The Dodgers can do no wrong right now. Everything they touch turns to gold. Balls are leaving the yard in record pace. Their pitching has been fantastic as every hurler dazzles on the mound. Every pitcher befuddles opposing batters. On offense balls are finding holes. On defense balls are finding their gloves like a moth to a flame. It’s like the reverse Midas touch.
Who knows how much longer this can last, but you have to remember that the Dodgers will eventually lose a game sometime soon. In the meantime the birds are signing, the sun is shining. Your food tastes better. Mornings are brighter. The air is crisper. You have a spring in your step that you might not have otherwise noticed. This is what happens when the Dodgers are on a roll. Hard to believe the Dodgers received devastating injury news before the game tonight.
Rockies 1 3 1
Dodgers 6 11 0
WP-Wood-8-0
LP-Freeland-8-5
HR-Puig-14
On a day when the Dodgers discovered that they’ve lost top pitching prospect Julio Urias for an entire year due to shoulder surgery and Corey Seager exited the game with hamstring cramps, they still won handily, beating the Rockies by a 6-1 score. This series was billed as a match-up of National League west titans with the Dodgers and Rockies battling for NL West supremacy. However this game ended like many of the Dodger’s games over the past several weeks with the Dodgers winning easily. The boys in blue have now won eight in a row and increased their lead in the NL West to 2.5 games over the Rockies and Snakes.
Alex Wood matched-up with left handed rookie Kyle Freeland. Earlier in the season the Dodgers couldn’t hit Freeland, but this is a different club than the one Freeland faced in the first month of the season. The Dodgers scored six runs on 11 hits and were 4 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
Justin Turner was 3 for 5 with an RBI double and a run scored. Cody Bellinger drove in two with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double. Yasiel Puig crushed another monster home run and backup catcher Austin Barnes tripled, scored a run and walked twice. Corey Seager was 2 for 2 before leaving the game with the hamstring problem.
Meanwhile on the mound, Alex Wood turned in another dominant performance. He was a little shaky in the first two innings but settled in to do just fine. Wood tossed six innings allowing just one earned run on three hits and struck out seven. He walked two and improves his record to 8-0 on the season while lowering his ERA to 1.86.
Mound opponent Freeland pitched six innings but allowed five earned runs on ten hits while walking three with three strikeouts. The Dodger pitching staff did not allow a single base runner for the final six innings of the game as Kenta Maeda, Brandon Morrow, and Sergio Romo all threw scoreless innings of relief.
The Dodgers scored once in the first, three times in the second and once more in the fourth and eighth frames. In the bottom of the first Seager singled to right and then advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw from Freeland. Turner’s ground ball single into left got Seager to third and then he scored on Bellinger’s sacrifice fly.
The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the second inning. After Barnes walked and Wood was unable to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Forsythe’s grounder moved him to second. Seager singles again and drives in Barnes to put the Dodgers up 2-0. Then Turner singles to right, and Bellinger doubles to deep center to score two more runs.
Wood battled some shakiness in the beginning of the game. Charlie Blackmon singled, and DJ LeMahieu walked. But Nolan Arenado grounded out softly, and Wood then struck out Mark Reynolds, and Ian Desmond to get out of the inning.
Colorado scored their only run of the game in the second inning when Trevor Story’s grounder bounces off of Forsythe, and after Raimel Tapia’s force out, Tom Murphy’s double into the left field corner scored Tapia to tie the game at 1-1. Franklin Gutierrez who was playing left field was unable to reach the ball and jogged as the ball rolled to the wall. Nice hustle Gutz.
Anyways, after that the Rockies only had one base runner throughout the rest of the game. The scary moment was when Seager singled in the second inning to score Barnes and came up lame as he took second on the throw home. He was immediately removed from the game and the initial diagnosis is a cramp. We’ll see if he’s on the disabled list by Sunday.
Puig’s home run came in the fourth inning and was measured at 432 feet. That’s his fourteenth homer of the season. The Dodgers now have the best record in the National League as they improve to 49-26 and are now 30-10 at Dodger Stadium. The series continues Saturday evening as Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers. The Rockies will send Tyler Chatwood to the hill as they look to snap a three-game losing streak.
In a genius and naked move to please the fan base, after two of the top three young franchise talent goes down with injury the same day, one of which wis very serious and demoralizing, Roberts puts Hatcher on the DL and recalls Ross Stripling.
Next step, DFA Franklin What-ever-his-last-name-is and call up somebody from OKC. I would say Verdugo but he’s another lefty, so maybe Thompson or Dickson, or even Calhoun. I think Verdugo is trade goods unless they trade Joc first….
I do wonder what role Gutierrez serves with Taylor and Kike performing.
In truth, none at all. With the capability of Kike and Taylor, there is no need at all for the fifth outfielder slot, which is what he is filling so poorly. He could be better replaced with another relief pitcher, but I would prefer to see Calhoun called up. Right-handed hitter, can play second base and left field to some degree, pinch hit, and I would like to think he could be taught to be capable at first base also. I don’t think we will see much of Agon from here on out. Once you give in to the pain and admit it’s there, it becomes easier to admit it next time. Agon should see that there’s not much left of his career and go out easy. Have his operation to ease the pain permanently and make a deal with the Dodgers to take his next (last) year’s salary over the next ten years and have a good life.
Calhoun hits left handed. He is 5’10 so not much chance of him playing 1st. Freeman, Muncy and Culberson are all RH hitters. Culberson has MLB experience at 4 different positions and is a very good SS. Freeman is hitting over .300 down there as is Muncy. Both play multiple positions.
Part of the all RH super team………
I was very impressed with what our guys did at the top of our line up last night.
Corey, Turner, and Bellinger really had a good game at the plate last night, especially in the early innings.
Corey had two hits and a RBI before he went out.
Turner had three hits and a RBI too.
And Bellinger really impressed me, with the way he handled his at bats.
He came up with his first at bat, with a runner on third, and Cody didn’t try to do to much, he just made sure he got the ball in the air deep enough, into the outfield, to get that run home from third.
And we have had so much trouble in the past getting that run home from third, it was nice to see Cody get the job done.
Because sometimes our players try to do to much, and they don’t get the runner home, because of trying to do to much.
Cody showed a lot of maturity to get that run home, especially for a young rookie player.
He came up in his second at bat, and drove a curve to the opposite field, to hit another run in, and that was also very impressive too.
Puig also hit a hanging curve for a HR, and that was his first HR this year against a leftie, so maybe Puig is seeing lefties better now too.
It was good to see Puig not over swing at that pitch, and he still hit the ball pretty far, even though he barely swung.
Maybe he will learn that someone with his strength, doesn’t have to swing that hard.
And Wood also pitched a good game, and he showed that he is not going to wilt under pressure.
His first inning was tough because he had runners on base with less then two outs, and he didn’t panic at all, he just took his time to make the right pitches, and he came out of that inning, without getting hurt.
That was a very good game for the team!
This is amazing. Though I do think a large part of it is the lousy teams we have been playing. Hopefully Urias recovers to contribute next year.
So if Seager can’t go, who plays SS? I assume Taylor.
Well, give FAZ credit, we have five guys that can play it to some degree. In order of (assumed) ability:
Taylor
Kike
Forsythe
Turner
Barnes
Turner was not signed by FAZ> He came to the Dodgers when Ned was running the team. FAZ resigned him, but he had no desire to leave.
Artie boy
I agree but last night, we proved we’re more then that.
But we will need to keep it up!
And I was worried because we faced so much AAA pitching, in those last two series, and I thought we wouldn’t be ready, But I am so glad, we looked so good, last night!
12 to 14 months, that means not until next August at least. And not a sure thing then. Ryu had a shoulder surgery, and the recovery rate on shoulders is not nearly as good as the Tommy John surgery’s. I would say, and this is a guess, 2019 at the earliest, and not as a starter.
Kike probably
Scott or Oscar,
How about a ‘private message’ capability for your users here? It might help create a better understanding between users without boring or entertaining the other viewers. Here are a couple that are compatible with your Word Press software:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/private-messages-for-wordpress/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/front-end-pm/
Thanks Jonah, this might be a good idea. I’ll look into it.
Happy for the team, happy for Wood, happy for Puig…nuff said….June 24, 1955, Sandy Koufax makes his major league debut. June 24, 1947, Jackie Robinson steals home for the first of a record 19 times as a Dodger.
Scott
Good news concerning Corey.
He won’t be going on the DL because he only has a grade one strain, and Roberts said he could come off the bench, to hit tonight!
That is good news MJ