Sometimes one run is all you need and it was all the Dodgers needed on Tuesday night to defeat the White Sox 1-0 to record their tenth consecutive win. Clayton Kershaw tossed seven shutout innings to extend his winning streak to eleven consecutive decisions. The Dodgers have now won 30 of their last 34 games and have not lost consecutive games since the beginning of June.
The Dodgers played a sloppy game as the bats were unable to capitalize on opportunities against opposing starter Miguel Gonzalez throughout the game. The Dodgers left 11 men on base, were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, grounded into four double plays, and left the bases loaded three different times. They made two defensive errors and yet still won the game. Even when the Dodgers play poorly they still win. Me thinks this is their year.
Dodgers 1 9 2
White Sox 0 8 0
WP-Kershaw-15-2
LP-Gonzalez-4-9
SV-Jansen-24
The only run of the game came on an RBI single from Cody Bellinger in the opening frame. Chris Taylor starts the game by reaching on an infield single and then stole second base. Corey Seager walked, and after Justin Turner struck out, Cody Bellinger singled up the middle to score Taylor and give the Dodgers an early lead. It looked like the Dodgers would score many more runs, but that did not happen. The bats just couldn’t get anything going all night. Gonzalez walked five in six innings, but got had his two-seamer working well and was able to wiggle out of jams all night long.
Double play 1-
That came in the first inning when Joc Pederson grounded into a 3-6-1 DP to end the first inning.
Meanwhile Kershaw was in control for most of the game. Despite allowing a single, walk, and a stolen base in the first inning he was able to get out of it. Kershaw racked up two more whiffs in the second despite allowing a single to Tyler Saladino, and a catcher’s interference on Kevan Smith.
Double play 2-
The second double play came in the top of the third for the Dodgers. Taylor singled again, and was immediately erased when Seager grounded into a 3-6 DP. Turner then doubled, but after an intentional walk to Bellinger and an unintentional walk to Logan Forsythe, Joc was struck out.
Move to the bottom of the fourth. It was Kershaw’s turn to induce a double play as the Dodgers turned the tables on the Pale Hose. Smith grounded into the double play after Yolmer Sanchez had singled. There would be more double plays and runners left stranded.
Double play 3-
The third double play for the Dodgers came in the top of the fifth. Seager doubled, and after Turner struck out again, Bellinger walks. Forsythe would then ground into the 6-4-3 double play. You know just to mix it up a bit.
Kershaw worked out of some trouble in the bottom of the sixth. After he struck out Jose Abreu, he gave up consecutive singles to Avisail Garcia and Matt Davidson. For some reason Saladino tried to bunt. Not sure if this was a safety squeeze, but Grandal catches the pop up for the second out. Sanchez then grounds out to third and the Dodgers are out of it.
Move to the bottom of the seventh. With the Dodgers still up 1-0, Kershaw gets Smith and Adam Engal to ground out. Tim Anderson bangs a single into left, but with juicer Cabrera at the plate he picks off Anderson to end the inning.
Double play 4-
Top of the eighth: Of course the game couldn’t end without the Dodgers grounding into yet another double play. In this frame Bellinger and Forsythe single and the White Sox have Dan Jennings intentionally walk Kike to load the bases. With nobody out, Grandal strikes out and Yasiel Puig grounds into the inning ending more standard 4-3 double play.
Pedro Baez pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, but not without some fright. Melky Cabrera’s line drive to right field looked like a sure hit, but Puig laid out like superman to make an incredibly awesome full extension catch. As Oscar would say….And then Puig happened. Damn right he did.
Baez got through the rest of the inning without issue. The Dodgers go down in the top of the ninth without scoring and in comes Kenley Jansen to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the Dodgers leading 1-0. There was no room for error.
Davidson would lead off the ninth with a long drive to deep left that Taylor caught in front of the wall. It was just a loud out thankfully. Kenley quiets the crowd by getting pinch-hitter Alen Hanson to ground out. Sanchez would single to keep the White Sox hope alive. But not for long as Kenley would whiff Omar Narvaez to end the game. Dodgers win! Ten in a row!
Chris Taylor had one heck of a game going 4 for 5 with three singles and a double. He scored a run, stole a base and is now batting .300 on the season.
Kershaw’s pitching line: 7 IP 0 ER 7H 1 BB 7 K ERA-2.07
Remember when people lamented the Giants getting Matt Moore?
That was fun…
What else is fun is Rosenthal’s latest column.
https://www.facebook.com/kenrosenthalsports/posts/1453472444718482
The Dodger highlights:
DODGERS: HEAVY LIFTING ALREADY DONE
The Dodgers spent a combined $192 million to retain closer Kenley Jansen, left-hander Rich Hill and third baseman Justin Turner last offseason in part because their top executive, Andrew Friedman, loathes paying high acquisition costs in July trades.
Friedman relented last season, sending three pitching prospects to the Athletics for two rentals, Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick. But the Dodgers, leading the NL West by 10½ games entering Tuesday, are in a much stronger position now.
They want a top left-handed reliever, someone such as the Orioles’ Zach Britton, Tigers’ Justin Wilson or Padres’ Brad Hand. But they’re wary of overpaying for 15-20 innings of a pitcher who will have zero impact on them winning the division. And they’re not about to go nuts on a starter such as the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, not when they signed Hill precisely to avoid getting sucked into such a move.
Hill, as it turns out, is outperforming Gray by a slight margin, and Dodgers lefty Alex Wood is outperforming both of them by a larger amount. Friedman and Co. are reluctant to disrupt the chemistry of a team that took the field Tuesday sporting a 65-29 record. And the two prospects they get asked about most, outfielder Alex Verdugo and right-hander Walker Buehler, well, the Dodgers believe that both are ready to play in the majors right now.
The Dodgers are one injury to an outfielder away from Verdugo entering the outfield mix. Buehler is a candidate to join the bullpen in September. The Dodgers would rather trade prospects with comparable ceilings who are further away from the majors, major-league sources say.
They’re going to do something, maybe even something surprising — Friedman, when he pursues moves in July, always aims high. But truth be told, the Dodgers did most of their work last winter. Anything now is a bonus.
They are wary of 20 innings out of relievers but don’t mind 34 innings out of a starter? Moore?Moore is a solid #3 in any rotation. 198 innings for $7 million last year. He won twice as many games as did Hill after being picked up. He’s having a tough year in ’17 but so are the midgets. Even so, he’s pitched more games and a lot more innings than has Over the Hill. He’s a lot cheaper and a lot younger than Hill is. Hill has been ok, not great this year, but it’s just a matter of time. Circular argument. Tiresome.
The midgets sellout streak ended. That is something to talk about.
Yeah, Kershaw is pretty good.
OK, Joc and a prospect for Moore. The Giants need a centerfielder, we have extras and we need a real pitcher. We call up Verdugo and never miss Joc.
You FAZophobes never cease to amaze me!! Moore?? Really?? Oh sure he is “solid” on a 23 games under .500 team, but the 36 games over .500 Dodgers don’t want anything to do with him. Could he be a BIG reason the Midgets are 23 games under??
Matt Moore, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco’s expensive deal for the left-hander helped to push the Giants into the postseason in 2016, and there was sound logic behind that trade when it went down. With big money owed to Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, it made sense for the Giants to add an experienced left-hander with what seemed to be a very team-friendly contract; Moore’s deal has team options for $9 million in 2018 and $10 million in 2019. But Moore’s performance has been nothing short of awful this season: He has a 5.81 ERA, having allowed more earned runs than any other NL pitcher, and he has allowed 131 hits in 105 1/3 innings. His rate of hard-hit balls has jumped to 36.2 percent, a career worst. Said one evaluator: “His stuff is down a tick, but I think it might be more of a confidence thing with him this year. He’s throwing his cutter again, and that was a big pitch for him last year, along with his changeup.” With the Giants’ season lost, it would usually make sense for them to at least weigh the value of a veteran such as Moore in the market, but increasingly, San Francisco might have to focus on whether it makes sense to exercise that 2018 option in Moore’s deal.
Here is a good one for you two to ponder!
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt….. Mark Twain
Lastly, “the midgets sellout streak ended”? I wonder if Fraudy’s (at “Giant Therapy”) boycott is having the desired effect?
Yet you cannot follow that sound advice!
That’s funny 🙂
It is sound advice. Start pondering!!!! ASAP!!
Artieboy: “I don’t be understand the “getting sucked into a July trade for Sonny Gray” comment when that is what happened last year with Hill. FAZ wants to avoid that, but they already did it last year. I’d still rather have Moore over Hill.”
F___ing unbelievable!!!!!!!!
Bon Appetit, CatBox.
“Moore is a solid #3 in any rotation. ”
I beg to differ. He’s not a #3 on the Dodgers rotation, nor the Cubs last year, or the Nats. You know what I find tiresome is the continued specious argument that lots of innings of mediocre starting pitching is some sort of standard to aspire to.
“Having a tough year” is a charitable way of saying he ain’t that good. Blisters and age factored in to the equation, would I still rather have the much higher upside of Hill than the reliable suckage of Moore? That answer’s a no-brainer.
I’m surprised you still continue to cling to this futile argument that the Dodger’s FO is making all the wrong moves, they’re not doing it right, they’re bungling…and that somehow the Giants or the Dbacks or Rangers or whomever else are doing it the “right” way. It’s getting harder and harder for you to make the argument this current team is exceptional because of pre-existing players such as Kershaw, or that they just have money to throw around. At some point you’re just going to have to accept that Friedman has done a pretty good job with this organization.
“At some point you’re just going to have to accept that Friedman has done a pretty good job with this organization.”
That’s fine. I agree with that. But then you fall into the same trap. For FAZ there is no number 3 or 4 or 5. There is only a pitcher who can get 15 outs. Then a parade of pitchers who get the other 12 outs. Yet you assume they prefer Hill and his upside to Moore when for them it’s all about 15 outs. Hill has been a nice roll, but at times 15 outs have been a struggle.
You’re right about the #3 comment patch. I meant to say #4. My mistake.
Just like FAZophants are not counting McCarthy’s first 2 years, or Hilll’s 34 innings last year, or Andersons flop, Latos’ gag, Kazmir’s everything, I’m not looking at Moore this year. I look at what he did last year. He beat the Dodgers 3 times, and put up 198 innings of 4.0 ERA and did it for $7 million. He was a good pickup for them. Better than Hill was for us. He’s 28. That’s 9 years younger than Hill. With the right team, he could do ’16 again, and compared to those bombs we’ve signed, he can do it for cheap.
Kershaw looking very good.
This is a good game to win. We should have lost due to 4 GIDPs. Hopefully Roberts will clean that up. We haven’t had long stretches where poor baserunning or poor situational hitting persisted. A game like this gives the coaches some direction to improve.
Looks like there are too many sellers and trade values are going down. Neither the Yankees nor Diamondbacks gave up much in these last trades.
I think we will be pleasantly surprised by our deadline trade this year (knock on wood).
Pleasantly surprised is a good way to put it. Surprised being the operative word there. They’ve sucked the ruby begonia two years running. Should we expect something different this year? Well, yeah, damn right we should. You guys are professed to be geniuses, show us some of that effulgent baseball IQ.
Based on the market and what their needs were and what they gave up, I don’t know what you can say the Dodgers should have done differently last year. But it’s situational, of course. Prospects for Hamels – good. Hill? ….every prospect is precious and must be preserved at all costs no matter what!
YF
I didn’t think the Dbacks had many good prospects left after last year, so I was natural surprised that they were able to trade for Martinez.
Like I already wrote, Martinez is killing lefties with a OPS over a thousand, and the Dbacks have had a lot of trouble against lefties this year, and most of our starters are leftie, so that looks like a good move for them.
And I like your last line, about being pleasantly surprised, and knocking on wood.
OK FAZ, Joc, Forsythe, Willie Tree Trunks, and one pitcher prospect for Rivero and ‘Cutch. Just do it.
Taylor every day at second?
Ok. Do it.
Badger
Exactly and if Forsythe numbers don’t improve this year, the front office should just buy out, his option.
I don’t be understand the “getting sucked into a July trade for Sonny Gray” comment when that is what happened last year with Hill. FAZ wants to avoid that, but they already did it last year. I’d still rather have Moore over Hill.
30 of 34 unbelievable!
So anyone can buy the right to call the field at Chavez Ravine whatever they choose. Wonder who will be first: an Indian casino, an internet startup, a ubiquitous cell phone company.
Maybe Bluto will do it: Bluto Field… Or Timmons: Mountain Mover Field… Or Trump: The Donald… Or: FAZmart…
This is LA. It’ll be some over-leveraged wanna be company with no connection to the area. Like the McCourts. In fact if I was Frank McCourt I’d put up $20m to call the stadium the McCourt Playgrounds just to spite the MLB.
YF
I don’t know much about how the MLB looked over the sale of the Dodgers from McCourt, but I am surprised McCourt was allowed to keep the parking lots, considering he was forced to sell the Dodgers.
He shouldn’t have had that much power to do that, it seems.
Latest Fangraphs article tries to explain why everyone thinks the Tigers got fleeced in the JD Martinez trade. Their reason: to many sellers and not enough demand.
I agree and on top of that I just don’t think much of JD especially with our lineup. We need solid defense and good base running in LF more than just a bat. And we should wait and save our bullets for a top LH reliever.
Orioles are still using Brach as their closer, not Britton. I think we are getting Britton at a good price (again knock on wood). Justin Wilson ok too but I’d rather take the chance on Britton even with his injury risk. Wilson has the same profile as Dayton but a healthy Britton would really move the needle.
Britton’s sore elbow may make him enticing to FAZ, but it makes me nervous. I like Rivero but don’t know Pittsburgh will give him up. Maybe along with McCutchen. I have no problem including Joc in that trade. I don’t see anything that bold happening. Not with the team playing so well.
Brach wouldn’t be bad, but he is a rightie.
He is under contract until the end of 2018, and he is cheaper.
I concerned with Britton because he had that forearm problem twice this year.
That was a good article. One thing I gleaned from it is that perhaps teams are becoming more wary of giving up value for rentals. I read in an interview transcript with Friedman that he simply believes that there is too much of an emotional component to deadline deals, too much hype, which drives prices up. Maybe the league is coming to this conclusion as well and are being a little more shrewd in their purchases, which drives the market down.
It helps that the really good teams out there have such insurmountable leads that they really DON’T have to make a move.
I like Puig, I don’t want to trade him, so this is not picking on him, just asking a question…. Puig made a nice play last night diving for a ball. Do you think the dive was necessary? For many years people thought it was advantageous to dive or slide into first base. Then one day an efficiency expert proved that just continuing to run got you to the bag quicker. Do you suppose a similar situation exists on diving for a ball versus just continue running and reach down for the ball? I’m sure the players do not think about it, they just react instinctively. Injuries do occur sometimes because of the dive….
Jonah
I didn’t see Puig’s catch, but if I was a manager of a big league team, in spring training, I would demonstrate to my players, and show them with a time clock, that it is faster to run the ball out at first then to dive, to make sure non of my players, dive into first during the season, and mess up one of their fingers.
We didn’t look good on offense at all yesterday, because there were to many runners left on base.
And that is one of our team’s weaknessses.
We are not good at moving the runners over, and hitting them in, even when a fly ball to the outfield, or a ball hit slowly to the right side, would score a run with less then two outs.
And that is what a team has to do against good pitching.
There won’t be to many HRs hit, against good pitching.
That is what the team needs to learn to do, while they have this big lead in their division, to be ready for the post season, if we go.
And that is why a player that hits with a good batting average is important, because a walk won’t get a runners home, from any base, unless the bases are loaded.
And that is why a player that makes most of their OBA with walks, is not producing as much as it looks, on their OPS.
I don’t think the dive was necessary but am not concerned with it. There is more of it now than ever and a great deal of it is showboating. It’s entertainment. Don’t hurt yourself.
I don’t like head first slides anywhere. Never have. Head first at first base and home is just dumb. Head first anywhere else is dangerous. Go in cleats first right at the bag.
Joc for Moore? I see the logic but the WAR for WAR doesn’t work. Your trade with Pittsburgh made more sense. I say again, I don’t expect bold out of FAZ. If anything, it will likely be a peripheral trade to buff up the margins.
There’s no logic in Joc for Moore. The team has so many starters they have two in the bullpen, two who have more team control than Moore AND are manipulating the DL just to keep the other 6 healthy.
That would be a moronic trade.
Thanks, Bluto, knew I could count on you and your brother, Catbox. Is your button-down collar too tight?
Like I said, I see the logic. 198 innings of 4.0 can be extremely valuable. After Kershaw the Dodgers have NOBODY who can do that. For $7 million? Unheard of. But, the thing that FAZ attempts to value is WAR. They don’t always get that right, but with $250 million to throw around, mistakes can be overcome. Joc, as frustrating as he often is (not coming close to his potential on my stat sheet) he does put up more WAR than Moore does. And he is stil young enough to get his head out of his ass and be valuable for years. I’d consider him in a trade for McCutchen (and Rivero) but not for Moore.
Where on Earth are you getting 4.0 of WAR? Moore had the best year of his life last year and netted a 2.2 via Fangraphs, which is all I look at. He’s 28 now, he pretty much is who he is at this point.
Are you seriously saying that Moore is a more valuable pitching commodity than Wood or Hill? ….because of 198 innings last year?
Why are any of you even having this discussion? Moore sucks. The Dodgers aren’t getting rid of Joc, nor are they trading with the Giants ever.
Where on earth are YOU getting 4.0 of WAR?
Moore does not suck. That’s your opinion and you are entitled to it. All I said was the Dodgers have nobody other than Kershaw who can throw 198 innings of 4.0. You think Wood or Hill will? I find that highly unlikely. Wood will have to average about 10 innings a start, and Hill even more. I’m betting against it. You interested in a wager?
Badger,
I’m with Jonah, or I’m confused. I can’t tell which.
Are you saying:
A. Moore will provide 4.0 WAR?
B. Moore won’t provide 4.0 WAR, but neither will anyone not named Kershaw.
I know A isn’t true, but I don’t understand how point B makes a case for trading a starting CF for a pitcher who’s performing at the same level as other players already on the roster.
If it’s something else, can you let me know?
I think you mean you’re with patch, as he’s the one who referenced WAR. I never said that. I said 198 innings of 4.0, meaning 4.0 ERA. 4.08 to be exact. He’s been better at home, 92 OPS+, and pitched well enough in a few parks around both leagues. His last time out, 2 earned in 7, but yeah, that entire team is on a schneid. He was good in Tropicana, .695 OPS, send him back there. Or, be smart and just file this year away and look forward to next year. He’s only owed $9 million in ’18.
Ok, maybe I just don’t know what you mean by 4.0.
And why is it so important that a pitcher pitch 200 innings? I almost think you’re trolling me if you’re really even coming within a mile of suggesting Moore has more value as a starting pitcher than Wood. Of course Wood won’t get 200 innings, firstly because he started the year in the pen, and secondly because this FO and Roberts couldn’t give two turds about that.
Right now…today…would you want to immediately snap your fingers and have Moore on this team over Wood?….or Hill?
Ok, 4.00 ERA makes sense. Too bad Moore’s ERA is 5.81 and his SIERA has never been less than 4.00 (and he has an injury history) and Wood’s current WAR with only 86 innings pitched is a third more than Moore has ever accumulated in all of his 198 innings.
Here’s a wager. I bet you that by the end of the year Wood’s accumulated WAR will be five times higher than Matt Moore’s.
Joc for Moore? Doubt the Giants want to trade anyone to the Dodgers. But FAZ does weird things. I give some credit to the Sox pitcher for the lack of offense last night and the only guy who really hit him was Taylor and he was 5-9 against him going into the game. Joe said that the pregame meeting was run by the 2 guys who had hit against him before, Taylor and Forsythe. Forsythe got a couple of walks against him but obviously the other guys did not get the memo. All those guys on base and only 1 run. But it is one game, they won in spite of themselves, so we should all be happy about that.
Oh, Michael. I was being facetious in that last thread and wrote a response to you. Please read when you have a chance.
https://ladodgerreport.com/naming-rights-fiasco-dodger-stadium-will-always-dodger-stadium-us/#comments
Cody had two hits, and one of his hits, hit in the first run!
Turner also had a hit too, and so did Corey.
And even when the starter wasn’t in this game, our hitters that came up to bat with runners in scoring position, and still didn’t do there job.
And Forsythe got a hit too, but it wasn’t off the starter!
And that starter’s era was over 5!
There is no excuses
Cody living right. One of those hits was a doink. Joc hit it on the screws and into a double play. It’s good to have some serendipity working for you.
And another thing – there are no excuses? Excuses are everywhere! Just turn on your tv!
Badger
When they talk about everything in the news, it is crazy, because they are giving the guy, the benefit of the doubt, and I understand why.
But we are so far from that point, because it is so obvious, with what is going on.
He might think his base is that stupid, but that is the minority, the majority, isn’t!
MJ, you still trying to connect the dots? You got to quit watching that FAKE NEWS girl, it’s not healthy and it’s B.S.
Regarding, “There is no excuses” above.
Actually that starter’s ERA is 4.89. I could see “there is no excuses” if the Dodgers were hitting off someone like Matt Moore with his 5.81 ERA. Moore has allowed more earned runs than any other NL pitcher, including allowing 131 hits in 105 1/3 innings and Moore’s rate of hard-hit balls is 36.2 percent. EVERYONE hammers a guy like Moore, but last night’s starter, not so much!
Badger
The first hit Cody hit, was up the middle, and he hit in a run and Joc pulled his ball, into the shift.
There are plenty of players, who hit balls hard into shifts, over and over, if they don’t adjust.
The difference is that Cody adjusts better, then Joc does.
And Joc also struck out with the bases loaded too.
When Jonah said yesterday, that Joc’s defense wasn’t as good, as it was in the past, he was right.
Because if you look at Joc’s defensive metrics this year, they are not as good, as they were in the past, because there are almost all negative numbers, and a negative 10 in DRS.
It is funny how we talk at times, you wouldn’t have thought with the way we talk, that the Dodgers just won their tenth straight games!
We must be facing a leftie today, because here is the line up.
Taylor
Corey
TurnerDH
Cody
Forsythe
Kike
Barnes
Puig
Thompson
Maeda
What, no Joc the Wonder Horse?