The Dodgers lost again to the Padres, pathetically I might add. The boys in blue dropped the second game of the double-header 7-2 on Saturday evening. The Dodgers continue to play like crap and are awful. The Dodgers have now lost 7 of their last 8 games and there seems to be no end in sight to their horrendous baseball. The Dodgers have lost 6.5 games in the standings in the NL West and some real doubt is starting to creep into everyone’s mind. Meanwhile the Dbacks have won nine straight games and are 14.5 games behind. They were 21 games behind just a week ago. The Dodger’s lead dwindles away.
There’s no time to panic right now. The Dodgers still have a huge lead with just 27 games left to play in the regular season. Their magic number is stuck at 13. However there are some real concerns here on both sides of the ball. I can’t blame anyone for starting to worry about this club. Even during the mediocre month of April they didn’t seem to play this bad.
Once again Yu Darvish was horrendous as he was unable to make it past the third inning. He had no control and did not have the ability to pinpoint any of his pitches. He just looked lost on the mound and the lowly Padres battered him like they were taking batting practice. Darvish tossed three innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits with three walks. He struck out five and made 88 useless pitches. I have no ideas what’s going on with him, but the Dodgers better figure it out soon. Other than one start Darvish has been quite bad since the Dodgers acquired him.
Dodgers 2 7 1
Padres 7 11 0
WP-Baumann-1-1
LP-Darivsh-8-11
HR-Asuaje-4
The Padres scored one run in the bottom of the first inning and then four runs in the third frame. That was all they needed. Despite the Dodgers scoring first in the top half of the opening frame they were never really in this game. Erick Aybar doubled (the second batter of the game) and went to third when Darvish was late covering the bag on a Cory Spangenberg grounder to first. Adrian Gonzalez was way too far off the base so he could only underhand toss to Darvish as he came across for the out. Oh sure the Dodgers challenged the play but they lost that review. Darvish’s foot missed the bag. Hector Sanchez’s grounder scored the first run.
Darvish got through the bottom of the second inning alright, but the third frame was the kiss of death. Carlos Asuaje started it off with a one-out solo home run to tie the score at 2-2. Aybar’s slow bunt single eluded Darvish and the Dodger’s defense and that opened the flood gates. A ground ball single from Sanchez scored Aybar, and then a walk to Jabari Blash kept the torture going. Matt Szczur’s ground ball single got past Gonzo to score two runs. The Padres were now up 5-2.
That’s been the problem lately. The starting pitching this week has been a tire fire of failure. Every game (except the Clayton Kershaw start) the Dodger starters immediately give up runs in the opening frame. Honestly it seems as if the Dodgers take the field already with a deficit. You simply can’t win with starting pitching this poor and everybody is to blame for that one. (points finger at Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brock Stewart and Yu Darvish). Jesus that’s the entire rotation.
The Dodger bats once again were not able to catch up. As if they could. Corey Seager is still out with a sore elbow and manager Dave Roberts keeps shuffling the lineup around giving valuable at-bats to utility players, rookies and aging veterans.
The Dodgers did score first in the top of the first. Curtis Granderson singled and Justin Turner’s double scored him. The Dodgers plated one more measly little run in the third inning. Turner walked and after opposing starter Jordan Lyles uncorked two wild pitches, Yasmani Grandal reached on a walk. Adrian Gonzalez singled into center to score the second run. They had the bases loaded in the fourth inning but Turner grounded into a force out. Gonzo doubled in the fifth but Chase Utley whiffed and Andre Ethier grounded to third.
The Dodgers didn’t get another base runner until Enrique Hernandez’s single in the top of the ninth. Of course Chris Taylor grounded into a double play to end the game. That’s been another problem. The Dodgers are leaving a ton of runners on base. The Dodgers left 8 runners on base in the second game and were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The hits just aren’t dropping in for them like they were earlier in the season.
The stupid lineups don’t help though. As I’ve always said before, if you’re going to lose that’s ok. But lose with your best, don’t lose with your worst. Wait until after you’ve clinched the division before you put rookies, career minor leaguers, utility players, and injury riddled veterans in the lineup. Clinch first, experiment after. Until then the lineup should look the same as it has the entire season. Use the lineup that’s gotten you to where you are. Turner-Taylor-Seager-Bellinger-Grandal- Yasiel Puig batting eighth; that’s the lineup with the winning formula. That’s the lineup that has gotten you the success helping you win 92 games. Even with Seager still out, the lineup should closely resemble the lineup they’ve used throughout the season. Stop tinkering.
The Dodgers now have to win on Sunday just to earn a series split. Then they return home to play a seven game home stand and the first three games are against the red hot second place Arizona Dbacks. Hopefully Alex Wood can give them something tomorrow. This is not fun to watch.
Seriously Dodgers. Clinch now, screw around later.
Scott
Hopefully Roberts will play the best line up today, even though this is an early game, especially after that disastrous doubleheader!
I think this game is important, especially since we are playing the Dbacks in the next series, with our same starters, facing, the Dbacks, once again.
I also think Roberts should go with the best line up, except for Corey, since he is still hurting.
I don’t understand why Roberts is hitting Granderson and Grandal, that high in the line up.
I would bat Puig fifth, and I have no problem with Barnes hitting at the top of the order either, because we don’t have anyone to hit second, with Corey hurt.
Grandal and Granderson strike out way to much, although Grandal was a little better yesterday, but I would still bat him, at the back of the line up.
I also rather see Chase in the game then Forsythe.
At least Chase will do what ever he can, to try help us, win this game.
Forsythe is just not a very good hitter, and that is very apparent!
And Forsythe trying to work every count he has, is a bad strategy, and it is obviously not working, or he wouldn’t be hitting at the Mendoza line against righties, and he wouldn’t be striking out so much!
Forsythe is mostly a wasted bat in our line up, and the best he can do is walk, but if a pitcher throws Forsythe strikes, he is in trouble!
And Wood needs to put this team on his back like Kershaw did, in the first game in this series.
And Roberts needs to manage today, to try to win this game, instead of trying to get everyone into this game, because this game is an important today, especially since we will be playing a hot Dbacks team, in this next series!
I think Roberts should play the best available lineup, every day. Sounds like all Robert’s tinkering has you a bit nervous?
Package
I don’t think it is smart to play a AAA line up in the first game, and then have Agone, Utley, and Ethier all together in the line up.
Roberts needs to use these players smartly, and I do think Agone is a much better bat, then Forsythe, and some of these other players in the lineup, because he will be hitting at the back of the lineup.
And I realize that if Agone’s plays, that doesn’t mean, that Cody won’t be in the same line up, like you do!
That is exactly what happened in the 2nd game yesterday.
Taylor 6
Granderson 7
Turner 5
Bellinger 3,
Grandal 2,
Puig 9,
Verdugo 8,
Forsythe 4,
Wood 1.
Bluto
Check Forsythe’s stats against righties!
And I don’t think Granderson should hit at the top of the line up.
I don’t have anything to do with how the Dodgers set their order MJ.
Bluto
I just don’t think Forsythe should be playing against righties, he is not hitting righties at all this year, and this is more then his batting average, it is all the numbers to the right, of a batting average, too.
The reason they are tanking is because Roberts and staff are tinkering too much. I love Adrian as much as anyone, but he doesn’t have it any longer. Offer him a front office position or a coaching job. Getting rid of Joc Peterson was the wrong move also. I know he was hitting a meager amount, but what was he in the clutch? If I remember correctly, he at least walked to keep the rallies going, plus he was the guy hyping everyone on the bench. Things went south when Joc was sent down and Cody went on the disabled list. Similar to when Cody came on board and they went 52-17. It’s called cohesion, synergism, etc. You need it to win, as much as luck, greatness, etc.
Dallas
I respect your opinion, but we didn’t start losing right after Joc went down.
And Cody wasn’t hurt at the time that Joc went down.
We won our series against the White Sox, Tigers, and the Pirates, after Joc went down.
And Cody sprained his ankle in the last game with the Tigers.
Joc hit well for half of June, and most of July, but he didn’t hit well in the months before those months, and in August he only had two hits.
And since he has been down at AAA, he is hitting 150 with no HRs, and he is striking out, quite a bit too.
I don’t see Agone as a middle of the order hitter anymore, but he is a better hitter, then some of the players in our line up, and he has started hitting recently, and he has hit in three runs, with two outs, in the last three games he has started in.
And our team has trouble at times, of hitting in runs, when runners are in scoring position, and that is something Agone excells in.
And I love you Bum too!
And I did say that Joc hits righties better then Forsythe, so Joc wasn’t the only one struggling, so I don’t think that is fair.
I’m not sure I care at all about this game today.
Frankly, about the same for the upcoming series.
I think the team is at the stage where they are going to be resting and preparing at perhaps an unprecedented level.
Testing Baez in high-leverage situations.
Seeing how many different positions Barnes/Forsythe can play.
Wood and Darvish getting into form.
Is Verdugo ready yet to play at this level
Can Paredes be a reliable lefty out of the pen.
These answers seem to be way more important than winning a game.
I’m sorry, I always thought you played the games to win, not give up losses because you want to try something that doesn’t make any sense. This isn’t spring training.
Yup, not sure your thinking is/was correct. But it is very granular.
Bluto
I hope you don’t mean granular sugar?
Only honey, brown and raw sugar for me.
I like Paredes. Guy was nails last night.
Some questions:
1. Should the Dodgers have packaged Buehler and Verdugo for Verlander and taken the money?
2. Who takes the blame for this team now? Will Friedman quit or will Farhan be fired?
3. Does Font deserve Darvish’s roster spot for the playoffs.
4. Is this the worst starting gpitching depth of all the playofff teams?
I’ll hang up and listen
1. NO 2. The Team..2B. No and No 3. Hell No..4. Looks like it the last week or so.
Michael
Now that is funny!
Last night’s game was a Clint Eastwood movie. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly……Good: They scored in the first inning…Bad: They scored 1 when they should have scored more. Really bad: Yu Darvish…..he immediately gave up the lead, had a decent 2nd inning and then looked like Gasoline Can Darvish for the 3rd time. The Ugly, loading the bases and not scoring…AGAIN, and the teams best hitter was up. They could have made the game a lot closer, but after Justin did not get the job done they were never heard from again. Don’t look now, but the lead is 14.5, Az has won 9 in a row, and they are roaring into LA Monday and we have the same 3 pitchers who totally melted down last week going against them again. Saints Preserve Us!
Michael
Did you read the article about Darvish and the game last night, in the LA Times?
No MJ I have a really hard time getting any of the LA Times articles because I will not subscribe to their on-line service. Once in a while if Yardbarker posts them, then I can read them, or if it pops up on Yahoo.
Michael
I don’t either!
Just google LA Times Dodgers.
Then hit that, and it takes you to the Dodger’s articles.
When that thing comes up, to ask you to subscribe, wait a second, and one of those little Xs will show up, and push it, like you do with other stuff on the net, and that advertisement to subscribe, will disappear, and you can not only read all of the articles, you can read people’s posts about the Dodgers, and read all of the articles.
That add thing might show up more then once, but just wait for the X to show up, and push it again.
The X is on the top to the right, but it doesn’t show up right away, so you have to wait a second, and it will show up.
OK, I will try that tomorrow, after I go to the bathroom and puke. This team has totally lost it’s wheels. The bus is stalled, and the butter is chillin in the fridge…
Michael
Paredes has been pretty good from the begining, and he was good again last night, in a high leverage, situation.
Michael
You are right and what is bad, it looks like Roberts doesn’t care, that this team is falling apart.
Why did he let Forsythe hit there, with all the players on the bench?
And why is Forsythe in this line up anyways?
And Granderson shouldn’t be hitting at the top of this order, either.
And why did Roberts bring in that AAA pitcher, after they made this game closer, even though Forsythe blew are chance, to score another run.
It looks to me that Roberts doesn’t care about winning right now.
And all of this, and we face the hot Dbacks in this next series, with Ryu, Maeda, and Hill pitching.
It sure not a fun time to be a Dodger fan right now.
This just sucks, and it doesn’t look like Roberts is bothered at all!
NOBODY should be worried.
Nobody
Oh Lordy, this could be the season where thoughts of the best team ever turns into the biggest collapse ever. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so anxious about the boys in blue. I can only pray to the baseball Gods that they turn this fiasco around. Seriously, what the hell’s is happening?
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen KLD. The starting pitching has been very suspect lately. That seems to be the biggest concern at the moment.
Starting pitching, starting pitching, and oh yes starting pitching….has stunk up the joint.
KLD
I think that has passed through every Dodger fan’s mind, this weekend.
KLD,
You sound like you’d be a blast to party with.
Go outside, enjoy the sun.
The dodgers are the best team in baseball.