I am not sure if Al Davis coined that phrase, but he sure used it a lot!
Clayton didn’t have his best stuff last night as he struggled with his command. But, he continues to ignore my advice. I tried to tell him. These guys are jumping on his first pitch. All he has to do is change that up a little. Don’t make every first pitch a strike. But, he stuck to HIS plan and managed to do something no other Dodger pitcher has ever done: Give up 4 HR in a game! Here’s the re-cap of how they homered:
- Pollock homered on the first pitch.
- Martinez homered on 1-0 count.
- Mathis homered on the first pitch.
- Marte had a 2-2 count when he homered.
That’s the Bad News. The Good News is that the hitters, particularly Justin Turner, picked him up. He did pitch 6.1 innings so the pen is not gassed. I guess all you have to do is Win Baby! Look at the Indians – yesterday, their Ace got beat like a rented mule (his ERA is 20.00+) and they still won. It’s the “W” that’s important.
Now, if they can just get to Robbie Ray tonight. He is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA against the Dodgers this year. They need to be patient and let him run up his pitch count. He has struck out 61 Dodgers in 159 AB’s. They should not just be swinging for the fences. This is a short series, Granderson’s leash is short. Andre Ethier will get a chance against a RHP before the series is over. Kike will play in LF tonight. I don’t know if Rich Hill prefers Grandal over Barnes but I suspect Barnes will get the start. Kershaw prefers Yasmani but I am not sure Rich Hill really cares.
The question is, do you leave Puig at #5 or move him to #8 against the LHP? He has not hit them well this year… and that is being very kind! Actually, he was horrid! Logan Forsythe is hitting .444 against Ray and Taylor is at .438. Barnes, Bellinger, Granderson and Seager all are hitting under .170 against Ray. To me, this has the makings of a pitchers duel. It’s for this game, that the Dodgers signed Rich Hill. Hopefully he makes them proud! When Ray and Hill are on, they are among the best in the game.
Dodger Hitters Verses Robbie Ray
Diamondback Hitters Verses Rich Hill
Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig were the story of last night’s game. Tonight, some other players will need to step up. We will likely see “El Gasolino.” I believe he will be very, very good or verry, very bad. We all know that Chase Utley has such an important role on this team. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, says that “the Dodgers fear disappointing Chase Utley.” That article is a very good read and reveals Utley’s value to the team. It’s end with a Corey Seager sound bite:
“You don’t ever want to disappoint Chase. That’s a good word for it. He sees everything, even when you don’t think he’s looking.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAtIZafyeHI
In memory of Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA
Discussion (62)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I will also take a Corona with lime.
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Seager and Bellinger need to pick it up. They will. They are smart players. I hope Ethier starts in LF and Barnes as catcher on Monday.
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How about Puig’s bat flip on a single. At least he finally remembered to run. The announcers are knuckleheads like Puig. That is not fair to Puig. The announcers must of signed a minor league contract.
Well I’ve had 2 great early mornings, trying not to wake the house, whilst jumping round my lounge going berserk.
What a rollercoaster the Post Seadon is.
Kershaw did a good job of keeping Base Runners to a minimum, so the HRs didn’t hurt too much.
When Goldy dispatched that ball into orbit, I feared the worst.
To be fair to Hill, he recovered well.
Puig & Forsythe looked good, and there must be a case for Ethier starting in LF.
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On the downside, Belinger & Seagar look like they are swinging for the fences with every AB.
Barnes needs to start every game from now on, and to be fair to Kiki, he had a couple of decent ABs as well.
Let’s hope Yu can do it on Monday as the extra rest will do us good.
I hope Dodgers fans fill the place on Monday. I was a little suspicious of the Dbags crowd on Wed. I wondered how many free tickets they gave away to fill the place. Dodgers fans should take baseball cards with a scream for Greinke to sign them. He hasn’t had a good outing since he brush up with Neshek about the baseball cards.
Barnes is a stud and a Riverside Boy. What more can you say.
Just like for teams, the Playoffs is a new season for the players. Forsythe getting 3 hits and two off of RHP. Both of Puig’s hits off of LHP. Granderson a clutch hit. 4 stolen bases.
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Next time that pitch to Drury is called for Morrow, he better shake it off. That pitch should never be thrown for a strike. Lesson learned. Do not fix what is not broken. Keep throwing that high fastball until they prove they can hit it.
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Now go out and beat Greinke. Let’s end this at 3.
The 6-7-8 batters did it. They were patient. This is what we did during our good winning streak this year. You never knew from one night to the next who was going to be good this game. For the next game, I would rather see Either than Granderson and Barnes than
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The Dodgers should learn the Snakes love to go after the first pitch.
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Great to be a Dodger fan.
Great series at dodger stadium! I will repeat start Barnes! He just is a much tougher out and runs the bases so well. Puig is off to a hot start and having fun. Ray is really hot saying he beat himself and the dodgers didn’t do anything lol! He did self destruct but the dodgers took advantage and didn’t bail him out. That’s where if grandal would have been in the game he would have chased but Barnes didn’t. We got ray at the right time but that’s part of the breaks you need to advance. It is also what playoff pressure is all about. I know he didn’t pitch particularly well but I love watching hill pitch as he battles and competes every pitch. Maeda looked great and Roberts used him just right. I wanted him to pitch more but he is ready now for Monday. I really believe the umpire hurt hill. The umpire has more impact in hills starts than others because of that curveball. We need to win 1 in Arizona please no game 5.
Now this is fun…Baseball at it’s best… Wonder how Zack G. will handle Puig’s antics/cheerleading?? Y.P. will have an audience, because a lot of us Blue fans taking the road trip to AZ.
I hope Forsythe gets a chance to make this team in 2018… I’m a big fan…
We got the snake pinned, now sever the head and save the rattles!!!
Dodgers have 25 on base in 2 games. That’s not going to get it done.
Logi Bear and Puiiiig? Nice. Great game. The bottom of the order showed the patience needed. Great game. Home plate ump sucked. Ump gave the Dbags a run in the 1st. Loved little BIggio tonight except if he called the first pitch by Morrow that’s why he isn’t the every day starter.
This is why we got Yu. Can’t wait till Monday night! (well this and my Bears start the rookie Trubisky. I”ll have the tv and ipad both going)
Bobby, probably a good idea.
Now let’s beat up Greinke.
Cory Bellinger is driving me crazy. Looks like he’s trying to kill every pitch. I know that he swings hard a lot, but recently I’m not.seeing the hitter who can also go up the middle and to left field, except for the hit he had his first time up last night.
Igualmente am sorry about Bellingee
Just love, love, love watching Hill pitch.
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Forsythe coming around.
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
PUIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Back to back Granderspn and Forsythe!! What’s next republicans and democrats working together? Seriously though, this is what the team did during the streak. Somebody new came up big every game.
These announcers know nothing about the Dodgers. Put a little pressure on Puig and he’s likely to throw it in the dugout. Clearly they don’t have a clue that Puig’s cannon is accompanied by impeccable accuracy.
Dodgers will definitely need the pen tonight. Hill has thrown 61 pitches in three innings.
Except for Seager, I’m not seeing patience at the plate.
Granderson and Grandal both looked bad last night. Both are sitting tonight. It is so hard for me to sit and watch Forsythe take a first pitch fastball right down the middle. Many analysts say you will get one good pitch each at bat to hit. Seager will,never let that happen.
Descalso, Ianetta, and Lamb hitting 5-7 tonight. Changing the lineup from last night.
Joc is at a crossroads in his career. He’s much slower. He’s kind of doughy now. He needs to find a swing and stick with it. He’s where Puig was last year. I’m not sure if he’s done as a Dodger or not because Granderson and Ethier won’t be back and the Dodgers are trying to get under the luxury tax. i could definitely see him getting moved though. The Dodgers acquired Granderson because they didn’t trust Joc much like acquiring Reddick to replace Puig. I will say that I think Farmer wasn’t the one chosen over Joc. It was the extra relief pitcher and Ethier. The Dodgers were not going to let Barnes sit on the bench doing nothing. Farmer was going to be on the roster for this series.
Mark, I tend to agree with you about how they approach Ray. Take more pitches, especially the high fastballs. The funny thing is, Jerry Hairston was saying just the opposite last night. He thinks they need to try to jump the first pitch fastballs like teams try to do to Clayton.
As for Clayton, I do think he was overthrowing a bit. Slider wasn’t sharp. But let’s remember, once you have a big lead it is pound the zone and pitch more to contact. The HR by Pollack wasn’t a bad pitch. It was down, but in the center of the plate. Same with JD, not a bad pitch. Now the 3rd one looked like a flat slider or cutter. As for Mathis, I think it was a blind squirrel finding a nut. It’s good to see #22’s teammates pick him up for a change.
Where to hit Puig tonight? I’m good with just about anywhere 5-8. We have good lefty hitters so if they put him 8th I’m good with it. The only thing I don’t like is when they inevitably pull the lefty, we then have Forsythe in the middle of the lineup. Puig has looked better against lefties the last month. Giving quality AB’s, I do seem to remember Puig just missing dingers foul off of Ray. One down the LF line foul and one down the RF line foul.
Granderson’s AB’s last night were just terrible. First time, he had a runner on 2b with no outs and he didn’t get him over against a struggling pitcher. Then a runner on 3rd with no outs and doesn’t get him home. Andre is a much better hitter and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him starting against Greinke.
Connie Hawkins was a Hawkeye his freshman year and routinely outplayed Don Nelson in team scrimmages. Don Nelson left Iowa as the all-time leading scorer. Connie never got on the court for Iowa. First, because freshman weren’t allowed to play. Second, he was unfairly linked to a point shaving scandal even though he never got on the court his freshman year. Unfortunately, that was the end of Connie’s career as a Hawkeye.
I don’t care if Kershaw has a perfect game thru 6. Do NOT let him come out in the 7th. We’ve seen enough of this for 5 years now.
Grandal and Granderson look like garbage at bat. Barnes should be the primary catcher, and I’d rather watch Pedro Baez hit than Granderson.
And thank god that line drive was right at Kenley’s glove!! Phew
Lots of great stuff last night. To me the best was seeing the offense back to where it was in June and July. Being selective and not chasing balls out of the zone. Building pitch counts and keeping the line moving. We must do the same with Ray. Our guys looked focused and confident. GO DODGERS!
Gonzo, I love that kind of talk…
What a great time to be a sport’s fan!!! My Dodgers are once again in the playoffs, with a a couple W’s in the next 3 weeks my beloved Notre Dame will have a shot at a damn good bowl game and last but not least NCAA hoops is right around the corner…
I am legitimately concerned with Kersh and his future… A bad back is a terrible thing to try and compete with. I’m confident he can gut out the playoffs with attention by Honey and and Doc.
I believe Kershaw was pressing a bit last night. I believe that the homerun Pollock hit was a good pitch. Down in the zone so to me, Pollock earned it.
I have LA in 4, but wouldn’t be surprised if this is over in 3.
At this early point it appears the Indians look the scrappiest of the possibles and I think that’s what it’ll boil down to…….Indians@Dodgers! My last visit to Dodger Stadium Kershaw pitched against the Indians interleague.. Indians won in 12 innings if memory serves, but that was before Clayton could legally drink any of champagne he and Dodgers celebrated with winning the division that season. I think Clayton just may take a swig this next time round as he’s legally of age to do so. This is Dodgers year!
Great win last night, the offense had them on their heels all game! Is the Snakes rotation messed up or what? Ray will be short tonight, I agree get the pitch count up and into their bullpen. Now who goes game 4? Walker again? Corbin? Godley on 3 days rest? He was over 100 pitches last night. Whoever it is matches up with Wood. I like Greinke against Darvish, Dodgers seem to hit him. That leaves tonight the MUST win game for the DBacks and Ray can be beaten. I would bat Forsythe 5th tonight and then Barnes and Kike and Puig. Someone who has struggled against Ray will break out in tonight’s game.
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Leaving Joc off the playoff roster tells me his time with the team is done. Ryu is more problematic and he may be brought back next year, assuming Darvish is not signed. The only roster surprise for me was Farmer over Joc but Hawkeye called it long ago and it speaks volumes on how the team regards Pederson.
RIP Connie Hawkins. Probably my favorite player of all-time.
The Good – Turner, Seager, Puig, Morrow, Bellinger’s fielding, Dodger Stadium rocking, Don Newcombe, Vinny, Sandy.
The Bad – Bellinger, Grandal & Granderson with bats in their hands, Seager’s throw to 1st base for no reason.
The Ugly – 4 home runs, Granderson not being able to get Puig home from third with none out.
All in all, a win’s a win. Time to demystify Mr. Ray.
Just win baby!!! “Dodger Killer Robbie Ray” lets end that tonight, cant think of a better time…..
Great win in game #1 and I agree with your offensive game plan tonight. Got to be patient and if it’s possible grind out some long 9-10 pitch ABs early and get Ray’s pitch count elevated. Coming back on just two days rest, although he only pitched 2 1.3 innings, Ray probably won’t pitch 100 pitches and I would like to see the Dodgers get into the D-backs BP by the 4th or 5th inning.
Grandal and Granderson were horrible last night 0-8 with 4 Ks. Would love to see Eithier in LF against Grienke and would love to see Barnes come up big tonight. Who will be tonight’s key playmaker? I’m going with Logan Forsyth.