The Dodgers got manhandled by Jose Fernandez on Friday night on Clayton Kershaw’s return to the mound in the opening game of their three game series against the Miami Marlins. Fernandez tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 14 in the Dodgers 4-1 loss. Fortunately Kershaw’s return was a success in that he felt physically fine after throwing 3 innings and 66 pitches. The Dodgers never had a chance to win that game unless Kershaw threw a complete game shutout. Not much you can do, as Fernandez is just a very good pitcher.
The most important thing is that Kershaw felt good even if we somewhat rusty. The ace left hander being rusty is understandable considering he had not pitched since June 26. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Giants defeated the Dbacks and the Dodgers lead shrunk to 4 games in the NL West.
Tonight the series continues as Rich Hill takes the mound against right hander Tom Koehler. Hill is making his third start as a Dodger. Remember Andre Ethier? Well, he’s back from the disabled list as the Dodgers have activated him today. The club designated Casey Fien to create roster space. He’s not in the lineup but should be available off the bench.
Today, the #Dodgers reinstated Andre Ethier from the 60-day DL. To create room on the roster, Casey Fien has been designated for assignment.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 10, 2016
Dodgers Lineup @ Miami
Kendrick 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Grandal C
Reddick RF
Puig LF
Pederson CF
Hill P
Rich Hill-2-0 vs. Tom Koehler-9-10
Game Time – 4:10 PM – TV-SNLA
Hill has made 2 starts for the Dodgers and has thrown 12 shutout innings. He’s struck out 11 and walked only 2. Hill has made just one career start against the Marlins and has an 0-1 record with a 13.50 ERA. He’s pitched 5.1 innings against the Marlins. The Fish are just 6 for 31 in their limited time against Hill.
Hill vs. Marlins
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Jeff Francoeur | 14 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .143 | .143 | .214 | .357 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ichiro Suzuki | 11 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .273 | .273 | .455 | .727 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Prado | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .200 | .500 | .200 | .700 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Andino | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 34 | 31 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | .194 | .265 | .290 | .555 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Marlins will counter with Tom Koehler. The 30-year old Bronx native is 9-10 with a 3.87 ERA in 28 starts. He’s struck out 127 and walked 66 across 156 frames. Koehler beat the Dodgers back on April 26 during that annoying four game sweep at Dodger Stadium. Koehler is 3-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 6 career starts against the Dodgers. Koehler usually pitches well in Miami too, as he is 19-20 with a 3.62 ERA in Marlin’s Park. Chase Utley and Justin Turner have both hit Koehler well in the past, but the Dodgers have a .774 OPS against him. Puig is only 1 for 7 but he is back in the lineup in left field batting seventh. Koehler literally throws everything at you but the kitchen sink (no pun intended, ok maybe pun intended) using a 5-pitch mix.
Koehler vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Carlos Ruiz | 20 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .167 | .200 | .222 | .422 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Utley | 18 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | .353 | .389 | .647 | 1.036 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Turner | 15 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | .455 | .600 | .818 | 1.418 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 14 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .250 | .357 | .250 | .607 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .333 | .400 | .333 | .733 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yasiel Puig | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .143 | .333 | .571 | .905 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joc Pederson | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .125 | .000 | .125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howie Kendrick | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .500 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Enrique Hernandez | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .500 | .750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Culberson | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Seager | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bud Norris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 116 | 101 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 17 | .267 | .348 | .426 | .774 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
The Dodgers are now 0-5 against the Marlins and former manager Don Mattingly and it is pretty irritating. I have no idea why the Dodgers can’t beat the Marlins. It would behoove the Dodgers to get it together because they have some tough games coming up in Yankee Stadium against the Red-hot Yankees. Now is not the time for them to take their foot off the gas with 22 games remaining in the season.
Go Blue!
I don’t know what Rich Hill was like in Oakland, or late last year in Boston when he apparently reinvented himself. I don’t know what he was like when he was just some avg, injured starter.
But man, this guy can locate pitches like a Greg Maddux! And his ball really moves around the plate. He fools guys on his curveball cuz it starts outside, then heads inside, but somehow manages to cross over the very edge of the corner of the plate on its way inside! I hope his blister is healthy, because he will be a unknown pitcher to most of these NL teams we face down the stretch and into October.
Now maybe we overpaid for him and Reddick; maybe we didn’t. Maybe that was just the going rate this year, as evidenced by all the deals that were made. Maybe it really was a huge sellers market. We won’t really know the answer until November. Maybe Cotton is really that good. But Cotton wasn’t even a top 5 pitcher in our system. What it really says to me is how good the guys ahead of him are supposed to be! Cotton was supposed to be a 3/4 type starter at the best. So maybe we already have a few of those in Brock Stewart types. But either way, if we thought Cotton was worth giving up because of the guys we think higher of, then how good can Walker Beuhler, Yadier Alvarez, and DeLeon and Urias be??
Well, I don’t know about the rest of the people on this board, but, Hill has made a believer out of me. No more, “Blister Boy”, it is Mr. Hill or Mr. Blister for me.
Don’t understand why we wouldn’t try to resign him next year. Dodgers have the depth (if injured), Hill has the dominating upside. Nice combo.
Greinke is becoming a distant memory.
Who?
Oh my god what a play by Puig!
And, more importantly, HOW IS THAT BLISTER?? Please don’t act up now!
Those two HRs for you Bum!
And darn Roberts can’t do anything wrong!
I bitch about Puig in leftfield, and that was meant to be!
I can’t believe that Roberts has pulled Hill after 7 no hit innings and only 89 pitches
Check that – 7 perfect innings
I’m so happy Doc pulled him. We need him for another 6 weeks. He has the most tender finger skin in the world right now. We’re 4 outs from a win.
Sorry Rich, but we want the ring, not a perfect game
And Blanton – great
not to sound cold, obviously. The perfect game would have been humungous.
Be interesting to hear everyone’s post game comments
I am with dodgerrick on this one. How many perfect games in MLB history? Unless Hill said he was done, I leave him in.
Everyone you have to remember that Hill was on the DL for a blister, almost as long as Kershaw was on the DL.
It is 5-0 in favor of the Dodgers right now. According to the Miami announcers no pitcher has ever been pulled with 7 or more innings of perfect ball since 1913. That many managers can’t be wrong. He should have stayed until a hit or massive trouble. I feel sorry for Hill who is 36 years old and has had TJ surgery. A huge disservice to Hill by Roberts.
Dave Roberts said some tenderness was starting to develop on that middle finger where the blister was.
It was a no brainer to take him out.
If you think Hill should have stay ed in then you are fixated on the name on the back of the uniform.
If you think he should have came out, you realize that the name on the front is all that matters.
Dave Roberts just showed he has a set bigger than anyone! FAZ’s puppet? Yeah Right!
I could see in the sixth inning that his finger was getting tender. If he had given up a hit in the top of the seventh and Roberts pulled him, would there have been an issue? NO!
FAZ traded Cotton, Montas and Holmes to get the best pitcher on the market and they had to take Reddick to get Hill. Did they do it so Hill could get a perfect game? Hell no! They did it because Rich Hill and Clayton Kershaw give them a chance to win it all. Screw one game. Roberts is in for the BIG GAME!
Bobby absolutely nailed it:
“I don’t know what Rich Hill was like in Oakland, or late last year in Boston when he apparently reinvented himself. I don’t know what he was like when he was just some avg, injured starter.
But man, this guy can locate pitches like a Greg Maddux! And his ball really moves around the plate. He fools guys on his curveball cuz it starts outside, then heads inside, but somehow manages to cross over the very edge of the corner of the plate on its way inside! I hope his blister is healthy, because he will be a unknown pitcher to most of these NL teams we face down the stretch and into October.
Now maybe we overpaid for him and Reddick; maybe we didn’t. Maybe that was just the going rate this year, as evidenced by all the deals that were made. Maybe it really was a huge sellers market. We won’t really know the answer until November. Maybe Cotton is really that good. But Cotton wasn’t even a top 5 pitcher in our system. What it really says to me is how good the guys ahead of him are supposed to be! Cotton was supposed to be a 3/4 type starter at the best. So maybe we already have a few of those in Brock Stewart types. But either way, if we thought Cotton was worth giving up because of the guys we think higher of, then how good can Walker Beuhler, Yadier Alvarez, and DeLeon and Urias be??
That said, I am sorry for Rich Hill – he deserved a perfect game after the way he has re-invented himself, but this is for the GREATER GOOD! The Big Dodger in the Sky will smile on Dave Roberts for this!
Hey Mark, when you say FAZ likes to get the guy before he becomes the guy, does that also apply to a 37 year old pitcher?????? I’m all for resigning him now. Clearly he’s figured it out. Charlie Steiner on tv today referenced Jamie Moyer, who was good, but became great at age 37. Rich Hill may be like that too.
Hill deserved that perfect game, but his body, and not Dave Roberts, let him down. He knows it too; I just heard his interview. Rich Hill is a smart vet. He understood
Words are the key here. Friedman said he would like to sign Hill BEFORE he hit free agency. Why? Because he knows some other teams will drive his price up. I think something like 3 years/$36 million is what FAZ has in mind. Shoot, even if he missed a year an half, he’s still a great deal. I’d like to have him back. That kind of talent is rare… and worth a risk.
The Dodgers rotation is in a shambles . The bullpen is gassed.
But we are in First Place!
Who cares?
Great job Dodgers. Now, one more win tomorrow.
I’m with that!
Another thing. Some complained about Puig being in LF.
The catch Puig made in LF would not have been made by anyone else on the team… maybe the league!
I guess some people just have to complain and second guess everything. I suppose it’s that way in every sport and I guess I used to do it too. I do enjoy it a lot more when I don’t do that.
The playoff roster is shaping up. Grant Dayton is on it.
Definitely for the “greater good” if the blister was acting up. But, Hill also definitely took one for the team. I know his teammates know this. Now let’s “win one for the Hill”! World Series or bust!
Kershaw and Hill will make your day! Then Maeda will make them pay!
Oh, and the Puigster looks like he might be getting into it!