It’s hard to believe that it’s August 25 and the Dodgers have 90 wins already, but here we are. What an incredible journey it’s been. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball and it’s been thrilling watching them manhandle the rest of the National League. The postseason is fast approaching and the Dodgers have plenty of time and a huge lead to work with. Isn’t life good? It sure is good to be a Dodger fan right now, that’s for sure.
After winning three out of four in Pittsburgh and screwing Rich Hill out of a no-hitter/perfect game (sorry Rich) the Dodgers are back home for a quick little three game home stand against the Brewers and then back out on the road again for the rest of August. There are only 16 home games remaining and the Dodgers are also on track to set the mark for best home winning percentage. Another record, what else is new?
The Brewers come into town with a huge monkey on their back. What would that be you ask? I’m upset with them. Yes that is correct the monkey on their back is me being mad at them. I’m mad at them because they had damn job to do and couldn’t do it. All they had to do was not play like hot garbage after the all-star break and they come into play 3.0 games behind the stupid Cubs in the NL Central race. Nobody more than I want to see the dumb Cubs eliminated from the playoffs. So thank you Milwaukee you just totally screwed the pooch and now you’re going to get swept by the Dodgers as well. The Brewers are 66-62 and 3.5 games out in the wild card race.
Dodgers vs. Milwaukee
Chase Anderson-7-2 vs. Kenta Maeda-11-5
Game Time – 7:10 PM PST
The pitching match-up for tonight will feature left hander Chase Anderson battling Kenta Maeda. Anderson has been a quality starter for the Brewers this season posting a 2.83 ERA over 17 starts. He’s increased his strikeouts from 7.1/9 last season to 8.4/9 this season. He’s allowed just 7.1 hits per nine and his FIP is a fine 3.49. He’s been good despite having to deal with an oblique injury that been hampering him. He was able to toss five innings in his last start against Colorado. Anderson pitched very well in July, posting a 1.56 ERA and allowing just 6 earned runs over 34.2 innings of work.
In 8 career starts against the Dodgers he is 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA. He’s 0-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 5 career starts at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers have an OPS of over 1.000 against the big right hander. Yasmani Grandal has hit three home runs. Check out the rest of the numbers.
Anderson vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | OPS |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 20 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | .533 | .650 | 1.517 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 15 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 4 | .231 | .267 | 1.190 |
| Curtis Granderson | 12 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .222 | .417 | .639 |
| Yasiel Puig | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .111 | .111 | .556 |
| Corey Seager | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .167 | .375 | .875 |
| Chase Utley | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | 1.000 |
| Brandon Morrow | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Hyun-Jin Ryu | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chris Taylor | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Justin Turner | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 5.000 |
| Enrique Hernandez | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 81 | 68 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 22 | .279 | .383 | 1.044 |
As for Maeda, he’s been fantastic of late. But he did get beat by the Brewers back on June 4 in Milwaukee. During his last 28 days he’s held opponents to a .176 batting average against. In August he’s posted a 3.09 ERA and allowed just 8 earned runs in 23.1 innings pitched. Overall he is 11-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 20 starts. He’s struck out 111 (9.0k/9) and walked only 27. He’s actually been very good after a lousy start to the season. Against the Brewers he has a 2.20 ERA and a 1-1 record over 3 career starts. He’s held the Brewers in check so far.
Maeda vs. Brewers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | OPS |
| Ryan Braun | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .600 | .667 | 1.467 |
| Jonathan Villar | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
| Neil Walker | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | .400 | .900 |
| Zach Davies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jesus Aguilar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .500 | .500 |
| Orlando Arcia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .500 | .500 |
| Keon Broxton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Matt Garza | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Manny Pina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .500 | .500 |
| Domingo Santana | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Travis Shaw | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .500 | .500 |
| Eric Sogard | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Eric Thames | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 2.500 |
| Total | 38 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | .250 | .368 | .775 |
In case you have forgotten, this weekend is the wacky Players Weekend in which the Dodgers and every MLB club will be wearing goofy custom made jerseys with nicknames on the back. It all goes to a good cause of course, but it should be strange to watch. I’m a traditionalist by nature so I would rather see them wear their normal home whites, but I also love shenanigans too. Anyways, enjoy the silliness.
Nice article about the Dodgers by the great Gammons:
http://www.gammonsdaily.com/peter-gammons-historic-view-of-the-state-of-the-dodgers/
Good write up Scott, and a great article there Bluto. Dodgers sent Liberatore to OKC for a re-hab. Just think, the Dodgers have 4 former all stars on the DL, when they come back it will be like trading for 4 players.
I thought Maeda struggled in Detroit? Good to be home.
Nice article by Gammons there.
Maeda was perfect for 5, and horrendous for 1, in Detroit. Let’s see what he does vs this good Brewers lineup tonight.
I”ll go out on a limb and say we win again tonight
Kenley got to change the name for players weekend. It will now read Kenleyfornia. Pretty cool. OKC rained out today. Doubleheader tomorrow. Joc hitting .250 down there.
Michael
The 250 average that you mentioned about Joc, is his combined average from earlier in the season, combined with what he has done, since he went down to AAA , this month.
Joc is hitting 211 and has struck out six times, since he went down this month.
Grant Dayton is going to have to have a TJ surgery, so he out for the season
I know MJ. I was just quoting his overall stats. Sad to hear about Dayton, that means he is out for next year most likely too. Takes up to 14 months to recover. Got a email from Badger. Said he will not be coming on the site.
Michael
Why would anyone want to know what is Joc’s overall average was, from when he played in AAA earlier this season, and since he was sent down?
Joc is being judged on what he has done in AAA, since he just went down.
And apparently he is not taking his demotion as well, as Puig did.
Michael
You would be all over me, if I did that!
But anyways, maybe this injury explains why Dayton wasn’t as effective, this year.
I read a post that said Dayton had saw bad things on his films, but he hadn’t felt anything yet, and then he did, in one of his rehab games.
This was a post, so I don’t know that this is true!
It looks like Cody will be back on Saturday.
How can Cody come back early? I was thinking Tuesday. Amazing how he supposedly has a swollen ankle and he stands up in the dugout every game. Seems like he would sit more often.
Mj, I really don’t care. You are the one making a big frippen deal out of it. All I said was Joc is hitting .250 in AAA which is the truth. I say very little about your posts anymore…..
Michael, saw your blurb on Badger. I sure hope not. It would be a shame. Timmons has nothing on Badger and Jonah or TrueBlue and part of what I do for a living is helping people find cheap (meaning efficient) lawyers to protect them. Timmons posts are just pure intimation, and maybe we are all too old for this s***, but for me, I’m too old to be afraid, and I am going to say what I want within reason and civility, and heaven help those who try to say I can’t.
I have had his personal email for quite a while. He was pretty upset and did not want to be on any site that Timmons might be monitoring. He may come back when the playoffs start. Timmons thinks he is the end all know all of Dodger baseball. When I first found this site and disagreed with him on FAZ’s construction of the team he inferred I was some sort of moron. I called him a few choice names back. Anyone who does not see the wisdom and genius of the almighty FAZ he considers uneducated or worse. I think personally that he is a pompous ass and a cyber bully. Face to face he would have no guts. I am like you, I speak my mind. That’s why I served my country for 9 years. So I could still say my peace. Anyway, I will pass on to Badger your best wishes .
That’s too bad.
Badger contributed more good dialogue that (IMO) Jonah did and 40x what that other dolt did.
That was a good article. Is this team, so far, closer to the 1998 Yankees or the 2001 Mariners? I’m only talking about regular season.
98 Yankees. They were a solid team. The Mariners did not win anything. 116 wins and you do not go to the Series? That’s just pitiful, but they have the season record to chortle about!
Could happen, easily, to this team.
I wouldn’t consider it pitiful, just bad luck. Although with the Mariners the talent of Piniella may be a bigger reason.
Maybe. But how are we more like 1998 Yankees or less like the 2001 Mariners? Again without regard to the postseason. Let’s dig into the stats and lineups more. It’s a fun fan exercise.
Steiner said this team’s makeup resembled the 98 Yanks: scrappy 3B Turner and Broscius, kid at SS Seager and Jeter, top closer in the league Jansen and Rivera, power hitting left handed 1B in Bellinger and Martinez.
Excellent comp. That’s some decent team construction there and a lot of parallels. And we don’t have anyone like Ichiro. Jansen with his cutter is pretty much this generation’s Rivera. Jeter and Seager is interesting. Jeter is more flashy.
Package
I thought Cody was coming back on a Tuesday, but he said this was only his sixth day on DL, so that is where I got Saturday.
Cody actually said he would be back in a couple of days, but I could be wrong, but I don’t think he will be able to come back before Saturday.
Tomorrow will be a week since Cody got hurt, 7 days. 3 more days makes it Tuesday. Right?
Package
Your right I forgot what day is was!
Cody is eligible to come off the DL on the 30th. He was placed on the DL on the 22nd retroactive to the 20th.
Michael
Unless Cody was mistaken today, he said this was his sixth day on the DL.
Michael
If it is no big deal then why did you say that twice?
I am with everyone, I want Cody to come back soon too
But I just think it is smart to see what Agone can do.
And Agone actually had a really good second half, last year.
And I think Agone can be a good bat in this line up, if he is healthy and hitting.
Just drop it MJ. And like I said, Cody was placed on the DL on the 22nd, retroactive to the 20th which means he is eligible to come off the DL on the 30th. It is not rocket science it is math.
Michael
I was talking to Package not you.
And I was just saying what Cody said on the pregame show yesterday before the game!
Well Cody was wrong..
Another interesting article, by Grant Brisbee on the Punto Trade. I guess it’s time for retrospectives these days. https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/8/25/16202446/dodgers-adrian-gonzalez-trade-red-sox?yptr=yahoo
Brisbee is great, and that article is a really nice read.
Thanks.
I like this part:
Where Friedman will help the Dodgers is by bringing over his skills from his days as a pauper — stepping in front of other teams to amass as many bullpen lottery tickets and undervalued and overlooked talents as possible, while expanding the search for the next frontier in scouting and analytics. The money will help, but the money + Friedman doesn’t help as much as you might think. Almost everything that’s good about the Dodgers right now had to do with decisions that weren’t all about money.
`
That’s all still true. The real path to an unbeatable team came with the Dodgers figuring out how to turn the lightning bat of a fourth-rounder into the Rookie of the Year. It came with turning an 18th-overall pick into an MVP candidate. It came with turning Chris Taylor and Justin Turner from organizational depth into lineup pillars.
Logi Bear!!!
Pweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeg! and Jansen. 91 wins…..awesome.
Maeda and company give up one hit. This one game removed from Hill’s masterpiece.
`
Forsythe and Grandal starting to round back into form. Forsythe playing good defense too.
All this with 80% of the conceivable starting rotation on the DL, as well as the Rookie of the Year.
Really a deep strong team. When the rosters expand it’s conceivable there could be a righty and lefty lineup of equal value.
That’s amazing.
Michael Norris if you could pass on best wishes to Badger from me I would appreciate it. Tell him not to be a stranger to LADR.
Back to the game: Agon now 7/35 which comes out to .140. I guess it’s still a work in progress. Rick Monday said Agon looked much better with his swing, which is good news.
Oops I think that is .200?
Didn’t mean to cheat Agon.
Artie boy
I am glad you feel better about Agone.
Because I thought after yesterday’s game, you might still be wondering
Like I have said before, there is nothing to lose, to see what Agone can do.
I know he only got one hit yesterday, but he did have an exit velocity on two of the balls he hit, that were about 94 or 95, and he wasn’t doing that earlier when he was hurt.
My pleasure Artie. I will be sure and let Badger know. He sent me an email this morning.