’ sinkers, generates a very high amount of groundballs compared to other pitchers’ sinkers, has surprisingly little armside run, has well above average velo and has virtually no sinking action reminiscent of a true sinker. His slider generates an extremely high number of swings & misses compared to other pitchers’ sliders, has exceptional depth, is an extreme flyball pitch compared to other pitchers’ sliders and has short glove-side cut.
Good info Bluto.
A 95 mph “sinker” is a fastball and if it sinks it’s a two seamer. I would submit that if he throws that down in the zone he has a 95 mph 4 seamer he can throw at the top of the zone. They have the tracking window on mlbtv that I often check when I’m watching, mostly to see if the ump got the call right. I can generally tell by watching the pitch and seeing the speed what the pitch is. He looked better last night. 13 pitches, 10 strikes, 2 Ks.
Bumsrap saw that last play as a great opportunity to bash Puig. Wonder why? Look at the video. As Puig’s throw skips by Grandal, Jansen is standing between home plate and the mound, well in fair territory. Hardly the position to back up the catcher… The runner had stopped at third and didn’t break for home until the ball got by Grandal. That is called respect for Puig’s arm. Jansen did run down the errant ball, perhaps for his souvenirs.
It wasn’t Puig. Catchers are called backstops for a reason. That ball must be received. Catchers drill that skipping hop numerous times. And Jansen standing where he was for a play that crucial is mystifying. WTF was he thinking? A high school pitcher does that he runs stadiums until sun goes down. Sloppy. All around sloppy second division baseball. (a few of you will remember what that term means)
Rear view mirror. Don’t let it happen again. Move on.
In my opinion, and I’ve told you before, Jansen has some kind of head problem. Something like ADS, where he has trouble keeping concentration. Maybe congenital or may be caused by something he introduces into his system. He is a great talent and I have my faults as well.
Ok, I looked up ADS cuz I wasn’t sure what it stood for. We’ve got these choices:
Acute Death Syndrome
Acute Diarrheal Syndrome
Aggravation Delivery Services
Anonymous Donor Sperm
Alcohol Dependence Scale
Alcohol Drug Services
Attention Defiicit Syndrome (ADD – that’s probably it) or……..
Another Dummy Smear (it was Roberts again)
Or this one – All Day Stupid
Several fit……
Did everyone Know that Ohtani is the second fastest runner, on the Angels?
The only legitimate complaint that anyone can make about Puig there, is that Puig didn’t have to throw the ball to home there, he should have thrown the ball to the cut off man.
But ultimately , this is on Kenley.
But it would probably been better, that Grandal didn’t make a throw to second, after double clutching, and Puig should have hit the cut off man, after not picking up the ball cleanly.
Because the runner on third wasn’t going to try to go home, out of respect for Puig’s arm, so Puig didn’t need to throw the ball home there.
Dodger catchers might as well swallow the ball whenever a runner runs on Jansen.
I think Bum’s take on Puig’s throw is overblown and he’s wrong on Ginn. The perfect throw home is always through the cutoff. Even on the winning run. If you’re going to airmail it three things can happen and two of them are bad. A strong throw through the top of your cut off is likely to be more accurate, and can be relayed if necessary. Ginn to MSU instead of signing is huge mistake by the Dodgers. Ginn himself? Ef him. Who cares if he fails in college. He’s not going there for an education, he’s going there to be drafted again in two years. The Dodgers’ misread of that is a blunder. Yeah, they get a similar pick next year, but I think everyone (but one guy) would agree having another pick in development is better than another pick next year. There were others there that would have loved to sign with LA.
Badger
It is obvious that GInn did not want to play with the Dodgers. Why is anybody’s guess. Too far from home? Doesn’t like the area. Doesn’t like the FO or Dummy? Who knows? I don’t think he walks away from that much money just to go to Mississippi State.
Pack, I heard he wants $3 million and he wants to play in Atlanta.
Ohtani was not the runner MJ. He had scored on the previous hit by Fletcher who was the runner at the time, so yeah, Puig threw home and it was the right play, Grandal blew that and so did Kenley by not backing up….
Michael
Read my post, I didn’t say Ohtani was the runner, I said he is the second fastest player on the Angels.
And Grandal shouldn’t have thrown to second, after double clutching, and he did that when Ohtani went to second.
And Puig was suppose to hit the cut off man, the runner on third wasn’t trying to go home, because he knew Puig had a good arm.
And I said it was on Kenley, but those other plays, were not good either.
You got that right, I stand corrected, but the runner may have been holding on 3rd the cutoff man did not touch Puigs throw because it was right on the money. The only reason it was not caught was it bounced and Grandal is a lousy catcher. It got by him and that is that……you watching the same game I was?? That throw was very good.
You guys got it all wrong, Grandal was trying to frame the throw from Puig.
Have I mentioned before that I seriously don’t like catchers that don’t CATCH a ball thrown to him.
Have I mentioned that I seriously don’t like closers that walk runners.
Just wondering, continue on.
War, Out.
I think a Weiner-Boehner ticket would work. [see me working there?]
Good stuff True.
Where you been?
Ya True where have you been?
From MLBTRL
It’s possible Manny Machado’s tenure with the Orioles will come to an end as early as this weekend, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina, who reports that seven teams have made offers for the soon-to-be free agent. The Dodgers have put forth the most enticing proposal, Encina hears, with the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Indians and Cubs (in that order) coming in behind them. But the offers are “very close” in value, per Encina, so any of those other six clubs could leapfrog Los Angeles to land Machado prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
If the Dodgers are the team that upgrades at short with Machado this summer, it may come at the expense of either outfield prospect Alex Verdugo or young pitcher Yadier Alvarez. The Orioles have shown interest in both of those farmhands – two of the finest talents in the minors – though the Dodgers’ offers so far have not included either player, Encina relays. Considering their wealth of offensive talent, it’s arguable the Dodgers won’t even need Machado as they seek a sixth straight National League West title and a second consecutive NL pennant. But acquiring him would still be a boon to them and a blow to the rival Diamondbacks, who lead LA by one game in the NL West and haven’t gotten high-end production from their shortstops this year.
This weekend?
What’s the rush?
That’s funny because I read a story on one of the blogs that said the Dodgers had offered both Sierra and Verdugo and the O’s said it was not enough. Maybe Alvarez was not part of the discussion, but Verdugo surely was.
Muncy strikes out without seeing a single strike. I wonder if they were trying to walk him?
At least the second time wasn’t on three pitches, but I think the Angels have pretty good scouting, because they have made some good adjustments on our hitters.
And Muncy isn’t our only player that has struck out twice
Machado’s numbers, 303, with 21 HRs, and 60 RBIs, and he has only struck out 50 Times, with 40 walks.
Those are pretty impressive numbers, especially his strike out, to walk ratio.
And that is the same strike out to walk ratio Muncy had, before this game.
Deja Vu All Over Again???
Indeed Jonah, indeed.
Quality start, HRs and Jansen.
We’ve all seen this before….
That said, kinda taking a liking to both Alexander and Hudson. Alexander’s sinker/Hudson’s FB&Slider/Jansen’s Cutter.
Lot’s of different arm slots and pitchers for the opposition.
Taylor 87 games in and he has now gone over 100 K’s for the year as he earns another Golden Sombrero for that outstanding exhibition of FUTILITY…….Does this not bother anyone else?
Of course.
But it doezn’t FAZE FAZ. 2.6 WAR in early July? Itz thoze numberz that warmz their cocklez.