The Dodger bats have certainly woken up in recent days. It’s not surprising as the increased offense has coincided with the call-up of super rookie Cody Bellinger. Hyun-jin Ryu is most definitely cooked at this point, but the Dodgers were still able to rally in the top of the ninth inning in Monday night’s 10-7 loss. Even though they came up short, it was still impressive.
The boys in blue kept the mojo going in the second game of the series as Clayton Kershaw won his ninth career game at Coors Field, and twentieth overall against Colorado. The Dodger bats continued to rake, oh and the kid homered again as the Dodgers defeated the Rockies 6-2 to even the series.
Dodgers 6 9 1
Rockies 2 7 0
WP-Kershaw-6-2
LP-Chatwood-3-5
HR-Bellinger-7
Kershaw wasn’t his usual dominating self, he’s had some issues with his slider but he was good enough to win. Good pitchers find ways to win even without their best stuff. Kershaw tossed 7 innings allowing two earned runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked one. He made 85 pitches and the Dodgers removed him after seven innings.
Kershaw had to work out of a couple of early game jams in the first and second innings. After surrendering a single to DJ LeMahieu in the first inning he got Nolan Arenado to ground into an inning ending double play. After Ian Desmond singled, and Cargo doubled him to third in the bottom of the second Kershaw whiffed Pat Valaika and Dustin Garneau to end the threat.
Colorado scored one run in the third and fourth innings but Kershaw was able to limit the damage. In the third frame Charlie Blackmon tripled (on a ball that deflected off of Utley’s glove), and LeMahieu singled him home. Once again Kershaw immediately induced an inning ending double play off the bat of Arenado.
In the fourth inning Colorado scored again and the Dodgers were lucky to get out of it with just the one scoring. Matt Reynolds walked, and advanced to second on Desmond’s grounder. Then Cargo singles again and Reynolds scores the Rockie’s second run. Valaika reaches on an error from Corey Seager, but Yasmani Grandal throws him out trying to steal second. The call was originally safe, but replay review overturned the call on the field.
The Dodgers put up five runs in the second inning against opposing starter Tyler Chatwood. Joc Pederson and Seager each had two hits and Seager drove in two. Chase Utley continued his hot hitting with a triple and two runs driven in. His batting average is now up to .197. Bellinger homered and scored twice.
The second inning started when Bellinger and Chris Taylor walked, and then Utley lines a triple to center, that gets past the diving Blackmon who made a diving try. The Dodgers were up 2-0. Then Puig walked and Kershaw tried to squeeze Utley home, but it didn’t work and he was thrown out at the plate. With Kersh at first base, Joc doubles home Puig and sends Kersh to third. Then Seager doubles home both men and the Dodgers are up 5-0.
They would add one more when Bellinger bombed one into the right field seats in the top of the eighth inning for his seventh home run of the season. Bellinger has now hit seven home runs in 16 games for the Dodgers which is one of the fastest to reach that mark ever.
I saw a stat that the Dodgers are 88-0 when they score five or more runs with Kershaw on the mound. That’s pretty much as good of a bet as any.
The Dodger bullpen took things the rest of the way. Luis Avilan starts the eighth frame by walking rookie Raimel Tapia, but gets Blackmon swinging. Then Pedro Baez is called in and he strikes out LeMahieu and Arenado as he pumps his fist in celebration as he walks off the mound. Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth inning to seal the victory. The Dodgers win 6-2!
Bellinger watch: The kid did this:
The boys in blue now improve to 21-15 as they climb back to within a game and a half of first place. The series continues on Saturday night as the Dodgers look to take a series lead. Alex Wood will take on Tyler Anderson in a battle of left handers at 5:10 PM PST.
The Dodgers have updates on a number of players. Lefty Rich Hill is going to return as a starter, but if his blister issue recurs then the team will consider moving him into some kind of relief role, manager Dave Roberts tells MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link). The timeline remains a ways off for outfielder Andre Ethier, meanwhile. He’s still not able to run without feeling pain in his back, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports, making it seem unlikely he’d be able to return early July. Finally, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, Alanna Rizzo of Sportsnet LA tweets. He may only require two or three games before returning.
Great win today. Our starters are still trying to figure things out. Kershaw said today he didn’t have it. Urias said the sane a few days ago. Will they figure it out before July?
The Dodgers may no longer be Fangraph’s darlings. Two articles today on the Diamondbacks (one on the team, one on Greinke).
The article on Greinke basically says, in a lot of words, that Greinke is a great pitcher who knows how to get batters out as he ages with lower velocity. I think everyone on this blog predicted that a year ago and that’s probably why the FAZ offered a huge contract for 5 years (though not wiling to go 6). But the way Fangraphs says it makes it sound like it’s very sophisticated SABR voodoo. Go figure.
YF
Personally I hope the Dbacks never even make the playoffs, until Greinke is gone.
I think signing Greinke wasn’t smart for a small market team, like the Dbacks.
I think Greinke signed with them, because the Giants gave him the best offer, before the Dbacks got in on Greinke, and Greinke knew that that would be easier to go to the Dbacks, over the Giants.
I think the six years were much, but I don’t know how anyone can still think these other signings, were good signings either.
Because all of these signings even before they signed Hill, is a lot of money wasted.
I understand the point the Dodgers made it as far as they did without Greinke, but they might have made it even farther with him.
I think signing Greinke for five years would be the best move, but the Dbacks gave him that sixth year.
I don’t think the Giants gave him the best offer, it was the Dodgers before the Snakes went crazy. And I don’t blame him or dislike him for taking it. They are professionals, they go where the most money is. That is the way it should be and any fan who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves big time.
Jonah
Most players want the chance, to play in the series.
It wasn’t like the Dodgers offered Greinke pennys.
Hey Greinke has always been consistent on the mound and on paychecks. His whole career was marked by going for the biggest paycheck, now I don’t fault him for that, he’s a whore and wanted the cash, rings not important.
Note to Bluto sorry for using the word “whore” I hope you can recover and not be an emotional wreck from reading it.
So when Wally returns from the DL, do you keep him in the lineup if he doesn’t start hitting right away or do you go all out and make Bellinger the permanent 1B? Obvously, if Wally picks it up right away, Bellinger stays in LF and the Dodgers profit from both those guys hitting everyday. However, don’t be surprised if Wally becomes just a pipp for the remainder of his time with the Dodgers. If Bellinger becomes the regular 1B, who is really worthy of getting a regular assignment to play LF. All the supposed depth we supposedly had doesn’t seem to be showing itself and taking advantage of some opportunities waiting with the Big Club.
Greinke is not all that different from many major leaguers who go for the bucks. He is a capitalist and goes where the money is. His agent did go back to the Dodgers after the offer, and they would not give Zack the 6th year, and no one here blames them. Free agency made them free, but it also made a lot of them very greedy. The problem lies not in the contract, but in the opt out clause he was given. How do you think the Giants are going to feel this winter when Cueto opts out after 2 years? Probably relieved they do not have to pay him anymore and wishing they gave the same option to the Shark. Cueto pitched last night also, so it looks like he and Kershaw will hook up on Wednesday in the bay.
You used the word whore correctly, not sure why it’s usage would bother me. BUT, thanks for looking out for my well-being.
Anyway, onto more pertinent matters….
McCullough, who I think is the best writer on the Dodgers beat, thinks Ryu just doesn’t have what it takes anymore. 85% of what he used to be, which was a marginal, mid-rotation guy.
That’s something that bares watching.
Note to TrueBlue: Sorry for using the word “bare” (or a form thereof.) I hope you can recover and not be an emotional wreck from reading it in that context.
Well said Bluto…..at the time he left, my first thought was ass-wipe…..
Good for you, Bluto.
Agone even in an age decline, is a better hitter, then most on this team!
He can hit in a needed run, better then most in baseball, when he is healthy, and that would include, Cody.
I do not at all think A-Gone is done. He is what he is, a pretty good hitter and he does it in the clutch. With Toles gone for the year, I think Bellinger is here to stay. He has been hitting lefty’s so he is a better option offensively and defensively over at 1st as a breather for Gonzo than SVS. He most likely will be the regular LF when Gonzo gets back. A lefty starts for the Rockies today so you will probably see an all RH hitting lineup except Seager and Bellinger.
But he runs like a file cabinet!
yeah he does….might not have that much speed! Might outrun a turtle..
This day in Dodgers history…….May 13, 1958…Charlie Neal hits an opposite field home run at the Coliseum. Becoming the first player to clear the RF fence there. May 13, 1991 Mike Scioscia catches his 1219th game to become the all time leader in games caught for the LA Dodgers. And here is a different kind of history. On this date in 2004, after singing the National Anthem and God Bless America, Jose Lima pitched the longest relief outing of his career going 5.2 scoreless innings against the Cubbies…….It’s Lima Time!
Michael
I agree with everything you said.
I’m surprised people don’t realize that, and they don’t realize, that a healthy Agone, is better for our team, especially now, that another position, has opened up.
Agone can teach Cody a lot, especially concerning hitting important runs, in.
Agone wasn’t only good about hitting in runs in for our team, he was one of the best RBI man, in baseball.
He hit in the highest percentage of runs on this team last year, and that eliminates the advantage he has, by hitting fourth.
Bluto
I think Ryu is better, then you think!
He is a pitcher that depends on his command, and when they made him go on the DL for ten days, that messed with his command!
The season just started, starting pitchers don’t need ten days off, in fact to much time in between there starts, doesn’t allow them, to build off, there prior starts.
It was that, and the fact that curves don’t break much, because of the elevation in Colorado, that made him look so bad.
Instead of giving Hill, Ryu’s next scheduled start, they should let Ryu pitch in his next start, which would be against, the Giants.
Ryu pitched well the last time he faced the Giants, he only allowed, two runs.
What has Hill done to prove he will do better?
He wouldn’t have pitched any better then Ryu did in Colorado, because of the way, the elevation, effects curve balls.
Curves are mostly what Hill throws, and he hasn’t started and pitched many innings, so I don’t think his command, will be any better, then Ryu has.
And Hill hasn’t even pitched to AAA hitters, let alone major league hitters.
I think because Ryu stayed out there, and took one for the team, he deserves to pitch in his next start, so he can build off that last start, and prove he can pitch.
His ineffectiveness in my opinion, which does not mean much, is more from rust than lack of skill. There are a lot of pitchers who have pitched in the majors and had success with a lot less velocity than Ryu has had this year. Ryu has hit 92 on the gun numerous times. His location is more the problem than velocity. Most of his pitches Thursday night were up in the zone. His curve was not breaking and he had trouble spotting the ball to the inside corner. Ryu has never been a power pitcher. He has always relied on control and location and a sneaky fastball set up by his curve and slider. I was impressed that after he came to the bench when he was pulled that Dave Roberts came over, sat down and had a conversation with him. Ryu is not by any means finished, he is working his way back, and anyone who expected him to be the Ryu of 3 years ago was definitely delusional.
Michael
I think it is wrong giving Hill Ryu’s next start, after Ryu took one, for the team.
Hill hasn’t even pitched well against A hitters, although he did better in his last start, but how many innings, did he pitch?
He would have never made it as far as Ryu did, the other day.
MJ, Hill is FAZ’s fair haired boy. And he has a hefty contract. Ryu by comparison, who has a better career record than Hill, is in the last year of his contract. Ryu is replaceable by the kids in the minors. They are stuck with Hill and Kazmir and McCarthy through next year at least. They can cut Ryu loose at the end of the year with no obligation or inclination of re-signing him.
It’s not my opinion. It’s McCullough’s!
I trust him more than I do myself when it comes to observing Dodgers.
In my opinion, which is near worthless, Hill is light years ahead of Ryu. Even in Ryu’s honeymoon days.
Bluto
Ryu was a far better pitcher then Hill has ever been, including what Hill did, last year.
Ryu pitched well all season long, and in the post season, in the two years, before he got hurt.
Hill didn’t even pitch in the entire season last year, and he didn’t pitch as well as Ryu did, in the post season!
Yup, I totally disagree.
Ryu…..29-21 career record. 28 wins in his 1st two years. ERA 3.42 WHIP is 1.24 330 career strike outs. Hill….39-29 career record…… ERA 4.09….WHIP is 1.29 623 career strikeouts. That is in 13 years, only won over 10 games twice in that span including last year. Has never won more than 13 games in a season. He is 1-2 in the post season. Ryu is 1-0 in 2 post season games. Sorry, McCullough may be a great writer, but he is wrong. Ryu is the better pitcher. Hill has had injury’s that sidelined him over the years. And so has Ryu, but Ryu has better stuff and would have had success had he stayed healthy. For his first two years he was as good as any 2 year pitcher. Hill is going to be put in the bullpen if his blister problem does not get better. And that makes a lot of sense for a 48 million dollar waste of money.
Michael,
Don’t agree.
His RBI count has been pretty steady throughout his career. He is the Butter and Egg man. He is also 35. Bat speed has slowed, he has definitely been sapped of some of his power by injuries. He makes up for the bat speed by good pitch recognition and he is also one of the club house leaders along with Utley and Turner. He constantly talks to Puig and gives him advice, and is one of the main reasons Puig is not as temperamental as he was in past years. Gonzo is a pros pro.
Michael and Jonah,
You two forgot that the turtle wins in that race about steadyness, because he just continues, to plug along!
Agone was the only player on this team, that was able to get a hit against Chapman, and his 100 plus fastball, in the post season, against the Cubs.
Many of the young players didn’t do the same, , and Puig was only able to make contact, and hit a slow grounder, after he sought advice, from Agone at that time!
Because before that, Puig just tried to swing harder, and didn’t make much, or any contact, against Chapman.
Not many do. But you have to admit that Gonzo moves slower than a glacier. You get a hit off Chapman you should get a merit badge for courage. Gonzo is a great ball player. But even the greats slow down.
Michael
Even when Agone was young, he was not a fast guy.
And he has done more then any other player for this team, in the last four years.
Michael
I can’t believe that Bluto thinks Hill has been a better pitcher in his career, then Ryu was, before he got hurt.
Hill has never even pitched well, for even one entire, season.
Don’t worry about Agon, his reputation is secure. I agree with you that Ryu was much better than Hill ever was or will be. If FAZ DFAd Hill, McCarthey, and Kazmir, and replaced them with pitchers from OKC, the team would be better, win more games than they will with the Terrible Threesom. Inconsistent, undependable players like that actually cause the better players on the team, both pitchers and hitters, to do worse than they would with constant, healthy players.
Hill had a decent year last year, but he was on the DL for a long time. He won 12 games as a Cub when he first came up. Ryu had more potential and better numbers than Hill had at the same age. Ryu won 14 games in each of his first 2 seasons. Bluto is basing his thinking on something a writer he respects said. Hill with 9 seasons more in the majors has only pitched a little more than 300 innings more than Ryu. Ryu has 2 full seasons and 7 games under his belt. Those 7 games pitched coming off almost 2 years of rehab and surgery’s. At his best, Ryu is far superior to Hill. His stats back that up. It is Bluto’s opinion and not fact. Alex Wood has a better career ERA than Hill, so does Kazmir. McCarthy has won 21 more games than Hill in 1 less season. And his ERA is just a tick higher than Hills. Even by comparison Scott Kazmir is superior to Hill. 69 more wins , a lower ERA, way more strikeouts, and 7 years of double digit wins. All in all Hill is what he is. A journeyman pitcher, same as Kazmir and McCarthy and Anderson, who turned basically a good half year into a huge contract. He is not the stuff of aces, will never get close to winning a Cy Young award, and would have to pitch his ass off to win more than 10 games this year. And Bluto, you do not have to agree, it is just that history and the stats do not add up to Hill being better. And McCullough, as good a writer as he is cannot change facts.
Michael,
First of all
You are:
A. Surmising my POV
B. cherry picking stats and
C. using a lot of aggregate numbers which may not be material to the discussion of better pitcher.
Admittedly Ryu is better than I first recalled, but he’s not better no matter how you portray opinion as fact.
At both pitchers best, they have similar numbers in FIP and WAR, but Hill against the Cubs in the playoffs was far beyond Ryu’s top performance.
Those (WAR and FIP) are actually individual stats, unlike wins which are a silly metric for pitchers and ERA which is good but not comprehensive.
That said, we are close to a “my stats are better than yours” stalemate. So, I can agree to disagree.
Nobody is better than anybody on this team but ‘cept Kershaw.
Maybe Greinke picked Arizona because he thought he could win there. It’s possible he looked at the FAZquisitions and laughed his ass off.
Almost home. Passing Winslow Arizona. It’s such not a fine sight to see.
Have often thought that having the Idiot FAZ here has influenced players not to come here. How can people who are so smart about money be so dumb in choosing someone to run a two Billion Dollar company for them. Almost every GM in MLB is a better judge of talent than FAZ and company.
You like Seligman better? Dinner at The Copper Cart?
Only place I ever ate that served pinto beans as a side dish…
I used to deliver Budweiser to the distribution center on the west end of town. It is a typical AZ little town with not much that makes it a nice place to be.
Nice place to stay away from. The motels were so uninhabitable I started staying in Laughlin nights and driving the 70 miles back and forth each day. Badger mentioned trains. They have major all night train activity running just back of the motels. Sorry I brought up the subject….
Bluto
Ryu didn’t pitch against the Cubs in the post season, so you are right there.
But Ryu pitched in the post season twice, against the Cardinals.
Ryu was like having another number two pitcher, before he went out.
Tony Hillerman’s books ought to be required reading for Arizona school children, there is so much state history and geography in it.
Leaphorn and Chee books[edit]
The Blessing Way (1970); ISBN 0-06-011896-2
Dance Hall of the Dead (1973); ISBN 0-06-011898-9
Listening Woman (1978); ISBN 0-06-011901-2
People Of Darkness (1980); ISBN 0-06-011907-1
The Dark Wind (1982); ISBN 0-06-014936-1
The Ghostway (1984); ISBN 0-06-015396-2
Skinwalkers (1986); ISBN 0-06-015695-3
A Thief of Time (1988); ISBN 0-06-015938-3
Talking God (1989); ISBN 0-06-016118-3
Coyote Waits (1990); ISBN 0-06-016370-4
Sacred Clowns (1993); ISBN 0-06-016767-X
The Fallen Man (1996); ISBN 0-06-017773-X
The First Eagle (1998); ISBN 0-06-017581-8
Hunting Badger (1999); ISBN 0-06-019289-5
The Wailing Wind (2002); ISBN 0-06-019444-8
The Sinister Pig (2003); ISBN 0-06-019443-X
Skeleton Man (2004); ISBN 0-06-056344-3
The Shape Shifter (2006); ISBN 978-0-06-056345-5
Bluto I was not cherry picking stats. I simply stated what it shows on their stat page. Yeah they are similar in a few things, but after 13 years and all that wear and tear on his arm, Hill is what he is and what I said. A mediocre at best journeyman pitcher who is injury prone and way overpaid. And I hate to tell you this, they have both pitched 3 games in the post season for the Dodgers. Hill’s stats are 1-1, 3.46 ERA in 13 innings with a 1.31 WHIP….Ryu is 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA and a WHIP of 1.06 in 16 innings. Sorry son, that’s better stats than your boy Hill who may have had more strikeouts but averaged less than 5 innings a game. if you want to get picky, both Kazmir and McCarthy have more wins in less time in the majors, and Kazmir has a lower ERA. Just saying and you stated above that you based your statement on what McCullough had written, not the stats.
The last game that Ryu pitched in the post season, he pitched really well, and I think he may have not been 100 percent then.
And you knew I thought that Hill was a good signing, because of his up side, but I thought they had an answer for his blister, problem.
1. That’s fair Michael, I had based the argument on McCullough and took it on my own from there.
2. Ryu was better than I recalled, I fess up to that.
2. Wins mean nothing in evaluating pitchers. Nothing!
Tell that to guys like Koufax, Spahn, Maddux, Glavine, Walter Johnson….wins will always mean something….saber metrics be damned.
Long Colorado Home Runs
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/06/10/coors-field-home-runs-who-hit-the-longest-and-who-hit-the-most/
Piazza hit one in Mile High Stadium that went further than that 496 foot bomb in Coors. He hit one estimated at over 500 feet. Forget the year. Scott Schebler, any one remember him? He hit his 10th homer today in the Reds loss.
Mike Piazza for L.A. at Dodger Stadium vs. the Rockies’ Frank Castillo in 1997: Bounced off that zig-zag roof over the left field pavilion and went out of the park. And there’s this one:
I saw Willie Stargell hit 2 out of Dodger Stadium OVER the RF pavilion roof and they did not bounce. One was off Alan Foster, and the other was against Andy Messersmith.
There is also a story about a Babe Ruth 600 foot homer in spring training, and the one I find to be the coolest, he hit a HR at old Griffith stadium that bounced into a box car that went to Baltimore……..
Is Eibner the new Chris Taylor?
A cast of thousands…
Nope…..
Wood is dealing tonight. Looks pretty good.
Was looking at a photo I have on my computer of the 1959 Championship team. It is pretty blurry but there is something different about this picture. Guys on that team who were not there when the team photo was taken have been super imposed over other players and in one case photo shopped into the picture. Larry Sherry and Chuck Churn have their heads on someone else’s body, and Chuck Essegian is photo shopped into the pic behind Jim Gilliam and next to Wally Moon……