The Dodgers completed their second series sweep in a row by finishing off the drowning Mets and sending them off to meet their next masters. The boys in blue now rule the NL West with a game and a half lead, with the second place Rockies coming to town for a weekend series starting tomorrow night.
But I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. Before I could write any of that, they had to defeat the Mets first, and they managed that feat tonight with their usual home run antics and utilizing the most unlikely method of scoring runs…walking them in.
Hyun-Jin Ryu took the mound tonight. He went 5 innings with 5 hits. Ryu’s biggest problem tonight was being bit by the same home run bug that has helped the Dodgers so much lately. He gave up two solo dingers, and left the game with a 3-2 lead after five.
Ryu gave up a lead off home run to Curtis Granderson in the first and held the Mets scoreless for the next three innings. He struck out three and had plenty of help from the boys playing behind him. Kike Hernandez made an outstanding play in the second inning on a catch in CF and a throw to home plate to nail Duda and save a run.
Ryu gave up a second home run in the fifth and then he was done. I thought Kenta Maeda would come in for the long save, but the skipper decided to get cute and send in Chris Hatcher with a one-run lead. More on that stupidity in a minute.
The Dodgers scored in the bottom of the third on home runs from Justin Turner (solo shot) and Enrique Hernandez (also scoring Cody Bellinger).
We now return to the idiocy of pitching Chris Hatcher in a tight game. Hatcher walked a batter and gave up the tying run on a double . Hatcher managed to get out of the inning without any further damage. Sheesh!
Grant Dayton replaced Hatcher in the seventh, Pedro Baez and Luis Avilan came in for the eighth, and Kenley Jansen was needed for a four out save to close the game. That move with Hatcher led to a total of five additional pitchers to clean up his mess, when Kenta Maeda might have saved the pen a lot of that wear and tear. We’ll never know.
The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh and things got really interesting – for both teams. Joc Pederson started the party with a solo shot to break the 3-3 tie.
Logan Forsythe singled and then Chris Taylor walked. With two out Kike again came through with a big play – by not doing anything. He brilliantly took a too-close-to-take, two-strike pitch which gave him a full count. Hernandez then got ball four and he walked to load the bases. The stage was set.
Pedro Baez came up to the plate and he also kept his bat on his shoulder. Four pitches later, Baez was jogging to first base with a walk and Forsythe was jogging home with a free insurance run.
It was now 5-3, but the Mets weren’t done sucking.Austin Barnes walked to bring in another run to make it 6-3 and that’s where the score remained.
There was a bit of a scare in the eighth when Luis Avilan gave up a single and a walk. Kenley was brought in for the four out save, and things got dicey when an error led to the bases loaded. Fortunately Jansen got a pop up to end the inning, and the Mets went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
The game was over, the Mets were done, and the sweep completed.
Dodgers Win 6-3! First place NL West by 1 1/2 games.
Lucky 7: Tonight was Kenley Jansen’s seventh appearance of more than one inning.
What???: Pedro Baez had more RBIs tonight (1) than Cody Bellinger.
Seven wins in a row, eight in a row at home, and the Big Blue Steamroller is chugging along. Bring on the Rockies!
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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Big series coming up. Will either side’s pitching hold up?
Wood and Kersh first two games, advantage LA there. Rockies kids starting to crack a little. Why this FO continues to keep Hatcher, I have no idea. The guy just keeps on giving up runs. They did well again, and Joc crushed that ball……..
Kyle Farmer hitting .360 with 6 HR’s and 21 RBI’s in 23 games at OKC. Thompson hit his 7th and Calhoun his 14th. Thompson’s average up to .217.
Rios hit his 15th dinger.
Verdugo now showing power, .388/.443/.613, 12 XBH in 21g in June. Reminder he’s only 21 in AAA.
The Mets finally started one of their major league pitchers, and the results were understandable.
Turner and Kike were responsible for all of the scoring,off the Mets major league pitcher.
Kike was responsible for three runs in this game, himself.
Kike hit a oppo HR for two runs, and he made a good throw to home, to cut down a Met’s runner to save a run.
As soon as the Mets brought in the game another one of their AAA pitchers, Joc took the pitcher deep on the first pitch.
And I think that was a good change for Joc, because he didn’t try to work the count, and end up down on the count, with two strikes.
I think this was a good change with Joc because sometimes the first pitch is the best pitch a hitter will get.
The ball was kind of high and it looked out of the strike zone, but it must have been a pitch that Joc knew he could drive, and he did, so good for Joc!
I thought Ryu pitched a good game too.
And I don’t understand why Orel is constantly putting a positive spin every time Hill pitches, and he is not as enthusiastic, with the way Ryu pitched and some of the other pitchers, like he goes out of his way, for Hill.
I personally think Ryu pitched better then Hill did, in his last start.
And Ryu didn’t run his pitch count up like Hill did.
But Orel and Joe seem to favor certain players, and are always trying to put a positive spin, but I like to hear the truth sometimes, and that is why I like Nomar.
Nomar will say the truth and he is obviously knows more about hitting, and most everything else, except the pitching.
But like Orel knows some about hitting, Nomar does know some about pitching, because he was a good hitter.
I sometimes think Orel and Joe are to much a like.
I thought it was to bad that Ryu worked so hard to keep the lead,, and then Hatcher came into the game, and gave away the lead, pretty quickly.
Once again Hatcher was given some responsibility and he didn’t disappoint, because he predictable gave up the lead.
I think Roberts is kind of forced to use Hatcher at times, because the front office keeps the guy on the roster, even though he can’t be counted on, to do his job.
If it says Mets on the uni, he is a major league pitcher period. If it says Tidewater, he is not. If you are pitching in the major leagues you are a major league pitcher. All the hits and runs count in your stats. You trying to diminish someone’s game simply because the pitcher has little experience in the majors is getting old. If they are on the big league team, it is for a reason. Joc won the game with his homer no matter who he hit it off of.
Michael
You can say what you want, and that still doesn’t make it true.
And that fact that the Mets gave up more HRs in a four day series, then they ever had, in their history, has a lot to do with their injuries, and the minor league pitchers, they have had to depend on, because of those injuries.
It does say some of about the Dodgers,
but it isn’t all about the Dodgers!
Especially when a team has had so many injuries, they are having to use some pitchers from their system, that they had no plans, ever making them major league pitchers!
And a AAA pitcher up for one day, is not the same as a pitcher, who has pitched in the majors for a while!
Of course a first up minor league pitcher, can still pitch a good game, but it is still not the same.
And I wasn’t diminishing Joc, I gave Joc a complement, and I meant it.
I have been concerned about the pitching we have been facing, since we played the Reds.
And just because your favorite player did something good, for one day, it doesn’t mean I am making a personal
Jab.
I find it funny now that you are making excuses, when you were saying Toles needs to have a good major league at bat, even though he was in his first year, but you find excuses for the players you happen to like, that have played even longer, and a lot longer.
I don’t dislike any of the players.
I can’t even imagine anyone hating a player, they don’t personally know.
Most people like certain players for a reason, but they also like all of the Dodgers players.
It is funny because if you don’t like a player you voice it loudly and quite often, but you can’t handle it if you believe someone has given a criticism about any of the players you happen to like.
You have tried to diminish this team, just because you don’t like the front office, and it seems you don’t like any of the players, that the front office has brought to this team.
I am not diminishing anyone, I am just stating the facts.
We did face a lot of AAA pitching in these last two series.
And I was talking about this long before your favorite player, had some success.
It isn’t anything personal to anyone.
STOP!
Please. For the love of discourse. Come on. This has been going on and is both silly and never-ending.
STOP!
Ok Bluto
When she stops saying stupid shit I will.
Michael
You don’t know everything, and I will say anything I want!
Yeah and every time your banjo hitting Kike does something, he is great. The guy is a frippen sub. He is hitting .228. Puig has out hit him, out scored him, driven in more runs hit more homers and makes more defensive plays than he does, as for your other claims, they are pitching in the major leagues, that makes them major league pitchers period. They are getting paid a major league wage. By your description. Ravin, Stewart and anyone else who comes up for a few days is a AAA pitcher. It does not matter. You STILL HAVE TO HIT THE DAMN BALL!!!! Your argument is lame and your assessment is lamer. Yeah, I criticize players when they are not performing and I said Pederson could benefit by being sent down because he was not doing the job, and I got on Puig too. But the only one bitching about Puig’s so called disrespect of the Mets pitcher after the HR was you. Orel, Joe and everyone else had no problem with it. Yes, I dislike this FO for a lot of reasons. I am happy the team is playing well. That’s great, will it continue? Who knows. I have invested a lot of years watching this team, and I want them to win. What I see is a team with a lot of holes. Will they plug them, maybe, that has not been their MO. BUT, and this is fact, those guys they have faced are major league pitchers. You are disrespecting them by saying they are not. They are in the big leagues are they not? If they were AAA pitchers, that’s where they would be. And I have seen a lot of pretty good pitchers at AAA. When Steve Howe was called up, he was at AA. They might be journey men, or guys is has taken a long time to get there, but they got there. I have a friend who’s son pitched in the majors, his last season in the bigs was 2013. He is currently pitching in the Mexican League. He had some success with the Rangers and at age 35 is still chasing the dream. But no matter what, he still was a major leaguer. Once they get there, you can never take that away, even if it is only for a short time. By the way, I have seen many times when a kid has come out of AAA to pitch a game, much like Stewart did for the Dodgers last year, and be effective and shut down the Dodgers. Pill pitched 6 innings, hell Hill can’s do that!
The ball Joc hit for the HR left his bat like a cannon shot. Tremendous velocity, Puig obviously knocked something good into him with his knock-out blow a few weeks ago. Speaking of Puig, please leave him in the 7 or 8 hole, when is Roberts going to learn? If you want production out of Puig you leave him down, if you want no production out of him put him in the middle of the order. Wake up Roberts and knock off the tinkering with what you get from Puig.
Wake up FO, you know what Hatcher is going to give you and it ain’t good.
Urias to have surgery next week. He will miss the rest of the season. So much for protecting the kids arm. It is shoulder surgery, so do not expect a fast return.
Anterior capsule surgery effectively ended Johan Santana’s career as an ace. Chris Young came back from it.
You do not have to worry about me arguing with MJ anymore, I am just going to ignore her. Her double spaced babbling has finally gotten to old to bear.
Michael
I am sick of your double standards.
You criticize players all the time, but you can’t handle it if anyone says something about your favorite players.
And you must think everyone thinks like you do.
I don’t wish certain players to not to well, like you do.
And you can’t stand it when players you don’t like, do well.
Your argument about Kike and Puig, is so weak.
And what is funny, is that they are both platoon players.
Puig doesn’t hit lefties well, and Kike does, but he has trouble against righties.
And maybe you need to learn some of the new metrics in baseball, before you try to bash the players you don’t like, because your argument is not to convincing.
Most people don’t look down at certain players because the role they play, for the team.
And when player plays more often, and has more consistent at bats, more is expected of them.
And a player with more at bats are expected to have more hits, etc!
And Kike isn’t my favorite player.
I like all of the players, and I want them all to do well.
And I am not going to let someone like you, make me dislike any of the players, with the things you say.
Because I happen to like Puig.
Amen Michael
Urias out 12 to 14 months! Ouch!
Maybe it’s time to build up durability, then start babying then.
YF
I wonder when Urias first noticed his problem.
Let’s just hope for the best for the kid.
The fact that he is so young, will only help him.
This is a stat for MJ:
Austin Barnes is hitting .000 with a .714 on-base percentage in his last two games.