The Dodgers finally realized late Wednesday evening that they were in fact playing the Atlanta Braves, one of the worst clubs in the major leagues before they rallied for a 5-3 win in extra innings to even up the three game series at one game apiece. They did fail to get a runner on base against former Dodger Jim Johnson, which is a shameful act but they won. Hey a win is a win so I won’t complain. Playing at Turner Field these days is like playing inside of a tomb.
Speaking of which, the Dodgers will be playing their final game at Turner Field on Thursday afternoon, Ever. The Braves will be moving into their stadium Suntrust Park in 2017 and the Dodgers won’t be back this year. It’s getaway day before the Dodgers embark to Coors Field for the Weekend. So expect the B-squad to be on the field during the rubber game.
Dodgers Lineup @ Atlanta-TBA
Clayton Kershaw-2-0 vs. Matt Wisler-0-1
Game Time – 9:10 AM- TV – SNLA-TBS
Fortunately Clayton Kershaw will be facing a rookie pitcher so the Dodgers should have a huge advantage over the hapless Braves. Kershaw is coming off another win against the Giants. He’s looking for this third win of the season. So far he is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in three starts. He’s allowed just four earned runs in 22 innings pitched. He’s also struck out 20 and walked just two. In other words he’s been vintage Kershaw.
Kershaw has always pitched well against the Braves. He’s 2-0 with a 1.79 ERA in six starts. That includes 54 whiffs and just 10 walks over 45.1 innings pitched. He has a 2.57 ERA at Turner Field, and has held the Braves to a .154 (17 for 111) average against. The Braves had posted just a .429 OPS against Kershaw.
Kershaw vs. Braves
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Drew Stubbs | 34 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | .129 | .206 | .129 | .335 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Erick Aybar | 24 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .143 | .182 | .190 | .372 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freddie Freeman | 17 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | .267 | .353 | .467 | .820 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelly Johnson | 15 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .200 | .200 | .400 | .600 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Francoeur | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .167 | .286 | .167 | .452 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Flowers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Markakis | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 1.000 | 1.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jace Peterson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julio Teheran | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bud Norris | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 122 | 111 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 42 | .153 | .203 | .225 | .429 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kershaw’s mound opponent, 23-year old right hander Matt Wisler is entering his second season in the majors. He was 8-8 with a 4.71 ERA across 109 frames in 2015. This season he’s posted an 0-1 record with a 4.61 ERA in two starts. Apparently the youngster has poor command, but a lively fastball. He also has a three-quarter slider, a changeup, and mixes in an occasional curve as well. The Braves acquired him from the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel trade.
He’s made just one start against the Dodgers and of course beat them. In that game he allowed four earned runs on eight hits over six innings. He’s 5-3 with a 3.18 ERA at Turner Field. He’s an Ohio native and was drafted by the Padres in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. Most of the Dodgers have never seen before, but Adrian Gonzalez has hit a home run off of him.
Wisler vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | 1.333 | 1.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howie Kendrick | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joc Pederson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasiel Puig | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Turner | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.333 | 2.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The game starts very early, so I’ll be at work and won’t be able to see any of it. I think Oscar will be able to bring you the recap, so check back over here after the game is over for the highlights.
Oh and Pedro Baez was hit in the head by an errant pregame throw from Adam Liberatore. I guess they took him for tests, and he’s probably ok. Nice one Adam. We don’t need any more injuries. Even in pregame warm-ups guys are getting hurt. Also Carl Crawford’s rehab assignment was delayed by travel. Hopefully he didn’t re-injure his back sitting on the tarmac. Happy flight to Denver boys.
Go Blue!
Some thoughts:
1. Kendrick is better than he is playing.
2. Kendrick is hurting the Dodgers.
3. Kendrick should not be playing ahead of Kike’.
4. Utley is helping the Dodgers.
5. Kike’ might start at second in game 3.
6. Thompson might start in LF in game 3.
7. Seager should be dropped down in the lineup.
8. Pederson should hit no lower than 7th.
9. Grandal is helping the Dodgers.
10. Turner will get it going.
11. Turner is not playing well enough to get more than a 3 year contract.
12. Turner might not be with the Dodgers next year.
13. Kike’ might be the Dodger 3rd baseman for the 2017 season.
14. Wood does not pitch well until the 3rd inning and sometimes never.
15. Wood might not be good in relief.
16. Kazmir is good except when he is not.
17. The bullpen is awesome except when it is not.
18. Crawford should play ahead of Kendrick in LF.
19. Dodgers don’t need Crawford or Kendrick.
20. What she said.
Well they might not need them, but Kendrick and Crawford are both signed through next year….I will humble myself and eat a little crow here as Grandal is playing a lot better than I thought he would, as for Kike. He proved one thing today….he is NOT GOOD against righty’s. Looks like a RH Joc Pederson chasing some of those pitches in the dirt……
I agree that Wood may not be good in relief. I don’t see how he remains in the rotation rest of the year. But he is cost controlled. So maybe he can be offloaded to another SABR disciple, or a team that needs cost control.
The way Ross Stripling pitched yesterday was like how Wood has been going for the last 2 years.
The pitching matchup last night in SF was all that it was hyped to be. Greinke looks good again. midgets 2.5 out also looks good. Stay there, in 4th place, until October.
I think I’m with Bum on 1-19. 20 goes without saying.
I’ve got appointments until 12:30. I’m going to record the game.
What happened yesterday with our favorite flummox has happened a dozen times throughout the years. He’s not in charge here so he can’t ban those he thinks are stupid. And Spy v Spy is more appropriate than some might know. We got along fine until the Iraq invasion, on which we disagreed vehemently. It continued with a fierce debate on McCourt. He loved the guy. Now we have the current situation, with which you are all very familiar. I think he will calm down and be back. We are ALL Dodgers fans. We won’t agree on everything Blue, but it isn’t politics or religion so we shouldn’t need to feel like fighting each other over Latos or Hamels – though clearly Hamels was the right move. Doh!
https://dodgertherapy.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/what-dodgers-fans-should-know/
We don’t have to agree with the above, but its probably a good idea to keep the TV thing visible on the blogs.
My feelings exactly.
I mostly by agree with Freudy and have said so on his blog a few times. I like his writing and would encourage him to write more about baseball, but he is in a groove with his anti FAZ take. What he says continues to make sense to me. I do believe it’s about the money. That said, it’s absolutely possible to spend a ton of money and build a winner at the same time and in that process make even more money. Just being competitive puts butts in seats. And winning championships creates a more valuable franchise. I still believe FAZ has a greater good in mind, I just don’t like how they’ve gone about it. Last year, and this year has “mark time” written all over it. For those who aren’t familiar with that term its military for marching in place. You look busy but you go nowhere. I still don’t believe they are seriously trying to win it all this year. Just be competitive, fill the seats, and build THEIR team for the future. I could be wrong, but I’m not, no I’m not.
Keep your eye on the ball Pedro!
Just kidding. Hopefully he’s OK.
Eight innings from kid K and a quick 1-2-3 to finish the game….that’ll work.
Happy Thursday everyone!
What a great time for a game.
Wish they all started this early.
Roger that!
Game not on here. I can’t record. Dammit. Oh well, can’t see ’em all. This is one we are supposed to win, so I’ll just go about my busy day knowing Kershaw will take care of business. The Dodgers are favored yooge today, -255 (haven’t seen that in a long time) 6.5 O/U, pretty low. Kershaw needs to go 8 today as we used 6 pen guys yesterday. Can he do it? Yeah he can, but I say he won’t, he goes 7, gives up 2, somebody in the pen gives up 1.5, Dodgers, looking forward to a tougher test in Colorado only score 3.5, making it 7 total, so I got the Dodgers and the over. And I’m the only guy in here that does this so not only am I the only guy to get it right, I’m the only guy to get it wrong. And if MJ is a woman, then my apologies – I’m the only person to get it right and wrong.
Badger I don’t know, because there is no ie, at the end of my name.
Watford that.
Badger – thought you had MLB.com?
You can’t be blacked out in Az?
I have a chiro appt. then physical therapy. I tore my gastroc working out. I do HIIT workouts to avoid injury you know. It was working great right up until it didn’t. I think I’m too old to be in HIIT shape. I should make LIIT my new goal. That would be Low Intensity Interval Training in case you aren’t familiar with the term.
DDP Yoga, Badger. It’s amazing
Wish there was more and better Dodger minor league news some where. Like to find out injury reports on De Leon and Bellinger. How can someone have a Dodger minor league report without news on them.
I liked Freudy’s article a lot. It’s exactly what I have been saying since I started posting here. For Guggs it’s about ROI and the real estate that came with the deal. The team is just background noise, oh and a whopping profit center. Stuff in Yale type people to run it and makes even more money. If they can keep exist just 25% of the overall fan base happy worldwide that is a ton of revenue.
“If they can keep just 25% of the existing overall fan base” sorry for the typo.
Kid K pitching like Kasmir. Maybe he’s working on something new.
But gets saved by Utley!
that was a big time, game changing play!
What a play by Utley.
CK been taking instructions from Wood?
Clayton Woodshaw?
Bumsrap, “What Dodgers Fans Should Know” article was STUPID. Articles like that, drive business people like Mark crazy and I don’t blame him!!
Dumbest comments:
1. “My take, as I’ve stated before, is that Guggenheim cares about business and the bottom line”. Well, duh, ANYBODY here who doesn’t care about THEIR bottom line?
2. “Guggenheim promptly signed off on a lucrative TV deal that netted them over $8B”. I hope it isn’t only accountants who know the difference between “gross and net”. I can hear Mark now, MORON!!!!!!!!!!!
3. “Taking the money and clearing over $6B after the buying price. That number goes up of course as they increase prices on tickets, merch, food, parking, etc. All of the gate proceeds and other revenue streams are gravy”. Well this is good news, didn’t know the Dodger’s costs weren’t going up also. Or maybe, they don’t have any costs!!! Greinke/Kershaw, are rich, they should pay Dodgers to play for them, shouldn’t they?, Boxout7 would.
4. “There are many other diversions for young people to get into without watching Dodgers games on TV. This is especially problematic since baseball is a dying sport in terms of young viewers, so you’d think if there was a way to appeal to them, Guggenheim would be very interested. I guess they assume by the time it matters, they will have sold the team, their profits already tucked away in Swiss and Cayman Islands accounts”. EVIL CAPITALISTS/EVIL PROFITS!! Sad that everyone can’t be as “pure of heart” as the author. He should be a politician, then he could “educate” Guggs on how to properly run their business.
5. “I could go into how the payroll is high (highest in the NL) but the Dodgers have half a rotation and almost no bullpen, and are playing utility players from other organizations most days, but the focus here is the con job being thrust upon Dodgers fans”. Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Spend the most on payroll and development of the farm system. Spend another couple hundred million to fix up the ball park. All to “thrust the con job upon Dodger fans”. Who Knew? I will say it for you Mark, MORON!!!!!!!!!!!
6. “But if you didn’t consider this before or your blood has been boiling, do something about it. Kick, scream, refuse to go to games, and stop swilling the Kool-Aid. A con is a con is a con and this is like a déjà vu from hell all over again. If being asked to follow mediocre pitching and marginal players who may or may not be big leaguers isn’t enough for you, perhaps the fact Guggenheim is making over $6B (billion with a B) while you are being deprived Vin Scully’s last games might”. YES, REFUSE TO GO TO GAMES, MORON, GOOD RIDDANCE. The rest of us will enjoy Vin this year, what a guy, there will never be another one like him, and to think, he worked all these years for free!!
COME BACK MARK!!! WE NEED YOU!!!!! NO ONE SAYS IT LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
good points, Box, on the article.
However, your nose is still pretty brown from being up mark’s ass.
LOL
Agree with that Bobby. Box, you got a few points made but dropped the ball badly by sucking up to Timmons and resorting to name calling. Going to that level means you’ve lost your audience, and the debate. And I thought we were beginning to have respectful dialogue.
In between appts, just saw replay. They got it wrong of course. Catcher missed the tag and home plate ump totally out of position. Amateurs all.
I’ll check out the yoga Bobby.
The use of Moron is a matter of style. That shouldn’t disqualify the actual points he made any more than your more subtle, snide and passive aggressive style would necessarily detract from the valid points you make. A thoughtful person sees beyond the verbiage and looks at the evidence or the reasoned arguments.
You are called stupid if you have an opposite opinion and that is “style”? I disagree. I find it severly lacking in manners and civil discourse.
You have no idea the history of having to listen to the abuse that guy put out on numerous posters at various blogs, including his own. He made predictions and accusations that were off the charts wrong and when called on them he banned the posters that pointed out his mistakes. I’m the only one that stuck it out.
Like I’ve said, I actually liked the guy at one time. He came to visit me in Napa and I had lunch with he and his wife at a creek side restaurant. He went off the rails following a certain international event and lost it after that. If he stays gone I won’t miss his rants. If he comes back, and I suspect he will, maybe we can patch this thing up. I’m willing.
🙂
Like I said Box, don’t have to agree with the article but just keeping the lack of TV in LA in front of Dodger fans keeps the pressure on everybody. FAZ has to worry about more than facts, they have to worry about perceptions as well.
Box, might you be getting the definition of netted wrong? Most know the difference between net revenues and gross revenues but the verb form might mean something different than the adjective form.
I don’t think the article misused the word netted as they were saying Guggs was able to catch lots of TV money in their net as if it were a big fish.
Thanks for taking the time to dissect that. I wouldn’t have had the patience. Just drivel. The entire gist of the argument, based not on any sound arguments or evidence, but on assumptions wrapped up in cynicism and leavened with Occupy Wall Street rhetorical devices and appeals to protest.
Not sure I follow this one. Are you saying the Occupy Wall Street movement is without merit? That it is nothing more than cynicism?
The glove holding the ball or the ball itself. Not the arm holding the gloved ball. I believe I saw it clearly Kershaw made contact with home plate before any glove or ball and the arm tagging him occurred at a tie.
Let’s get the hell out of Atlanta and score some runs in Denver.
JT?
No
Joc?
No
Anyone gonna win this for us?
Joc’s last few at bats were horrendous. that same loopy, home run hitting contest swing (I’m sure MJ would agree)
I didn’t agree with the “send Joc back to AAA” crew , but I”m starting to come around now. Perhaps when Crawford and/or SVS is back, Joc can go down, and Trayce/Kike can hold down CF for a while?
Grandal, meanwhile, looks like an absolute stud since he’s been back. All star type stud.
Joc and Puig struggle post success. Joc is contributing. Sending him down would be like kicking Sofia Vergara out of the bedroom for eating cookies in bed.
Sometimes he has crummy at bats but he is 2nd in rbi and has a .8 ops.
Now if you want him to wear a garlic necklace on the flight to CO to remind him he can sometimes be a real knucklehead, I’m good with that.
I agree Bobby, and what gets me upset, is that Joc knows what he is doing, but kinds of reverts back, and certain moments, and does hit a HR. It is kind of like Puig, but Puig doesn’t hit a HR.
Grandal?
Yep
In my weird view of the world that is an error on Puig. Hit the cutoff man! That’s the tying run on base.
At least we won. Whew!
I’m back to trading Puig for a 1.5 pitcher.
Got one in mind? I’ll listen.
Should anything be kept out of blogs? It’s not good to simply dismiss any opinion without trying to see the point of it. It’s been quite a while since I learned at ladodgertalk about milk being 2,000 times beyond what was supposed to be the limit with radioactive particles. Reading further into that tells that was completely true. And it was nationwide. If you don’t think about things somebody else see’s important to relate, then you’re short as a scientist. When thinking ‘milk’ is that polluted coast to coast tells me mothers milk has to be even more polluted. The path to a cow for radiation poisoning would almost surely have to come from a diet primarily from grass. Grass is also our primary diet and many other things that seemingly should be more polluted.
But Dodgers win! So who cares?
Milk? Don’t drink cows milk. It’s for baby cows and only the colostrum. If you’re going to do dairy, organic goat milk. I worked at a dairy farm. You don’t want to know.
I’ve always felt any topic is ok to talk about, especially in the off season. I learned quickly there are some people who cannot carry on civil discussion on certain topics. Best to lay off. What amazes me is how far people are willing to take the argument. I’m guilty of some of that myself. Some hear the word progressive and out pours the communist/socialist paranoia. Not worth it.
These two wins were more difficult than they should have been. I did see good news in the box score – Hatcher and Jansen both with 11 pitch innings. Still, back to back games means they should not pitch tomorrow.
Bobby: “good points, Box, on the article. However, your nose is still pretty brown from being up mark’s ass”.
Badger: “Agree with that Bobby. Box, you got a few points made but dropped the ball badly by sucking up to Timmons and resorting to name calling. Going to that level means you’ve lost your audience, and the debate. And I thought we were beginning to have respectful dialogue”.
Thanks for acknowledging the “good points” guys. Sorry for “dropping the ball badly by sucking up (brown nosing) to Timmons and resorting to name calling”. It’s just that I will miss Mark, he was one of my favorite posters (very knowledgeable). We ARE a divided family of Dodger fans, and, I guess, it is sometimes difficult to have respectful dialogue. Sad, we can’t all be as virtuous as you. I will try to do better.
By the way, what’s with the “nose up asshole” obsession on your side of the family? Is that you’re preferred entry method, when sticking you’re head up you’re ass?
And there it is.
Kershaw with 116 pitches. That’s 14.5 per inning, which is the target. 33 balls, which is only 4 per inning. With that we should be able to bury a team like the Braves. Offense. 2 for 11 WRISP. It doesn’t have to be this difficult guys. Get some clutch hits dammit.
The averages appear to be dropping. We got a few guys that are Mendoza candidates. Kershaw down to .077.
Miller can only go 2 because of that freak injury.
My chiropractor is a Rockies fan. He pitched for Kansas and was drafted by the Marlins. I’m gonna pull my catchers glove out and do about 25 live pitches at the local high school mound with him. Should be interesting. Got mask and cup, no shin guards or chest protector. I’ll bail if he bounces any.
Can you arrange video for our viewing pleasure?
And become a YouTube sensation? I don’t think so. This guy threw 94 mph just a few years ago. I could get kilt trying to catch something near 90. It’s been a while since I faced anything that fast. I’m sure I would have trouble hitting it, but I should be able to catch it. Right?
Agree Box, that was more better.