The Dodger’s run of quality starts continued on Thursday night during their 3-1 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee. This time youngster Julio Urias turned in a dominant performance as the southpaw phenom tossed six shutout frames and struck out nine as the Dodgers won their fifth consecutive game. Urias allowed just one hit and was every bit as commanding as advertised. Too bad he’s headed to the bullpen with the returns of Hyun-jin Ryu and Rich Hill. The Dodgers used a pair of home runs from Cody Bellinger (solo shot) and a two-run blast from Max Muncy which was enough to beat the Brewers.
It’s interesting how the Dodger bats have cooled off just as the pitching staff has stabilized. Now instead of winning by 10-8 type scores, they’re winning low scoring affairs. That’s how baseball goes. The Dodger hitters did very little off of opposing starter Zach Davies at first. The game was a scoreless tie until the sixth inning. Davies allowed just three hits and three walks through five scoreless frames himself, but the Dodgers ran up his pitch count knocking him out of the game by the sixth inning. Meanwhile Urias did not allow a base hit until Orlando Arcia’s single in the bottom of the fifth.
Dodgers 3 6 0
Brewers 1 5 0
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In the top of the sixth, the Dodgers plated their three runs on two home runs. With one out Bellinger smacked a line drive home run for his National League leading tenth dinger of the season. After A.J. Pollock singled, Muncy mashed a two-run bomb (off of Matt Albers) to put the Dodgers up by a 3-0 score.
The Dodgers went to the bullpen in the seventh and Caleb Ferguson tossed a scoreless inning. The eighth inning got a bit dicey, but a great throw from Alex Verdugo saved the day. Hernan Perez led off with a single. Arcia struck out, and Joe Kelly, now known as Joe Blow was brought in with one out. Milwaukee countered with pinch-hitter Ben Gamel who bats lefty. Gamel lined out to left but Perez stole second base. Lorenzo Cain singled into left but Verdugo came up throwing. Perez tried to score but Verdugo’s cannon arm threw him out at the plate to end the inning. Credit to Austin Barnes for a good tag as well. Who needs Yasiel Puig?
There was some drama in the bottom of the ninth with Kenley Jansen, but the Dodgers held on. Christian Yelich the reigning NL MVP homers to open the frame. That made the score 3-1 Dodgers. Kenley recovered to whiff Ryan Braun and get Yasmani Grandal to ground to first. But Jesus Aguilar singled into left and the Brewers brought the winning run to the plate in Travis Shaw. Thankfully Kenley got Shaw to pop up and the Dodgers won it! Great way to start the road trip folks. Ross Stripling takes the mound for the Dodgers on Friday night. Milwaukee will counter with Jhoulys Chacin with the second game scheduled for a 5:10 PM PST start time.
Verdugo has a nice arm but he’s no Puig. I think any of our outfielders nails Perez on that play too. Not belittling Verdugo, just saying that we’ve got a nice corp of outfielders, defensively.
Correct. He’s no Puig. He probably doesn’t rip up the positioning cards that are given to him and throws them on the ground in front of the coaches, turn around and walk away.
Verdugo’s throw was over 98 MPH.
Patch, give it a rest. There is actually video of the types of throws Puig has made. 98 mph? Bellinger made a 100+mph throw his rookie year as a CF. Puig was like Deon Sanders in terms of his impact. Perez would have been held up at third with Puig in LFz
Ok, fine. If you want to believe trading away Puig was a terrible mistake, who am I to begrudge you? I personally feel that Verdugo is an upgrade in terms of hitting, fielding and the energy he brings to the club.
Definitely another quality start. 6 innings of shutout ball, 9 K’s, and only one hit. Unfortunately for Urias it was his swan song, as he will be demoted back to the beleaguered bullpen. Urias would like to stay in rotation, but the bullpen needs help. Fortunately, Ferguson held up the ship, but Kelly struggled, saved by Verdugo’s cannon shot (98.4MPH) to nail the runner at home, and Jansen not exactly the closer you want out on the bump, with the game on the line. Kenley worries me.
Looks like all the starters are soon to be on board, but only time will tell if they are really ready to assume the role. Rehab games and pushover games vs the Reds does not tell the true story.
Offense still on the HR barrage. A Belli Bomb followed by a 2-run jack by Muncy. Other than the two HR’s, not too much bat action.
Yelich, not to be outdone, devours a Jansen cookie in the 9th, deep to CF, bouncing off the Miller Beer sign, and back onto the field. Whew, this guy is for real…. kind of scary, if you ask me.
Beginning of a tough road trip. Good Luck Dodgers.
Does Koe Jelly and Jenly Hansen scare the shit out of anyone else?
I know they scare the shit out of our starting pitchers, they finish a good effort on the mound and leave with a lead only to realize these two gas cans are entering the game. Our bullpen is a disaster from top to bottom.
Even winning a game, this team is so awful to watch. I’ve said it before, but this an extremely frustrating and un-entertaining team to watch. I hate this era in the MLB.
That game was awful to watch?
Why? Because a young pitcher who will be an important part of the Dodgers future pitched a masterful game? Because another young homegrown talent and MVP candidate hit a clutch homer?
I don’t think it’s the caliber of the play. I think it might be your perspective that’s awful.
Ok Patch. It’s a long season and every team will have its ups and downs. Badger and Bluto, from very different perspectives, have the guts to post positive trends when we are in the dumps. You come here as a know it all only when we are on a winning streak. You are just a fair weather fan. Have the guts to post here the next time the Dodgers are in a losing streak.
Yes, I’m a fair weather fan I suppose. If the the team was consistently mediocre or bad, and the front office was incompetent, with an ownership group that cared little for fielding a quality team and a minor league system that was in disarray I would probably devote my interests and my fandom elsewhere.
This team is none of those. It’s fun to be a fan. It’s enjoyable. I’m excited.
So sue me.
…I should add a personal note. I grew up loving the Dodgers through the 80s. As the 90s rolled around I just lost interest in the game. It was apparent the game had changed, the players had changed, and had become roided up homer mashers that made the nuance and the beauty of baseball that I enjoyed a caricature of the game that I identified with. I had little interest in McGwire and Sosa’s contest. I tuned out when Bonds was in his chemically enhanced heyday (besides, that was when the Kobe/Shaq Lakers were at their peak and I had something else to be interested in.)
I personally think the game is even more interesting now. I think there is always a risk that teams can become obsessively over reliant on sabremetrics, but it will correct itself. On a whole, I think the added layer of analysis and tactics make the game more interesting. I love the fact that this organization is refocusing on building a sustainable organization and cultivating players from within the organization. I can identify and be a fan of genuine home grown Dodgers.
…yeah…the bullpen needs some work. That hardly makes the the FO, the team and game itself “awful.”
Patch you are on a roll, pissin vinegar.
BTW I made no comment on this particular game, I directed it at the way this team plays the game. But hey, don’t let truth or shyte like that get in the way of your vinegar roll.
What truth would that be?…that the team is “awful?”
And for me it’s less about pissing vinegar. I was honestly perplexed. How is it that the team is awful to watch after perhaps the most impressive win of the year. Personally I’m excited to think about a lefty/righty duo in the future of Urias and Beuhler.
Seriously, what would make you happy?
I’m with you, True Blue,
Lots of undependable bodies out in the bullpen. I know DR does not have many options, but why does he keep bringing in “Kelly-Flop”? And Jansen is a disaster waiting to happen. He is our designated closer? I personally do not have any confidence in him, and I shutter every time he comes in. Sad that their two highest paid relievers cannot earn their keep.
Bullpen needs help. I’m sorry….Kelly and Jansen are not the answer, while the others in the bullpen get splinters in their ass. Their must be some lively young arms in the farm they could bring up, if they are not willing to spend some money.
Bottom line…this bullpen will not get the job done.
Jansen and Kelly have earned the right to “work it out.” Some of the others… Not so much.
And who in their right mind thought Brock Stewart was a major league option?
Jansen has been awful the past two years. I do not think it has as much to do with his health or mechanics, it seems that it is more like opposing batters now know his weaknesses, and are exploiting them. He will never be the “lights out” reliever he once was.
Kelly was never worth what the Dodgers thought. Other than the Dodgers, he has been nothing more than a below average reliever. The only plus in signing him, is that the Dodgers no longer have to face him.
So, bottom line……… they might have the “right to work it out”, but there is nothing left to work for. They have already peaked in their careers. Time to move on, as they are on the downslope, headed for the MLB Retirement Home, with guaranteeed cash to boot.
Makes no sense to beat a dead horse… this is not Sant Anita.
I think Jansen needs to throw a slider earlier in the count, especially to the good hitters. Throw it out of the strike zone and get the weaker hitters with the cutter.
As shaky as Jansen is (has been), we don’t have other options. There are no fireballers left – we traded Montas and Sborz throws slower than Jansen. So we need to call his pitches better for the time being.
Winning steak at 6 after last nights 5-3 win. Kike with a 3 run shot off Hader that came on a 2 strike pitch. Chicken Strip did not make it out of the 5th, but other than Thames taking Kelly deep in the 8th, the BP shut the Brewers down. Barnes with an excellent throw nailed a runner on a strikeout. Offense just good enough to win. With Ryu back tonight, Julio goes to the pen. Hill has another rehab start next week and Martin due back next week. To those complaining about Jansen. Nobody is perfect out there. Hader had pretty much the best stats of any closer and he gave up a 3 run dinger. They all are going to have bad days. Jansen has not blown a save yet. He has saved 6 and won 1. He is heads and tails better than last year so far. As long as the starters do their jobs, the less stress on the pen. Barnes slump has not affected his game behind the plate, but he does need some relief back there. Gale is not the answer. Ramirez DFA’d by the Tribe and Swihart traded to the Dirtbags…….
Tough outing for Chicken Strips. He gives up a two-run cookie to Yelich to open the game. That, coupled with blown scoring opportunities (2-8 RISP, 10 K’s) led to early hook, tied after 4.2 innings. Bullpen kept them at a 2-2 tie, and then Kiké chased Hader with a clutch 0-2 count, two out, three run Jack in the eigth! Oh My!
“Kelly Ache” a bit shaky again, but Jansen was effective with a 1-2-3 save in the ninth…. whew! Great improvement on his velocity and cutter movement. I hope this is a good sign. Definitely better than last year.
Great streak. Keep it going!
I heard this was a negative sight. I can certainly see why. All the Dodgers have done is win 6 straight division titles with 2 straight WS appearances
No Cassidy, this is not a negative site. Everyone has differing opinions over here but we are all willing to be able to criticize and praise the club at the same time.
Cassidy,
I guess you might play a lot of horseshoes…. Sorry, but close is not good enough.
There should be only one objective in Baseball…. The World Series Title.