Dodger’s broadcaster Tim Neverett was talking about how the long break and lengthy flights for the Dodger’s players may have contributed to their pathetic performance and lack of offense in their pitiful 8-1 loss to the Red Sox in the second half series opener at Fenway Park on Friday night. To be fair that’s certainly a possibility. Yet those same conditions, (all-star break layoff, lengthy flights from home ) didn’t affect the Boston bats as they pounded out eight runs on eight hits en route to an easy win over the Dodgers. The Dodgers were trailing 4-1 before the game was paused due to a rain delay. When the game resumed the Red Sox scored four more runs, tallying five total in the bottom of the seventh to put the game on ice.
The hyped World Series rematch opened with a dud. This was the Dodger’s first game at Fenway Park since they lost the World Series last year. Fenway Park has always been somewhat of a house of horrors for the Dodgers who seem incapable of winning there. Dodger’s starter Kenta Maeda pitched effectively. Although he allowed three earned runs over 5.2 while walking only one and striking out seven. The Red Sox scored one in the first and second innings on a pair of solo home runs from Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez. Xander Bogaerts’ three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh off of J.T. Chargois put the game out of reach. For the record Bogaerts drove in three of the Red Sox’s eight runs.
Dodgers 1 5 0
Red Sox 8 8 0
WP-Rodriguez-10-4
LP-Maeda-7-6
HR-Verdugo-10-Devers-17-Bogaerts-18-Vazquez-13
Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez used his trademark changeup to flummox the Dodger bats. Although lately it isn’t hard to do so. Rodriguez tossed seven frames allowing just one earned run and striking out ten while walking two. The lone semblance of Dodger hitting came from a solo home run from Alex Verdugo down the left field line in the top of the second. The Dodgers were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position and recorded just five hits.
On a bright note, Corey Seager and A.J. Pollock both made their returns to the lineup. The Dodgers activated both players from the injured list before the game. Seager manned his customary shortstop position and batted lead-off. Pollock was penciled into center field and batted sixth. Seager was 0 for 4 while Pollock was 1 for 3 with a flare single. David Freese was the DH with the game in the American League Park.
The Dodgers have now lost four consecutive games. The Dodgers look to extend the losing streak to five on Saturday night as Ross Stripling will face Boston ace Chris Sale with the game being nationally televised on Fox. First pitch is scheduled for 4:15 PM PST. Can anyone explain to me why Enrique Hernandez was playing second base?
Well, what the hell, might as well put Kike somewhere….he sometimes runs into one.
Kike should never be a starter. He could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. They left their hottest hitter on the bench against a lefty and started Hernandez, totally ridiculous. Taylor has been wearing pitchers out. But he should be back in there this weekend since the next 2 pitchers, Sale and Price, own Kike. Pederson will not see action until Monday unless he pinch hits against a BP pitcher. Give the Red Sox starter some credit. The loss is not all on the offense. They were completely shut down by good pitching, just like Boston did in the Series last year. And when your pitchers give up 3 dingers, you are probably going to lose. 4 straight now and Az won cutting the lead to 12.5.
Michael, you are 1,000% right on the money with your post here! In case some want to know one huge reason why Dodgers have lost 4 straight, just look at the 9 HR’s this pitching staff of ours has given up. and as you say Dodgers are certainly an underdog tonight not only because the offense has returned to most of its 2018 form but Stripling will most likely serve up 2 or maybe even 3 more HR’s depending upon how many innings he goes. and Joc knows he struggles against LHP, which is why he won’t start until perhaps Monday. But he will never get any better without at least SOME opportunity now and then against them. Unlees he’s totally happy with his platoon player status, I wouldn’t blame Joc for asking to be dealt to a team that may afford him some opportunities to play every day.
Ha, I guess that is true
Bleh.
Hopefully just an overdue downturn.
I don’t know if it was good pitching, or lousy at-bats. Maybe a combination, like a mix of cement and water, leading to some concrete baseball spikes, and a miserable Dodger team sinking to the bottom of Boston Harbor.
I’m sure it is tough to come back after a long layoff. That is understandable. But, with 60 wins, Seager and Pollock were hardly missed. Maybe they should have stayed in rehab in OKC for a while longer. There was no need to rush them back. The Kids were doing just fine, and “Super-kid” Verdugo, who was bumped from CF by Pollock, made a strong statement in support of, “Let the Kids Play!” The demoted kids also tear up the minors, seemingly letting the Dodger Brass know they made a big mistake.
Barnes inching closer and closer to the Mendoza Line, he was allowed to hit with two on in the 7th, and struck out. Perfect spot for Russell or Pederson. In fact, Pederson would have been a better choice for DH, than Freese, especially after his HR Derby showing.
Well, lots of “Shoulda’,s Coulda’s and Woulda’s” these past few years. All indications pointing to another post-season meltdown.
Just for kicks, let’s keep count. Lead was 14.5 before the break? It is now G- Minus 13.5 games and counting. Will the Dodgers make some moves for some pitching and hitting help, before we hear, “Dodgertown, we have a problem…”. Worst part of it is we might lose some of the amazing prospects in the process. Expensive “band-aids”, that have no guarantee that it will stop the bleeding.
Bluefan4Life, like I do for Michael’s post, I say you are 1,000% right on here. I don’t need to repeat what you or Michael said because you guys have said it all quite accurately too.
Folks, I correctly predicted what would take place in last night’s game with Boston. I said Maeda would serve up at LEAST 2 HR’s by the 4th inning and I was right on the money~! I also said that since Dodgers appear to have reverted back to 2018 in the form of striking out in double figures and would leave whatever runners on they got on base. If I had betted in Vegas on this I would have certainly come home with a lot of $$$.
Predicting more homers is not that big of a stretch. Home runs in the majors are on a pace to smash the old record for a season. Every pitching staff has been plagued by the home run. Only 1 team has given up less that 100 this season, the Rays. The Dodgers are tied for 5th lowest allowed in the NL with 112. All the Dodger starters have allowed at least 10. The Phillies, who we face in a 4 game set starting Monday have allowed the most in the NL at 153. Dodgers hitters should be licking their chops to get to Phillie. Dodgers are second in the majors in ERA. Dodgers also lead the majors in WHIP at 1.09. No one else is below that number. Oh yeah, predicting homers in Fenway? No so hard to do.
You are correct but the HR’s Maeda gives up appear to mostly come at the wrong times with men on base and it isn’t hard to predict them in Boston. The Phillies play in a very hitter friendly park where Dodger Stadium is still considered by many to be more pitcher friendly. I know HR’s are up everywhere but heck, i would bet that we would have won at least 1 of these 2 last WS if the Dodger staff didn’t allow 23 HR’s in the 12 games combined. Right about Maeda, it wasn’t too hard to predict what i did because that is basically his one real fly in the ointment so to speak. Amazing how today’s game is different and most teams are being plagued by the HR. But in the last Dodger WS win in 1988, to show how different things are today, Dodgers hit a team TOTAL of 99 HR’s that year but here is the real kicker…Dodger pitching gave up a TOTAL of only 84 that year…go figure.
When your offense is struggling it is bad to give up a homer anytime. BP put the last nail in the coffin by giving up 5 late. Matt Kemp released by the Mets today. He was on the IL at AAA. Seager has yet to hit a ball hard in his return. 0 hits so far, Pollock is 2-7. Freese yet to get a hit.
Scott, I wish I could give you an explanation as to why Hernandez was playing 2nd. But we all know how Roberts and with directives from the Freidman sits the hot bats Taylor and or others on the bench due to the handedness of the opposing pitcher. Dodgers will see Sale today and Price tomorrow, 2 more elite LHP that most likely will have a hand in the Dodgers being swept this weekend.
Or not
Blue, the lead is now 12.5, not 13.5. Arizona is in second now. And they were shut down by good pitching as most teams can be. He hit his spots and induced weak contact. For the entire time he was out there. The only 2 hard hit balls off of him were Verdugo’s homer and Bellinger’s single to right. And you guys still do not get it. This is the way the Dodgers do things now. They moved Pederson to first to KEEP Verdugo in the line up. Pederson is the guy with the most power of the 2, so to keep that bat in there when Pollock came back, they moved Joc to first. Of course that is only against RHP. There will be a day or two when Pollock will be sat down and Joc, Alex, and Belli will be in the outfield and Max at first. Kike is supposedly one of their best defenders. He is no longer in their because of his bat. He will surprise occasionally with a homer, but expecting him to be consistent like he was last year has gone out the window. Pollock is going to play. PERIOD. You can disagree and bitch and moan until you are blue in the face. The fact is the Dodgers are paying him to play, not sit on the bench. Garlick and Beaty did a nice job while he was out, and since most think he is injury prone and will get hurt again, they are a nice insurance policy to have. But they are not the kids anymore. The kids are guys like Lux and May. Garlick is 27 years old. Beaty is older than Bellinger by 2 years. Live with what they have given because there is no way it changes anytime soon. We have all watched Friedman work over the last 4 years. This is his modus operandi and ownership loves the guy. So we are stuck with him and Roberts for the near future or until he decides to quit. Taylor is leading off today
Michael, I do get it and is why I posted what I did. I know full well how Dodgers do things now. It is a different game in many aspects than the games I saw in the mid to late 60’s and all of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. But as a reminder here, we saw in last night’s game an example what is what will haunt the Dodgers going forward and into the PS.. a lack of any legitimate RH bats. don’t get me wrong, Freese is great but he’s not an everyday player. Turner is perfect for hitting 3rd in front of Bellinger, BUT he cannot be expected nor will he be the impact RH hitter to hit 20+ HR’s and drive in 90+ RBI’s anymore.
We all know he is a part time player, but against LHP, he is playing. Turner won’t get 90 ribbies this year at least, but he hit #11 today and still can reach 20.
Well that ought to shut the Pollock detractors up for a day or so. 4 homers and Belli absolutely crushed his. Kelly had a little hiccup, but kept the lead and then the Dodgers scored 4 to put the game out of reach. Seager is hitless so far, and the Sox best pitcher going tomorrow against the Dodgers best, so a series win is possible.
Yeah, Michael. But you have to admit that that HR was a joke. A lucky off balance swing, but we will take anything at this point. Just one game, so I still cannot get too excited.
Kudos to Pollock, anyway. I admit that I have been riding him hard. I sincerely hope this is a sign that his bat has awoken. I would love nothing more than for him to prove me wrong.
Half of baseball is luck, an inch here, one more there. I think Crash Davis said it best, the difference between .250 and .300 is one hit a week. One dinger that falls in or a bleeder that gets through the infield. I really do not care if it was a lucky shot or not, it was the right swing at the right time in the right park. Dodger Stadium, that ball was an out most likely. Pollock is a good player. When he is healthy, and that’s the biggest proviso in his case, he is a pretty good player. Not elite, but good. Seager on the other hand has either struck out or hit weak grounders in all his at bats. Freese has a double. Give them all a couple of weeks and I would bet their production has gotten better.
Countdown back at 13.5, as Dodgers pull out a win in Boston and the D-Backs folded. They decided to attack the Green Monster tonight, and succeeded. Poor Barnes looked like he was in shock, after that triple off the wall.
Kelly gave us a scare again, but was able to wiggle out of it… no lead is too safe with this guy on the mound. I think DR pulled Strips too soon.
Seems to me that it is either feast or famine with these guys. Either they blow these teams away, or lose a close one due to lack of offense. Even when they have these blowouts, they still manage to blow way too many scoring opportunities (3-11 RISP, 8 LOB, 12 K’s). But, a win is a win, I guess.
It must be awesome for Belli to hear “MVP” echo through the hallows of historic Fenway Park…. what an honor. Lots of Dodger Fans were there.
Hope they saved some offense to support Ryu tomorrow.
How were they 3-11 with 12ks?
Check the box score, Bluto.
Makes me wonder how that is possible, but I have seen it man6 times this season…. lots of runs, but also lots of wasted scoring opportunities, too.
Ah. The 12k was not with risp. In that case doesn’t really stand out. That’s baseball today.
3 hits with runners in scoring position, Turner, Freese and Pollock. 2 runs scored on Freese’s double. Muncy scored on an error, Belli had a sacrifice fly and Barnes drove Kike home from 1st with his triple, the rest of the runs scored on solo shots.
Kelly has been much better over his last 15 games with a sub 3 ERA. He has struck out 22 in 15.1 innings. He still needs to cut down his walks, but he has ditched his 4 seamer and has pitched much better. Over his last 10 games his ERA is below 1. Never complain when the score 10. 4 solo homers, a triple, 2 doubles by Turner, one by Freese, sac fly by Belli, Muncy scoring from 1st on and error. Does not matter how they scored, just that they scored more than the home team.
He has pitched much better of late Michael. You are correct.
Taylor at SS today. Royals traded Homer Bailey to the A’s for a minor leaguer. Martin will be catching. Otherwise same lineup as yesterday. Ryu-Price should be a great pitching matchup. I am not worried too much about the offense right now. It has done the job most of the year. Bullpen with a tweak or two could be very good.
Yesterday’s game could very well be some sort of a game changer for Dodgers, in that they handled Sale a tough LHP quite well. Yes, Sale hasn’t been exactly his normal dominant self but seeing Dodgers beat an elite LHP ( the one who struck out Machado to give the Sox the WS win last year) was great to see and going forward it should give them more confidence in facing them. 2 HR’s from RH hitters and 2 from LH hitters. Fine by me.
Agree Michael,
Offense seems fine. I blame so much on relief pitching, and defensive alignment…. the over shifting, players not knowing what their assignments are in the shift, due to the continuous shuffling of the defensive lineup (as seen in today’s game).
Blame?
Interesting phrasing.
To be fair, the middle relief has been pretty bad.
Middle relief definitely a sour spot… Definitely could use some help there, especially if Dodger starters continue to come up short on innings pitched, or DR yanks them too soon. Setup men have been a bit iffy, as well. Pedro Baez had been probably the most dependable of the setup men. Then he implodes today. On the other hand, we would cringe when Kelly comes in, and lately he has been doing a lot better.
Did you see Jansen today? Wow, he had that “eye of the tiger” today and put in a couple of strong innings.
Pollock had a good series. Hope he can stay sharp. Two more Dodgers get beaned. Muncy’s was definitely on purpose, and CT3’s was ugly, they say his preliminary X-ray was negative. Hope it is not serious. Is it Dodger policy not to retaliate, and protect their hitters? I figure, if they have a free shot, take it. It is obvious that opposing teams are head hunting. Dodgers get hit way too many times.
Big D would have put the entire Red Sox team on their ass.
No kidding, Michael.
Big D did not fool around. He protected his hitters, and made opposing teams think twice about throwing at the Dodgers. Back then I don’t think there was a warning, so it was open season…. part of the game.
I was surprised the the Sox pitcher did not get a warning. It was so obvious that he threw at Muncy. But no warning, so Dodgers had a free shot, and did not take it. Boston said, OK we will hit someone else, and plunked CT3.
Baez blows Ryu’s chance at win #11. But the rest of the pen shuts down the Sox despite them getting the winning run in position 3 innings in a row. Rosscup walks the only batter he see’s and Jansen has to bail him out. Floro was wild in the 11rh and 12th, but gets the win and Kelly gets the save. Pollock, 3 hits and another cheapie homer, but who cares where it goes out as long as it goes. Seager still ofer his return. They probably will not get to Phillie and in bed before 4 in the AM. Kershaw did not go on ahead like you normally would do and since it was a night game, I wonder why they did not do that anyway. Muncy with a clutch walk, but otherwise another bad night at the dish. The obstruction call in the 11th was probably the biggest play of the inning. Cody another ofer night too. I despise the ESPN broadcast crew. Their lead announcer is bad enough, but all they did was talk about the Sox and show J. Lo who happens to be Rodriguez main squeeze. What she has to do with baseball is beyond me. Dodgers did a great job of running up Price’s pitch count. What was lost on even the announcers was the terrific job Ryu did of keeping the Sox bats in check after the first inning and of course Roberts pulls him despite his relatively low pitch count and Bombs away on Baez. Pitiful. Rosscup should be gone. Ferguson is pitching well at OKC in 10 games with a 0.00 ERA and 20 K’s against 5 walks. Pitching well down there also is Kevin Quackenbush who is 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 42 innings. He also has 63 K’s and only 9 walks. He is not on the 40 man, but there are a couple of moveable pieces on there who could be candidates for DFA, including Brock Stewart.
They got out of Boston with a series win by the skin of their teeth. Now they go to Phillie and Pantone 294 is right there with them. So there will be some Dodger blue in the stands. ESPN has the game again. I hope they use a totally different broadcast team. Taylor is in a lot of pain according to reports this morning and Roberts did not rule out a roster move. Taylor will be examined again today. I have a feeling that Ol AF might strike early before the trade deadline to get a reliever. Rosscup is not the answer thats for sure.
Rosscup DFA’d. Casey Sadler recalled from AAA. Knew Rosscup was toast after last nights pitiful performance.
Looks like the Walmart Dumpster Dive Acquisition auditions are hot and heavy. First Rosscup, now Sadler’s turn.
CT3 has a fractured forearm. Teams eill continue to target Dodger batters, as long as Dodger pitchers do nothing to protect their teammates. Take the first free shot and if necessary, at least retaliate.
Turner got hit after the Verdugo homer and the ump tossed the Phillie pitcher. Turner was defending the guy saying the ball got away and it was not intentional, so the Phillie’s brought in an outfielder to pitch. 4 homers, Belli 2, Muncy and Verdugo. Barnes stole home, Seager had a couple of hits. Took them until the 4th inning to get to Elfin. But they got the job done. Pick up 1/2 game on AZ and SD who are off today, and if the score stays as it is, they will pick up a game and a half on the Rockies who lost the first game19-2 and are losing the second game to the Giants so far. ESPN had the telecast. This team much better than the Sunday night crew.
ESPN blacked out by Spectrum in LA. That really sucks.
Kershaw sputtered out of the gate, but settled down after the “Conga Line” started. “Dumpster” audition #2, sponsored by AF and Walmart, for Sadler, did not go very well. Is he the next to get “designated”.
2 Belli-Bombs, as Cody takes the MLB lead over Yelich.
Another blowout. I hope they can keep the pedal to the metal….Three more games to go. Dodger blowouts usually are followed by lackadaisical play.
JT defending the pitcher, after being hit? Come on, JT…. Enough is enough. Dodger pitchers have to send a message. I’d use Kelly as the designated “Hit Man”, but I do not know if he has the accuracy to fulfill his mission, should he decide to accept it. I am glad that the ump threw the guy out. The ump should have thrown out the Bosox pitcher after hitting Muncy. That one was truly obvious headhunting, and by not throwing the guy out, it resulted in CT3 going on the IL with a fractured forearm.
I heard that Pantone chanted “Overrated”, to Harper…. love it!
Go Blue!
I watched the whole game Blue. The pitcher who hit Turner had just been called up from the minors. Verdugo hit the homer and Turner was up next. The kid did not throw at Turner it was a slider down and in that got away. The Ump obviously over reacted. He also was taking a lot of crap from both dugouts for his wide strike zone. He called a strike on Bellinger that was a good 4 inches off the plate. You do not throw at players throwing a slider. You are going to go hard cheese. Sadler did not do great, but he did what he was in there to do, which was finish the game. Worst part was watching both Garcia and Sadler hit. Beaty called up and hits a ringing double. Taylor is on the 10day, but there is no word as to how long he will be out. There were a lot of Dodger fans there that’s for sure and Pantone was 800 strong. They were on Harper pretty much the entire time he was there. What was cooler was the Lets Go Dodgers chant which started in the 1st inning. Phillie fans tried to drown it out, but failed. The Phanatic is still the best mascot at the MLB level. Bluto, I talk to Badger all the time on a different blog and email. He moved from Arizona back to California. I do not know what happened to Oscar, or Package or YF. Pack may have just gotten tired of everything. Never can tell.
Well, guess I called it. A poor start by Buehler, and Dodgers struggle to claw back. Almost pull it out, but poor lackadaisical defense, and an ineffective bullpen (mainly Jansen, up to his old tricks) give the game to the Phillies on a silver platter. Dodgers melt down after a blowout, again.
Lots to complain about, but the “Coup de gras” was having Kiké pinch hit for Pederson. I know there was two outs, but Peddie had just hit one out. Give him a shot against a lefty, and leave him in the game. DR played right into the Phillie’s hand.
Matt Beaty made a statement, “Let us kids play!”. Will Smith another two homer game in OKC, something like 5 or 6 RBI’s? Bring him back. Barnes and Russel are not dependable, offensively.
Does not look good. Two poor starts in a row. What is up with these pitchers?
Still can salvage a series win…. we will see.
Jansen spoke to the media postgame, revealing his foot was numb after he took a comebacker to his right ankle.
“I’m not an excuses guy,” he said to the great Bill Plunkett (Orange County Register) “But I should have come out of the game.”
Yeah. He really should have.
Buehler was only charged with 2 runs of the 6 allowed because of errors. He kept the Phils at bay and allowed the offense to get back into the game, which it did. I am not concerned about a loss, but the way they lost it is disturbing. AZ won, so the lead is now 14. But SD and the Rocks lost. Maeda has not won a game since May. He is also homer prone and in a park like Philly, that is not a good combination. 24 runs in 2 games and they win one. You hit 5 homers and score 8 and you should win. Baez and Garcia did their jobs, and Jansen, who should have come out of the game and let someone else close, let his pride get in the way and blew one the Dodgers had in the bag. Dodger pitchers have controlled Harper in LA, but have had less success against him in his home park. Jansen gave up a double to a second string catcher hitting .156. That’s pitiful. Blue, Beaty is not a starter, not on this team. He can fill in and is a good PH option, but he plays only 3rd and 1st base. He is not by trade an outfielder. Smith will be back sometime this year and for sure in September. But they are not getting rid of Martin or Barnes mid season. The pen is the priority. There was a report tonight that they are interested in Diekman, a lefty who pitches for KC. Free agent at the end of the year, 96 MPH heater, but a terrible ERA of close to 5 and a horrendous walk rate. But he would not cost as much as say Hand. Forget about Vazquez, the Pirates are going to want a haul for him, and no way AF pays a high price for a reliever. I think they should go after Colome of the White Sox who is 21-22 in saves. Or recall Quackenbush who is 7-7 in saves down at OKC. All he will cost is a roster spot. The need another lefty down there, so maybe Fergie is ready. Cingrani is done for the year, and Alexander is no where near ready. I believe they need 2 relievers, good relievers. The defense needs to get better, and they need to get better production from the catchers. Smith will be here next year. You can count on that. Only 3 can be called up in September. New rules. AF needs to strike before the deadline and get a quality arm for the pen. Some sentiment to put Urias back in the rotation soon too.
Michael, you have to agree that Dodger pitchers, especially starters are prone to the dinger. Strange stat, that Buehler charged with only 2 ER’s, when he gave up 3 dingers…. I guess, thanks to shabby defense. Defensive lapses are a product of defensive alignment, due to lottery positional assignments, and overshifting. The Dodgers sometimes look like Keystone Cops out there.
Dinger prone Maeda today. Oh boy….
Offense was there… except for the double-digit strikeouts. Biggest need is middle relief and a closer option. They cannot afford to depend on Jansen to close every game. Yeah, maybe Jansen should have come out of the game after being a pinball bumper to Freese, but like you said, no excuse for giving up a double to a .156 hitter. Even starting the inning, allowing a .188 Haseley “smack” a hard come-backer was ridiculous. Jansen had no command from the start, before being hit.
Dodgers pitching staff is, if I’m reading this right, fifth best in HR allowed:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2019-standard-pitching.shtml
Maybe so, Bluto. But that is where stats do not really reflect a true picture. It all depends on the situation at the time the home run is hit. They may be #5, but the ones the give up usually come at the most inopportune time…. giving up early insurmountable leads in the early innings, or late in the game, blowing a lead or a save.
Just sayin’…. stats are nothing more than stats. Often times you cannot hang your hat on them. What really counts is game situation at hand.
Spoken like someone who doesn’t understand stats.
Have we lost Badger, Package and Oscar?
YF?
Dodgers have allowed 119 homers. Reds, D-Backs, Nationals, Marlins and Cubs have allowed fewer. Nationals have allowed the least at 105. But their ERA is almost a run higher than the Dodgers who have the best ERA in the NL, and their staff has only 8 more K’s than the Dodgers do. So even though it seems like the ball is flying out against the Dodger pitchers, they actually are doing a pretty decent job.
I like sugar coated donuts too, Michael.
Just kidding.