The Dodgers just completed the Gauntlet for the past 32 games after the All-Star Break. They played playoff contenders for 32 straight games and went 14-18. Fresh off getting swept by the redbirds. The Dodgers played ping pong yesterday to cool off. The Dodgers welcomed the Padres to the ravine to try and right the ship. The Dodgers had on their nickname uniforms. Rich Hill took on Clayton Richard in a much needed blow-out by the Azul.
Brian Dozier led of the game with a double which set the tone. Justin Turner flied out and moved Dozier to third. Manny Machado grounded into a fielders choice and Dozier was thrown out at home. I thought here we go again. Matt Kemp then singled and moved to second on an error which scored Machado and the Dodgers led 1-0. In the bottom of the second, birthday boy Kiki Hernandez doubled. Yasmani Grandal then walked. Belli then singled in Hernandez. Brian Dozier then singled in a run. Justin Turner then singled in a run to make the score 4-0. The route was on.
D. Mountain had an amazing game. 6 IP, 2 H, ZERO runs, 1 BB and 8 K. He also had a single with an RBI and a run scored. Talk about stepping up! pic.twitter.com/3BW4H9ogw5
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 25, 2018
In the bottom of the third, Chris Taylor hit a solo shot. In the bottom of the fourth, Brian Dozier walked followed by a Justin Turner two run shot and the score was 7-0. That ended Clayton Richard’s night. The Dodgers who lead the league in swing and misses right down the middle. Also the Dodgers are at the bottom of the league with hitting with RISP. Actually they might be the worst. The bullpen is near the bottom of the league. The starting pitching ERA is top dog and the Doyers are a solo home run hitting machine.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cody Bellinger doubled to score a run. Bellinger wasn’t on the original line-up card. Bellinger who has been hot was going to sit. Yasiel Puig was in the lineup instead. Last minute decision put Bellinger back in. Rich Hill then singled in a run and the score was 9-0. In the bottom of the 7th, Max Muncy hit a two run shot and the score was 11-0. Yimi Garcia who just got activated off the DL pitched in the 8th inning. Daniel Hudson was placed on the DL. Manuel Margot singled. Freddy Galvis doubled him in to put the Padres on the board. Pedro Baez pitched a scoreless inning. Pat Venditte also pitched a scoreless inning. Dodgers win 11-1.
The win snaps a three game losing streak. The Dodgers are back to .500 at home. They have two more against San Diego then two in Texas. The Dodgers are 15-18 in the past 33. Arizona, Colorado,and Philadelphia lost today. Milwaukee was still playing. The NL West standings.
| West | W | L | PCT | GB | E# | WCGB | L10 | STRK | HOME | ROAD | LAST GAME | NEXT GAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 71 | 57 | .555 | – | – | – | 7-3 | L1 | 34-30 | 37-27 | 8/24 vs SEA, L 3-6 | 8/25 vs SEA, 8:10 PM |
| Colorado | 70 | 58 | .547 | 1.0 | 34 | 1.0 | 7-3 | L1 | 33-29 | 37-29 | 8/24 vs STL, L 5-7 | 8/25 vs STL, 8:10 PM |
| LA Dodgers | 68 | 61 | .527 | 3.5 | 31 | 3.5 | 4-6 | W1 | 33-33 | 35-28 | 8/24 vs SD, W 11-1 | 8/25 vs SD, 9:10 PM |
| San Francisco | 63 | 66 | .488 | 8.5 | 26 | 8.0 | 4-6 | W1 | 34-26 | 29-40 | 8/23 @ NYM, W 3-1 | Live vs TEX |
| San Diego | 50 | 81 | .382 | 22.5 | 11 | 22.0 | 2-8 | L3 | 23-43 | 27-38 | 8/24 @ LAD, L 1-11 | 8/25 @ LAD, 9:10 PM |
Wild Card
| Wild Card Teams | W | L | PCT | WCGB | WCE # | L10 | STRK | LAST GAME | NEXT GAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 72 | 57 | .558 | 0.5 | – | 8-2 | W4 | 8/24 @ COL, W 7-5 | 8/25 @ COL, 8:10 PM |
| Milwaukee | 71 | 58 | .550 | – | – | 5-5 | W1 | 8/22 vs CIN, W 4-0 | Live vs PIT |
| Colorado | 70 | 58 | .547 | 1.0 | 34 | 7-3 | L1 | 8/24 vs STL, L 5-7 | 8/25 vs STL, 8:10 PM |
| Philadelphia | 69 | 59 | .539 | 2.0 | 33 | 4-6 | L1 | 8/24 @ TOR, L 2-4 | 8/25 @ TOR, 4:07 PM |
| LA Dodgers | 68 | 61 | .527 | 3.5 | 31 | 4-6 | W1 | 8/24 vs SD, W 11-1 | 8/25 vs SD, 9:10 PM |
James Moya
Hi I’m James Moya. I am an avid Dodgers fan. I graduated Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelors in Communications. I used to freelance at the San Bernardino Sun. I’m excited about this opportunity to write for LA Dodger Report to gain experience. I’m a straight shooter on my opinions and I hope to get some good conversations going. My dream has always been to report on the Dodgers because Baseball is the National Past-time. I hope you enjoy the ride with me.
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Badger, your favorite writer on the other blog has an interesting article on improving the Dodgers. And I think he could be right. Basically, it’s the Incentive System. Players with the best eight Batting Averages get to start every day. With the positional versatility FAZ has built into the Dodgers, it is feasible. Do I swing for a home run and risk striking out, or do I sacrifice or try for a bunt single? Hmmm… If I strike out, I’m probably on the bench tomorrow, I think I’ll sacrifice and maybe I’ll get to play tomorrow… I do think that system might have merit but it is going to take courage on the manager’s part. Can he sit $30 MM to $40 MM on the bench and put three or four minimum wage type players on the field, just because they execute better? What will the fans think? Not fans like you, the fans in the stand who paid $400 for their ticket to see Manny or whomever, even if he is hitting only .210? Good idea but I don’t think I’ll hold my breath until it’s executed…
Last time we went my sis forked out 340.00 for tickets and parking. Luckily we saw a win……I think 340 rates top performance no matter who is paying it.
They beat up on a bad team and a pitcher who has been struggling and never really pitches well against the Dodgers. That’s what they are supposed to do. What was disturbing was that everybody except Machado hit the ball hard. He had a couple of weak grounders and 2 K’s. They are going to need the Baltimore Machado the rest of the way. Nice play in left by Taylor kept Hill’s outing scoreless. The most amusing thing about watching Hill pitch is how when he makes a mistake he literally cusses himself out on the mound. I am getting pretty good at reading his lips and last night after the Renfroe double, he went on a tirade! Cody going to left is always a good thing. Turner mashed that ball to center, but Muncy’s 29th went further. The fan who tried to catch Justin’s blast almost went over the railing. On a somber note. Listening to Davis’s drone and Orel’s drivel is getting very monotonous. Replacing Vinny was impossible. Replacing these two is becoming necessary. They did pick up a game on their main competition, but the Rocks and D-Backs have played 1 game less than the Dodgers, and it is not so much the wins, as it is the losses…..You never get those back…..
Michael,
Couldn’t agree more about Joe & Orel. I can’t listen to them anymore and usually will tune into the other teams announcers if they are good, like the Giants and St. Louis. Way beyond our guys who give you so much unnecessary chatter. Joe is milk-toast. Orel is nasal and fratboy humor. I don’t see the necessity for the team to change announcers as most fans probably like these guys, especally having a former Dodger like Orel. Truthfully, I thought Vinny was overrated, but loyal and dedicated. The guys that got me growing up were Red Barber and Mel Allen. So distinctive.
Were those tickets $340 each? Where were you sitting? The last time I went to see a game was in S.F. to see the Giants in about 2005. Nice park but Bay Area weather can freeze you at 50f. I’d rather watch from the comfort of my couch as I couldn’t afford to pay those prices going to the games, regularly.
Manny has yet to really show up. We get a glimmer but I don’t get the feeling he is destined for Dodgerdom. He looks out of place, somehow. OTOH, Dozier looks right at home.
That, his physical antics and his pitch repertoire are why I love watching Hill.
He’s just great.
It was against the Padres Bluto.
It’s almost September and he’s thrown 97 innings (tied for 111th) of 3.5 ERA, 4.14 FIP. 8 QS in 18 starts. He’s just good, not just great. At this point, I’m glad he is here, and wish he WAS great.
We won’t see the Baltimore Manny in LA. The AL East has some hitter friendly parks, with Camden Yards being near the top of the list. He’s slashing .263/.351/.436 here, which by this year’s standards is good. I expect him to get a little better in September.
Jonah, the idea presented by …whoever sounds damn stupid to me. It’s a beer league strategy presented by someone who no doubt drinks A LOT of beer. Roberts pulls a stunt like that and people will be calling for his head. What am saying? Hell, he might as well try something crazy in a pennant drive, right Roberts haters?
Orel must go. Davis would be better with a brighter sidekick.
I get a great military discount at Chase. Last time I went I took 3 friends and I got row 17 seats between home and third for $105. It’s over 100 miles to the ballpark, parking was $12, veggie burger and an NA was about $15. Not bad, but I am not inclined to go again any time soon I haven’t been to Dodger Stadium since ‘86.
It’s stupid on a number of levels.
But a lot of that kind of blog posting, there and here, I think are intentionally silly just to drive discussion.
The sad part is you start stupid and get dumber.
Oops, that was 4 seats for $150, not $105. 50% off $75 tickets …. and they were row 9, not row 17. Not sure what I was thinking when I typed that. Might have been my previous trip down there. Chase is actually a great place to take in a game. Every time I’ve been down there it was on a Sunday afternoon and the lid was closed. It’s brutally hot in Phoenix all summer and the park is shaded and air conditioned.
And remember everyone Manny has not seen that Richards pitch as much, as the rest of the team.
They have been facing that guy, for the last four or five years, and how many times each season.
But Dozier did hit, so maybe it is more then that.
The first two pitchers had high ERAs, but the last couple Padres pitchers, had good ERAS, and if you noticed, not many of the Dodgers hitters were still hitting, once the third pitcher came in the game.
Tonight’s pitcher also has an ERA over 7, but tomorrow’s starter, has a decent ERA.
Orel and Joe, are to much a like, so they can get boring at times, and Orel doesn’t know when just be quiet.
I rather have Nomar in the booth, because he is not constantly talking, and he keeps it real much more, then Orel.
After games get out of hand, they are boring for me, and after a while, it is just players padding their numbers, but the last two pitchers stopped that from happening, throughout the entire game.
But I am glad we won, because I want us to be in this, to the end of the season, or farther.
It is to bad we didn’t have Buehler like he is now, during the post season last year, because we would have probably won it all.
Confession time. I just went over to read the post referenced. I had no idea that it actually WAS a beer league strategy!
We did something similar in a beer league I once played in – the order was made by when you showed up. If you got there first you hit last. If you didn’t make it before first pitch of course you didn’t play until the #11 spot came up. You had to take a beer to your position and if it was knocked over it was a 2 base penalty. Beer league was about level D- in Northern California. I’d expect beer league in Indiana to be about level F. I’d tell you about my playing history but it would just sound like I’m bragging. I too played until I was 56, but it was tournament level ball and Championship Over 30 MABL.
I don’t remember what I did 30 or 40 years ago, because now it don’t mean shit. That’s why time only flows in one direction. I have enough trouble focusing on the present…
we’ve noticed 😉
“Better to have had it and lost it, than to have never had it at all”. Badgerdamus 2018
we’ve noticed 😉
“Better to have had it and lost it, than to have never had it at all”. Badgerdamus 2018
Can’t argue with that…
Found this on another site:
“The most telling stat to me is Blown Saves. Our overall pitching, stat wise, looks pretty not too bad until you get to that stat. We are second in MLB with 24 BSV’s. If we were just average in that stat we would be in first place. If we were leading the league we would have about a 6 game lead. Blowing leads late is not a Dodger thing. Well, not typically. Not until this year.”
Excellent point. We got Jansen at $11, 19, 18, 20 million through 2021 to see to it that does not happen.
Some memories for MJ
Thanks Jonah!
Did you see that one where the girl goes up, kisses of two walls, makes the catch, and the outfielder is standing there watching her? Probably envious of her skill.
That was cool.
As long as they are using CGI, she should have climbed the foul pole and done a dance.
Jonah
Even though I didn’t play in the outfield much, except in Allstars when I was older, because I was mainly pitching, I found the outfield was easy for me, to play.
I played on a mixed slow pitch team, and I played rover in the outfield, with the men.
But Badger is lucky he could play softball that long.
I wonder if Badger ever played men’s fast pitch, softball?
Because that use to be big in Corona before everyone was playing slow pitch, softball.
The men would put English on their pitches, by hitting their sides, when they were delivering their pitches.
Yeah, I played fastpitch. Also coached it.
MJ
Are you the ballgirl in this video?
Package
No I have blond hair but I wore my hair in pigtails, when I played.
Breaking news. Posey opts for surgery, out 6-8 months. So we do not have to face Buster the rest of the year. Means Hundley will get most of the starts. Joc Pederson is day to day with leg problems.
Strange lineup tonight. Muncy leading off? Well at least we speed at the top….
Tim
It is not strange. Dummy changes the lineup nightly and he never forgets to take Kemp out regularly. He is a first class DUMMY and jerk!!
Tim,
This is my favored lineup. Muncy starting with more monsters behind him. Look out!
At least Muncy has the second highest OBP on the team, so it makes sense to have Muncy in the lead off position.
I know he is not a traditional lead off guy, but sabers are not in to the speedy guys leading off, unless they have a pretty good OBP.
And actually pitchers are going to pitch even tougher to speedy guys, because they can be a pain for a pitcher, when they get on base.
Are you guys having a lot of interference on the broadcast?
Muncy has a .372 OBP and a .965 OPS against RHP this year. Against RH rookies he’s batting .500 with an OPS over 2.000.
Dummy can read.
Badger
I thought everyone would like this line up better, because Joc hasn’t done much at all, in August.
And he kept on leaving runners on base.
Muncy has good numbers when runners are in scoring position, except with two outs.
That was a big stop for that Padres pitcher with Turner up!
I have no problem with this lineup. I think pack is just pissed Kemp’s not in it.
Badger
Do you remember when the guys in fast pitch softball use to hit their side, when they were pitching, so they could put some movement, or English, on their pitches?
The guys I saw were my friends fathers, and uncles, so they were at least ten years older then you, I believe.
I only played slow pitch one year.
After my accident, I couldn’t run well, or move laterally well, but I still could compete in a half court basketball game, of two on two.
And I had a good time jet skiing at the river too.
Badger
Yeah Dummy can read. He just can’t manage. Nice Pinch hitting by Joc too. I hope they don’t blow this one but it doesn’t look good.
RIP John McCain.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/david-foster-wallace-on-john-mccain-the-weasel-twelve-monkeys-and-the-shrub-194272/
Bluto
I wish we had more brave guys like him in the republican party, that voted with their conscience.
He saved life’s, with his vote on the health care bill, last year.
RIP
I didn’t often agree with McCain, but for the most part he was a standup guy. And he didn’t embarrass or scare the sh*t out of me.
Sometimes this Dodger team is just hard to watch. So many blown opportunities. This game should be over.
His choice of Palin as his running mate didn’t embarass you? It was the kiss of death for him. He was a political moron and was instrumental in WMD and opposing Demo progress at the time. Too bad he had such a rough time in Hanoi. It left an indelible mark and colored his judgement.
Yeah, too bad what happened to him.
LOL
“His choice of Palin as his running mate didn’t embarass you?”
Of course not. It delighted me.
He was NOT a political moron. There are examples of political morons working for us right now, but he wasn’t one of them.
Too bad what happened to him? I take it you aren’t a Vietnam veteran.