In the final game of the Dodgers’ road trip the Rockies sent Jordan Lyles to the Coors Field mound. He’s a former first round draft pick, but has never beaten the Dodgers (0-3). The Boys in Blue brought Alex Wood, who seems to be 0 for everybody else.
This game had everything! Guys crashing into walls. Guys crashing into the stands. 4-run innings. 5-run innings! In short, it was typical for Coors Field. Here’s how it all played out.
1st inning
Dodgers
Yasiel Puig walked. Adrian Gonzalez also walked, bringing up Yasmani Grandal.
Suddenly Lyles had thrown eight consecutive balls. He couldn’t buy a strike.
A four-pitch walk loaded the bases with two out for Howie Kendrick.
Ground out.
Would the inability to cash in bases loaded haunt the Dodgers later? Why not? It’s the twilight zone of ballparks known as Coors Field.
2nd inning
Dodgers
Joc Pederson on first.
Trayce Thompson with a Dodgers double.
Alex Wood got the RBI and Thompson ran himself into an out on the way to third.
An error by the Rockies kept the inning alive for Corey Seager. A walk to load the bases for Yasiel Puig.
Base hit, Puig! Two runs score!
Adrian Gonzalez traded an out for an RBI.
3rd inning Dodgers 4-1
Dodgers
Joc Pederson skied a massively high ball that took forever to decide whether it wanted to go out or not. It went out. 5-1
Lyles was done.
Corey Seager punched a triple! Score two more Dodger runs. 7-1
4th inning Dodgers 7-1
Rockies
Trayce Thompson lost a high fly in LF. It dropped for a double and a Rockies RBI. 7-2
Alex Wood returned to old, bad habits. Too many pitches per batter, and not taking advantage of a strike zone that ran from very high to very low. He was at 73 pitches through only four innings
Another Rockies two-out base hit. Another RBI. 7-4
And then Puig happened!
Barnes took Alex Wood deep, but Yasiel leaped at the wall, caught it, and BOUNCED off the wall to the ground, saving the lead.
5th inning Dodgers 7-4
Rockies.
Can Alex Wood hang on for one more inning?
A 1,2,3 inning. Whew!
6th inning. Dodgers 7-4
Rockies
Lead off walk. 92 pitches for Wood.
A wild pitch advanced the runner to second. E-3 moved him to third.
Wood was done. Pedro Baez in.
Squeeze bunt! Run scored and all the Rockies were safe. 7-5.
Yet another walk loaded the bases- with no out. Baez needed to bear down and find something to stop the bleeding. He did.
Strike out! One out.
Pop fly to Puig, who then dared the runner on third to go. Two out.
Up came the majors’ home run leader, Trevor Story, with the bases loaded. They went to full count. Baez popped him up to Puig. Fire out.
7th inning Dodgers 7-5
Southpaw Adam Liberatore in for the Dodgers.
Trayce Thompson made a diving, outstretched catch in LF to prevent a double with two on.
Liberatore got the final strike out on a borderline, outside pitch that left DJ LeMahieu literally hopping mad at the plate.
8th inning Dodgers 7-5
Rockies
Chris Hatcher pitching for the Dodgers
Lead off double blasted high off the left field wall. A base hit scored the run. 7-6.
Puig took his eye off a grounder, and two Rockies scored on the error. They led 8-7.
And then the wheels really came off. When the smoke cleared, the Dodgers had squandered a 7-1 lead, the Rockies had scored five runs in the inning (9 unanswered in all), and led 10-7.
But don’t go anywhere.
9th inning Rockies 10-7
Dodgers
A-Gon led off with a single. Job done.
Yasmani Grandal popped one high off the first base side,and Carlos Gonzalez chased it into the stands.
He flew over the wall, taking out a little girl with his leg.
Despite claims of the Rockies and folks in the stands, a replay review showed there was no catch. Grandal ended up hitting into the force play at second.
Roberts let 0 for 4 Howie Kendrick bat. Kendrick paid the skipper back for his faith. Base hit!
Enrique Hernandez walked to load the bases.
Trayce Thompson hit a double play ball to short that was bobbled. That scored 2! Now Rockies 10-9.
A.J. Ellis with a pinch hit single to move Thompson to third.
Thompson scored on a wild pitch! Tie game! 10-10.
Chase Utley smashed an RBI, two out double to retake the lead! Dodgers 11-10
Another Dodgers double by Corey Seager brought insurance!
The Dodgers scoring stopped at 12-10.
Rockies vs Kenley Jansen
To add to the daffiness of the game, Jansen gifted the Rockies a four pitch, lead off walk.
Kenley quickly got back on track with a three-pitch strike out.
Deep fly out to Thompson in CF.
K for the win!
Whew!! What a battle.
The Dodgers won the wackiest game of the year (so far), won the series, and won the road trip. They now hold a two game lead over Arizona in the NL West.
Home cooking and the return of Don Mattingly to Dodger Stadium tomorrow! What a way to start a season.
Alex Wood went 5 innings, with 6 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 5 Ks and an ERA of 6.00
Kenley Jansen 9 for 9 in Saves. ERA 0.00
Home Run: Joc Pederson
Triple: Corey Seager
Doubles: Thompson, Puig, Utley, Seager
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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These are fun —————— when you win.
Roger where is everybody? Do you think they still think we lost? I wouldn’t blame anyone, because this would have never happened when Mattingly was the manager!
They’re still laughing. A ninth-inning comeback? At Coors? Is it too soon to say anything about Wood and Hatcher?
Snider it is never to soon, to express yourself!
Several early season trends to note:
1 – Sustained excellence from Kershaw, Maeda, Stripling
2 – Regular mediocrity from Kazmir and Wood
3 – Jansen great – rest of bullpen inconsistent
4 – Offense good in early innings, not so much later in game (today’s 9th inning comeback an exception)
5 – Outfield with flashes of brilliance defensively
6 – Too many easy errors from Seager
Fearless predictions:
1 – Dodgers will have to do something about Wood’s spot in rotation. Also, Stripling will be on innings limits. Other prized prospects will be brought up to fill in the gap
2 – Anderson will not be back this year. McCarty and Ryu are 50/50 to come back
3 – One of the veteran 2B or OF (or one of each) gone before end of year (Kendrick, Utley, Ethier, Crawford)
4 – Braintrust will not spend $$$ to obtain big piece to put the team over the top
5 – Dodgers will win 88 games + or – , maybe enough to win Division, but without improvement to rotation or ‘pen, team will flameout in postseason (again)
It wont be Ethier, his no trade is vested now!
I was at the game. It is my humble opinion that both Chris Hatcher and Wood need to go to the minors. Every time Wood has a lead, he either blows it, or does not protect it. He did not have clean innings and the defense was in my opinion abysmal. They were charged with 2 errors, very easily could have been 4. Hatcher was gas on a fire. His pitches were up in the zone, and as in SF, he got behind on most hitters. Avilan must not have been watching wood pitch to Parra, because he threw him the same pitch that Parra crushed earlier. Also, Howie Kendrick is a good 2nd baseman, he is mediocre as a 3rd baseman. He hit a couple balls real solid, but only had the one hit. Jansen is the best reliever in the National League…….I was at the Maeda game too, and it was great to see AJ Ellis crush a ball on a miserable cold wet night for a homer, then come through with a clutch PH single today……
AJ got a solid single yesterday too.
Seager coming out of his slump is nice to see. Hope he keeps it going.
OF defense is great. Puig looked like he hurt the wall, rather than the way around. But maybe give him a day off tomorrow.
I definitely agree Wood and Hatcher need to be sent down.
Actually can we just send Wood away for good. Or just have him start at Dodgers stadium. That sounds like a challenge for the FAZ geniuses to work out — I’m just a big picture guy.
My takeaways:
Wood pitched better than it looked. The defense behind him was spotty.
So far this year, Utley is playing like an MVP.
Depth helps.
You never know what you are going to get from Puig, but you will not get bored.
Dodger announcers work in the shadow of Vinny, but damn, I like Orel and Nomar.
I think Puig is learning a lot of things and that he will continue to learn. I wish he would forget power for a while and learn how to use the bat. And the power will come.
I disagree..I was at the game. And the defense was spotty, but he never seems to have shut down innings. And most of the hits he gave up were solid, not just bloopers. He was unlucky when Thompson misjudged the double, but otherwise, he was so so. I was sitting behind home plate so it was pretty easy to see the guy was not all that great. I was at Maeda’s game too. Now he showed how to pitch in a ballpark that defies gravity.
How did Maeda’s off speed stuff, look in person?
It was pretty cool to watch. He had the whole team off balance. His poise was what impressed me the most. After the no hitter was lost, he never flinched. Had runners on and managed to get out of it without a scratch…the bullpen could learn something from this guy….he never got rattled…..
It’s an established fact that when the Dodgers win the moaners have nothing to say, so it is quiet in here.
1. Alex Wood was a solid pitcher before he came to LA – Career ERA of just above 3.00.
2. Luis Avilan pitched in 220 games before he came to LA with an ERA below 3.00.
3. Mat Latos is 4.0 with a 0.74 ERA
4. Jim Johnson had a 2.25 ERA in Atlanta in the first half of 2015.
5. Chris Hatcher had a 3.38 ERA in 56 innings in 2014 with Miami.
6. Joe Blanton had a 1.57 ERA with the Pirates last year.
At some point, even Ray Charles can see that something is wrong with: (1) the pitching methodology; (2) the pitching coach; (3) pitch calling; or (4) all of the above.
That said: This team does not need any big time help. It needs tweaks. Hatcher needs to learn an off-speed pitch and better location or he will not be around. Woods might flourish in the pen. Help is on the way. This team would have never came back like this last year.
Before this season is over Corey Seager will be the team leader – forget an occasional error at SS. He will be there for a few years! He is a stud! These guys will win 92-95 with their eyes closed. A lot has already went wrong and they are 12-7. Some people just can’t stand to enjoy success. It’s always “they won, but….” No BUT, they won!
MM Hatcher might have good stuff, but it is possible that he just can’t handle the pressure of playing with the Dodgers? Maybe that explains the difference with his era, while he was on the Marlins.
And about Latos, I was one that thought he would be ok, but is it possible right now, that the pitchers, are a head of the hitters, at this time? I saw a former player, analyzing Latos, and he said that he may just be a little lucky right now, because he noted, that Latos wouldn’t get away with a pitch he threw Prince, or any good hitter normally, in a game that Latos pitched against the Rangers.
And the former player did comment, that Latos does have a good curve , that is also helping him. And this former player, was not really trying to talk badly, about Latos.
And I do agree that to many pitchers have left the Dodgers, and have done well, so I still wonder about Honeycutt.
Don’t worry boys, help is on the way–George Custer. I’d wait until they beat a really good team before I buy in. And those pitchers put up those numbers playing in games that didn’t matter, not a pennant race.
Would be willing to bet ya a lot of money that they do not see 92 wins. I’m still not convinced that they will finish above .500. The schedule gets a lot tougher in May.
And not to sound like a sour prognosticator here are my concerns. Maeda and Stripling are new to the league and the second time around don’t expect either of them to be as dominating. Those are the #2 & 3 guys at the moment and how they go is how the Dodgers will go.
Gonzalez, Utley, Puig and Pederson all will finish lower than their current .351/.319/.294/.278 batting averages.
Duh? No kidding…..very few people finish like they start, and only true superstars hit over 320. But Gonzo will be Gonzo…270-290 average, over 20 homers and close to 100 ribbies. Utley, if they get 275 out of the guy it will be huge, considering Kendrick is below the Mendoza line. Puig will have a solid year and be productive. 300? Maybe not, be he can be very productive and hit a solid 280, that will be fine, with his defense he is a plus player. I see what you cannot….Joc is making a great effort to change his approach. He might not stay in the .270’s, but with his power, if he hits 250-260,, he is a huge asset……
So you are predicting 92-95 wins? That was my point. I don’t. I actually expect their wins to decrease this year….again and therefore gave a couple of reasons why. Of course very few people finish like they start when they start out well. Baseball is a marathon not a sprint. But the primary contributors to the 12 win start are the 4 hitters and 2 pitchers that I mentioned above. So Michael what is your prediction for the team?
Chili did you think that they were going to win yesterday?
Can you post here at the end of the season and admit you were wrong if they do?
The team still has work to do to really compete with the tough clubs. They’re not at the level of the Nats and Cubs and probably the Cardinals, but your prediction is low. I do think the Dodgers lineup, when healthy and productive, is pretty solid from top to bottom. Of course Agon is not going to hit .350, but Puig hitting .294 is entirely possible, especially considering he hit .290 in his last full injury free season. Pederson could very well hit over .250 with 25 HRs this year. Utley could hit .275 with 25 doubles and continue his clutch play. Turner, on the other hand, will likely start hitting better and up to the level of the last three years.
I don’t even know if Stripling stays on the team the entire year. He will come down to Earth. Maeda will obviously not have a .034 ERA, but he can actually pitch, and I think he’s the Dodgers 2nd starter for the rest of the year and is already a front runner for me for ROY.
DP-
Not afraid to post that I was wrong IF I’m wrong but are you predicting that they will win 92+ wins? It goes both ways.
I assume that you consider me to be one of the “moaners” to which you refer, yet it appears to be my post that you are responding to. A bit contradictory, aren’t you?
Team needs at least one more starter and a solid 8th inning guy at very minimum to be competitive in postseason if they get there.
You actually offer solutions. I don’t mind the complainers so much provided they offer constructive criticism. I feel Mark’s frustration with what amounts to a repetitive peanut gallery of the same FAZophobe criticisms repeated over and over without proffering an alternative, and a complete inability to admit when a move they criticize actually turns out to be a good one. The Maeda signing was criticized. The Utley signing was criticized. And of course the Latos signing was criticized after the fact.
Mark correctly identifies a basic cynicism about this front office that really keeps the cynic from being hopeful and enjoying when the team does well, and that isn’t really directed at you because you do offer thoughtful posts. The FAZophobes just can’t bring themselves to pull for a team with a front office they despise on a visceral level. It defies the traditional role of what a fan is, and seems like a misdirection of mental energy. I’m kind of glad Mark is here to rub people the wrong way. Some people need to be rubbed the wrong way.
I agree with your post. My patience is running thin with Wood, and I don’t want to get sucked into this trap where he offers a tantalizingly good performance one night, then gets shelled the next. I cut him and Hatcher some slack for playing Colorado, but It thin the leash is getting shorter for those guys. Hatcher is really simple: he’s great when he throws strikes and gets ahead in the count, and is awful when he doesn’t.
Hopefully Stripling can continue to be effective for a while and Bolsinger can come back, in which case the Dodgers can keep it together somehow till after the ASB. I expect Ryu to be back at some point, McCarthy to not really be fully back, and Anderson to be pretty much gone for good. That leaves a possible rotation of CK, Maeda, Kazmir, Ryu and some combination of bodies….maybe even Urias for a short stint if he’s really lighting it up at AAA.
By that time maybe there will be more relief help. Either Hatcher learns how to throw a strike, or maybe some combination of whatever 98 MPH-throwing Cuban or Jacob Rhame can offer some help, though their youth and inexperience suggests they stay in the minors.
There will be some deal made. It probably won’t be a blockbuster, but there will be pitching help. Considering the flaws with the relief, Wood and Kazmir so far, I’m impressed that the Dodgers are 12-7. If not for a couple of meltdowns, they could be easily 14-5. It just goes to show that, as critical we fans can be with this team, most other teams have issues of their own. I wonder what fans on Giants blogs are saying right now.
Your patience is running thin with Wood? Sounds cynical buddy. What about the dozen other moves that haven’t really worked yet?
This is what I find odd about those who criticize those who critique. It’s not an opinion that the deadline moves didn’t work, it’s a fact. It’s not an opinion that McCarthy and Anderson were risky moves that didn’t really work, it’s a fact. There are still a lot of question marks here. Maybe they work, maybe they go the direction of Latos and Johnson. You say no one has offered what you call “alternatives” when in fact there have been MANY suggestions made by dang near everyone in here. I’ve offered several and took a lot of heat for most of them. I don’t mind the heat about suggestions, but I do mind the inaccuracies and the insults.
We get it, or I should say I get it. You, box, and Mark, have taken your stance on FAZ and are digging your heels in on everyone who dares disagree. I can work with that, but what is ever annoying is the condescending attitudes. You just did it again, suggesting that there are fans in here, cynics you call them, that want the Dodgers to lose just to make a point. That’s bullshit patch. Nobody in here wants the Giants or the Dbacks to win the division.
I accept you are in full support of management. I’m taking a more cautious approach. I see some incredible talent here. I also see some real issues with other players. And the swinging gate to the DL appears to be in constant motion here. FAZ appears to like injury prone players.
I’m still hopeful. But if you guys really don’t understand why some of us have doubts, I suggest maybe you aren’t trying hard enough to see a different point of view.
Is it possible to post without mentioning “some people”? I just enjoyed the win. Stats in Colorado don’t really count. Get out of there winning the series and forget how it got done. And for the record, nobody moans more than you do Mark.
None of those players Mark mentioned will be anywhere near those stats by mid season. Yeah, it’s weird Matt Latos is starting hot, but you know it won’t last. Shall we start the annual “on pace for” in April? Bryce Harper – 90 home runs and 230 rbi’s. Kid’s a stud, but I say he won’t make either of those markers. Avilan – 40.5 ERA. I say it comes down a bit by the All Star break. Hatcher at 7.27. That will come down a bit too. Maybe not much until he finds another pitch he can spot.
Back to winning 95 huh? I still have the under. It’s my opinion there may be only one 95 win team in the NL and it won’t come out of the West.
I can live without Alex Wood. But, we know every now and then he pitches like an ace. It might be thevnext time out. What I find strange is, of all the guys that come after Kershaw, and we have a bunch lined up, he’s the guy I find most likely not to miss a start. 5 innings of 6 ERA for the rest of the year? Probably not, but it feels like it.
Badger Hatcher made the exact mistake he just made in a previous game. I can’t remember if it was the first or second game, but it was the same mistake. Grandal had his mitt, held up, for a high fastball, and Hatcher threw the pitch at the knees, right down the middle of the plate.
All the relievers before Hatcher, had bases loaded situations, and didn’t allow a run. Hatcher starts a fresh inning, and on the very first pitch, Hatcher threw the ball, right down the middle of the plate, and he was lucky that the hit wasn’t a HR, and it was only a double.
Then on the next hitter, with two strikes I believe, that is when Grandal asked for a high fastball, and he threw another ball, right down the middle of the plate. And as you know Badger, he had the least pressure, if all the relief pitchers yesterday. And did everyone hear that Heisy hit a pinch HR yesterday, for Dusty Baker?
“It’s an established fact that when the Dodgers win the moaners have nothing to say, so it is quiet in here.”
Figured you were still around, but I guess you just can’t keep from being a ^*$%#@)(%^#.
Keep it clean Mark, LOVE your insight but this dribble is tiresome!
Wood, Hatcher, Crawford – for – Teheda, H. Oliveras, Johnson and Braves pitching coach.
Just kidding…sort of
It is curious everybody but Honeycutt was let go. As it interesting Maddon didn’t come over with FAZ. Seemed a logical move to me. I think the general consensus was Mattingly was never the right guy for this job, and Maddon was available and familiar. I wonder what the story behind that story actually is?
I don’t know that the staff inconsistencies are on Honeycutt. Maybe he has something to do with it, but with so many different faces coming and going, and perhaps the simple fact some of them just may not be that good to begin with, I can’t pin it all on him. Still, if it doesn’t get worked out they’ll can him too.
Maddon had another year on his contract. I believe the Cubs sent a player to Tampa to get him. Someone said it was the best trade that season. I don’t know about Honeycutt either. His staff’s ERAs have been the best in the league, but he’s had Kershaw and Jansen to lean on. But I bet he never told a pitcher to throw one belt-high down the middle to the other team’s best hitter.
Snider the Cubs didn’t send anyone for Maddan. They actually wanted to pursue tampering charges against the Cubs. I didn’t like that Maddan went over there, and took another guys job. Maddan had the nerve to call
the guy, and wanted to buy him a drink. The guy turned him down. Madden to me, acts like he is just to cool.
It’s a lefty pitcher tonight! But Cory will be in the line up tonight. I hope they can show Mattingly what a productive offense is!
The Dodgers are lower in HRs this year, but they are fifth in runs scored. Last year, they did well in the first month, and won games, with HRs. That was not substainable, as we know, and that is the difference this year.
I don’t know what they are going to do with Hatcher, but he can’t be counted on, to be the Dodgers set up guy. I have seen improvement with Baez, and Liberatore has quietly, done his job. I think he will be fine, as long as he is used properly.
I’d like to see Hatcher get less pressure chances, and give Baez more of a look as the set up guy. Coleman, when he returns, or Libetatore, or Yimi Garcia when he gets better, should all get looks.
Most of all I’d like to see Yasiel Sierra called up and tried out as the set up man. But that may take a few weeks.
YF they are putting Sierra, at Rancho.