The Dodgers certainly had a rough road trip losing four out of five games, but they returned home on a happy note after narrowly defeating the Giants 2-1 on Sunday afternoon to force a series split. After an off day on Monday the Dodgers opened a five game home stand on Tuesday with a two-game interleague series against the Oakland A’s.
We also learned the news that the Dodgers will be announcing tomorrow that Dodger Stadium will be hosting the 2020 all-star game. There has only been one all-star game at Dodger Stadium, which was back in 1980. Getting back to tonight, the Dodgers made quick work of the Athletics thanks to three solo home runs (Taylor, Seager, Kemp) and a dominating pitching performance from Hyun-jin Ryu to win the first game of the series 4-0. The Dodgers actually have now won two whole games in a row. Miracle upon miracles!
Oakland 0 5 0
Dodgers 4 11 0
WP-Ryu-1-0
LP-Manaea-1-2
SV-Jansen-2
HR-Taylor-1-Seager-1-Kemp-3
It was no miracle of course. The Dodgers used a combination of power hitting and power pitching to down the Oakland club. Chris Taylor and Corey Seager led off the bottom of the first inning with consecutive solo home runs against opposing starter Sean Manaea. This was Taylor and Seager’s first home runs of the year. So this was a very encouraging sign. Matt Kemp added a home run in the bottom of the sixth as well. That was his first home run as a Dodger in a game that counted since the 2014 NLDS. That put the Dodgers up 3-0. They added another run on a Logan Forsythe RBI double later in the frame.
Most notably tonight was Hyun-jin Ryu’s dominant outing. Over six innings he allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out eight. Only two Oakland batters reached base against Ryu. Stephen Piscotty’s first inning walk and Khris Davis’s sixth inning single were the lone Oakland base runners through the first six innings as Ryu held a no-hitter until Davis’s single. What an amazing come back for Ryu who still has some juice left in his arm. Oakland’s starter Manaea was pretty good too allowing just the two home runs in the first and two earned runs on seven hits across six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Tony Cingrani pitched a scoreless seventh inning and Ross Stripling worked around a walk in the top of the eight. The Dodgers didn’t have to go to Kenley Jansen until Stripling gave up a pair of singles with one out in the top of the ninth. Kenley strikes out Jonathan Lucroy and gets Piscotty to ground out to end the game. Kemp and Bellinger each went 2 for 4. The A’s were held to just five hits. The series wraps up tomorrow as Alex Wood takes the mound (hopefully recovered from his bout with food poisoning) Oakland will counter with 25-year old right hander Daniel Mengden.
Maybe Ryu should change his mind about pitching on irregular rest. (Hint: it’s not the rest it’s Chavez Ravine. If I were a finesse starting pitcher I’d beg, scrounge and bite to get as many starts at Dodgers Stadium as possible, especially twilight games).
YF
Exactly they have made Ryu pitch in Colorado and Arizona, but they never make Hill pitch in Colorado, and that is the reason Ryu hasn’t looked good, at times.
And he was just coming back from that shoulder injury last year, yet they made him take one for the team, in Colorado at least three times.
Maeda, Ryu, and Hill all didn’t pitch well in Arizona last year, and Hill still hasn’t pitched in Colorado, yet.
We all know Ryu knows how to pitch, and he is a proud guy.
The power will be there when it gets warmer. Will the starting pitching be there too?
Kemp looks pretty good. Bummer about his lack of value, but who knows – maybe he can OPS 1.000 through July so we can trade him.
0 for 5 WRISP. Sure would like to see improvement there.
Quiet here after a win.
Off to Sac and Petaluma for the rest of the week. I have a meeting with my publisher on Thursday, a book signing on Friday, then a meeting with the owner of Amy’s Foods on Saturday. None of those things is true of course, but you probably already knew that.
Anthony Bass has a nice short blurb on Fangraphs about how he developed his splitter. Interestingly he mentions Japanese pitchers throwing a lot of splitters, whereas his own splitter is more of a forkball. I think the Japanese are ahead of the curve and we will soon see a lot of splitters in MLB, because the hitters are now catching up to the high heated while also laying off the breaking balls to work the count. You need something to make them swing that looks like a fastball out of the hand.
I called for both Kemp and Puig to go to the right side yesterday, and Kemp delivers, and Puig did hit a ball up the middle, but he is no number three hitter, so I bet he will be glad when Turner returns.
Because Puig is getting a little frustrated, because he is not getting the results he wants, but maybe this experience of hitting third, will help Puig down the line.
I always bring up how much harder it is to hit, in the meat of the order, especially if a player bats there, day after day, throughout the season.
Because it isn’t the same as batting 6 through 9, especially when a player is young, like Corey and Cody are.
Good point MJ. But Puig said he is not frustrated by his slow start because he has made solid contact and hit some at em balls. I liked his aggressiveness after his hit, but i think he misjudged how far the ball had gotten from the 2nd baseman. Like I said before in an earlier stream, I put Kemp in the 3 hole because that is where he has hit most of his career. He sure had a big smile on his face last night.
Most impressive thing about Matt Kemp’s night was that both of his hits went to right center field. Best at doing that as a Dodger was Mike Piazza. Yeah, his homer may have barely cleared the wall and the other two were crushed, but I bet with all the anti Kemp posts on a lot of the sites, that it felt pretty good to Matt. Can Dave Roberts never put Kike in the 4 hole again? Watching that guy flail away at pitches is painful. Ryu as usual pitches great at home. The only thing is that you cannot dictate where you are going to pitch. He is definitely better when he pitches in LA. Kemp, Grandal and Utley the only Dodgers at .300 or higher. 2 hit night put Cody at .297. Forsythe, Hernandez and Pederson way below the Mendoza line. OKC off to a 3-1 start. All the wins credited to the bullpen. Liberatore and Paredes each have a win. Toles now has a higher BA than Verdugo and he has 3 doubles. Only HR’s hit have been hit by Muncy. He has 2. Taijeron is the leading hitter down there.
Michael
Puig is not a third hitter, and I still think he is a little frustrated, because he is not getting the responses, that he wants.
I don’t care what he has said, that is just natural to feel that way, when your hitting ball hard, right to someone.
And he really looked frustrated last night, after he rolled over in his first two at bats, and went straight to Turner Ward, after that.
Kemp has been hitting fourth, for the last couple years, but we do need someone to hit third instead of Puig, but I think Corey should hit third, and move Puig up to second, or move him farther back in the line up.
Puig did a good job when he was hitting second, at the beginning of his career, so I think he would do better, hitting second.
Kemp was batting 3rd a lot in Atlanta because Freeman was the cleanup hitter. He also hit 3rd a lot in SD when Myers was in the lineup. His last year in LA he hit 3ed almost exclusively because Gonzo was the cleanup guy most of the time. Over the last 3 years he has 886 at bats hitting 3rd and 731 in the 4 hole. BA a little higher hitting 4th, but more RBI’s and HR’s in the 3 slot. I am more comfortable with Puig in the 6 slot. He does pretty well there. According to his last 3 years, 2nd and 6th are where he hits the best. Funny, most of his homers over that span came in the 8 slot and the next from the 5. He has homered 6 times in the 2 slot and never in the leadoff role.
Michael
Take a look at his at bats in Altanta, because he has more at bats, hitting fourth, at least last year.
But I do remember when he was hitting third as a Dodger.
I perfer Puig hitting farther back in the line up too.
But since we are missing our third hitter, I just think Puig would hit better second, and let Corey or someone else, hit third.
Because of Puig’s history hitting second, and he will get more fastballs, hitting second.
And if Puig gets on base, you know he will probably get Corey and Cody, better pitches to hit.
I remember Puig flourishing in the second position, earlier in his career.
Michael
Your right, a pitcher can’t dictate where they pitch, but Ryu was coming back from a serious injury last year, and I bet we will never see Hill pitching in Colorado, any time soon.
That’s because his curveball is not as effective in the thin air. Same with Ryu. Remember all those years ago when they signed Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton. Both curveball guys. Neither had much success there.
Michael
Yes, but Hill doesn’t pitch there, and Ryu does, and did, three times, I believe, last year.
It is almost the same in Arizona, so I knew Ryu would pitch better, once he got to pitch in a pitchers park, like the rest of our starters did, to begin the year.
They are still striking out way too much and not hitting with RISP. Hopefully they can turn that around. Ryu is much better when he is aggressive and pounds the zone. When he tries to finesse, he tends to miss more.
I still have 4 tickets for tonights game, killer seats field level 23FD WITH stadium clib passes $300
Call me if interested 805-440-3401
I wouldn’t put your phone up in public places, Tim.
That’s a very nice offer.
Roberts changes the lineup again. Kemp in RF hitting 4th, Corey in the 3 hole and Pederson hitting 2nd.
Michael
That sounds like our line up, if Puig is playing instead of Joc.
Yep….Joc is in LF….Kemp in RF
Mr. Norris
Playing Joc is a joke. He is not even a bonafide major league baseball player. He needs to be gone. Roberts plays Kiki and Joc like they are superstars. It is downright disgusting the way he makes the lineup with those two.
Well the next time you listen the broadcasters. Joe explained that Joc has many supporters on the coaching staff and in the FO. They all love his approach so far and are waiting for him to break out. That being said, he got a double on a ball that should have been caught, struck out and then hit a screamer which was caught. He has only struck out twice this year. By far the least of any position player with significant at bats. I am not defending him, just stating the facts. Kemp is 2-3 so far with a double and a single, now hitting .345…..Grandal, .355.
Trayce is playing center tonight, for the A’s.