The Diamondbacks were described as the team of destiny, or so the TBS announcers told us. They were too good for the Dodgers to beat. The Dodgers were scared, and didn’t want to face them according to TBS and the rest of the haters. After all, the Cinderella Snakes were red-hot and the overconfident Dodgers had only won 104 games in the regular season.
Yet those little upstart Dodgers did what many of the TBS broadcasters and employees thought they couldn’t, they swept the Dbacks in the NLDS, beating the Snakes 3-1 in game 3 and sending the annoying Dbacks to the swimming pool for the winter. The Dodgers advance to the NLCS and await the winner of the Cubs/Nationals series.
Dodgers 3 7 0
Dbacks 1 3 0
WP-Darvish-1-0
LP-Greinke-0-2
SV-Jansen-2
HR-Bellinger-1-Descalso-1-Barnes-1
The Dodgers had to beat former Dodger and turncoat Zack Greinke in order to do it. He’s tough at home, (13-1 2.87 ERA) so this was not an easy task. The Dodgers played their usual game, using their exceptional plate discipline to grind Greinke and the DBacks into dust. Greinke had 7 3-ball counts through the first four innings and was knocked out of the game by the sixth inning as the Dodger bats ran his pitch count up early.
Greinke allowed three earned runs on four hits across five innings issuing five walks and striking out four. The big blows were the two home runs he served up to Cody Bellinger and Austin Barnes. However things weren’t all roses as the Dodgers left six runners on base and were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position as Greinke wiggled out of jams during the early innings.
The Dodgers took the lead early in the top of the first. Chris Taylor led-off the game with a double off the left field wall and after Corey Seager worked a walk, Justin Turner moved Taylor to third with a productive fly ball to center. Cody Bellinger’s grounder to first scored Taylor as Paul Goldschmidt missed the first base bag with his foot. The slight delay allowed the run to score and the Dodgers were up 1-0.
In contrast Dodger starter Yu Darvish proved why he was worth the price of top prospect Willie Calhoun. Darvish breezed through the first four innings with ease, using a combination of a deadly cutter and 90+ MPH heaters. The Japanese righty had seven punch-outs through the first five frames, and the only hit he allowed was a bunt single to Ketel Marte.
The Dodgers had the bases loaded in the top of the third after two walks and a single, but Barnes grounded into a force out as Greinke escaped. Darvish continued to mow down the Snakes as he induced three consecutive grounders in the bottom half of the third.
The fifth inning was Greinke’s undoing. With two outs, Bellinger bombed one deep into the Phoenix night over the left field wall to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately the Dbacks struck back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run from Daniel Descalso. That made the score 2-1 Dodgers.
Bellinger also did this…..
With his pitch count rising, (Greinke made 29 pitches in the first inning) Barnes bashed a solo shot to put the Dodgers ahead 3-1. That was all for Greinke as the Dbacks removed him and brought in Jorge De La Rosa. Pinch-hitter Enrique Hernandez doubled off the wall, but the boys in blue stranded him.
Then Darvish lost it in the bottom of the sixth inning. He nearly hits Christian Walker, but the ball hit the knob of the bat. Arizona challenges but loses. The at-bat continues and then Darvish actually hits him. This time he hit him in the helmet. Roberts immediately hooks him and brings in lefty Tony Cingrani. David Peralta’s double play clears the bases. Brandon Morrow gets the final out of the sixth, getting Marte to ground out to first.
Darvish pitching line: 5 IP 2 H 1ER 0BB 7K
The Dbacks brought in Archie Bradley in the top of the seventh desperately trying to hold the Dodger’s lead to 3-1. He got into some trouble after consecutive walks to Bellinger and Puig, but Barnes whiffs to end the inning.
Morrow meant sorrow for the Dbacks in the bottom of the seventh as he retires the side in order. That’s four big outs! After Bradley retires the Dodgers in order in the top of the eighth, we move to the bottom of the eighth. The Dodgers go to the pen again and bring in….Kenta Maeda! He looked pumped as he sends the Snakes down in order. The Dodgers are now 3 outs away from the NLCS!
Move to the bottom of the ninth. The big man Kenley Jansen in to close out the series. He strikes out Blanco for the first out. But Peralta’s one-out single gives the stupid Snakes hope. Marte’s dribbler is the second out. But here comes Goldschmidt. After a tense standoff, Kenley gets Goldschmidt to chase for the final out! Dodgers win!!!
With that, the Dbacks slither off to the golf course for the winter. The Dodgers head home for the NLCS. We’ll see you on Saturday everyone!!!!
Celebrate!!!! Don’t forget the broom depot stays open late tonight!
Interesting there in the last video. Turner saying stuff to Puig and Darvish. I’d love to know what he said to each!!
Another note: Roberts has full trust in his bullpen while Luvallo clearly did not. I thought Maeda in Game 2 and Darvish in this game could have gone one more but Roberts is, if anything, very decisive.
Have to question you on that. He didn’t pinch hit for Darvish with Hernandez on third, which I thought was a mistake. I absolutely agree that Maeda could have pitched more. He looked great in both appearances. But Roberts felt it necessary to pull him when he was well in control. The same for Morrow.
But hats off to our boys for outplaying AZ. They out hit, out hussled, and out pitched AZ. What a difference from that three game series in August.
Artieboy
I wasn’t happy that Morrow came out, for Forsythe, against a rightie, but it all worked out.
The way Darvish was pitching, no way he pinch hits for him in the 6th. And the way things worked out it was a good move. I think Darvish was a little rattled after he hit Walker in the head. That pitch was supposed to be low and outside, and he missed it by a mile. Cingrani gets the DP and boom, threat over.
How sweep it is!!! Bring out the big blue broom, the Dirtbags are gone! There was some moron on twitter who was at the game who thought Darvish hit Walker on purpose….what a dingbat! Greinke lost 2 games all year at Chase, and both came at the hands of the Dodgers who homered twice against him. He gave up a lot of HR’s to the Dodgers this year. So ta ta Zack, enjoy your millions and all this time off. TBS’s announcers were worse homie’s than the D-Backs own crew. All we heard the entire series was how good they are and how over matched the Dodgers were…….Scoreboard scum bags!
Ah how sweet it is!
My new moniker is in honor of the return of EdDinger, good karma restored, as predicted.
EdDinger’s bat came back to life and what about the defense of old Ed, damn, highlight reel stuff all over the place.
Turner had a most excellent defensive came as well, that guy is a vacuum cleaner. BTW, he looks more and more like a little leprechaun as that ginger bread and mop grows. Don’t touch that thing Lil’ Leprechaun until you have won the WS.
Thank you God for not letting Grandmal even touch the grass last night. Barnes HAS TO stay in that lineup and Grandmal must stay on the bench, period, I don’t a give a damn what Kershaw thinks. Barnes in the game makes life easier for everyone on the team. Nice job Barnes, clutch clutch clutch!
Now for a few days off while we wait for the next victim.
EdDinger EDDINGER Ed Dinger ED DINGER no matter how you write it you got to accept the magic karma. Don’t fight the karma, infidels!
Since my Ed Dinger post is waiting for moderation, I will post on my previous moniker, hell I may go back and forth at will.
Did anyone notice that all the big bats of the snakes only got one hit a piece in this series, Goldshmidt, Peralta, Martinez, etc. Each one only got one hit in three games. Yeah it might be hard to win a single game when all your bats are snuffed out by good pitching. The old saying is always true (thru n thru), Good pitching stops good hitting.
Good Pitching -check
Good Fielding -check
Decent Hitting -check (hits with RISP still needs some help)
No Grandmal- check (and please continued checks)
Hopefully after the stadium cleared out the Dodgers were able to continue the celebration in the Snakes’ pool, ooh wait, that thing is full of Dodgers’ piss from previous Dodgers’ celebration, stay out of that nasty cesspool!
The Dirtbags had police on horses out there to keep the Dodgers away from the pool…..
I do have one comment on DR that I would like to make. Why in the world did he just sit there as Cody went over the rail and move out of the way instead of trying to catch his player and keep him from injuring himself tumbling into the dugout like that? Good thing that Cody hooked the railing with his arm to keep from going head first down the stairs. Anyone disagree that Barnes should be the starting catcher and Grandmal the backup? Also, I hope for the Dodgers sake that Roberts love affair with the anemic hitting Granderson is over. I saw Dave with his arm around him after he struck out. Hope he was saying that’s it bud, enough is enough. According to the TBS media types the Dodgers were over matched……oops!
Absolutely! However that’s old school baseball, which sadly is dying a painful death. Everyone in a uniform can influence the result, the 1B and 3B coach, the batter in the on deck circle, and the people in the dugout. Roberts should have been standing there, guiding Cody, and waiting to catch him as Cody starts to tumble over. Whoever is there has a job to do. This time it was Roberts and he failed at it. But in modern baseball, I guess that’s not an important role anymore. Lucky he didn’t get hurt. Pay attention Doc!
Barnes should be the starter and Farmer should be the back up!
Every National broadcast game that the Dodgers have, the anouncers of these games, have a clear bias against the Dodgers!
This broadcast team for this series was terrible, because they didn’t research, and know, there stuff!
They said so many things that was just not true!
I remember them saying Puig was in accurate with his throws, after Goldy didn’t run on Puig, and we all know that is just not true!
Also the broadcast team had a Red Sox connection, and the Dback’s manager, came from the Red Sox!
With knowing this, they should have had Joe do are game, he knows more about the Dodgers, then any of these other anouncers, and he knows his stuff!
And Joe is far more professional then any of that crew in this last series!
Also Darvish pitched a very good game!
Good news, Dodgers in NLCS. Bad News, TBS has the broadcast rights for that series so we get these guys again! Ugh…..think I will listen to the radio feed rather than the TV guys. And Simpson used to be a Dodger. Think it is totally funny that all the analysts for the pre and post game shows are also exe Dodgers. Sheffield, Martinez and Rollins.
Martinez is the only one, in that group, that picked the Dodgers to win!
Washington will be looking for a catcher, maybe grandal for prospects.
granderson looks like he is looking just to walk,, either should be playing