What a difference a day makes. After a rousing 8-2 win on Monday night, the Dodgers were pathetically shutout 3-0 as the Yankees evened the series. Julio Urias pitched well, but couldn’t keep his pitch count down. The deciding blows in the game were two pinch-hit home runs from Jacoby Ellsbury and Didi Gregorius in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Ross Stripling.
Unsurprisingly the Dodgers did nothing offensively against veteran C.C. Sabathia. That’s what happens when you put automatic outs in the lineup like Kike Hernandez, and Carlos Ruiz, who should both never start over Yasmani Grandal and Joc Pederson during a playoff race.
Now the Dodgers will go for a series win behind Clayton Kershaw in the rubber game before departing for Arizona to finish the road trip. The Yankees will give the ball to right hander Michael Pineda. Kershaw is making just his second start since coming off the disabled list because of a herniated disc.
Dodgers Lineup @ New York
Utey 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Grandal C
Reddick RF
Ethier DH
Pederson CF
Toles LF
Clayton Kershaw-11-3 vs. Michael Pineda-6-11
Game time – 1:10 PM – TV-SNLA
Kershaw lasted just three innings in his first start back from the DL against the Marlins last week. He wasn’t terrible, but seemed rusty. Hopefully he’s on his A-game today against the Bronx bombers. Kershaw is 11-3 this season with a 1.89 ERA. He has 150 strikeouts and just 9 walks. Those numbers seem unreal, but not when you remember that this is Clayton Kershaw. He makes the impossible possible. Kershaw has made 2 career starts against the Yankees and has a 1.20 ERA and no record. Kersh is 12-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 27 career interleague starts. The current Yankees have not hit Kershaw a lick, posting a .474 OPS against and 18 hits in 110 plate appearances.
Kershaw vs. Yankees
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP | missG |
| Chase Headley | 54 | 52 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 12 | .212 | .241 | .365 | .606 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Starlin Castro | 23 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .087 | .087 | .087 | .174 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eric Young | 21 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .250 | .429 | .250 | .679 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Didi Gregorius | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .167 | .286 | .167 | .452 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Brian McCann | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .167 | .000 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Brett Gardner | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .200 | .000 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Mark Teixeira | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 119 | 109 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 27 | .165 | .235 | .239 | .474 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
As for the 27-year old Dominican native Pineda, he is having a down year. He’s given up a ton of hits and home runs, but is still striking out over 10 batters per nine innings. Pineda has a 6-11 record with a 5.07 ERA. In 27 starts he’s struck out 179 and walked 44 while allowing 24 home runs in 156.1 innings pitched. Pineda has won just one decision since August 5. He’s also gone into the seventh inning twice all season. Pineda has never faced the Dodgers but is 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 career interleague starts.
Pineda vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Josh Reddick | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .200 | .000 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Utley | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .400 | .250 | .650 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howie Kendrick | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .188 | .278 | .188 | .465 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The magic number is now 15 with 18 games left to play thanks to the Giants choking away another lead in their loss last night against the Padres. The Dodgers are lucky that the lead remains at 4 games. The Dodgers best stop playing .198 hitting backups during September games. Five hits and 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position certainly aren’t going to cut it. The regulars need to be playing every day until the division is clinched from here on out. No excuses.
Go Blue
Just give us 5, Clayton! That’s all we want!
OK, well I do want some actual hitting.
I didn’t realize that we hadn’t won a road series in about a month now!
Today would be nice to end that streak
My lord, this site has been about as dead as our offense lately!!
Bobby
Ethier had one pitch to hit a flyball into the outfield, and he stood there and took the pitch.
Instead Ethier swings at a very low pitch, that turns into a double play.
Where is everyone the last couple of days?
seriously! i thought you banned like 15 folks or something
Nope. I don’t ban anyone. Never have never will. I’m assuming it might be because of fall schedule, or football season starting. I’m sure everyone will be back again soon.
Magic Number 14
Pads sweep at sf haha
Got to like what CK gave us. Wish Andre could have come up with a hit earlier.
I agree Hawkeye.
That was a killer.
What a great pitchers duel so far!
You would think that with all their lefthanded bats that the Dodgers could park a few in that short right field porch in Yankee Stadium. Guess not.
Seriously
That is what I was hoping.
Because they look so flat I was hoping that this game would be rained out.
Good lord how did Joc miss that pitch
Finally!
OK!! I hope Kenley don’t choke tonight…
when i saw him warming up, i said the EXACT SAME THING
I wanted 2-3 in this series, and we did it! Fantastic work
Now on to AZ!!
Bobby
And against one of the best closer’s in baseball, Betances
Thank God those Yankees swing at high pitches. Makes me nervous with Jansen going into the playoffs against better hitters.
Anyone have an idea what LHRP we take into the post season. I think Howell is out and my first pick would be Dayton, Liberatore or Avilan if we take three LHRP. If only two the Dayton(what a pickup!!!) and Liberatore.
Jansen often goes high in the strike zone. Saw Jansen hit 98. Haven’t seen that from him in a very long time.
Guess I’m happy that the game wasn’t rained out.
Team needs to get their bats going. Is it my imagination, or do our lefthanded hitters have a penchant for swinging and missing low inside breaking balls?
Now let’s hope that Kershaw feels good tomorrow.
Brooklyn
Kershaw will be fine tomorrow.
Let’s hope. Long plane ride ahead.
What a change of events, we go to Arizona five games up, and now the Giants have to play the Cardinals!
And Kershaw has a very good gutsy performance today too!
We deserved one of those. The bats have gone cold so hopefully they will get hot again come playoff time. Seems like CK will be in old form by playoff time too. Kershaw, Hill, Maeda is good enough to win. Gotta to love Grant Dayton. I’ve been impressed with him since his first outing in St. Louis. I sat through a 16 inning loss at Busch Stadium, but I felt good driving home about Dayton. Should be some interesting roster decisions for the playoff roster. Dayton is the #1 lefty, Avilan has looked better, Liberatore doesn’t look right, and Howell has been hanging on by a thread.
Richie asked what LH pitcher we will take into the offseason. I’ll go a step further and say who I think is on the roster:
1. Grandal
2. Ruiz
3. Gonzalez
4. Utley
5. Seager
6. Turner
7. Kendrick
8. Pederson
9. Puig
10. Reddick
11. Toles
12. Hernandez
13. Ethier
14. Kershaw
15. Hill
16. Maeda
17. De Leon
18. Baez
19. Blanton
20. Dayton
21. Jansen
22. Liberatore
23. Howell
24. Urias
25. Stewart
I think Howell makes it because he’s a vet. Stripling could get the call over Stewart. I just like Stewart over Strip, but it’s close!
Can’t see any reason for Howell or Hernandez. No matter, whomever they choose, some of us, maybe me, maybe you, will complain. It’s a given like the Sun rising in the East…
Wondering
You can count on that.
I think it will be Stripling, only because most of the time he has been good coming in from the bullpen.
Nice roster.
Chavez and Coleman are also possibilities.
Wondering, It’s you and MJ that complain about roster moves, not me. EVER!
I figure they know more about the situation that I do.
Stripling or Stewart – too close to call. I can see either one.
I think Howell will make it because he is a vet and has pretty decent underlying stats. His ERA ain’t great, but he’s solid.
I would bet that Hernandez makes it because he can fill in for SS and CF as well as every other position. That shortens the roster. But if I am wrong, I won’t be complaining. I’ll let that to you FAZ bashers.
There is still a lot of time to determine who pitches. Shoot, I could see McCarthy and/or Anderson on the roster.
17 Games to go. If the Dodgers go 10-7 (which is their current winning %) , there is no way the Giants can catch them.
It has been quiet in here. Most people who have been FAZ-Bashers all season now have had the wind taken out of their sails. They have nothing to say. They have left! Some have acted all indignant and went back to their holes because they don’t want to face the music.
I have enjoyed the ride and will continue to enjoy it. I don’t get the constant complaining.
Does that make me a complainer when I complain about the constant complaining? I think we all know that answer. Complaining about complainers is not complaining!
They have left because of you Timmons
A new alias?
It thought this was very interesting:
It’s hard to be positive and productive when you have someone complaining in your ear all day. Chronic complainers believe the world is out to get them, but the truth is that they may not even know that they complain so much. Here are some helpful tips for handling those that have a penchant for informing everyone about their hardships.
When somebody is constantly complaining, it’s easy to think that they just have a negative outlook on life in the same way that a pessimist might. The truth is, chronic complainers are a whole different breed. They may not have a negative outlook on life at all, but they still want you to know that nothing is ever quite good enough. Guy Winch, Ph.D. at Psychology Today explains the difference perfectly:
Optimists see: A glass half full.
Pessimists see: A glass half empty.
Chronic complainers see: A glass that is slightly chipped holding water that isn’t cold enough, probably because it’s tap water when I asked for bottled water and wait, there’s a smudge on the rim, too, which means the glass wasn’t cleaned properly and now I’ll probably end up with some kind of virus. Why do these things always happen to me?!
Negative people in general are notoriously difficult to deal with, but the chronic complainer requires a separate approach. In fact, as Winch further explains, they don’t even see themselves as negative people. In their mind, the world is what’s negative, and they only know one way to respond to it.
Chronic complainers may even be relatively positive people who don’t actually know how to express themselves in a positive light, so it’s important you approach them the right way.
I’m trying to work on this: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-deal-with-chronic-complainers-1668185689
Oh boy, I sense the evil genius is warming up for his next act (and recurring act). Well, I’ll hope for the best but…
Yep….Timmons at work again…He doesn’t need to open his sight again. He has commandered this one!
Who are you? I don’t recall seeing you post here much before.
Sorry folks. If this is a vehicle for people to vent about their frustrations about how this current front office is conducting its affairs, running the team and just otherwise express your displeasure about how the game has gone to hell in a handbasket because of all of this sabre nonsense – to otherwise complain incessantly – Timmons or me or anyone else has every right to offer a rebuttal and, yes, even gloat when the incessant complainers are proven wrong.
Amen tremor. He was focused on the team and the results for all of a week. I was just waiting for the rants to begin.
Great knowledge and insight and a fantastic cheerleader but just can’t keep his foot off the “a hole” pedal.
Drivel….