It’s been a tough series. It personifies the Dodgers’ season and abilities so far. Perhaps I should say the lack of abilities that many of us have been resistant to accept. This team rarely fires on all cylinders at the same time, and it’s searching for a different savior every day.
Today’s designated savior was Julio Urias, making his first start of the season with the big club. I doubt the Dodgers wanted to bring him up so quickly, but for the reasons why, see the above paragraph.
The game started out promising enough, with a Corey Seager solo home run in the first, followed by a one, two, three inning from Urias.
It was starting to look like the Seager-Urias-Show as Corey not only belted out the only Dodgers run, he also made two outstanding catches to preserve that lead. At the end of four innings, it was still Seager-Urias 1-0 over the Giants as they completed a double play.
With two out and two on in the sixth, Giants wunderkind Christian Arroyo knocked in the tying run, and with it, he also knocked Urias out of the game. It was clear the early Seager-Urias heroics would not be enough to win today.
The teams remained tied for the duration and went into extra innings for the second game in a row. Last night the Giants came out on top, but today it was the Dodgers who capitalized and steamrolled the hated ones for a win and a series split.
I could write about how it all happened, but I’ll just say the Dodgers loaded the bases in the tenth, and with that, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.
The Dodgers pulled off a series split, and in doing so keep their mediocre season record at a game below .500. They’ll come home for a 6-game homestand with a win to their back. That aint a bad thing.
They Say It’s Your Birthday: Corey Seager began the game with a home run and some stellar defensive play. He later put a bookend on his big day when Brandon Belt belted a line shot to him for the final out of the game.
Julio Urias went 5 2/3 innings with 4 hits, 1 run, 4 walks and 4 Ks. ERA 1.59
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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Ryu pitched good, Wood pitched good, Urias pitched good. That’s the plus.
The offense….ugly!
Starting pitching definitely was not the issue in this series.
Yeah, almost everybody went 6. Sure seems like a low bar to me, but that’s where we are.
Yes, I understand what you are saying, but at least they went 6 and all pitched well. Give credit where credit is due.
I did. Every starter went at least 5.2 against the 28th ranked offense in baseball. I say again – low bar.
Now, now. Are you expecting work horses? This is Friedman’s rotation. Gotta keep that bar low.
Pitched well, not pitched good.
Thanks, Bluto, that got a laugh out of me.
Pitching well is good.
Good pitching is well, good pitching. unless they all fall into the well.
well; noun:
a hole drilled or bored into the earth to obtain water, petroleum, natural gas, brine, or sulfur.
a deep reservoir or a source of human feelings, emotions, energy,
any sunken or deep, enclosed space
Some of those words describe what watching Dodger pitching often feels like – a hole, bored, gives me gas, energy (lack of) brine (for blisters) deep source of sunken human feelings…… yeah, our starters pitched well.
Bluto
The starting pitching pitched pretty well, in this series.
I thought Roberts should have went out there sooner, in that last inning Urias pitched, because he looked like he was getting tired, and he looked like he was just going through the motions, that is why he threw the pick up throw low.
But it seemed like Scotty should have been able to stop that throw , from what the anouncers said.
“Pitched well, not pitched good.”
Good can be used as an adverb in place of well in the informal sense. And though I enjoy LADR I don’t put it at the level of scholarly journals.
But fine, how about this: Ryu pitched a good game, Wood pitched a good game, and Urias pitched a good game.
Reminds me of a news broadcast of a small vehicular accident involving an older woman. As the fire fighters walked her to the gurney they asked her to lie down on it. She said she was an english teacher and therefore she would “lay” on it.
Just read the April 18 Dodgers Therapy article. As usual great writing, but actually not snarky at all.
I am hoping May brings more common sense into this club.
YF
I agree sometimes the obvious is the right answer, and there is no need for over analysis.
Both these teams have lousy offenses ! Look like 3-4 in the NL West to me at this early juncture. But it is April. I feel like the Dodgers have a much better shot of putting more runs on the board. The Giants have a track record of offensive futility. They cannot hit the ball over the wall if life depended on it!
Yeah, with the pitching depth the team has it should resolve.
A lot rides on Gonzalez’s bat. Pederson’s too, I guess.
Looks to me like Seager’s going to have to carry the club. Time to hit him in 3-4-5 hole, we have no one else other than Turner who can play there.
This is a summer team. When it warms up these pop ups that are being “launched” will carry farther. And the old joints of Gonzalez and Turner will be looser. Toe jam will be back and healed in a few weeks too.
June 1th is our start day.
Badger
In this series the starting pitching, pitch pretty well.
Even Ryu who is coming back from injury and so much time off, pitched six innings.
And Urias almost pitched six innings.
And actually, I thought Urias pitched well, with the way he has had to wait around, until he was able to pitch.
He didn’t throw a lot of pitches early, he kept his pitch count down.
And Chili is right you have to give credit when credit is due.
Badger
Well it is going to be 76 at game time tonight, so they should feel better, since SF was about 50 at game time.
June 1th??? you mean the 1st?? LOL
No, I meant the 1th. Makes it memorable, don’t you think? You’ll start using it now. Am I right? It’s not like saying the 4st or 5st. The 3st sounds like you need a drink. Somehow none of that is the same as the 1th.
Just perused the team stats page at ESPN. Phillies not putting up any road numbers of note so we will be favored in every game. Will we win them all? Yeah, sure, of course we will. Maybe. -184 today. 7 1/2 runs. Does Maeda go 6? Phillies hitting .223 on the road, so, yeah, he’s got a shot at it. I say no, he won’t.
Badger
The Phillies have won sixth games in a row, I think, is what they said on Quick Pitch.
I wouldn’t under estimate the Phillies, they are playing in a division, that has a lot of good pitching.
Sometimes I wish we played in a division like that too.
Because that would prepare us better in the long run.
Just think of the starting pitching that the Mets, and Nats have?
I think Harvey has something wrong with him again, because his velocity has dropped, over the last few games.
Didn’t the Giants rookie just come up the day before Bellinger?
It makes me wonder why the Giants young players that were high drafts, come up, and seem to fit in in the majors, pretty quickly.
Arroyo looks better than Bellinger at this point. He’s got a more compact swing and a better eye. He was hitting .446 at AAA. Every team in MLB has prospects. For some reason we seem to think ours are better than all the others.
Because the people who know more about baseball than we do say our are better?
Saying and being are 2 different things. Fact of the matter is, in most of his at bats, Bellinger looked over matched. Especially against Queto. I give him a little leeway with Moore, but he was chasing inside pitches he had no chance of hitting. He does have a pretty good idea what he wants to do up there. He has hit one ball really solid and that was his fly out to right his first game. He also hit a very long foul ball. Arroyo is a little older, but seems a little more comfortable at the plate. Bellinger will be fine, I just do not expect a lot until he gets a lot more looks at MLB pitching. You can bet the home fans will be wanting to see this kid play. On other topics, the Phils come in on a winning streak. They are not patsy’s and will play to win. Maeda on the bump, lets see if he can turn it around.
Agree all around Michael, although I haven’t watched the games nor do I have any clue on what to look for in batters/batting.
Arroyo is only 6 weeks older than Bellinger. What he is that matters is better prepared to hit ML pitching. Who knows what these two will look like in ……. 2018 and Beyond! …… but as of now Arroyo looks better.
Rick Monday said Bellinger’s swing is a little long. Needs to shorten it, particularly with two strikes.
I hope he’s not another Greg Brock.
I said it first. Monday must be reading this blog.
And he’s right. That’s why I said the book is written. Up and in. For now it’s a mistake to throw anything out over the plate. Unless it’s 95 or better. He won’t catch up to that.
Badger
It almost always seems, that the Giants young players, come up to the majors, and adjust pretty quickly.
They of course have had some that don’t adjust quickly, but I would say they have more, then not.
I was wondering where Arroyo, and Bellinger were rated, because of the difference, I have seen between the two, in this last series.
It is hard not to wonder.
Just google MLB top prospects. He’s on all the lists. Here’s what may be a surprise – Calhoun is ranked higher.
While Ryu got good results the other day, my eyes told me that he didn’t have much – the Giants just couldn’t hit. Wood looked really good and Kershaw is Kershaw. I didn’t get to see Urias.
The same for the Giants – Cain had nothing but it didn’t matter. Blach is a so-so pitcher and Moore’s ERA coming into the game was almost 6, but it didn’t matter against the Dodgers’ so-called offense.
I suspect that the outcomes would have been different if the Dodgers had played a better team than SF.
On the offensive end of things only Seager and Turner look like they can do anything.
He was spotting the ball pretty good. He got up to 92 with his heater, but what worked that was not working before was his off speed stuff.
Getting up to 92 is encouraging, but I agree with Rick’s assessment- Ryu looked ok but the giants can’t hit a lick. I am pleasantly surprised Ryu is even out there, and hope his strength and endurance improves. On this team he’s an asset.
Oh I agree with you guys, but he did spot the ball well, and the Giants do have a couple of hitters….Pence, Posey…the rest, not so much. I agree with you on RYU< right now he is the best option at #3 they have. Kersh is the #1, and McCarthy so far the #2. Wood had one good game and according to Roberts gets one more start before they make up their minds. Maeda on a very very short leash. Urias in there for the duration, which means, Kazmir has no where to go…..
There will be opportunities for all. We have yet to complete April and 2 of our pitchers have hit the DL. So far 7 different starting pitchers. That number will grow. Come one, come all. Step right up to the mound.
I got a nasty two finger knuckle ball I throw with some giddy up behind it. It was impossible to hit just 15 years ago when I last threw it in my MABL Over 30 league. I could dust it off and give 5 innings. Ok, maybe 3 innings. Actually maybe 2. If it doesn’t roll. If it does it’s a 60 mph cookie and I’m given the hook in 5 minutes.
Badger
They said he was an unheralded, when the Giants drafted him.
That might be the key.
The Giants must have some good people that can recognize good talent, when they see it.
But I thought they might have better teachers at the minor league level, that teach them, what a prospect needs, to be a major league player.
He is suppose to be a pure hitter, and I would say that Bellinger is more a power hitter, but the Giant’s prospect, did hit twenty HRs.
What is the difference between Joc and Bellinger’s swing, it looks like Bellinger has a longer swing.
Interesting look at Maeda and his sinker usage in relation to his success:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/kenta-maeda-needs-to-bring-back-the-sinker/
A lot of red over the middle of the plate on those charts.
Here’s some state the obvious advice – if your stuff is moving less, don’t throw it over the middle.
Toles hitting leadoff where he has a .200 average in 10 games, not smart. Kike in RF? Not smart. Who ever is thinking of these line ups must be throwing darts at a board. Lead off hitters are supposed to set the table……
Michael
You know I don’t like Toles leading off, it takes him away from his game, and he is better for the team, lower in the line up.
Even though Chase’s average is low right now, I wouldn’t mind him leading off, if he is playing.
I have never seen Kike play right.
But Puig didn’t play well, yesterday.
I thought he might be a little tired, because he hasn’t had a day off.
He could use at least a mental day off, so he doesn’t press.
When Puig doesn’t get a hit soon enough for him, he gets frustrated.
The way they have played Kike lately, you would think he is an everyday player.
I think Taylor is hitting the ball harder then Kike is, right now.
Kike was lucky he got a RBI for his pop up, yesterday.
Utley is playing 2nd and hitting 6th I think. I agree Puig needs a day off. He played well in the outfield the entire series. But a blow is needed now and then. Bellinger is in LF. Kike does not have the arm to be out in RF, and the only reason he is playing this game is that SVS is not hitting a lick. He is a much better RF than Kike. Kike has not hit the ball hard since he hit that double down the LF line a couple of days ago. Taylor is playing well. With a RHP going they have Utley in there. Basically this team other than 5 guys right now, is a team of platoon players. Two of your regulars are on the DL, Pederson and Forsythe, your RH hitting platoon LF is on the DL, your other RH hitter is doing squat, SVS, Toles who normally would be the LF platoon guy vs RH, is forced into playing almost every day. The guy you expected to be out in LF most of the time is on the DL, Ethier. Injuries have so far caused problems. Ineffectiveness is the other big bugaboo. I think they should send SVS down, he has one option remaining I think, or DFA the guy and bring up Okoye Dickson who is murdering AAA pitching right now. SVS needs his confidence back, or a new beginning somewhere else.
Michael
Toles doesn’t play, close to everyday.
He has started two, of the last six games.
Kike has played more then Toles has lately.
Six of the last seven games, before tonight, is what Kike has played.
And Joc is mostly a platoon player too.
Roberts will start him, against a leftie, he thinks Joc might hit.
And that is why that was only Toles third at bat, against a leftie yesterday.
And we have played against mostly lefties, lately, so Toles isn’t playing almost everyday.
MJ, you need to look at peoples career games. Joc has not been a platoon player. The Dodgers do not view him as a platoon player. He played 151 games his rookie year and 137 last year. Joc raised his average 36 points last year from the .210 he hit the first year. He walked less last year than he did his rookie year. He actually hit lefty’s better his rookie year than last year when he only hit .125 against them. But when you play 288 games out of a possible 324, you are not a platoon player. And when he went on the DL, he had only not played in 2. As of right now Toles has played in 21 games, is hitting .207. He has walked 4 times and counting his K in the first inning of this game has struck out 11 times. He is 4 for 16 in his career against LHP..250 average which is not bad. Joc has not hit lefty’s in the past. He has played 18 games before he went on the DL. He has hit lefty’s better than RH so far this year. Which is one reason he has not been hitting homers. He has 18 K’s but 7 walks and 11 hits. I guarantee you when he comes off the DL, he will be the starter again. You might not believe this but it is true. Toles has more at bats and has been in more games than Kike. And one more point. Toles is only 1 year younger than Joc.
Michael
That same person is probably the reason we play a platoon team of part time players, even though that team is no offensive advantage, and the numbers show that.
Michael
Joc was platooned almost all year last year.
Because he hit one hundred points lower against lefties
And because he was platooned most of the season last year, Roberts said he may give him a chance, to face some lefties this year.
Everyone knows that Joc was platooned last year.
And he still hasn’t played against lefties that much this year.
And that is why they had Kike on the team this year, because he was experienced in playing center, and Taylor isn’t .
Joc played in 137 games. He started 118 games. So he did not start 44 games in CF. 2/3 rds of the season he was the starter, and in 19 games he came in and replaced who ever started. He was not platooned. He was the starter a majority of the games. The only month he played less than 24 games was July. All the other months of the season he played more than that. A platoon player will make maybe half the starts. Kike was so bad last year. Kike only played 19 games in CF and started only 18 of those. So pretty much Joc replaced him every time he started. Joc has 14 at bats against lefty’s this year and 4 hits. Works out to a .269 average. Everyone does not know that Joc was platooned last year because the stats and the game logs say different. You do not play in 137 games if you are being platooned, and in reality there was no one to platoon him with. Thompson played 26 games in CF before he was hurt, but Joc was out there most of the time. The facts do not support your statement.. If Thompson had stayed healthy, he would probably been out there when they faced lefty’s because Kike was not hitting anyone. Joc played 75 games before the all star break and 62 after. He hit .233 with 13 homers and 33 ribbies before and .260 with 12 homers and 35 ribbies afterwards. those are not a platoon players numbers. Those are the facts, not someone’s fantasy that Joc was platooned. He only had around 65 AB’s against LHP because he was not hitting LHP. So when a guy like Bumgarner or someone like that started he sat. But he was the starter a majority of the time.
Toles CF Seager SS Turner 3B Gonzo 1B Grandal C Utley 2B Bellinger LF Hernandez RF Maeda P ..tonight’s line up.
Dodgers sign Max Muncy….WHO????? to a minor league contract……Muncy is a former A and a 26 year old 2nd Baseman….
Not relevant to tonight’s game but an interesting read:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2017-mlb-predictions/
7 1/2 O/U. I think Philly might score 7, we’ll score 3/4 so I’ll take the over. Weird lineup.
Max Munchy? Never heard of him. Sounds like a cereal. Oh, Muncy you say. Never heard of him either.
Badger
Muncy, Isn’t that a town in Indiana?
Muncie.
Jonah
Did you once live by there?
Jonah
And I didn’t ask because of what Badger said, about the people there.
I just know you once lived in Indiana.
No, In Indiana but not close to Muncie.
Save the land, join the Klan. Just kidding.
Muncie. Between Yorktown and Smithfield. Home of Ball State University and one of the largest Klan membership centers in the US for some time.
I guess Howie is on the DL.
I don’t see him in the line up.
He has a quad injury. Been out for over a week,
Badger
I hear they wash there sheets, once a week.
More often than that if they’re naughty little boys…
Jonah
Have you ever heard of Paragon Indiana?
No
Join the club…..I read his page, he actually has hit as many as 25 homers in the minors, but that was A ball. Has done nothing in the bigs.
Jonah
That is where my father graduated from high school.
I didn’t even know if that town still exists, but he went to high school, in a small school like you did.
I think only a couple students, graduated with him.
I don’t know much more then that.
I haven’t been to Indiana since I was about, ten or eleven.
My mother was from Martinsville.
I never lived there.
20 Reasons NOT to move to Indiana.
http://www.estately.com/blog/2015/03/20-reasons-not-to-live-in-indiana/
It’s just not a state with a great reputation
Make that 21; Timmons lives there…
Good point.
Bellinger!! Finally somebody bunts for the easiest base hit you will ever see! It’s been there every night since they started shifting. A rookie shows how it’s done! And then he scores.
This is one of the many things that infuriate me about Joc. They give him the entire left side every time, and he swings and pulls everything anyway.
Yet the rookie shows how to do it. This is why I eventually trade Joc and put Verdugo in CF
Badger
70 degrees is just not going to get it passed that wind and marine layer tonight, and over the fence for Turner.
Nope. He needs 80+ and no wind.
Good outing by Maeda. Is he going 7? No way!
They’re gonna have to do something with Gonzalez. By something, I mean DL.
When Segedin returns.
This is pathetic.
Bluto
That ball hit up the middle, was hit really hard.
Bluto, yes you’re right. James Loney looked like Shawn Green compared to today’s Agone. DL him for a bit. Let Bellinger stay at 1b for 2 weeks
Meanwhile, awesome game by Kenta.
He’s a shell of who he should be, and it doesn’t seem to be improving.
Sit him, let him heal.
Bellinger isn’t ready for MLB it doesn’t appear.
Ethier would be a splendid 1B solution, but he’s back in DLsville.
Bluto
From what people have told me about what Agone has that is bothering him, it isn’t anything, that can heal in two weeks.
Now if Bellinger can hit better then Agone, that might be the answer.
But I don’t know for sure, that Bellinger can hit major league pitching, as well as Agone can, even when Agone is hurting.
That is the problem.!
Roberts should just move Agone down in the order a little, if he can’t hit with some power.
But Turner was even worse last year then Agone is now, for the first two to three months in the season, and Roberts never moved Turner down.
Stop making false equivalencies!
The only thing possibly making Turner and Gonzalez’ situations similar is that they are both Dodgers.
My post didn’t mention Bellinger. I said Segedin and pined for Ethier.
I read he needs a DL stint. If rest isn’t the answer what is. He can’t continue like this.
Bluto
First your wrong about that, check out Turners stats from the first three months of the season last year!
Dodger SPs since the start of the series against the Giants – 31 2/3 IP, 5 R allowed