It’s hard to put into words how furious I am at how this game ended. So let’s be frank here. The Dodgers punted away a game they should have and could have easily won. I wasn’t surprised though. Anytime the Dodgers play an extra inning game that goes longer than 12 innings they automatically lose. Every damn time. I stayed up with all of you hoping they would somehow pull this out but knowing fully in the back of my mind that they would not. After nearly 6 hours and 16 innings the game ended in the bottom of the sixteenth inning with Enrique Hernandez giving up a walk-off home run to Trevor Plouffe. The game was long and infuriating ending in a way we all knew it would. That would be with the Dodgers losing in the most pathetic excruciating fashion.
The game started out innocently and joyfully enough. Kenta Maeda was grooving and the Dodgers were able to score four runs (three off of Aaron Nola). Scoring three runs off Nola is hard enough so when you have a three-run lead against him you best hold onto it. The Dodgers got two solo home runs from Yasmani Grandal (from both sides of the plate) an RBI double from Joc Pederson in the fifth and another run scored in the first inning on a dropped pop fly and a wild pitch. Joc had 4 hits and Grandal had three as both men accounted for 7 of the Dodgers 11 hits.
Grandal needs 6 more HRs to tie Johnny Roseboro for the LA #Dodgers record for most HRs by a catcher
1. Mike Piazza 176
2. Steve Yeager 98
3. John Roseboro 87
4. Yasmani Grandal 81
5. Mike Scioscia 68#oneskill— Stacie Wheeler (@StacieMWheeler) July 25, 2018
Dodgers 4 11 0
Phillies 7 11 0
WP-Velasquez-7-8
LP-Hernandez-0-1
HR-Grandal-15-16-Williams-12-Alfaro-7-Plouffe-1
The Dodgers up 4-1 entering the bottom of the seventh looked to be firmly in control of the game. Unfortunately just like Monday evening the Phillies would mount a late rally scoring three runs to tie the game at 4-4. Jorge Alfaro’s three-run home run was the dagger in Maeda’s chest. Up until that point he was on point. The Phillies had just one base runner through the first four innings until Nick Williams’ solo home run in the bottom of the fifth. Maeda was pitching so well too. His Slider was biting, he was painting both sides of the plate and his changeup was full of movement. It’s a damn shame I tell you.
Before you start piling on poor Dave Roberts for leaving him in too long, remember this; the Dodgers middle relief corp consists of a bunch of guys. Unless you would rather have Zac Rosscup or Erik Goeddel pitching with runners in scoring position then a tired Maeda is probably the better choice there. The irony of it all is that the Dodger bullpen pitched their hearts out providing the club with fifteen scoreless frames from the seventh through the fifteenth innings. The Dodgers used every reliever except for Caleb Ferguson and I still don’t know why he wasn’t used. He pitched on Sunday sure, but surely he could have tossed an inning.
The Dodgers had plenty of chances to win it but in grand 2018 Dodgers style stranded a small army of base runners. Once again the situational hitting escaped them as they were unable to cash in on opportunities. Chris Taylor doubled in the eleventh inning (the stupid ball girl touched the ball otherwise Taylor may have gone to third) but they couldn’t score him.
Chase Utley singled in the top of the twelfth to the delight of the home crowd, but he was left stranded as well. Joc Pederson doubled and Manny Machado was intentionally walked in the top of the fifteenth, but Yasmani Grandal struck out leaving both runners on base. The Dodgers had two runners on second and third in the sixteenth as well when Cody Bellinger singled, Barnes walked and both men advanced on a wild pitch. Of course Logan Forsythe whiffed when it mattered most and the Dodgers got nothing.
Getting closer … https://t.co/uTqbQtA15s
— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) July 25, 2018
During Forsythe’s at-bat the Dodgers had Rich Hill trot out to the bullpen to warm up and I have no clue why they didn’t bring him in. Enrique Hernandez ended up pitching and giving up the walk-off three-run home run to Plouffe to end the game. I guess the Dodgers thought it would be cute to use Hernandez as pitcher, but I didn’t. I actually feel bad for Enrique. He pitched his heart out but got pegged with the loss. The Dodgers better cap those innings if they want him to pitch tomorrow. Noteworthy was Hernandez’s spectacular play in the fifth inning before he took the mound. See above.
The Dodger’s lead in the National League west is now down to just a half game as we angrily head to bed. Not sure the Dodgers can or will sleep but they won’t get much as the rubber game is scheduled for 12:35 PM EST/9:35 AM PST early Wednesday afternoon/morning. Walker Buehler is slated to counter Jake Arrieta. If the Dodgers have any hopes of winning he better pitch a complete game shutout.
Well Scott, I couldn’t agree more with all of the above.
That was a shocking defeat, after all the effort of the 1st 15 1/2 innings.
I wonder what the effect on the team long term of the Manager more or less giving the game away in that manner.
Do you think Bochy would have rolled over like that?
A win for Hill, who was ready, and could have pitched the necessary remaining innings, would have been as important as him winning his next start.
After all, we do have a 6 man Rotation.
You also failed to mention the 10 scoreless innings from the 6th.
The absolute reliance on the long ball means that in these situations, we had no concept of how to manufacture a single run.
No Small Ball, no Running Game and no baseball instincts.
And all of this knowing that we face Arrieta tomorrow….
An absolute felony committed by Roberts by allowing Hernandez to pitch a tight and important game for the Dodgers knowing AZ had won and Philly was out of PH’ers. A bit of a novelty in seeing Hernandez try to pitch. The guy had/has no control at all. Why would Roberts even leave him in after 2 men get on? This was a tiring game to watch and I’m sure the players weren’t too thrilled with the ending.
In game management, Roberts. Bad decision making at crucial moments during the game. A slap in the face to the pitching staff.
I would have relied on our relief corps instead of pitching a tired Maeda every time, unless the only guy I had left in the bullpen was Baez. (But I would have made sure I didn’t have Baez in the bullpen in the first place …).
Well, I guess this just proves what I have been saying for months. Roberts is a DUMMY!! He actually gave the game away. He no more thought that the Dodgers could win with Kike than I did. He wanted the game to end so he could get ready for today. What a sorry manager! No excuse! It is one thing to lose, but quite another to give the game away.
Roberts made a mockery out of this game by pitching Kike in the 16th. Losing a game they can ill afford to lose and will not get back. Kike did not throw a single pitch in the 90’s and was throwing cookies up there. With real pitchers still available Roberts just said, here Philly, this game is yours. But the onus is on the pathetic performance of the offense. They blew numerous chances to get up off of the mat and save their pitchers. Kudos to the bullpen who were brilliant. Once again the offense showed that frippen all or nothing approach when a simple single would have sufficed. Even though Grandal cracked two HR’s, he was a total failure after that striking out 4 times in a row. How in hell do you get the golden sombrero and hit 2 HR’s in the same game. Manny had his worst game as a Dodger when they needed him the most.
W’s right. Blind Ass Squirrel Ball. Win with it….. or this.
I have to side with the Dummy critics this morning. I was screaming “hook him” after 6. You just have to know when the wall has been hit. With Maeda I watch very closely after 75 pitches. The home run in the 5th was the pop up flag. Watch closely now. Are you watching him now? Higher and harder and faster and farther…. Kristofferson, A Star is Born
Why pull Verdugo in the 16th? If you intend to use a position player on the mound, isn’t he the best choice? The guy threw 97 out of high school.
That one was weird. Some bad lines in that box score.
As much as I dislike the FO, I cannot believe they would approve of putting in Kike to pitch. They just spent millions of dollars and untold effort to get Manny and their 2 bit manager gives games away. There is absolutely no excuse for this game move. I do not know of a commenter on this site who does not have more loyalty than Dummy. I watched the entire game here on the east coast because I have loyalty to my team. Dummy on the other hand throws the game in the toilet because he has no loyalty. Those boys played hard only to lose because of a bonehead move. Also, why did he choose Kike to pitch in this situation? Favoritism, pure and simple.
My Anti-Dummy League membership is as strong as yours. But your post is wrong in this sense: FAZ and Dummy are basically the same person, Dummy is just a sock-puppet FAZ uses to control the team and make it legal. Without doubt, Dummy was executing FAZ’s orders during the game. By signing on as FAZ’s stooge, just to get money and be THOUGHT a manager, Dummy forever loses any honor or respect that he had before. Of course, if the criticism becomes too strong, FAZ will jettison him like a used condom. But he will get another job, because GMs love meek, controllable managers who follow orders. FAZ just doesn’t mind making it obvious…
Jonah
You may be right about FAZ but I cannot believe somehow that Dummy contacted FAZ and it was decided to use Kike. Was it decided earlier, maybe.
You don’t spend a lot of time with computers, do you? In addition to basic email, there are zillions of chat rooms and blogs (like the one we’re on now) where up to the minute information and instructions can be exchanged. The Dodgers likely have their own private corporate web site where the GM can watch the game in the comfort of his own home and instantly relay an instruction to the “manager”… It is a strange new world….
I can well imagine FAZ watching the game from his Bel Aire mansion or wherever, sending a message like this to Mr. Sock Puppet: “Look, it’s after midnight here and we have an early game tomorrow…We’ve already used more resources than one game is worth…. Send Kike in to pitch, end the game win or lose… It’s only one game…”
Package
Jonah is right!
Roberts and his bench coach, along with the front office, go over games well in advance, even what pitchers will be used in the bullpen, and including, who starts in games.
Roberts probably didn’t call the front office, but our GM is at almost every game, including games on the road.
I could see him calling up Roberts, and giving him advice, in a rare game like the game last night, because of the early game today.
Remember after a game like this, our GM has to find some pitchers from our AAA team, to come up to freshen the bullpen, especially with how early the game today is.
And I do agree with both Badger and you, there are favorites on this team, that get chance after chance.
Kiké is a favorite son. He’s now played 8 different positions.
Pilfered thoughts:
“After the Dodgers landed Manny Machado, I made the case over at True Blue LA that the Dodgers should really go all-in and pursue deGrom.
“If the Mets were to truly make him available, the acquisition cost for any team would be exorbitant. We’re talking Chris Sale-to-Boston kind of a price because deGrom, 30, is under team control through the 2020 season. Since the Dodgers only gave up one premium prospect in the Machado deal, they still have a healthy stable of prospects from which to deal. Of course, the Mets would likely insist on Walker Buehler. Hell, they might even insist on Cody Bellinger. That makes sense for them, but not so much for the Dodgers. So, if I’m Andrew Friedman and Co., I tell the Mets “you can have any five prospects you want for deGrom,” and that still might not be enough. But because the Dodgers are in a prime position to return to the World World Series after a painfully slow start to the season (I’m sorry!), going all-in and trying to land deGrom, even if it means gutting the farm system, isn’t as crazy as it sounds. It definitely isn’t the Friedman way, but the Dodgers getting back to the Series just to lose to the Astros (again), Red Sox or Yankees — the class of baseball right now — would be doubly painful.”
DeGrom is perhaps, outside of Trout and some pitchers in Cleveland, the only pitcher I would do a Chris Sale type deal for.
I don’t think he’s available, but I’d leap at that deal if he became available.
Just in case Bumsrap happens to read this blog, this is in answer to your last post on that other blog:
Yes, he does. I was probably the first to start the “Dump Joc” movement, and for a time he sure deserved that. Joc should be very thankful that the Dodgers had the faith in him to overcome it. Joc is now a solid member of our outfield group. I do not consider Bellinger and Taylor and Kike as part of that group since they play infield as much as outfield. He is second only to Kemp in my outfield (only) listing. Bellinger, Taylor, and Kike, in addition to their work on the infield, their overall production is very uneven and hard to judge for that reason. Joc is not as flashy as Puig but overall he does just as much for the team. You have a right to be proud of having championed him throughout his hard times. I would now trade Puig before I would Joc. Joc might want to ask Kemp for a referral to his trainer. If he can take off a few more pounds and increase his speed and agility, he could be an All Star Center Fielder next year.
Good points, Jonah, but I think you are way off in thinking that Roberts is not in charge of in-game management. There is no logic in choosing Hernandez to pitch in this game. None. Zero. I won’t repeat the reasons as others have laid it out.
What I want to know is wtf is Rick Honeycutt thinking and was he on-board with this decision? Hard to imagine a coach with his experience recommending this when they had Hill or Verdugo to turn to. Kike? One pitch was clocked at 66mph.
I doubt that Honeycutt was consulted. I believe it was already decided that he would be leaving that position, if not the team, at the end of the season. We’ll see.
Wow. You are going full conspiracy.
Never go full conspiracy.
Jeff
Roberts is in charge to a point, but the front office and Roberts, and his bench coach, do make decisions together far in advance, of these games.
And they do talk from game to game too.
You have to remember who is giving Roberts these numbers, to make out line ups, and to decide in advance, which pitchers will be available in the bullpen, that day.
And I don’t think it is a stretch, to think they don’t talk at times, during a game, or offer advice to Roberts.
I am not saying Roberts has to take this advice, but I am sure he remembers the advice he was given, and he may make some of these moves, because he hears the advice in his ear, in different situations,in games.
And our GM is responsible for bringing fresh guys up from AAA, when there is a late game like last night, and with this early game, today.
Unless I hear that Hernandez was the FO’s decision, I will just assume it was Roberts’ decision to make. Again, no report from Honeycutt. I would think that his input would be the most influential, or should be.
Jeff
I agree with you about Honeycutt to a point.
And I think Roberts seeks his advice, but the decision always falls on the manager, and that is why the manager would make the final, decision.
But I also don’t always think Roberts makes the right decisions, in games.
I like the way he relates with his players, and gets them to buy in, to the team approach.
But I have no reason to think Roberts wouldn’t ask Honeycutt, for advice.
Lineup:
LF Joc
2B Manny
1B Max
RF Matt
CF ALex
2B Chase
SS Kike
C Austin
P Walker
Curious, what’s the point of Kike at SS and Manny at 2B. That Dummy dude is weird… Or that FAZ dude, whichever did the lineup today…
Eovaldi to the Red Sox…