The Dodgers are certainly an interesting club wrapped up in an enigma. For three weeks they lost almost every game. They lost in many different ways. Some days they hardly showed up and were blown out. On other days the bats went cold and on other days the starting pitchers bombed in the early frames and they still lost by a run. Before that nasty little losing streak they were on pace to win 114 games.
Of course on a day when I was unable to watch most of the game due to work was the day the Dodgers beat the Nationals in a laugher. I would think this is probably because they’re a very talented club, but also because I was not there to watch the game. So with me safely tucked away behind my desk at work, the Dodgers scored 6 runs in the early innings en route to a 7-0 win over Washington in the first game of the three game series in the nation’s capital.
Dodgers 7 9 0
Nationals 0 4 0
WP-Wood-15-3
LP-Jackson-5-6
HR-Turner-20-Seager-20-Puig-26
Alex Wood tossed six shutout frames and looked like his old self as he secured his fifteenth win of the season to improve his record to 15-3. Wood allowed just three hits and struck out 8 across six scoreless innings. Former Dodger Edwin Jackson was atrocious, allowing seven earned runs on six hits in just 2.1 innings pitched.
The Dodger bats came to life early in the game and didn’t let up. The Dodgers scored 5 runs in the top of the second inning and got three home runs from Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, and Corey Seager. Turner’s shot came in the first inning. Puig led off the second inning with a huge shot, his 26 of the season. Chase Utley doubled and then Andre Ethier’s fly ball to deep right was completely misplayed by Jayson Werth. He lost the ball as it bounced several feet behind him and over the wall for a double. Ethier had a good game collecting two hits (2 for 4 1B, 2B, RBI) and the Dodgers went up 3-0.
Later in the inning Chris Taylor would walk and come around to score on Corey Seager’s long ball and the Dodgers went ahead 6-0. The Dodgers would plate one more run in the top of the third inning when Cody Bellinger walked, stole second and scored on a Chase Utley fielder’s choice grounder.
Werth-less’s bonehead play
The Dodger bullpen took things the rest of the way. Pedro Baez who has been public enemy number one lately in Dodger land tossed a scoreless seventh inning (After walking two) striking out two. Brock Stewart allowed a hit and a walk while striking out four over the final two frames.
The Dodgers now improve to 95-52 and have won three in a row. The magic number to clinch the NL West is now down to just 6 games. If Arizona loses tonight then it would drop to five. The series continues tomorrow with an early start time of 10:10 AM PST as Rich Hill will battle A.J. Cole. The game will be televised on Fox.
Good win and kudos to Wood.
Puig at #5. Ethier in LF. No Granderson, no Joc. An excellent adjustment that has taken Roberts much too long to implement.
Baez looked very shaky walking the first two batters. With a 7-0 lead, I guess Roberts felt like magnanimous giving Baez the work. His heart was bursting with pride so he let Stewart pitch the last two innings. This should never happen either in a close game or in the playoffs.
Grandal continues his slide……………
Grandal needs a break. We should play Barnes and Farmer rest of this series. And Ethier.
YF
Exactly!
It isn’t helping Grandal to continue to play him, give him some days off to reset and to take some time, to rest his mind, from the game for a while.
You can see his stress in his at bats.
And SF loses!
92 losses for those losers!
Nice win. 4 members of the team now have 20 plus homers. If Grandal ever finds himself, and Taylor can lean into one, they will have 6 players with 20 or more homers. They also have 8 players in double figures. If Utley goes deep twice more they will have 9. First time that has happened in my memory, if they did it before it was quite a while ago. But Wood was good today and Baez actually got himself out of a situation he got himself into. Nice game all around.
The Seizure has to sit, he really is a liability to be sitting on the bench in the playoffs since I wouldn’t even want him to enter the game as a PH. If Roberts is really all about winning the whole enchilada then you have to go with Barnes as the full time catcher and Farmer as the backup and PH off the bench. A streaky batter like The Seizure is a killer in playoff series, he either gets hot and kills the opponent or he stays ice cold and kills off the Dodgers rallies. Will Roberts have the balls to do it? I doubt it, but The Seizure really has earned a place in front of the TV this post season.
Reddickson has also played himself a spot in front of the TV as well. He isn’t good in the field, he isn’t a good baserunner and he is an atrocious batter. Either is better in every aspect compared to Reddickson.
Baez, PLEASE, there isn’t even a discussion required at this point.
Just a blast from the past, Thank you God we don’t have Mattingly sitting on our bench!
True
I second your thoughts about Mattingly!
I am surprised a smart guy like you, and since he has been in the organization the longest, still does not know how to spell Ethier.
Wood was at mostly 91 but I am still wondering if he can pitch with that velocity, but I hope so.
But I want to see what he does in his next start.
Now if Puig can start hitting the ball the other way, like he did last night, that will take his game to another level!
With Ethier, I have to admit he looks a little shakey on defense, and that is why Roberts needs to give Ethier more playing time, so he can get better on defense, since he has not played everyday, for two years.
That’s all Ethier needs to do, and he will be already better on defense then Granderson, and he already has a much better arm!
I didn’t understand why Roberts sat Ethier out in the entire series against the Giants, after Ethier had three hits, in those two previous games, but Ethier still got a hit yesterday, anyways!
It will be interesting today, to see how Hill deals with Trea Turner on the bases, if Trea gets on base, because in the post season, Trea run on Hill, and practically took Hill off his game.
Because Wood is so slow to the plate, when he throws his curves, so that will be hard for Wood to try to keep Trea from running, and stealing bases.
Well, all I can say is Roberts is less than smart with today’s lineup. He absolutely cannot leave the lineup alone. Playing Joc, Granderson in the same game is stupid. You can give Roberts kudos for the job he has done but I am not seeing it. He is less than smart.
Package
I thought you wanted Joc to play, you just said that, not to long ago?
But I agree neither of these two players, should be playing today, unless Taylor needs a day off, and he might need that day off, because he has been scuffing a little lately, so a day off, wouldn’t hurt him.
On what was suppose to be Taylor’s last day off, Roberts ended up using Taylor in the game, so maybe Roberts thought he could afford to give Taylor that day off today, since we stopped losing.
MJ
The only reason I suggested Joc was to try and stop the losing. The Dodgers win a couple of games and Roberts thinks he has to rework the lineup. He has a pitcher to hit against him with a 430ERA and I guess he thinks he has to play more lefthanded hitters but he doesn’t use Ethier. Stupid!!!
I think he likes losing. He is sharp as a rock. He also said that Taylor would not be off so I guess he likes to lie also.
Package
One of the only reasons that they traded for Granderson, was because he has a really good OPS against some of the Nats starting pitchers, so we knew he would start at least one game in this series.
And Taylor never got his last day off, and that is probably why Joc is playing!
But you should want Granderson to play in these games against the Nats this weekend, to see what he does against the Nat’s relievers, because the Nats are not showing the Dodgers, their top starting pitchers, in this series, and the Dodgers aren’t either.
But if Granderson doesn’t look good against the Nat’s relievers, maybe he won’t get that much playing time, after this series!
Once they clinch MJ, Roberts can play Granny anytime he wants in all spots in the order. And Granderson has a high success rate against a couple of the Cubs pitchers too……Too bad he can’t hit the Arizona guys a lick.
Michael
I agree, but we won’t be playing the Nats again during the regular season, and that is the point!
And I already mentioned that he is not good against the Dbacks or Rockies, so I agree with that!
I was just trying to make something positive, since we have to watch him hit again today.
I rather Ethier get more time of the field, to get more secure defensively, and get more at bats!
And we both know he will be on the post season roster, like Reddick was, last year.
Personally I don’t think this team needs another all or nothing hitter, in the line up!
And because Granderson and Joc are hitting a hundred points under the Mendoza line, in these last two months, I don’t think either should be starting in any of these games.
MJ
When Granderson came to the Dodgers and did not hit, I said nothing because I knew he was a streaky hitter. Well, it turns out that his bad streak has been much worse than I expected. No way would he ever play for me at this time. I just don’t think the Dodgers need to be experimenting at this time. Roberts seems to think that because he has won a couple of games he can go back to doing dumb stuff.
Package
If the only reason they traded for Granderson, is to hit Nats pitching, you know they are going to play him in this series!
And if you knew me better, you would know that I am not fond, of all or nothing hitters!
And I am using the word hitters loosely, in that last sentence.
Because to me, all or nothing hitters, are not really hitters, they are more, the squirrel and nut thing!
And they are far to depended on walks, because they can’t hit.
And that is because sabers, maintain that walks are the same as hits, and they aren’t!
MJ
Good points all. I agree.
Taylor missed his off day because of that long rain delay in SF, so against a rookie they give him a day off. I would not have put Granderson in there, but Joc against a rookie is ok. And in case you have not noticed, Taylor has been slumping the last week or so and has not been squaring up pitches. But I definitely would have had Ethier in there over Granderson. And Verdugo is in the 1 day dog house for oversleeping and coming to the park late.
Michael
I don’t know if you were talking to me, but I did mention Taylor is not playing like he has, right now.
I was replying to package. Just explaining why Joc is in there…..
Michael
Thanks I thought so!
Granderson and Joc back in the lineup today.
My bold prediction? One of them will get a hit baby!!!
Bobby, how many productive outs do you think Reddickson and Itchy will have between them? My bold prediction is none or 1. Heavily trending towards none.
Maybe Roberts is taking a page out of Mattingly’s old playbook…
hahahahahahaha!!!!!
True
No productive outs, but they will sure try their best to get a walk, but trying to get that walk, just might put them behind on the count, with two strikes!
I just love watching Hill pitch.
Your about the only one Bluto….he gives me heartburn.
Oneshyte, maybe.
Twoshyte, tough call.
Threeshyte, very iffy.
Forshyte, definitely not!
Seriously, I don’t think Forshyte would serve any good purpose to be on the playoff roster. He can’t pinchhit, he really is only a defensive replacement type player, and we have other guys that can play 2B and actually not be a slamdunk out. Forshyte isn’t even a productive out.
Bobby, so far you are right, one basehit between Reddickson and Itchy. So far I am right also, Itchy actually advanced a runner with an out. Okay, he basically had a swinging bunt to move the runner, but hey, Itchy will take it. Now he sits.
4th win in a row.
Valuable game in that it shined a light again on who should and should not be counted on for the post season. Thank you Puig for recording the save for the bullpen, there is a reason Watson was available, now we know it (okay I have actually known it for the last 5 weeks), now Roberts should know it (but now he has to do something with that knowledge).
How come they let The Seizure wear Gonzo’s uniform in the 8th inning?
Damn Bobby, we are good!
haha
Pitching rounding into form.
The Dodgers are now tied for the longest winning streak in baseball.
Does this qualify as recaptured momentum?
That and “clutch” are silly, in my opinion.