The big news of the day was that the Dodgers acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson for the stretch run. Struggling outfielder Joc Pederson was sent to the minors. Yu Darvish was put on the DL with back tightness and the Dodgers called up reliever Edward Paredes. Grant Dayton also suffered a setback in his rehab assignment. Andre Ethier is still looking for his September call-up and the Dodgers keep winning.
Michael Fulmer of the Tigers went up against Hyun-Jin Ryu. This turned into a pitchers duel despite both offenses being ranked really high across the MLB. Wouldn’t you know the game stayed scoreless through six innings. Curtis Granderson was safe on second base on a Tigers error in the top of the 7th inning. The error came with two outs and Fullmer kept the Dodgers at bay.
Then Adrian Gonzalez singled him in to break the scoreless tie. Ryu pitched five innings and gave way to Ross Stripling. Also in the 7th inning Cody Bellinger rolled his ankle and had to leave the game. All anyone can hope for is that everything will be ok with Bellinger.
In the 8th inning Chase Utley walked followed by a Chris Taylor single. Justin Turner singled in Utley to make the score 2-0. Brandon Morrow then came in for the Dodgers and shut down the Tigers. In the 9th inning Yasmani Grandal hit a homerun to make the score 3-0. Kenley Jansen came in to shut the door down to preserve the victory.
The Dodgers have an 87-34 record. Only two teams reached 87 wins faster in the expansion era (since 1961): 1998 Yankees, 2001 Mariners. Tomorrow the Dodgers will face off against Justin Verlander as they go for the sweep.
James Moya
Hi I’m James Moya. I am an avid Dodgers fan. I graduated Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelors in Communications. I used to freelance at the San Bernardino Sun. I’m excited about this opportunity to write for LA Dodger Report to gain experience. I’m a straight shooter on my opinions and I hope to get some good conversations going. My dream has always been to report on the Dodgers because Baseball is the National Past-time. I hope you enjoy the ride with me.
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Arizona lost, Colorado losing, Dodger lead is 20 and climbing. They are now 21 games in front of the D-Backs. Game today was soooooooooooo tight for so long, but it is easy to see why the Tigers are sooooooooooooooooo bad. They had runners all over the place and could not get anyone in. Granderson’s hustle on that pop up was impressive. And of course A=Gone showed that he still has that RBI stroke. Stripling very effective for 2 innings, and Morrow mowing them down in the 8th. Kenley continues to dominate. This team is locked in.
Some good news. Bellinger just has a mild sprain and day to day. He should take his time getting back.
Want even better news? Apparently AGon hot three balls today, all line drives, at over 100mph exit velocity. He only got one hit (for an RBI), but if he can keep hitting the ball that hard he’s going to be trouble for the rest of the league (especially out of that 6th or 7th spot).
Finally I think it’s time for someone to give some creds to our only MLB coaching holdover from the prior regime, Rick Honeycutt. He’s put together too stafgs doing it old school and new school.
I meant “top staffs” of course. Honeycutt seems content just staying in the shadows but his body of work has been impressive. Many teams have top ranked pitching talents but it’s what he’s done in addition to grooming the top talents, under vastly different systems, that deserves recognition.
YF
I am glad you mention Agone and his exit velocities too.
Some people under estimate what Agone is best at, hitting in difficult runs, whether it is against good pitching, or two outs, Agone has always had the knack to hit in runs.
And we all should realize it isn’t that easy hitting in runs, especially in the situations, that Agone can hit runs in.
Those exit velocities prove to me, as I thought, Agone isn’t done, he was just hurt!
And I think some of us know now that Honeycutt is a much better pitching coach, then some thought.
But like YF said, he doesn’t want to be in the lime light, so he is taken for granted, by us fans.
But Orel has nothing but good things to say about Honeycutt, and it sounds like Honeycutt’s patient with his pitchers, makes him a very good pitching coach.
And I give a lot of credit to Roberts, and all of his coaches!
Is it good or bad that Dodger games are getting boring?
Bluto
Since we don’t play the Tigers often, it wasn’t that boring in the first game of the series, but yesterday the game did drag along, because no one was hitting on both teams, enough to make the game interesting, until the last few innings.
But I often feel that way, when we are playing the Padres, but I do agree yesterday’s game was pretty boring, until later in the game.
But I do know what you mean!
Fei
I agree with you on our coaching staff. They are all very good. When Mattingly was our Manager I bitched about Honeycutt. I need to eat crow. He is low profile. All the coaches are low profile. Honeycutt seems to have more freedom to do his job under Roberts. I have a feeling Watson and Cingrani will do very well under Honeycutt. He seems to figure out what is wrong and then fixes the problem.
Idahoal
You made a very good point, about Honeycutt having more freedom under Roberts, because that is what I think is the difference!
Rick Honeycutt has been a coach with the Dodgers for 12 years. What he is doing is hardly new. The pitching has been very good for those years. The only difference I see over that span of time is how they were used by the managers and the few holes left in the staff by management. There is a good reason Rick Honeycutt is still here.
Read Timmons’ blog posting today, he gives his Top Ten Dodger Prospects. I don’t follow minor league players enough to argue his list, but just reading it and the other non-Top Ten players he lists at the bottom, gives me a great feeling about the upcoming Dodger rookies in the coming years. They’re going to have to increase the 25 man roster size just so we can use all our worthy players. You have to give credit to the whole organization, somebody is doing something right.
Jonah
I think at this point everyone has to realize the whole organization is doing things right, considering the domination the Dodgers are demonstrating in baseball this year.
“Read Timmons blog”
No thank you.
Is his list different than all the others out there?
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=la
Our system is currently ranked about 6th, depending on where you look. We have the best team in the Majors and EXTREMELY deep pockets. What’s not to like?
Well the White Sox farm system is totally loaded. They’ve got 3 of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball according some experts. I don’t think any of our prospects are top 20 and our number 2 prospect at the beginning of the year had a huge drop this year as he didn’t show up in shape and can’t throw enough strikes even now. I’m not saying our prospects are no good, just saying that other teams have better ones.
Also, I noticed Keibert Ruiz very early on, from a note in ThinkBlue LA before he was being highlighted. Just his age and his batting triple slash stood out. And I think Hood and Nosler both boosted Santana before the other Dodger blogs got a wind of him.
And speaking of prospects, there is a note on DodgerBlue that Ralston Cash was released. He was a second round pick in 2010. Out of that draft class only Joc Pederson remains with the franchise. Just let that sink in little before feeling our roster is too cramped ….
YF
I am still not sold on the number one prospect in baseball, that the White Sox got from the Red Sox, in the trade for Chris Sale.
I am glad he didn’t wait and sign with us, after all.
But he is still pretty early in his career, and there are late bloomers, in baseball.
The White Sox system is loaded because they traded away half their team. It has nothing to do with signing and developing players. Moncada was signed by the Red Sox and obtained in the Sale trade. Most of the Dodgers prospects were drafted and signed by the team. Especially their Latin players. As far as the Dodgers top prospects list, I just go to the Dodger site and check on them there. The scouting reports and all their stats are right there. Also they upgrade and change during the season. Farmer, who was once the 30th on the list is up at 25 now. The question is how many of those top guys actually will have decent careers. Dansby Swanson was the #1 rated MLB prospect when traded to the Braves. Since then he has all but disappeared and is now back in the minors. It is always hit and miss. Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round. Sometimes diamonds are buried deep.
Moncada was the number one prospect in baseball, when he was traded.
I think today’s game should be more interesting, because I want to see what we do against Verlander.
I thought maybe yesterday that they were still getting use to the different time zone, so it took them a while to get in the game yesterday.
AND maybe Kate will be there….
Jonah
I am not against the men having a little something to look at, during the game, besides all of the players.
Yeah MJ, I get what you are saying but I have yet to see a woman show up in that bikini……
Michael
Maybe that only happens, in Miami!
But when she shows up in NY, or Detroit, they don’t care if she is in a bikini, because they have already seen her in more then one bikini, in Sports Illustrated.
Yeah, maybe this one shows up:
Badger
To each their own.
Jonah, you might be offending someone with your heterophobic picture.
Ah, to hell with that!
If it was close, Bluto (The Monitor) would tell me…
The Dodgers magic number to eliminate sf from the NL race is 1
Is that a record for us and SF, this early?!?!!!
YF
Wouldn’t have to be, if this is best record for any Dodger team?
The Giants are 39 games back.
Absolutely. No Dodger team has ever been this good this early at the same time a Giant team has been so bad.
If Dodgers would have left camp with both Taylor and Ed Dinger, the giants would have been eliminated in May.
Jacob Rhame sent to the Mets as the PTBNL for Curtis Granderson. Both pitchers are on their game so far today. Verlander 4 perfect innings…..Maeda 4 perfect innings.
Michael
I wish our guys would lay off those high fastball, especially with two strikes, the ump isn’t calling them high pitches, for strikes today!
I still think this time change, is taking our guys a while, until they feel right.
Love to see the Giants eliminated in August. Could not happen to a better team.
I would also love to see that happen, to the Giant’s fan base, that can’t act like they have been there before, even though they are almost always, talking about the past.
The Grandyman definitely can, with that big HR right now!
Well, that run didn’t hold up long, hopefully there will be more for us. I got to say it again: IF Detroit would have taken Kazmir and McCarthy in trade, I would rather have gotten Verlander for 2+ years than Darvish for 2 months. No rentals.
Now why in the world would the Tigers want either of those mutts? That just makes no sense Jonah. The wanted prospects and the Dodgers got Darvish pretty cheap.
Yes, plus Verlander has a no-trade and an awful contract.
Bluto
It is already known, that Verlander wouldn’t stop a trade to LA.
But he does have a big contract, but you have to admitt, he still a very good starting pitcher.
He has more velocity then any of our starting pitchers, and he knows how to pitch in a big game.
Again. They owe him $56 MM over the next two years plus whatever remains this year. If they made that trade they would owe McKaz $26 MM and be clear of the debt after next season. Plus, maybe they could get some use out of them or something of value in trade. So, for us, they are $30 MM plus whatever salary he has left this year, plus whatever use they make of them, plus whatever prospects would go with them. For Verlander two years plus the remainder of this one, would cost the Dodgers $30 MM plus the remainder of this year’s salary, plus whatever prospects are given up. Sounds like a good deal for both clubs to me. Darvish is OK but he won’t be here long. I would rather pay that additional $30 MM for two years of Verlander (That’s $15 MM per year) than $26 MM for one year of those two worthless toads. Stated another way, for $30 MM more than we are paying Kazmir and McCarthy, we could have Verlander for TWO YEARS. All of those “can’t miss” prospects you are counting on just may not get here! If you can’t understand that, I feel sorry for you but of course you have the right to your own opinion but not the right to denigrate others.
Who denigrated who?
Calling a trade idea that makes no sense a trade that makes no sense is fair game in my book.
That said, it’s just an opinion.
That said, who cares what Michael and I think? We know very little.
That said, denigrate was probably a bad choice of words. And I care just as much what you think as you care what I think…
Not to mention…. To the best of our knowledge, the two clubs are not working on that deal as we speak. Ergo, they don’t like it or haven’t thought of it and apparently don’t read this blog. And very few people read it anyway….
But if I were FAZ, I would have went that way instead of with Darvish….
All I said, and what I am pretty sure is true, is that the Tigers do not want either of those guys. They could not dump Verlander at the deadline mainly because they did not want to pay any of that contract. They want to dump salary, not take it on. And as for the prospects you mentioned, I do not care if the Dodgers trade prospects to get MLB proven players. I have said that many times and been ripped a new one by the FAZOPHILES who want to keep everyone and who think trading for anybody and sending them a 1 or 2 top rated prospect borders on lunacy. I based what I said entirely on you mentioning McBrittle and Quagmire. If the Dodgers could unload those 2 don’t you think they would have done that already? All that said, Verlander is 9-8 with an ERA just under 4 and a WHIP of 1.31. He has pitched 159 innings and has 159 K’s and hitters are batting .237 against him. He might be better off in a pitchers park like Dodger Stadium, but they made their deal and got Darvish. Doubt they even had Verlander on their radar. All that being said Jonah, I value your posts. I just think that sometimes what you propose is a little unrealistic.
I think Jonah means the same deal as Darvish plus Kazmir or McCarthy. So the Tigers get Calhoun, etc.
RIP Jerry Lewis. He always made me laugh and almost every year our band would work for his MD telethon. He was a class act and a gentleman whether you liked his style of comedy or not.
Verlander. Now THAT is what an ace looks like. Shuts down the best team in baseball for 8 innings.
Exactly. And if two Nats or Cubs pitchers have equally good days in the playoffs….
Anything can happen and often does.
Enjoy this run.
What is the difference that Verlander and Kershaw, make in a season?
They talk like Verlander is so old, but he still was throwing 98 at times, in the eighth inning.
In the POSSIBLE TRADE I mentioned above, we would have Verlander for the next TWO years for $15 MM a year, plus 2 or 3 prospects. It would effect next year’s team salary exactly $15 MM. Trading Hill to them or someone else would remove more $$ from team salary. Rotation: Kershaw; Verlander, Wood; Ryu; Maeda; Urias will still be out but there are plenty of prospect pitchers waiting in the wings…
He’s 34. And just look at his record. He was a 6.6 WAR pitcher LAST YEAR. Wind him up and he throws 200 innings. Yeah, I know, some will ask “what’s the big deal about 200 innings?” Well, managers will think it’s a big deal. Can he continue to do it? I don’t know. He’s already done it 9 times. He’s got 2500 IP of 3.5 ERA, all of it with Detroit. Over 13 years he’s lead the league in several different categories including WHIP and K’s last year. If he didn’t pitch again his career is worthy of HOF discussion. But we didn’t get him. We got Darvish. If Verlander goes to a contender, I wish him well.
Kershaw
https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/899290911250763776