The Dodgers began their defense of first place in the National League West today, and pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu began his defense of remaining in the starting rotation after a stint in the Dodgers’ bullpen last week.
Everything chugged along efficiently for the first half of the game. Ryu was sharp. His pitches were crisp and dotted the strike zone. His velocity was good as well, touching the low 90’s at times. He only gave up one run through five.
The trouble for the Dodgers was the Cards pitcher, Carlos Martinez, who was equally efficient. He did a good job of keeping the Dodgers guessing and off the base paths. They had two men on with no out in the first inning, but couldn’t score, and never really amounted another threat until the sixth.
In the top of the sixth the Dodgers managed to tie the game on a walk, a single, and a low pitch that Adrian Gonzalez scooped from a few inches off the ground to deep CF for a sac fly.
Ryu kept up the good work in the bottom half of the sixth, needing only six pitches to dispose of the Cardinals.
Kíke Hernandez hit a two out double in the seventh. Unfortunately, that meant the end of Ryu’s night, as the skipper pulled him for pinch-hitter, Austin Barnes. Unfortunately, Martinez made mincemeat out of the kid, disposing of Barnes and the Dodgers threat quickly.
Ross Stripling pitched the 7th, gave up a single, but got a DP to shut things down. He DID NOT shut down Dexter Fowler in the eighth. Stripling gave up a monster home run to give the Cards a 2-1 lead.
The Dodgers didn’t quite roll over in the ninth. Adrian Gonzalez led off with a base hit. Then the Cardinals closer, Seung-Hwan Oh slammed the door shut and secured the win for St. Louis.
The Dodgers’ offense only scored one run today, but it wasn’t particularly because they were lousy. Today we have to credit to a very good pitching job from the Cardinals’ staff. Martinez was lights out, and Oh was just as good. Today good pitching beat good hitting.
Dodgers lose 2-1.
Good Job: Kíke spotted Yasiel Puig in RF today. He did not embarrass, and played pretty well in the field.
WOW stat: Kenley Jansen has only 8 saves through the first 53 games of the season. This is partly because the Dodgers have won so many games with plenty of runs to spare.
Hit Me: Adrian Gonzalez is running an eight game hitting streak.
Hyun-Jin Ryu went 6 innings with 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 4 Ks.
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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I find losses like this are hard to take but I can’t feel bad for any of the players. They all performed well, no blame for anyone. Kismet just determined the Cards scored one more run.
I agree. Pitchers make “mistakes” every inning, if not every at bat. They usually get away with them. Fowler swung hard and made contact. It’s going to happen. Their ace held us for 8. That’s what real aces can do. Ryu pitched well, only threw 77 pitches and with them threw one more inning than I expected him to, so, I’m encouraged.
If only today’s busted pitcher would do as well…
Badger
What kind of pitch did Fowler hit that HR on?
A fat one.
Slider that didn’t slide.
Right down the middle.
Bluto
Thanks!
I saw Striplings reaction, but I missed the pitch, so thanks again!
I thought he might be a slider.
Yeah, he just missed his spot – by about a foot.
Jonah
You are right there is nothing to B about when we lose like this, and it wouldn’t be that bad, except it was to the Cardinals, and they acted like it was a post season game, when they won.
I don’t even like them, when they are pathetic, and they are pretty pathetic right now, and so our their fans!
They always say the Cardinal fans are the best fans in baseball, but now that they are not winning much, they are worse then any Dodger fan, and I heard them booing, in that first game there.
I didn’t get to watch much of the game but I did notice in the Seager’s last at bat as well as Bellinger’s that the umpire was giving Martinez pitches 3-4 inches off both the inside and outside of the plate. Did the umpire do that the whole game? Did he give Ryu those pitches?
In my opinion, he was like that the whole game and he did not favor either team. He also called ‘strikes’ as ‘balls’ sometimes, just a poor quality umpire. But that was from watching the game on GameDay. I don’t really know how accurate their placements are.
Jumbo
I saw that on an inside pitch on Corey too.
The umpire wasn’t that bad, but I thought at times he was giving to low of pitches, to the Cardinals pitcher.
You wouldn’t admit to being prejudiced, would you?
Maybe just a touch too fervent?
Jonah
No I think I am being fair, Corey did strike out looking, on an inside pitch that showed on that strike zone on TV, that is was not in the strike zone.
And at times early in the game I thought the ump was calling some pretty low strikes, and I thought how are our players going to hit those low pitches at 98.
I said the ump wasn’t that bad, so I think that is not a very strong feeling either way.
Didn’t you say he was a poor quality ump?
What is game day?
I don’t have that strike zone on my phone, like Badger does.
Gameday of one of the ways to follow a game on MLB.com. It’s free, it’s all graphics to follow pitch by pitch, but there are video clips for big plays etc. Best thing to do is go to MLB.com, select the game you want to watch and click on the baseball field symbol. I know, that’s just enough to confuse you but that’s the best I can do.
I can’t be too terribly disappointed. Ryu pitched pretty well, which is an encouraging harbinger of future performance. The offense was going up against a pretty good pitcher, though the ability to manufacture runs doesn’t impress. The Dodgers have a decent offense – even a good one – but it falls asleep sometimes.
The Astros are very good at playing baseball, both offensively and with their pitching staff. Already the rumors are out there suggesting the Pirate’s Gerrit Cole could be on the market. The Stros’ 5th starter is not very good. It’s not too early to start speculating on major moves by some of the contenders.
The Nationals need bullpen help, the Astros could use another good starter. The Brewers might not even be sellers. What do the Dodgers do?
What do the Dodgers do?
Why nothing of course. With all this depth, how can we NEED anything?
If ……. I think it depends on how many and who ends up serving time on the disabled list. I believe we are a fragile bunch.
I think it’s safe to say we breeze through the West. And that’s Kasten’s m.o. so why make any large moves? It will likely be more of the same, with the Latos’, Arroyos and a Reddick or a Hill. Between now and the deadline we can scour the DL and the waiver wire and some wounded carp will surface. We’re winning, the West ain’t gonna be all that….. unless of course Colorado or Arizona gets frosty, decides they want to compete and do something ballsy. Then we might do something. Puig+ for Braun and Seager/Urias for Cole.
I could live with nothing but I’m afraid Billy Beane is going to unload some more junk on his Muslim buddy….
I’d say Sonny Gray might be a fit, but he’s only 27. He needs to bounce around several more years before he’s FAZpropos.
Badger
Can you believe that this administration wants to give the Russians back their compounds, after what they did in this last election.
I am begining to think the reports that the Russians have something on this guy is true, besides all the other business stuff, and all of these different meetings, with the Russians too.
MJ – Did you see my message to you on the previous thread?
No Badger but I will go look at it now.
RF and lefty in the pen.
The former more expensive than the latter.
Rosenthal has a nice article on evaluating trades too early.
Talks about Schebler (spelling) and Badger’s pet prospect Peraza.
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/cincinnati-reds-trade-value-deal-change-time-eugenio-suarez-adam-duvall-scott-schebler-walt-jocketty-053117
Schebler is doing better than anticipated. Good for him. Peraza living up to expectations: speedy, decent glove, hits for contact, no power, doesn’t walk ever. ….about a 1.5 to 2 WAR/yr player. He has some skills, but it perplexes me why Badger was always so infatuated by him.
Young. Speed. Makes contact. A lot to work with there.
Jonah
Thanks, I know what it is now that you told me.
I do look at that too.
Because on the feed they give out the exit velocities, and tells little tibbets of the game.
Liberatore to the DL and Dayton returned to the roster. Taylor leading off today then Seager, Bellinger, Gonzo. Barnes is catching, Puig back in RF hitting 8th. Turner reportedly a week away, Pederson not that close. Ethier out till mid July at least. They could sure use his bat.
If you need a tool to keep up with the roster depth churn I give you this:
Bluto, you have a sense of humor!!! Congratulations.
Handy chart Bluto. Thanks.
I have a few pet prospects Toga man. I really liked De Leon, Schebler, Cotton, Calhoun, Peraza, Kiké, Holmes, and others. As you know I said I would have probably hung on to most of them, or used them for something more than what we got for them. Yeah, easy to say that now, but I said it then. The idea of spending good money on rehab projects in order to “compete now” never resonated with me. But, compete we did and it looks like we compete again, though I’m not counting on The Senescent Wounded Wings Band to be on stage come October. I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before, once in ’66 and again in ’78. I also thought Joel Guzman could be Alex Rodriguez, so what do I know.
Or Greg Brock the next Garvey? That did not work out well.
Badger
I Just looked at that, a little bit, and I think my brother would also like to read that too, so I am going to share that, with him.
I was just thinking this morning, that are checks and balances, just are not working right now.
There is no balance at all.
Especially with people who don’t value integrity or truth, or seem to understand really, what makes this country great.
But from what I have read of that, it does seem like a very good analogy, as well, as history repeating itself.
Greed does seem like it rules today, among, all the other obsessions.
Michael
That picture reminds me, that you have a nice big smile!
Thank you……not so much anymore, am too grumpy!
Ethier still has to much pain to do baseball activities, I bet he might need a surgery.
I think back surgerys for discs, are not that bad in this day, and time.
The recovered is much quicker, and Ethier is close to the age I was, when I had my disc surgery.
Well that was ugly……..
Yes what happened with not throwing any pitcher soft stuff, and keeping with your strength.
They are tip toeing through this game. About as aggressive as a rabbit. Waino will carve them up if they keep this approach.
Yes they have to have better at bats, and stop trying to pull everything.
ISIS attacks a resort hotel in the Philippine’s. No report on casualty’s yet. Masked gunmen firing on guests and staff. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack….
That is an attack on us too.
Yes it is, anyone who thinks ISIS is not a treat is just fooling themselves.
And we need to to stay together with our allies, to fight this.
Any info we can all get, can be shared with each other, to protect us better.
I would not complain if they dropped neutron bombs on the whole African Continent.
That would wipe out all that infrastructure China is building there Jonah.
More bombs is never the right answer.
Yeah, but the whole idea of the neutron bomb was that it doesn’t have the explosive power of a regular old hydrogen bomb, but releases more radiation, thus killing more people while retaining the infrastructure.
So all is good.
Kind of weird statement. Not sure what Africa even has to do with ISIS. This is one of those times where I’m not sure someone is being facetious, but in this case I hope so, because that was kind of weird.
Still cannot get that clutch 2 out hit. That last post should have read threat…..not treat……
Barnes came close, in that last inning.
Close but no cigar…..problem is no LH BOOM off the bench.
Close but no cigar…….problem is no LH Boom off the bench.
They are starting to get to Wainwright, I hope they can hit him, and gets some runs, before he is taken out.
Jonah one again with a moronic comment.
Ignoring your grammatical error, I don’t care whether you agree or not, it would make a better world.
If all nations would join the fight against terrorism and pool their collective resources and if they could convince Pakistan to quit being a haven for terrorist groups, the fight could be won. But since when has mutual cooperation between nations ever happened? Not in my lifetime.
Michael
What do you call NATO?
I call NATO what it is, a joke. Most of the equipment and funding come from the US. NATO forces are a joke. The eastern bloc would have walked through Europe like crap through a goose. I know, I was there and know how thin that defense was. The United Nations is supposed to be the diplomatic approach, like that has worked lately either.
The fight will never be “won” Michael. Jihad is forever. Until you recognize exactly what that means you will not have a clear understanding of the intent of millions of Jihadists, their children, and their children’s children.
Unlike a lot of people Badger, I know exactly what it means. Win is wishful thinking. I am glad I will not be around to see the mess. I feel for my Grandkids though.
Well the offensive party is over….for now.
When is Turner scheduled to return?
Artieboy
That is exactly what I was thinking.
About a week to 10 days.
Bolsinger on waivers if anyone wants him…