Bud Norris started the homestand off right with a brilliant performance last night. This game brought Scott Kazmir to the mound for the Dodgers. At the beginning of the season, Kazmir was an iffy pitcher, who tended to either be very good or pretty bad. He’s thrown considerably better in his last couple of starts, so let’s see if that positive trend continued.
1st inning
Dodgers
After singles by Corey Seager and Justin Turner, Adrian Gonzalez came through with an RBI base hit. 1-0
Yasiel Puig made it four singles (and another RBI) in a row. 2-0
2nd inning. 2-0
Dodgers
Justin Turner doubled to left field. Adrian Gonzalez walked.
Trayce Thompson came up with two out and hit a double to left center field. Both runners scored, making it 4-0.
6th inning Dodgers 4-0
10 strikeouts for Scott Kazmir after six. Wow!
7th inning Dodgers 4-0
Rockies
Kazmir out. Casey Fien in. Job done.
Dodgers
After going 0 for 3, Howie Kendrick got his first hit of the night with a double into the left-field corner.
With Kendrick, Seager, and Turner loading the bases, Adrian Gonzalez came up.
Sac fly RBI. The throw home hit Kendrick as he crossed the plate, so the runners advanced an extra base. 5-0
A wild pitch brought Seager home and advanced Turner to third. 6-0
8th inning Dodgers 6-0
J.P. Howell in. (Gulp!)
Howell got two out, but he gave up a single, and was clearly struggling to find the strike zone on his final batter. He caught a lucky break when the batter was called out on strikes on a check swing. Whew.
9th inning Dodgers 6-0
Chris Hatcher in.
With a six run lead, pitching Hatcher wasn’t exactly playing with fire, but still. (<– I wasn’t even finished writing this note, when Hatcher served one up)
Yup. First batter – home run. There went the shut out.
Next batter, a walk.
Kenley Jansen got up in the bullpen, and the phones started ringing at other GM’s offices, trying to see if the Dodgers could get a bag of apples for this bum.
He finally got the job done on a couple of “Let’s all go home” strike three calls from the umpire.
Dodgers Win! 6-1
As I mentioned in the preamble, Scott Kazmir has steadily been improving as a starter. Tonight was one of his best outings of the season. He pitched six shutout innings and struck out ten. Bravo!
Last night Bud Norris went six scoreless as well, with eight strikeouts. Both pitchers combined to give the Dodgers a solid start to the homestand. That was exactly what the team needed, after the bad news about Kershaw.
In other good news, the Dodgers bats remained hot. They put together four straight singles in the first inning, and were leading 4-0 at the end of the second. They didn’t stop after that, as they scored two more in the seventh. On top of all that, Corey Seager kept his hitting streak alive. At 15 games, it’s the longest hitting streak in the majors!
Gonzo watch: In his last six PA with RISP, AGone has collected RBIs in five of them, and a walk. Mas bravo!
Tomorrow Brandon McCarthy goes to the hill for the Dodgers. I know he hasn’t pitched in forever, but I think he would go a long way toward bonding with his teammates with some payback for Yasiel Puig before the Rockies leave town.
Scott Kazmir (W 7-3) went 6 innings with 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 10 K’s ERA 4.37
Doubles: Turner, Thompson, Kendrick
Team with RISP: 4 for 14
Bonus Video: From tonight’s first pitch, some of my all-time favorite Dodgers
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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Rockies sure swing and miss a lot. Is Kazmir’s stuff that good? Didn’t look like it. He just might give us 175 innings of 4.0. Not bad for a #4.
14 opportunities with runners in scoring position. Dang. When we hit, we can beat anybody, especially those guys.
SF bullpen with a meltdown. Love it when that happens.
5 and counting.
Badger
Those one run games, that the Giants were winning at a high rate, have to go the other way, like last night.
I predicted that this team would win 92-95 games BEFORE the season started. However, if I have known that they would lead the majors in days lost to the DL, I would have tempered that. However, it is what it is and this team is breaking out. The Kershaw injury may have helped solidify the team’s resolve and make them realize they have to pick it up for their ace. They love and respect Clayton and I think this is galvanizing them.
I just hope he makes it back in 15 days! The Dodger pitching is still 4th in MLB, but quietly the Dodgers bullpen (WHICH MOST OF YOU BITCH ABOUT) has moved up to 2nd in MLB in ERA (3.02). That’s part of the reason most of the Negative Nellies vanish when the Dodgers are doing well.
So predictable…
Don’t look now, but in Trevor Oaks first AAA start last night he went 8 and allowed 1 one run! He was 8-1 at AA with a 2.14 ERA. Here he comes too!
The reason people vanish has nothing to do with daily winning or losing Mark.
I still have the under on 92. I said before the season started that it would be a 3 team brawl right to the end, and I still believe that. Arizona can hit, they just need their pitching to step up. The Giants are clearly the favorite, as they should be. They’ve been stung by the gelatinous injury Cnidaria but those guys should be back for the drive.
As for DL activity, there were a few of us who predicted we would have this problem, and why wouldn’t we? Look at history for projections. I’m surprised a “leader in industry” such as yourself wouldn’t know that. They fired the trainers last year because obviously it wasn’t the players fault they are made of glass. Yeah right. One of FAZ’s criteria for hiring is “time spent on surgical recovery list” so why wouldn’t we expect those who have spent a career on and off the DL to continue doing so. Maybe the culture will change when the youth movement takes over in ’18, but this year was easy to predict. And here’s something you can take to the clinical depository, the discomfiture march ain’t over yet.
76.9%. Steep odds. Are you willing to give up De Leon, Verdugo, Buehler, Holmes, Bellinger et al for a roll of those dice?
Mark
You of all people, know that an era doesn’t tell how well a bullpen has performed.
Anyways Kershaw said he felt like trying to pitch.
I think the Dodgers better watch him, because that injection he got, is going to cover his pain for a while.
And that might make him over do it, because he can’t feel his pain threshold right now.
I still think that this is an 85-89 win team. They are having a hot streak right now. Have they really “broken out”? I don’t know – maybe, but on the season they have played a few games above .500 all year and that’s still what the team looks like to me. If not, great for the Dodgers, but it would surprise me.
You may be right about other players stepping it up in Kershaw’s absence – but hopefully Kershaw returns quickly anyway.
This team has had more than its share of injuries, but for the pitching staff, many of the injuries were predictable. You have admitted that the Braintrust didn’t want to spend the $$$ on premium pitchers, so they went out and got injury prone pitchers for cheap (McCarthy, Anderson) and anyone who has looked at Wood’s violent delivery has predicted injury for him. If you hire the injury prone, you shouldn’t be surprised if they get injured.
You love to cite the Dodgers’ team ERA and it is one measurement of the performance of the Dodgers’ pitching. The team ERA is 4.40 if you back Kershaw out of the equation. (And you are right of course that if the Giants were to back Cueto out, their numbers wouldn’t be as good either.) All of this masks the deficiencies in the Dodgers’ pitching:
1 – Only Kershaw is capable of going 7 ip regularly. Only Maeda is capable of getting close to 6 ip regularly/ The rest are essentially 5 inning pitchers – not good. It puts too much stress on the ‘pen.
2 – The plethora of 5 inning pitchers has not only stressed the ‘pen, it has forced the Dodgers to go with a short bench all season.
3 – The bullpen still doesn’t have a true bridge to Jansen. The fact that they are relying on Blanton and Libertore is evidence of how bad some of the relievers have been (Libertore wasn’t even on the team when it broke camp and Blanton was singed to be the “long man”.) Hatcher, Baez and Howell have proven repeatedly to be unreliable. The ‘pen’s Inherited Runner Percentage is very high – they allow them to score too frequently. They have been unreliable late in close games.
4 – The offense – well, don’t get me started. Only Seager has been consistently good. Pederson and Thompson have been generally productive; Utley started well but isn’t hitting lately; Turner started poorly but is hitting better lately; both Puig and Gonzalez have become singles hitters and Kendrick already is; neither of the catchers can hit.
In short, this is a deeply flawed roster and the coaching (especially the hitting coaches) and field management leave much to be desired.
Forecasting the remainder of the season – unless the Dodgers make significant roster improvements, they are still an 85 – 89 win team.
There is no way you could predict injuries to Ethier, Joc, Kershaw, Ryu, Wood and SVS. Yeah maybe there was a history of injuries with McCarthy and Anderson. Sometimes injuries are good. It allowed us to being up some rookies, who we would not of seen this year. Urias, Thompson, and Stewart have gotten some valuable experience this year. We have weeded some player out like Bolsinger, Frias, CC, and Lee. Hatcher, Howell and Baez also need to be weeded out and they will as the season evolves. Kike needs time on the minors to get his stroke back.
Yes, I think we have a shot at winning the West. At lease a wild card. I am getting old and cannot remember my prediction, but it was in the 90’s. I thought we would be as good this year as last year. Injuries have taken its toll the first half. However, we could be very strong in the second half. FAZ is coming closer to having the team they want.
Also, with injuries, we are coming closer to having the same line up each night. This will help.
Idahoal
Ryu is not Faz’s guy, but I am suprised that the Dodgers signed him, after looking at his scans.
And I am even more suprised, that they took the advice from a trainer, and not a doctor, about what showed up on Ryu’s scans.
I think just looking at Woods delivery, would concern anyone that Wood might be susceptible to getting an injury, especially since, he has already had a TJ surgery in high school I believe.
Besides Kershaw of course, I think the Dodgers miss Ethier’s bat, in the line up, the most.
Ethier was the Dodgers best offensive player, in the second half of the season, last year.
I wish we know more about what was on Ethier’s last scan.
Someone said, that the Dodgers decided that Ethier, was going to wait on that scan, that he was suppose to have, two weeks ago, but I don’t believe that.
That is not the Dodger’s call, it is the doctor’s call.
Hatcher started to get me worried a little last night, after he gave up that HR, and walked he hitter, even though, the Dodgers had a big lead.
It is to bad, that Hatcher, gave up that HR, because the Dodgers are leading baseball, with the most shuts outs.
They signed Ryu with a torn labrum…who knew? Most of the others you cite are indeed just random. It’s hard to see the team being as good with Kazmir as the #2 as it was with Greinke, but that’s just me.
An epidural takes a bit to actually work. I had one in my neck. Felt great for about 3-4 days, then regressed back. Then about 2 weeks later it finally did the trick.
Yes, I too think this team is rallying for CK. I guarantee you there was a player meeting. Just who the leaders were in the meeting, not sure. But I bet one of them was Agone. The Rockies suck, so I don’t get too excited about beating them. But it is refreshing to see the team step up. Clubhouse chemistry is a very powerful medicine.
Tim
I think your right! It was probably Agone, and Turner.
Well it was MCCarthy who told the Dodgers, he was ready to pitch.
It wasn’t the front office’s, or the management’s idea.
MCCarthy said he was scheduled to pitch just one more time, but he felt ready, so I hope he can keep the Dodgers in the game today.
I also read because MCCarthy has come back, that they would be sending Stewart down.
This didn’t come from the Dodgers.
I just read this on a sport blog. I hope they are not right.
I would like to see Stewart throw another game.
Kazmir finally came through.
I hope he can pitch well consistently, because he would be a decent number three or four pitcher.
And he is practically the only healthy pitcher, the Dodgers have, on there major league team right now.
I absolutely do not trust McCarthy and think that the LAD need Stewart to stay on the roster so that he can relieve McCarthy today in the 3rd inning. I hate bullpen games. Send Baez down to AAA to learn another pitch. The worst RP in the last 30 days actually is Coleman (6.14), not Howell (0.96) or Hatcher (4.63). But I will never trust Hatcher either. Coleman should be the one axed if and when Ryu comes back.
Stewart will not stay cause Neddy Jr. ain’t secure enough to admit that length is desirable or understand the occasional need for something long even something as simple as a long reliever.
Kazmir’s good fastball looks unhittable. He knows it and the hitter knows it. I guess it’s just mechanics that makes it good or bad. You would think, by now, he would know his mechanics, but like the amateur golfer, it comes and goes. But he’s not an amateur. Maybe this new pregame routine of his will work long term. At least, it might give him some confidence early in the game. Nice to see the bats come alive. Thompson says that Turner is the key to the offense. He may be right. Rockies’ shortstop, Story, has been out with injury, but he will be Seager’s competition for ROY. Lots of HRs. So-so BA. Orioles come to town Monday. 6 pm game on the 4th. I’m reminded of the 4 game sweep in 1966. Koufax’ last games. Not a great ending to a great career. I think the team scored 4 runs in 4 games. How times have changed?
https://rotisserieduck.com/2016/07/01/statistical-evolution-willie-mickey-the-duke/
Article applies modern saber numbers to Mantle, Mays, and Snider’s 1956 stats.
Thanks for the post, Wondering. I almost mentioned Ashburn yesterday. You probably remember that he played a very shallow CF. His arm wasn’t much, but he could really go back for deep flies.
We’re kinda old here aren’t we. I just need to read the posts at DD to realize how out of it I am with millenniumals. Yeah, I know. That’s the word I gave them and their little brat know-more-at-7-than-I-do-now kids. I hope they can fix what my generation f’d up. I blame it all on the Vietnam war.
I’m outta here. On my to Chase with 3 other old goats. Go Dbacks!
Good luck with McCarthy today. I’m hoping for 5 IP, less than 4 earned.
Badger
Have a great time, and jinx them darn Giants.
And make it happen, in the bottom of the ninth today!
Badger
Don’t sell out the Baby Boomers!
The Baby Boomer’s generation, is still the biggest population, in the U.S. right now.
Nice job by Kazmir, who just might justify that ridiculous contract yet. But I am not convinced they are anything more than a wild card team right now. And certainly not a championship team. But then again they could all rally around the injury’s and negatives and become the 88 Dodgers. We will see,,,,
They might go to a six man rotation if Ryu and McCarthy are truly healthy. Kersh, Maeda, Ryu, McCarthy, Kazmir, Norris. Would be pretty solid, and allows the young guys to get way more experience at AAA. Also would eliminate the need to trade for a frontline starter, reducing the need to a good hitting catcher, and solid 8th inning guy, and a big bat to hit behind A-Gone, and do not say Ethier, he is at least 6 weeks or more away.
Greinke on DL with oblique strain.
Had to happen sooner or later….as the Dirtbags sink into the west……..
Man can you imagine if Greinke was still a Dodger? Kershaw and Greinke on the DL at the same!
Stewart sent down…
Happy 4th guys!
Thanks Scott same to you….I am wearing my Abe Lincoln shirt and my cap from my unit in Korea.
I wanted to see Steward to pitch another game.
Well you probably will at some point, just not right now. September maybe, but I can do without 5 run innings.
Stewart…not Steward,…