Karma came back to bite the Mets in the butt on Saturday night. They tried to finally retaliate against Chase Utley and paid the price for it. It resulted in starter Noah Syndergaard and manager Terry Collins getting ejected from the game in the third inning. Utley ended up hitting two home runs including a grand slam in the seventh inning as he drove in five runs to lead the Dodgers to a 9-1 win. Tonight the Dodgers will go for the series win in the rubber game on ESPN Sunday Night baseball. They’ll have their ace on the mound in a rematch of the May 12 game at Dodger Stadium which saw the Dodgers win 5-0 and Kershaw toss a 13 strikeout three-hit complete game shutout masterpiece.
Dodgers Lineup @ New York
Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Puig RF
Pederson CF
Kendrick LF
Grandal C
Kershaw P
Clayton Kershaw-7-1 vs. Bartolo Colon-4-3
Game Time- 5:05 PM – TV- ESPN
Kershaw is having one of his best seasons ever. He’s 7-1 with a 1.48 ERA and has already tossed three complete game shutouts. He has struck out 95 and walked only 5 in 79 innings pitched He’s posted a 1.43 FIP and allowed 5.4 hits per nine. Do you want to know what his WHIP is? It’s 0.658. Amazing right?
Kershaw has dominated the Mets throughout his career. Adding the win from May 12 he is now 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 10 starts against the Mets. At Citi Field he is almost unhittable. Kershaw has a 3-0 record and a 1.01 ERA in 4 career starts in Gotham. He’s limited the current Mets to a .120 (14 for 117) batting average against with a .332 OPS. The Mets have two extra-base hits against him in 130 plate appearances. That’s domination.
Kershaw vs. Mets
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| David Wright | 28 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | .143 | .357 | .190 | .548 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curtis Granderson | 22 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .200 | .273 | .250 | .523 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neil Walker | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Juan Lagares | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rene Rivera | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .250 | .333 | .250 | .583 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .286 | .375 | .286 | .661 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Campbell | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Plawecki | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alejandro De Aza | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bartolo Colon | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob deGrom | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah Syndergaard | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Matz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 130 | 117 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 38 | .120 | .195 | .137 | .332 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Senior citizen and fatman Bartolo Colon will counter Kershaw again. He’s still very fat, and is defying his age and body size at 43-years old. Colon got hammered by the Dodgers back on May 12. He allowed five earned runs on five hits over five innings and suffered the loss. He limited Washington to one earned run across seven innings in his last start. He’s pitched well this year and won three of his last five decisions. Overall he is 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA and has struck out 6.9 per nine in 55 frames. Colon is 2-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 8 starts. Colon has held the Dodgers to a .234 (39 for 167) average against with 5 home runs. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .464 (13 for 28) with 3 home runs and New York punisher Chase Utley Is batting .500 (10 for 20) versus Colon.
Colon vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
| Carl Crawford | 37 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | .167 | .189 | .222 | .411 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 28 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | .464 | .464 | .857 | 1.321 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howie Kendrick | 25 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .120 | .120 | .120 | .240 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chase Utley | 20 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .500 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Turner | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasiel Puig | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .100 | .000 | .100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | .625 | .875 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Enrique Hernandez | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joc Pederson | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .200 | .000 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Alex Wood | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Ellis | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Seager | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Kazmir | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 171 | 167 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 38 | .234 | .247 | .359 | .606 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
It doesn’t appear (x-rays negative) that Kenta Maeda‘s hand injury is serious, we can’t say the same for Carl Crawford. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but he exited Saturday night’s game with a tight hamstring. Let’s hope everything stays peaceful tonight. This is the last time the two clubs will face each other in the regular season.
|
#
|
Team
|
W
|
L
|
PCT
|
GB
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
L10
|
||
|
1
|
|
31
|
20
|
.608
|
–
|
16-11
|
15-9
|
8-2
|
||
|
2
|
|
26
|
24
|
.520
|
4.5
|
13-12
|
13-12
|
5-5
|
||
|
3
|
|
23
|
25
|
.479
|
6.5
|
9-11
|
14-14
|
3-7
|
||
|
4
|
|
22
|
29
|
.431
|
9.0
|
8-18
|
14-11
|
4-6
|
||
|
5
|
|
20
|
30
|
.400
|
10.5
|
10-15
|
10-15
|
3-7
|
||
You can catch the game tonight on ESPN, and tomorrow’s game is on ESPN as well. After the game the Dodgers will fly to Chicago to start a four game series before coming back home for a six-game home stand against Atlanta and Colorado.
Go Blue!
I think we are trending the right way & Kershaw is the perfect man to keep it going.
MJ,
Donnie woulda sat Utley tonight…
Watford
I know, Mattingly just doesn’t get it! I hope Kershaw pitches like he always does tonight.
It is to bad that we have to watch the next two games on ESPN. Because they are such Dodger haters. But maybe Utley can really change the Dodgers back, to the Dodger way.
It was really good to see Agone start hitting like Agone, maybe is getting hot!
Watching the Dodgers on ESPN is better than not watching them at all. Some of us don’t live in TWC country.
Wondering
I use to be in that group who couldn’t see the Dodgers too. They only had Charter, where I live, so until Charter bought out TWC I couldn’t see the Dodgers too.
NO FELONY STUPID IDIOT the answer is for ALLLLLLLLL LAD pitchers to trow less fastballs, especially in the first inning. Throwing fastballs until there is a hit or a run is FELONY STUPID., YES I AM TALKING TO YOU.
I am now convinced that this site is a shill for Mark and he still owns it. OUT
Are you saying that Scott Andes is another one of his identities? Intriguing thought.
I assure you wondering, I am not
No Bob, actually this is my site that I own and Mark has no hand in it. Mark has retired and this is a different site with different writers. Not sure who you are calling a felony idiot, but you might want to tone it down a bit.
Something is wrong with this dude
Bob?
Is that the same as a shyster?
This is just a projection of a possible trade, an idle thought. Don’t shoot me for it…
Crawford to the Padres for Shields, Shields to Dodgers and on to White Sox. White Sox send us… something.
Advantage:
Padres: Crawford is owed considerably less than Shields.
White Sox: They get Shields with little or no cost.
Dodgers: Lose Crawford and his millstone.
Everybody wins.
Interesting deal…..but why not the Pods just deal Shields to Sox for ‘not much’….really don’t think anyone wants Crawford.
So I’m selfish…
can we throw in hatcher and baez too?
I may be the only one that thinks that Crawford is tradable although Badger has said a few times that Crawford can still hit. Maybe an American League team would be a better fit so that Crawford could be used as a DH. He would decrease opportunities to hurt himself and not have to lob a ball back to the infield.
Mr. excitement, aka Puig, would thrive in CF for the Angels. They could use Kendrick as well. The Dodgers have plenty of pitchers to include in a trade for what’shisname.
Avilan & Howell?
Here’s the latest from Dodgers.com
“Hyun-Jin Ryu won’t make his scheduled Monday rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City because of soreness, slowing his comeback from last year’s left shoulder surgery again. Club officials indicated Ryu will back off a bit from his recent schedule, which would have had him return to the starting rotation as soon as mid-June. ”
They’ll have to look elsewhere for a 5th starter for the foreseeable future.
I shall repeat myself–Urias will make 4 starts in June.
Although Lee should get a chance to start a few games.
Maybe more. He threw 81 pitches on Friday, so he should start again against Iowa next week. He could start 5 or 6 in June.
Anyone know what’s wrong with Bob today?
Today?
Bum
Why didn’t Joc hit that out? Kershaw needs some more runs.
Scott
I think that Mark said something in the last article, to BOB, but BOB shouldn’t let him make him stop writing. BOB says some very funny things.
BOB makes excellent points.
Colon throws like Maddux did late in his career. Quintessential 2 seam fastball pitcher. This is the pitch I would like to see Hatcher, Baez and Garcia learn. It’s not that difficult. If they could show it around the corners, it would help their fastball. They could take 2-3 mph off the 4 seamer and maybe throw more strikes. I have yet to see evidence that Maddux has had an effect on this staff.
Badger
He is probably in the trenches.
Badger
I don’t understand Roberts moving Puig up to fifth again. I would have Howie there. Puig really isn’t a HR hitter. And Puig has got a couple of hits batting seventh.
Puig appears to not recognize spin. Maybe he’s just not all that. Hard to know what to do with him. Any day he could get hot. Or not.
He had been better lately, but Roberts had him batting fifth. I would have put Howie fifth, because he has been hitting, and hot lately.
We need runs!
The ESPN play-by-play guys just referred to the “soft underbelly of the Dodgers’ bullpen” before Jansen. The fans seem to know it – so does the national baseball press. Why doesn’t the Braintrust seem to know?
Clearly everybody wants to avoid that bridge if at all possible.
Badger
Should have Puig playing back? I first thought the runner was on second, but it was the catcher on first, so he should have been in no double defense right?
Yes
I can’t stand it. Why didn’t Roberts stay with Kershaw or bring in Jansen?
Brilliant game management.
A. FAZ told him to.
B. He’s an idiot. I believe that is one of the requirements to be a manager.
Didn’t Curtis double off Kershaw in the first? I think Roberts played percentages and lost. Thankfully the Mets bullpen was worse than ours this weekend. “Soft Underbelly” has a familiar ring…
Why why why?
Did Faz call the dugout and order Liberatore?
Even freaking Kenley was shaking his head.
Jason
It is probably because Kenley blew a couple of saves in SD. Both four out saves I believe.
Lefty on lefty, and Liberatore has owned lefty’s. Percentage play, it just backfired…..they won the game…chill…..that’s all CK cares about….
Well naturally the BP blows CK’s win, but nice 9th inning rally to beat Familia and get the W. No Ryu for a while, Scotty coming back by Friday in LA. Good chance they will say goodbye to Guererro who is stinking up the joint on his rehab assignment. With him only being owed 10 mil over the next 2 years, he is a gone goose…..
Left on lefty seems more important than best on lefty. Kershaw is charged an earned run and didn’t get the win. Kenley was well rested.
Dodgers get the win but it is still irksome for the pen to screw up and have the wrong pitcher in the game.
But Kenley blew two five out saves in SD. And Kenley told Roberts that he would get both of those saves.
I’m glad he blew those saves, because it is making him even better.
He had gone to long, from being challenged, and he needed those two blown saves.
Bum
Puig should have been in a double defense, with the Mets catcher on first.
He probably would have caught that hit. He did a good job making close, but that was pretty uncatchable, from where Puig was standing.
I wonder if the Dodgers have a field marker to assist outfielder placement for that situation?
Bum
I hate that stat that Kershaw is responsible for that second run.
The runner was on first, but at least we won the game!
I would like to see the reliever charged for a runner that is not in scoring position if there are one or two outs when they come in. I don’t think a pitcher that blows a hold or a save should get a win if their team winds up winning the game and the win in that case should go to the most dominate pitcher.
Thank God we have Agone on this team! He has been so good for us!
I only wish Turner would start hitting, but I think that is going to take a while.
Maybe after the Allstar break.
Agon is streaky. I wonder if his latest slump was induced by him hitting toward the hole created by the shift instead of taking his normal swing.
Seager was excellent. Maybe move Howie back up to the two spot and Seager to three. Move Turner to 5th and have Puig go 7th.
YF
I have wanted Turner moved down, and the exact line up as you have, for Cory and Howie, and Turner would be better at batting fifth, until a starts hitting. And Puig where you have him seveth. But fifth for Turner, would work for me!
To get Kendrick into the lineup, Joc, or Puig, or Thompson, or Turner, or Utley, or Agon can’t be.
Puig’s defense is almost worth the price of admission. Kendrick’s LF defense is bland.
MJ, I want to see your lineup for all 8 spots. Are you a fan of altering left and right side bats?
I think I read a couple of years ago that Kendrick hit best in the 5th and 6th spots. MJ, you like to have a good hitter hit behind Agon to protect him. Can Turner do that?