Clayton Kershaw‘s final start of the season was delayed by almost 30 minutes for rain that never showed up, and didn’t threaten enough to even have the grounds crew put the tarp on the field. The only thing it looked like was a cheap excuse to give the Rockies time to celebrate their wildcard hopes staying alive.
We’ll never know if the delay threw Clayton Kershaw off kilter, but something did, because he was hammered early and often by the Rockies. He allowed baserunners in each of the first three innings, many of them with two-strike hits. Kershaw gave up a single, a double and a home run in the second, to quickly put the Dodgers into a three-run hole.
The Dodgers got on the board in the third when Chris Taylor knocked in Yasiel Puig for the Dodgers’ first run of the night. It was 3-1 Rockies after three innings.
Kershaw pitched a clean inning fourth inning, but that was his prearranged inning limit, so he was done for the night. He gave up 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 stolen bases and a home run. It wasn’t pretty.
In the top of the fifth, Curtis Granderson got on with an opposite field, beat-the-shift single, and Yasiel Puig followed that up with a two run home run to tie the game at three apiece.
Tony Watson took over for Kershaw in the fifth, and he went scoreless for his 16th time in 17 appearances.
In the seventh, the Rockies hit Yasiel Puig to start off the inning . They followed that up by plunking Chase Utley (the Rockies also plunked Justin Turner hard in the elbow back in the third). Joc Pederson moved the runners into scoring position with a weak grounder, and Chris Taylor brought Puig home with a sharp ground out up the middle. Taylor’s hit might have gone through for a single, but the pitcher slowed it down with his mitt as it passed him. The Dodgers were now in front for the first time, 4-3.
After Watson’s scoreless fourth, the Dodgers shuttled out Brandon Morrow (who got the win), Brock Stewart, and Tony Cingrani through to the eighth. Pedro Baez then got the ball and the task of holding off the Rockies for Kenley Jansen. In his favor, Baez was only facing scrubs, as Colorado had sat all of their starters by this time. After two quick Ks, Dave Roberts pulled Baez and went right to Jansen for a four-out save. There was a small, but telling moment when Baez and Roberts smiled at each other as the skipper headed out to the mound. Jansen closed out the inning.
Puig led off the ninth with a single, and Chase Utley rapped out a double to CF. The Wild Horse got on his horse and brought home the insurance run. Jansen closed things out in the ninth, and the Dodgers racked up their LA record 103rd win. They beat the Rockies 5-3.
Yasiel Puig still raking! 2 for 2 tonight. A home run and he scored 4 of tonight’s 5 runs.
Ouch! JT takes the LA record for HBP with 19, breaking Alex Cora‘s record.
Don’t look now: Granderson with a six-game hitting streak.
More good news: The Indians lost today, giving the best record in baseball and home field advantage through the World Series to the Dodgers.
Happy Birthday to Kenley! He’s hit the big three-oh.
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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So many hit batters.
That 7th was a good example of what’s going to have to happen in the playoffs. A weak grounder by Pederson to advance the runners. Not a strike out. Just control the bat and get some contact. Trying to do too much there and a K will kill the rally.
YF
You know I agree with you about having a more productive offense.
And you are right, strike outs are only better then hitting into a double play, but even a prefect double play ball, may be booted, but it is rare that any positive comes out of a strike out.
Because not to many HRs are hit off good pitching!
I don’t know that Kershaw was hammered. A couple of those hits were just flairs. But Gonzo’s homer was crushed. Baez’s stock is rising again. The look on Roberts face when he took him out of the game said it all. Puig on base all 4 trips. Pretty good, and Taylor making good contact. Concerns, Cody and Corey are not making solid contact and both are striking out too much.
That was because it was Kenley’s Birthday.
Puig had an excellent game. 28 homers on the year, and his arm kept Tapia from moving to 3rd on a hit to right. Locastro ran for Utley in the 9th and stole 3rd. But it meant nothing. He was already in scoring position and Monday implied he probably distracted Forsythe who sat there and took strike 3. Well, they clinched home field all the way through the playoffs. Lets see if it means anything. They are 1-11 against the Rockies and the Diamondbacks since the 29th of August. The 88 team was 0-11 against the Mets for the entire season, and beat them in the playoffs…..lets hope the same scenario plays out here.
Corey’ slump is troubling. But, so is the team’s lacklustre play in general. Too many errors. These are all mental things. Slumping is a yearly issue with the Dodgers. Kershaw is also slipping. Of course, someone like him is not slipping like Grandal or Joc, but it’s noticeable to a fan. He had faulty control today. He was saved by the bats, Puig in particular, who is playing more and more consistently well.
I want to see a win tomorrow. I’m not sympathetic to the meaningless games in any way, shape, or form. They need to compete, night in and night out, Warrior style.
LOL
Notes to Dodgers management:
Don’t get greedy with Puig, PLEASE! Leave him in the 7 or 8 hole and let him continue to be productive. Having a productive 7th or 8th hitter is way better than having a none productive 5th or 6th batter, DUH!
Leave Grandmal out of the lineup, he has done more than enough as the Retriever this season, give us Barnes at Catcher the rest of the way. For God’s sake, it’s pretty damn obvious that The Seizure is a make or break player (with more break), you can’t have that in the postseason.
Turner Ward you need to give some intensive instruction to Bellinger, he has fallen off the map. Turner needs to give him a lot of attention over the next 5 days.
Please bubble wrap Turner before sending to the plate.
Forshyte still hasn’t got it, he takes way too many pitches (for called third strikes in particular). Utley needs the bulk of the time at 2B, I don’t trust Forshyte.
True
I agree with you about having Puig hit more at the back of the line up, so he can take advantage of pitchers.
But we have not really found a good player, to protect Cody yet.
But any time Puig is going to the right side, he is using his true power.
And if Puig can continue to hit to the right side like he has at times, that will open up the plate for him.
I think Corey is suppose to be getting an injection for the post season, so I think that, along with the four days off, will help Corey feel better, and hit better.
I think Cody will be ok, and I still hope he hits his 40th HR today.
He didn’t play in the majors for the entire season, so any of those milestones that players have, will not really apply to Cody this year, but what he has done with less at bats, makes any milestone he comes close to, or breaks, look even better!
About Forsythe, I didn’t get excited like some did, after Forsythe started hitting in that series against the Padres, because I knew most of his hits came off a leftie, and he has hit lefties well all year, and his weakness, is against righties!
And because he also had a lot of hits in a prior series against the Padres, but he didn’t hit after that prior series, much at all.
Even if Chase doesn’t get one hit, he will find a way to help this team win!
Our players, have been making up for Forsythe’s lack of offense all year, so he shouldn’t play against righties!
We need our best bats in the line up, in the post season!
And with Granderson, we are going to have to hope that he suddenly starts hitting in the post season, because the front office is insisting he should be in the line up, because of some of the numbers he has against pitchers, we may face in the post season.
Although it was good to see Granderson get a hit in front of Puig yesterday, because Granderson doesn’t get hits that often, and Puig’s HR brought him in to score!