The dark skies and ashes from the fires of last night were gone. Today brought the Dodgers and Braves together on a sunny LA afternoon with the smell of a sweep in the air. Scott Kazmir was on the mound, and Carl Crawford was finally out of the dugout. Here’s how the game played out…
1st inning
Braves
Kazmir did not start out strong. 30 pitches and four hits later, the Braves were up 2-0
Dodgers
Trayce Thompson hit a two-out single.
Adrian Gonzalez followed up with a double to the center field wall, scoring Thompson. 2-1
Howie Kendrick with a single that scored Gonzo to tie it up. 2-2
2nd inning Tie score 2-2
Dodgers
With Carl Crawford gone, Kike Hernandez got the start in left field. He thanked the baseball gods with a solo home run to put the boys ahead.
3rd inning Dodgers 3-2
Braves
Kazmir had a 6 pitch second inning, but it took another 21 pitches to do the job in the third.
Dodgers
Trayce Thompson single.
Howie Kendrick single.
Joc Pederson came through with a base hit. Thompson brought in the run. 4-2
Yasmani Grandal slammed a three run HOME RUN! 7-2
4th inning Dodgers 7-2
Dodgers
Corey Seager BOOM! Solo shot 8-2
5th inning Dodgers 8-2
Dodgers
Corey Seager with a bloop, two-out single for an RBI. 9-2
6th inning Dodgers 9-2
Kazmir left the mound mid-inning in mystery, after giving up one more run. No one saw anything obvious to make him voluntarily leave. Later reports said it was a crampy leg.
J.P. Howell came in to replace him.
7th inning Dodgers 9-3
Dodgers
Chase Utley hit a double to score Yasmani Grandal. 10-3
With a man on, Corey Seager jacked another one out! 12-3
8th inning Dodgers 12-3
Braves
Chris Hatcher in, and he began bleeding hits and runs, with two out.
Scored a run on a double by Jeff Markakis. 12-4
Another run made it 12-5
9th inning Dodgers 12-5
Braves
Louis Coleman in. He gave up a home run and allowed the Braves to score one more. 12-6
Dodgers Win! 12-6
Scott Kazmir had a rocky start, spotting the Braves to an early two-run lead, but the Dodgers were not going to go down quietly today. Kazmir found his groove, and only surrendered one more run. Hleft in the middle of the sixth inning, with a cramp in his left quadriceps muscle.
The bullpen slipped and allowed far too many runs. The Dodgers were never really in danger of losing, but Hatcher and Howell turned a blowout into a game that was much closer than it had to be.
Corey Seager stayed red-hot at the plate, hitting two more home runs in the game, to give him a total of five over the series. Furthermore, the rest of the Dodgers got in on the fun and spread the home runs around, scoring 12 runs on 14 hits.
Scott Kazmir went 5 innings with 7 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 Ks. ERA 4.46
Home runs: Corey Seager (2), Kike Hernandez, Yasmani Grandal
Doubles: Gonzalez, Hernandez, Utley
Team with RISP: 6 for 9 Excellent!
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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Write this down:
This could be the game that changes everything. The players now know that “If they will cut a guy whom they owe $35 million dollars, they will cut my sorry rear end.”
Everyone received the message, except Hatcher. Stick a fork in him. He’s done! Cut him – he’ll go to Pittsburgh and be an All-Star.
Write this down:
DFA’ing Crawford changes nothing.
I agree that the Crawford move may have this sort of impact. As I posted earlier:
“4 -As others have opined, maybe dumping Crawford will prove to the players on the roster that management is serious about keeping the players who will help the team win. This may be an incentive in more ways than one.”
If before today any of these guys thought their job was secure, and all they had to do was show up to cash their check, they are the wrong guys.
Crawford is paid by the Dodgers everything but MLB minimum. It would not surprise me to see somebody like Bochy give him a try.
We still have the same team we had yesterday and I don’t believe a blow out win against the lowly Braves changes that. What will change it is continued offensive production (today: 14 for 38, 6 for 9 WRISP) and some better, more consistent work out of the pen.
Barnes currently hitting .125. 2 for 16 with 7 K’s. How long til he gets to .200?
Bochy ain’t that stupid…..and neither is the SF front office…..he might go to an AL team as a DH..
A little history:
In 2014 Crawford was hitting about .195 with his first 100 or so at bats and Mark and I made a little wager – 500 push-ups – that Crawford wouldn’t hit .240 by the end of the year. What did he hit? I’ll let you look it up. That was just one of the many bets Mark has lost over the years as I’ve creamed him on every one of them. It’s been easy frankly and I’m sure it’s just one of the many reasons he’s been so churlish for over a decade. Anyway, the point is, Crawford has been a slow starter before. He is a guy who needs to play every day. Platoons aren’t for everyone. In 2014, he played his way out of it. I wouldn’t count him out just yet, though I’m not betting he can hit .300 again. You’re right, Bochy isn’t stupid, but he will ask about Crawford.
Yeah Badger, I know the guys history, but that was 2 years ago. Those legs are not as limber as before, and it seems, at least when I watched, he is not really squaring the ball up. But you are right, that can change. Problem is this, do the Giants really want his weak glove in LF? He would be better off in a DH situation. Did not know Mark was churlish………a little testy now and then maybe…..Have a great day.,..
Yes, your point is well made. But Chase Utley has more miles on his legs and looks to be taking care of business. In the 4 years leading up to now, Crawford hit .282, .283, .300 and .265. Maybe at 34, he is done. Or maybe he’s just done with this platoon bullshit on a team with 6 outfielders. We’ll see. If he’s done, he’s done. I’m a Crawford fan so I wish him the best.
Can we see the same lineup tomorrow, please? Another right handed thrower, just do it.
Truth
I wouldn’t count on the same line up, because Turner didn’t play yesterday. And the last time Turner played, he got two hits.
So it will be interesting to see what happens with Turner tonight. I hope a continues to hit, because when he plays, he almost always bats third.
Question, how many times this year has Roberts ran the same 8 out there two days in a row? I guess you could check the MLB box scores to fine out…
If he is hitting that is great, but if not, the 3 hole is really for your best hitter, who at this point would be Seager……BUT, I would not put that kind of pressure on a kid who is doing so well in the #2 spot. As for Bolsinger…….I really do not trust that guy past the 5th inning. Which in turn, puts pressure on that bull pen.
Michael
I agree about the pressure. Some thing because Cory doesn’t show it on the outside, that he doesn’t put pressure on himself ever, but that is not true.
And Urias can’t pitch deep into
games, so I hope the bullpen pitchers are rested.
Hatcher is the only bull in the pen who carries his own china shop with him.
Now that’s funny right there!
Hatcher has just one problem that I can see:
He throws the ball. That’s the problem.
Officially eating crow. I never thought they would let CC go , but they did….anything goes now…..
Anything goes now? I’m curious, what does that mean?
It means that just maybe they will realize that some of the bone head moves they have made can be undone. They let go close to 50 million in salary’s the last week, counting Guererro, and that was something I never thought they would do. But they have. Might signal a change in philosophy, and it might mean zip. But at least it was something.
Ok. Makes sense. But dumping older players isn’t really new is it? How much money was spent on players no longer here last year? And how much has been spent on Cubans since they arrived? Out with the old, in with the new has been their m.o. since they walked through the door. Though an argument could be made a lot of the new has been pretty old.
Speaking of that, how’s Kazmir’s leg today?
Was a cramp my friend……guess he did not drink enough water. Yeah, dumping veterans is not new news, but these guys have a penchant for collecting them, the more injuries in their history the better……..at least they did not resign Brian Wilson and Peralta!….
Not yet. It’s early. Lots of Wilson’s out there.
Leg cramp. Happens to us old guys. Especially in the summer……. which doesn’t even start for two more weeks.
Hatcher needs to be released and Montas brought up. With Seager hitting, we need to move him into the third spot with the hopes there will runners on. Good day for the Dodgers.
Have you read Montas re-hab stats???? He has only been in 2 games at AAA and pitched 3.1 innings, and one of those games was a start. I doubt he has built up enough arm strength to be of any help yet…
Someone mentioned the other day that Thompson might be a good lead off man. He has good discipline at the plate and can steal. We have two good kids in Seager and Thompson.
Yep. They’re good. Seager is an every day player. Thompson should play every day now too.
Warriors look pretty not too bad.
Incidentally, re: “The Trade”, per Dodgers Insider:
“Roberts praised Crawford for what he has done for the Dodgers since arriving from Boston on August 25, 2012 in a blockbuster deal that also landed Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto. The collective WAR for those four players since 2013 is 15.1, compared to the 2.2 put up by the players the Dodger dealt — James Loney, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus Jr. and Jerry Sands.”
It’s not what we gave up (evidently it wasn’t much). It’s what it cost us. We bought a KIA for the cost of a Bugatti!
We bought Division Titles, hope, respect, and the butts in seats, all of which we lost under YOUR GUY, Frankie No-Nickels McCourt. It was worth it.
Even a used Kia has some value…….CC had some good times and some bad…..there was one stretch I remember he was the hottest hitter on the team and virtually carried them. The injuries are not his fault and now it seems just too much to overcome. But the guy was a class act, never complained and according to his team mates he was a great club house guy ala Juan Uribe….that always has value….
Hatcher just can’t help himself. What is he thinking?
He’s not!
The Giants lose, the Giants lose, the Dodgers gain, the Dodgers gain two over the weekend! It is June, the June swoon.
We will see since the Dodgers are there in SF next weekend….
Michael
I am just trying to think positive. I’m a healthy skeptic, so I am not getting carried away.
I think CK opens the series on Friday. So we should win that one. But as of late, except for that weekend last year, they have not played well in SF. But Pence is out, so we might have a little luck and they have handled Posey this year…..it is Crawford and Belt who have really given them trouble.
Michael
Our first series there, this year, we did do better, but our bullpen, gave away, I believe two HRs, and caused Two loses.
While we are at it, how are Lucille and the Drunk looking right about now?
What do you say, Hurt?
Maybe you should read up on your history. La Russa and Stewart have combined to win 6 World Series Championships. Your disrespect makes you look clownish.
I am going to go out on a dead limb here. I think it is a blend run. Here we go, a BadgMark. It’s the same team, but hoping this is the spark to inspire the anchors. The anchors know who they are. Let the kids play and the true vets play and also show their meddle and mentor and motivate them.
But this FO still scares me.
You have a right to be scared, but the scary part is really a notch above Friedman… and why is Ned still here?
I’ll tell you why: He has photos! I tell you!
Photo’s ?? Maybe, but he pretty much just does the TV stuff now. Really has no say in player stuff……he is a figurehead, same as Lasorda…
Michael
Wouldn’t you love working for the Dodger’s front office?
Doesn’t it seem like, nobody loses there job in the front office, lately?
I think a couple guys left because they did not like the new guys. Logan White knew his days were numbered, and he is a deft judge of talent. His loss was reflected in the draft last year. I doubt he would have recommended taking Buhler.
Yeah, and if I did, Grandal, Hatcher and Howell would already be history. Don’t let Grandal’s 3 run jack yesterday fool you…..he still stinks…
Mark
Why are half of those former GMs, in the front office? I wouldn’t have brought the former Padres GM, to the Dodgers. The Padres haven’t been lucky with many position players lately. But they have had some luck with pitching.
I will tell you this, Ned is smiling from ear to ear, every time Cory is tearing it up at the plate. And they mention him in there broadcast. Because Ned was the GM when Cory was drafted as you know, as well, as Urias.
I was looking at how Friedman got some of the young talent, for the Rays. And Friedman got a lot of his young talent, in moves at the trade deadline, when teams wanted to add to there team.
I’m sure he got some from the draft, but he hasn’t been that great at that, once the Rays started winning. It isn’t as easy then.
Logan White, who left the Dodgers was the genius behind most of the drafts. He had great scouts working for him, and was a real good judge of talent. Some guys get lost in the shuffle. For all his peccadillos’ Al Campanis was one of the best judges of talent ever to work for the Dodgers, and had the guts when he was GM to trade his own son……sure that did not cause to much disharmony at home!
The way that Campanis went out, was really bad.
He was really dumb that one time, and when given a chance to recant, he was oblivious to what he said. It really pained the Dodger ownership to have to fire him……..and we ended up with Fred Claire, who did an ok job
Going back to last summer, how much are the Dodgers now paying for guys they have either cut or who are playing for other teams? It has to be close to 100 million now????!!!
They were only on the hook for 30 million of Kemp’s deal…that is all on the Padres now. But count the dead weight on the DL…..that is a lot of money not well spent….
That is for sure!
What a freaking relief never to have to mention that name again. FAZ did something good yesterday.
Pretty sure that was not FAZ. You can bet ownership had to OK that move. That is a lot of CASH to eat, and that is way above FAZ’s pay grade.
There’s an interesting piece on azcentral.com–sorry I don’t know how to embed a link–called “Dodgers Real Magic Men Bury Mistakes in Deep Pockets.” I believe they’re still paying Michael Morse and Bronson Arroyo; about $30 million total for 2015-16.
Now pull the plug on Hatcher, Grandal and Howell. Call up Thomas, who is pretty much the most experienced and best option from AAA right now. And bring up another bat. This short bench crap is going to bite them in the ass….
Grandal bought some time yesterday. Hatcher and Howell? Fine. I don’t know who to call up for replacements but I’ll gamble.
Maybe 10 minutes, whatever he gained with the 3 run dinger, he lost striking out twice…..the guy is lousy
While Thomas is certainly an option, I’d like to see what Grant Dayton can do. Last time I looked he had 45K’s in 25innings in AA &AAA.
Herein lies the problem calling up Dayton……1-2…….0.93 ERA in 8 games at OKC……he is not on the 40 man roster. Thomas is. In order to bring up Dayton, who has NO MLB time, they have to take someone off the roster. Now if they DFA Howell, problem solved….
Not new, but worth reading when we are talking kids:
https://newrepublic.com/article/133827/false-hope-tommy-john-surgery
60 games, 100 innings
Boy the last two posts have been amazing… I had forgotten blacks cant play QB, but do remember they can’t swim according to Al Campanis…
I liked Crawford but his body couldn’t keep up with his desire… When he was hot it was fun to watch… Of course this move was a wet dream for Mark T. One more move and the Trade will go away…
Lets jump on CO and see how we look in a week or so… Someone had us 9 1/2 back by then!?!?
Great weekend for the Dodgers. Did what they had to do. Sweep the 4A Braves. The bad news….the Braves aren’t on their schedule going forward so it will be back to Major League Baseball, well except when they run into the Padres after the trade deadline.
Definitely was Corey Seager’s coming out party. What a weekend for the budding star.
Chili
They still have to beat the bad teams. And make sure they don’t under estimate any team. The Giants lost two to the Braves, last week.
And that is part of the reason, that the Dodgers didn’t get that much behind the Giants, when they were losing those games, in Chicago. The Giants play Boston for two, before we face them.
Boston was no hit, for I think about seven innngs yesterday against that soft throwing pitcher, on the Bluejay’s, that gave the Dodgers trouble for about the same amount of innings.
But the Dodgers eventually scored off him. I think the Giants have Bumgarner and Cueto, pitching against the Red Sox, in there next two games.
I want to see how Cueto does against the Red Sox, if he is pitching. Because Boston has one of the best offenses, in baseball, right now.
Definitely agree. Just saying that only taking 2 of 3 against the Braves would not have accomplished much. 3 out of 3 was needed and that first game against Teheran was the biggie. Seager with a little help from Thompson won that game and then the rest of the team finally woke up.
That is true. But you have to watch for those type of teams, because beating the Dodgers, is like there World Series.
I still have not had it explained to me how losing a seldom used .190 hitting outfielder and gaining a .125 hitting 3rd string catcher makes us a better team. What we need are guys who can do what was did yesterday only did against teams with records better than 16-40.
Colorado is a .446 team. 2 out of 3 agin them, then we beat Cueto on Friday and I will breathe a bit easier.
Well Badger, difference is versatility, which as you know the Fazter loves. Barnes can play multiple infield positions and catch. He was hitting .306 at AAA, and is a contact hitter who also cracked 4 homers in spring. Doubt it makes us better, but it allows Roberts to really platoon guys now…..
Versatility. Multiple infield positions. Like Howie, Hernandez, Turner, and Utley. I read somewhere Kiké was the third catcher. He’s the 4th now. I too value versatility. I wonder how much improvement we will see in Barnes as he sits and waits. This roster continues to have an odd makeup. 13 pitchers, 3 catchers and nobody that can really play every day, though Seager comes close. Will AGon get his 156? Maybe. Maybe not.
My final comment for the day is this. I wish Carl Crawford nothing but the best. He is and was a class act as a Dodger who never complained, and when informed in spring of reduced playing time said he wanted to help the team any way he could. Unfortunately, his mind was stronger than his body, and nothing seemed to work for him. I hope he can catch on with a team in the AL and be a DH and mentor to some young players. He was by all accounts a GREAT clubhouse guy and team mate. I wish nothing but success to a class player and a true pro…..
Well said Michael.
i am just about 71 yrs old ..put me on the D L and let me sit out the whole yr ..i wont complain..and give me his 35 millon.. that what these players do ..