The 2016 season has gone better than anyone could have expected for the Dodgers. The club has won their first two games by a combined score of 18-0 over the Padres. The pitching staff has yet to allow a run in their first two starts. As a matter of fact it’s the first time ever I believe that the Dodgers have gotten back-to-back 6 IP or more no runs allowed starts from their starting pitchers to start a season. The Dodgers have allowed just 6 hits thus far and two walks. That’s a combined eight base runners in two games. Incredible.
Dodgers @ San Diego
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Puig RF
Crawford LF
Pederson CF
Ellis C
Maeda P
Kenta Maeda-0-0 vs. Andrew Cashner-0-0
Game time- 6:10 PM -TV- SNLA
The offense has been amazing as well. Wonder boy Corey Seager has four hits already and is on pace to bat 5,000. Adrian Gonzalez is off to a hot start as well. The Dodgers have scored 18 runs on 23 hits. They’ve done it without hitting a single home run. Yasiel Puig has two triples already, and the Dodgers already have 12 hits with runners in scoring position.
Closer Kenley Jansen picked up his first save of the season in Tuesday night’s 3-0 win at Petco Park. The Dodgers will try to make it a clean sweep, before barreling into the lion’s den of San Francisco to face the Giants on Thursday afternoon. The impending four game series will be the club’s first real test of the 2016 season. I know the Dodgers are bound to allow a run and lose at some point, but this is really fun to watch. I know the Padres are unbelievably bad, but let’s just enjoy the moment. The club has done very well, and look extremely cohesive on both sides of the ball.
Scott Kazmir was in total control of Tuesday night’s game. The veteran pitched 6 innings and allowed just one hit and struck out 5 while not walking anyone. He was very impressive while making 75 pitches. He flummoxed the Padres all night by mixing in high 80’s heaters with super slow off-speed pitches. More proof that spring training doesn’t mean a thing. Kazmir is a strong pitcher, and if Maeda lives up to the hype, the Dodgers will have a very strong 1-2-3 in their rotation.
Speaking of Maeda, he’ll make his Dodger debut on Wednesday night as the boys in blue look for the sweep at San Diego. The 27-year old right hander posted a 2.09 ERA in the NPB while winning 15 games.
The Padres will counter with big southern boy Andrew Cashner. The Dodgers have seen him many times in the past. Cashner had a rocky season last year, but still managed to throw heat and miss bats. He was 6-16 with a 4.34 ERA in 31 starts in 2015 for San Diego. He struck out 165 and walked 66 in 184.2 innings pitched.
Cashner has always pitched well early in the season. He has a career 2.51 ERA in the month of April. He’s thrown well against the Dodgers too. He’s posted a 1-5 record but a 2.10 ERA in 21 games against the Dodgers. Cashner is 15-17 with a 2.64 ERA at Petco Park.
The Dodgers have hit Cashner well at times. Overall they are hitting .311 (37 for 119) with 5 home runs and an .871 OPS against. The guy the Padres have to watch out for is Adrian Gonzalez. He’s hitting .344 (11 for 32) off of Cashner with 4 home runs and 6 runs driven in.
Dodgers vs. Cashner
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 35 | 32 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | .344 | .400 | .750 | 1.150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carl Crawford | 27 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | .346 | .370 | .538 | .909 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasiel Puig | 22 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .105 | .227 | .105 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| A.J. Ellis | 16 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .500 | .563 | .500 | 1.063 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joc Pederson | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .111 | .333 | .111 | .444 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Justin Turner | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .714 | 1.000 | 1.714 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chase Utley | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | .333 | .400 | .733 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Seager | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Kazmir | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Van Slyke | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Culberson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 133 | 119 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 29 | .311 | .383 | .487 | .871 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
A sweep of the Padres would be a wonderful way to wrap up the first series of the season. The Giants won’t be easy. We know this. This is still a great tune-up for the weekend war that is straight ahead. Here’s hoping for another win.
By the way, the broom company will be having a special on all of your Dodger sweep needs. Just use the promotion code DodgersPummelSD to receive 10% off any Dodger sweep item.
Go Blue!
Maeda will give the Padres a pitcher totally different from the first two they saw. Tough start to the season for the Padres if Maeda has much success as did Kershaw and kazmir.
It seems like AGone has been hot early every year since coming here. And I’m pretty sure he brought his nickname with him. Good luck to Maeda in his debut.
I think SD would have a hard time beating the OK City Dodgers.
I agree.
Also, I think our OKC team can do well against many MLB teams in a 3 games series with their front 3 starters ….
I’m glad we don’t write on the SDPadresreport blog. Imagine what’s going on there?
Just watched Gary Player get a hole in one in the par 3 contest at Augusta aged 80!
Great start by Kazmir and the pen
Really happy that Puig has started well – he is key.
Think Maeda will prove to be a gamer.
Heat up the sake and get a few hand rolls ready, it’s Maeda time… I got a real good feeling about him since seeing him in ST… Madres or not, you got em down, now finish em…
Badger – your boys lost to the Rockies.
SF lost too. We could go top of the division with a win!
Gee, this is the best the Dodgers have played baseball since — since they were a great team like back from 1962-1966. Or go back ten year prior with the 1953 team that only lost 49 regular season games.
So great start to the Dodgers. May there be enough gas in the can to make it all the way home.
Guess you forget the great april they had last season.
Not talking about April. Talking about a season. Last April when it started off, I wondered if they would even lose a single game.
Hey Watford — back in the mid 1960s I walked the Wednesday round (prior to the start on Thursday) at the L.A. Open at Riviera with Gary Player. Wonderful experience. All 18 holes with him; one on one. He even read the entire plaque on the last hole where Palmer had like a 12 . . .
“fun to watch”…lucky!
I get to hear Charlie Steiner on the radio 🙁
But as long as we win, who cares!
No lineup?
Starting Lineup…courtesy of TBLA
2B Utley (L)
SS Seager (L)
3B Turner
1B Gonzalez (L)
RF Puig
LF Crawford (L)
CF Pederson (L)
C Ellis
P Maeda P
Has anyone noticed that, with the exception of the catcher’s spot…Roberts has used the same batting order/ line-up during the last three games? I don’t remember that happening to often, over the last three seasons.
Did everyone see that Nacasio has pitched five innings, of no hit ball, against the Cardinals ? And I think he has a lot of strike outs.
Good for him. I was ready for him to move on though.
Bum that one is for you! What a nice clutch hit, by Joc!
I loved it especially after starting out 0-2. We have lots of Joc fans here.
A really good at bat!
San Diego finally reaches the warning track.
Ok, who had Maeda to hit the first home run of the year for the Dodgers.
I believe I did. Who’s buying me drinks
OK, I admit it. I put a package together of box scores of 2013 and video of many of his ABs —— and sent in by overnight mail to Puig. See, sometimes it pays to communicate.
This is fun.
Hey Scott, I’m gonna guess that getting fired by them Sports Illustrated sobs turned out them doing you a favor, huh? I like how you kept your site with the same feel that Mark had given us. For me, and I’m certain most everybody here, feels this is the best place. And really, thanks for limiting the popups. I’m gonna bet you’ll soon find there’s more profit and less headaches keeping things perfect. Thanks Scott and thanks Mark! You’re good friends!
Oh, and by the way all…..CHEERS!!!!!!!!