As morning broke today, the Dodgers were undefeated on the homestand. They’d been mounting comebacks for wins. Hyun-Jin Ryu was returning and Yasiel Puig had been heating up at the plate.
In addition to all of that, we got the good news that rookie Corey Seager is an All-Star. For the past few days, things have been coming up blue roses in Chavez Ravine.
Would Kenta Maeda be able to keep the good times rolling?
Spoiler alert: Our optimism and good cheer was hit by a Mac(hado) truck.
1st inning
Orioles
Maeda in trouble already. With a man on second, Manny Machado hammered one…
Dodgers
Corey Seager kept his hitting streak alive with a double.
Adrian Gonzalez singled him home. 1-0
2nd inning Dodgers 1-0
Orioles rallied to tie the game 1-1
But there was also this…
4th inning 1-1
Both teams have been quiet since their single runs, but the Orioles threatened almost every inning (6 hits and 4 left on base through the four innings).
5th inning 1-1
Maeda was struggling,with two on and no out. He was at just under 90 pitches.
Manny Machado came up and deposited a hanging curveball high into the left-field pavilion for a 3-run bomb. 4-1
Maeda out. Pedro Baez in. Job done.
6th inning Orioles 4-1
Baez out. Louis Coleman in. Job done.
Dodgers
Not getting the job done.
7th inning Orioles 4-1
Luis Avilan in. 1,2,3 inning.
Dodgers
Spinning their wheels. The skipper even tried Will Venable as a PH. As if that would do anything beyond lighting up the jokesters on Twitter.
8th inning Orioles 4-1
Orioles
Chris Hatcher in. Clearly, Roberts had given up hope for this one.
Lead off batter got a single. Wild pitched to second. Botched pick-off play by Hatcher advanced him to third.
That man never scored, but Hatcher certainly made things suspenseful for the rest of the inning. He even hit a batter just to round things out.
Dodgers
Three Ks
9th inning Orioles 4-1
Orioles
Hatcher stayed in for another inning of yucks.
1,2,3 inning. Suddenly Hatcher can pitch. Sheesh.
Dodgers
Gonzalez: Single
Puig: K (he barely resisted busting his bat over his knee.)
Justin Turner: F7 (but that went all the way to the wall.)
Howie Kendrick: K
Dodgers lose 4-1
Kenta Maeda did not have a very good night at all. He wasn’t exactly shelled, but he was never really in control. He gave up too many hits, used up too many pitches, was in trouble every inning, and was gone after just four innings.
The Dodgers’ run machine also stalled out tonight. Wunderkind Seager and the Butter and Eggs Man combined to bring in a run in the first, and then everything ground to a halt. There’s just not much else to say about that.
The Giants lost. That means the boys did not capitalize, and remain five games back.
After four straight wins at home, the Dodgers went from all good news to a loss on the night. It wasn’t all gloom and doom, as there were bright spots. Corey Seager made it an 18-game hitting streak, and the bullpen pitched five scoreless innings after Machado’s home run.
In the Fancy that! files: Chris “Forfeit” Hatcher pitched two scoreless innings. Fancy that.
Kenta Maeda (L 7-6) went 4 innings with 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 5 Ks, 1 HR. ERA 3.07
Doubles: Seager
Team with RISP: 1 for 4 Not gonna cut it.
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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As morning broke today, nothing much changed from yesterday. The Rockies finally won one.
And the good news from yesterday’s game – the bullpen. Baltimore is a first place club, in a very tough Division. Losing one to them is no disgrace.
I wonder if Maeda is tiring. Remember, every 5th day is a new schedule for him. He’s right there with Utley and Grandal in my DL pool. Nobody else here engaged in that, and I understand why. It would make you a Negative Nellie, and who wants that on a resumé? I’m retired. I don’t have a resume.
Our depth chart now lists 4 pitchers, Kazmir, Maeda, McCarthy, Norris. It also says Ethier is out until “June or July”. You think?
It just doesn’t seem like Baltimore without Earl Weaver.
I wonder if for some we don’t feel like the Dodgers without Tommy Lasorda.
I never liked LaSorda, a clown, no dignity.
Was just checking MLB Pipeline and Brock Stewart is listed as #26 in our Top 30. It also said this:
“Urias and De Leon give the Dodgers the best lefty-righty combo of pitching prospects in baseball”. I like the sound of that. Add Holmes, Montas, Buehler, Cotton and Alvarez and we look good down the road. Can anyone down there hit? Yeah, probably.
Badger
I think they will have to trade some of the arms, to get position players.
Yeah, Weaver was the epitome of class–oh wait, I’m thinking of Walt Alston.
Roberts picked a bad night to give Turner a rest. Leaving Maeda in to face Machado, who had almost gone yard in the first, might have cost the game. But with a depleted pen, he might not have had any good options.
Snider
I agree why rest Turner, when the Dodgers will be playing the Padres soon.
And why bat Trayce third?
Trayce shouldn’t be hitting at the top of the order, and getting more at bats, then other players, that have been hitting.
Also I thought that Roberts would learn to not let Maeda stay in the game, with runners in scoring position, after struggling most of the game.
Roberts just did the same thing, with Maeda, against the Pirates, and the same thing, happened against the Pirates.
But like you said Snider, Roberts doesn’t have enough fresh arms in the pen, so what can he do.
The Orioles really don’t have good starting pitching, but there set up guy, and closer, are really good.
I wish the Dodgers had a set up man, like the Orioles have.
That would shorten the game, and the Dodgers would win more games.
But with this front office, I don’t see the Dodgers ever getting a really good set up man.
Hatcher amazes me, when he comes into game.
He almost always makes an inning, into a disaster.
He didn’t allow any runs, but he was lucky he didn’t last night.
Mark
We haven’t heard from you.
That had to be not a great game to be at, because not much happened, and the Dodgers lost.
Sorry you had to be at that game.
Yeah, the Dodgers lose and FAZophants disappear.
Not really, just thought I would duck under the low bar that is set in here by FAZonians. In doing so I think I might have pulled something – feels like maybe the muscle that stretches across the thought process – the comprehammy.