Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Category: Postgame (Page 18 of 21)

Take it to the 10th: Dodgers win in extra-ordinary circumstances

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On July 30, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Matt Kemp is having a week.

With a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th tonight, Kemp drove the Dodgers to their fifth victory in a row, 3-2 over Atlanta, and extended his recent dominance.

Kemp is 6 for 8 with three home runs, four runs and six RBI in his past two games. He now has a .353 on-base percentage and .465 slugging percentage this season.

Following a best-in-his-Dodger career 13 strikeouts in eight innings from Zack Greinke and two runs from Kemp — one in the second inning on his latest homer, the other by racing from second to home on a Juan Uribe infield single to break a 1-1 tie in the eighth, the Dodgers were within three outs of a tidy 2-1 win.

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But then Kenley Jansen allowed his first run in 14 games to start the bottom of the ninth, a home run by Justin Upton. Consequently, the Dodgers found themselves playing their first extra-inning game at Dodger Stadium since May 11.

Atlanta threatened in the 10th, but shot itself in the foot when J.P. Howell picked Jordan Schafer off second base with one out.

And then came Kemp. Again.

Four hits for Puig, four RBI for Kemp, four wins in a row for Dodgers

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On July 29, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig singled, doubled and tripled in his first three at-bats tonight, setting up Dodger fans, who have already seen two no-hitters this year, for a new piece of history.

Instead, the happy crowd settled for Vin Scully’s 2015 return, the first four-game winning streak of the Dodgers’ season and an expanded lead in the National League West.

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Kenley Jansen, ladies and gentlemen

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On July 27, 2014

In Postgame

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Click to enlarge.

– Jon Weisman

Clayton Kershaw supreme again (and Adrian Gonzalez is hot)

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On July 26, 2014

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

There’s a risk of taking Clayton Kershaw for granted, which I sincerely do not do. No matter my expectations, I genuinely take pleasure each and every time he fulfills and surpasses them, as he did in tonight’s 5-0 victory over San Francisco.

Coming off what — ridiculously — was his worst start since May, a seven-inning, three-run no decision at St. Louis, Kershaw came back and simply put the Giants to sleep. He went nine innings on 113 pitches, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out seven.

The lefty magician threw his ninth career shutout and third career two-hitter.

Kershaw went to ball three on the second and third batters he faced tonight. He gave up a 3-1 single to Gregor Blanco, and then, on a 3-2 pitch, induced a double-play grounder from Buster Posey. And that was all but it. Kershaw retired 25 of the last 28 batters, allowing only a single, a walk and a runner to reach base on an error, and went to ball three on merely six batters all game.

Since June 1, Kershaw has thrown 77 innings in 10 starts, allowing eight runs for a 0.94 ERA. He has allowed 39 hits, walked eight and struck out 95.

But while celebrating Kershaw without fail, we can risk overlooking some other players. And to that end, let me just say this: Isn’t it nice when Adrian Gonzalez gets on a roll?

Gonzalez had three more hits tonight, including two doubles (admittedly one that Hunter Pence lost in the sun, though it was still well-struck). Since the All-Star Break, Gonzalez has appeared rejuvenated, going 13 for 31 with four doubles, a homer and five walks. That’s a .486 on-base percentage and .645 slugging percentage. That’s good stuff.

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OK, so I ended up writing more about Kershaw than Gonzalez. Sometimes, it’s hard to ignore the best on the planet.

And I almost forgot to tell you. The Dodgers are in first place.

Emotional rescue: Dodger victory a big relief but could be costly

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On July 20, 2014

In Health/injuries, Postgame

HanleyBy Jon Weisman

In their most emotional game of 2014, the Dodgers prevailed over St. Louis on Sunday, 4-3.

It was a game in which 2013 National League Championship Series hit-by-pitch victim Hanley Ramirez was drilled two more times by Cardinal pitchers, a day after Yasiel Puig was knocked out of action by an HBP. The latest one, which came in the ninth inning that saw the Dodgers deliver the tiebreaking run, looked serious enough to sideline Ramirez himself, but we’re awaiting reports as this was being published.

Ramirez was hit by an 0-2 pitch, which is a count that I’ve always found exonerated the pitcher (in this case, Trevor Rosenthal) from intent. You’re just too close to an out, especially in a tie game in the ninth, to give up a base voluntarily. It’s the same reason that I never felt Zack Greinke was trying to hit Carlos Quentin with his 1-2 pitch in early 2013.

Many Dodger fans online might not agree. In any case, the damage the Cardinal pitchers have been inflicting in the past nine months has been fairly ridiculous, which is why you can imagine Matt Holliday couldn’t have been too surprised by Clayton Kershaw’s first HBP of the year to start the bottom of the fourth.

Kershaw, whose efforts included his first career stolen base, eliminated Holliday from the basepaths on his very next pitch, thanks to a 4-6-3 double play, and seemed thoroughly in control, taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth. But Matt Carpenter, a thorn in his side with an 11-pitch at-bat in NLCS Game 6 last October, worked a 10-pitch walk, and the next batter, Peter Bourjos, hit a game-tying homer.

That evened the game and left Kershaw (seven innings, six hits, one walk, eight strikeouts) with a no-decision after winning eight consecutive starts. The tie was broken in the ninth by Adrian Gonzalez, who stranded two runners with two out in the seventh but this time delivered an RBI single that scored Miguel Rojas, pinch-running after A.J. Ellis led off the inning with a double.

Kenley Jansen retired the side in order on 12 pitches to close out the game.

Strikeout parade continues for the Dodgers in latest 1-0 victory

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On July 13, 2014

In Pitching, Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out a season-high 10 in six innings today in the Dodgers’ 1-0 victory over San Diego at Dodger Stadium, an appropriate way for the Dodgers to finish a first half filled with strikeouts by their starting pitchers.

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Honoring His Majesty, Clayton Kershaw

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On July 10, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

It was a majestic thing, Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless inning streak, because he glided through so much of it. Forty-one innings, only 11 runners reaching second base, only three of those reaching third. He was the sharpest knife through the most compliant butter. Resistance was futile and all that.

The last thing I expected was for the streak to end on a two-out, 1-2 pitch. I figured if anything, maybe someone would sneak a leadoff double through, and the guy would work his way home.

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Tigers, unlike Brazil, rally from 5-0 first-half/inning blitz

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On July 8, 2014

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers had two hits after the first inning. The Tigers had 20.

That includes 10 hits in their first 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and a 12-for-17 performance for the game with RISP in what became a 14-5 romp.

The top pitcher of the night for the Dodgers: Pedro Baez, who in his second career game threw a perfect inning, aided by a sprawling catch by Matt Kemp. Kemp had half of the Dodgers’ six hits for the night.

Ryu steady, but old issues return for Dodgers in 5-4 loss

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On July 2, 2014

In Pitching, Postgame

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

By Jon Weisman

Gonna get the positive out of the way first, if you don’t mind.

Does Hyun-Jin Ryu get enough appreciation? He is just so solid and, it appears, almost completely unflappable.

After a first-inning double and a Carlos Triunfel error that put runners at the corners today, Ryu struck out Cleveland’s No. 4 and No. 5 hitters.

After a fourth-inning home run by Ryan Raburn gave the Indians a 2-0 lead that some fans no doubt thought was insurmountable, Ryu stranded runners in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Ryu doesn’t always threaten to throw a perfect game the way he did on Memorial Day, but let’s talk consistency and minimizing damage. Since April 27, Ryu’s ERA has not gone below 3.00 or above 3.33.

Thanks largely to Ryu, the Dodgers were able to stay in today’s game long enough for a three-run rally in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead — a rally that was keyed by Ryu’s RBI double, the fourth straight hit by Dodger pitchers in the past 24 hours. Andre Ethier then had a clutch, 2-2 count, two-out, two-run single, Ethier’s third big hit in the past four games.

The Dodgers took that 3-2 lead into the eighth inning, after Ryu called it a day, having allowed seven hits and no walks in seven innings while striking out eight. Ryu helped the Dodgers tie the modern Major League mark of 36 consecutive games with two or fewer walks by their starting pitchers.

* * *

Unfortunately for Ryu and the Dodgers, Brian Wilson’s extended run of recently effective relief hit a speed bump — with the Indians tying the game in the eighth on two walks and a pinch-hit RBI single by David Murphy, then taking the lead on a two-run single by Mike Aviles — and the Dodgers lost their second straight game for the first time in three weeks, 5-4.

Wilson had been unscored upon in 18 of his past 19 apperances, with 13 hits and seven walks in 16 2/3 innings against 18 strikeouts and two inherited runners stranded. But he got in trouble with an early season bugaboo — walking the first two batters he faced.

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Similarly, while Miguel Rojas had a dazzling spear of a line drive at third base (above) and right fielder Scott Van Slyke threw out a runner at home, this was more of an April game defensively for the Dodgers than what they’ve been producing lately. In addition to the aforementioned errors, Triunfel had a dropped throw on a stolen-base attempt and didn’t turn to catch a throw by Matt Kemp to third base in that troublesome top of the eighth (a throw that Kemp said afterward was his responsibility).

And still, the Dodgers nearly did pull this one out.

In the bottom of the eighth, Scott Van Slyke hit his seventh homer of the year — his first against a right-handed pitcher — to pull the Dodgers within a run. And then in the ninth, after pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez walked with two out, Ethier worked the count from 0-2 to 3-2 before slicing another big hit, a double to left, sending Ramirez to third. (Note: The Dodgers were out of pinch-runners at this point, except for pitchers.)

Needing a single to tie or perhaps win the game, Kemp hit the ball hard, but it was flagged down on the warning track in right-center, and that was that.

“Obviously, you don’t want to not win,” Dodger manager Don Mattingly said, “but I’m not frustrated with our effort at all, and our energy.”

One one-hitter later, and Dodgers are No. 1 in West

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On June 30, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

It was the play of the game, early in the game. With David Murphy (who had walked) on second and two out, Miguel Rojas dove to his left to flag a sharp shot up the middle by Michael Bourn off Dan Haren that had RBI stamped and scribbled all over it.

Rojas jumped to his feet and threw to first, and Bourn was called out.

The bad news for the Dodgers: Upon further review, the call was reversed.

The good news for the Dodgers: Cleveland had no more baserunners the rest of the game.

Yes, there but for the grace of replay went the Dodgers’ third no-hitter in six weeks. Really.

But there, thanks to the grace of Clint Robinson, the Dodgers moved into first place in the National League West for the first time since April 24.

Coming to the plate in a scoreless game in the bottom of the seventh inning, after Andre Ethier had tripled with none out and pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez had been intentionally walked with two out, Robinson grounded a 3-2 pitch almost to the same spot that Bourn hit his ball, but this – Robinson’s first Major League hit – had enough moxie to get through for the RBI that gave the Dodgers a 1-0 victory over Cleveland.

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Robinson was batting for Haren, who faced 23 batters and retired all but the aforementioned two, striking out five. Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen were perfect in closing out the game.

Dodger pitchers have …

  • a 0.33 ERA in their past three games with 32 strikeouts in 27 innings.
  • a 1.14 ERA in their past seven games with 67 strikeouts in 63 innings.
  • a 1.81 ERA in their past 14 games with 124 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings.

And the Dodgers have won 16 of their past 22 games, gaining 10 games on San Francisco in 22 days.

Nearly no-hit, Dodgers show grit

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On June 26, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

There was great defense and timely hitting and shutdown pitching (oh, was there shutdown pitching). There were contributions from superstars and reserves and guys fresh off the disabled list and guys who have struggled to find consistency. There was  a jacked-up crowd urging their team on against the National League All-Star team’s most likely starting pitcher, doing nothing less than threatening to throw the sport’s latest no-hitter.

And in a taut two hours and 32 minutes, the Dodgers came through with a 1-0 victory over St. Louis, their first 1-0 victory of 2014, their second-shortest nine-inning game and easily one of the best edge-of-your seat games of the season.

So little scoring, so many moments …

  • Dee Gordon walks, and then St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright sets down the next 15 batters.
  • Josh Beckett gives up a first-inning and third-inning hit, but otherwise matches Wainwright zero for zero.
  • Miguel Rojas, after making slick plays at shortstop all night, breaks up Wainwright’s no-hitter with a line single to left to start the bottom of the sixth.
  • In the seventh, Gordon ranges far to his right, adjusts to a last minute bounce off the bag to field a seventh-inning grounder, and throws Yadier Molina out at first.

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  • One batter later, after Allen Craig has doubled, John Jay singles to left and Matt Kemp shows what his arm can do in left field, nailing Craig at home. An exultant Beckett completes his seventh shutout inning of the night, lowering his 2014 ERA to a remarkable 2.11.
  • Brian Wilson pitches his most authoritative inning of the season, retiring the Cardinals in the eighth on 14 pitches, 12 for strikes.
  • Juan Uribe, in his first game in more than five weeks and looking rusty through two strikeouts, singles to start the bottom of the eighth.
  • Rojas, again. After a Drew Butera sacrifice, an infield single by the shortstop puts runners at the corner.
  • Justin Turner, sent to the bench by Uribe’s return, steps up as a pinch-hitter and lines an RBI single to left. Turner is now 6 for 15 (.400) as a pinch-hitter.
  • Matt Adams hits a bloop single in the ninth off Kenley Jansen, but pinch-runner Peter Bourjos is tagged out at second by an alert Rojas on a steal attempt.
  • Needing only seven pitches to finish his work, Jansen ends things on a Jhonny Peralta fly to center.

As much as you see Rojas’ name in these highlights, that’s how much of a presence off the bench he has become in only 20 days as a Dodger. What a treat to see someone seize the opportunity and challenge in front of him. No, he’s no big bat, but he’s doing everything you could ask.

So the Dodgers, who were 1-33 when tied or trailing after seven innings before Wednesday, have won two games in two nights that were tied in the eighth. And from the “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you” department: San Francisco lost to Cincinnati, 3-1. At the halfway point of the 2014 season, the Dodgers are within two games of first place in the NL West.

No no-no, but yes on the greatness for Kershaw

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On June 24, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Not intending at all to knock down the no-hit magic, but was Clayton Kershaw that much less impressive in his follow-up tonight at Kansas City?

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 8.02.10 PMSeven Royals reached base against the Dodger lefty, two of them in the fourth, two again in the seventh, all with nothing more than a 1-0 lead. And seven were stranded.

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It won’t go down in history, but it will go down as the latest moment of greatness for Kershaw.

Kershaw has a way of putting to rest the kind of doubts that can crop up among even his biggest supporters, myself among them when he came out for the eighth after a heavy-duty seventh that required him to escape a two-on, one-out jam while passing the 100-pitch mark. In that eighth inning, Kershaw found yet another gear, retiring the Royals in order on six pitches, including his eighth strikeout.

In doing so, he made it possible for the Dodgers’ lone run to that point in the game stand up, a run that came thanks mainly to the first batter of the game.

Justin Turner, making his first leadoff start of the year, took Royals starter Danny Duffy to 11 pitches before tripling to right-center, then scored three batters later on an Adrian Gonzalez force out. (Yasiel Puig helped keep the inning alive by narrowly beating out an infield grounder for a single.)

In the ninth inning, the Dodgers bookended their offensive efforts with a walk by Gonzalez and singles by A.J. Ellis and pinch-hitter Andre Ethier, giving themselves a 2-0 lead and sending Kershaw to rest with the following line: eight innings, six hits, one walk, eight strikeouts. Since May 17, Kershaw has thrown 50 innings with a 1.26 ERA and 66 strikeouts against 30 hits and six walks. His past 21 innings have been scoreless.

Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to save the Dodgers’ victory, improving their record to 43-36 and Kershaw’s to 8-2. Despite missing more than a month of the season, this is the earliest in his career that Kershaw has been credited with eight wins, showing once again that wins march to the beat of their own drummer.

Then again, so does Kershaw.

Sunday afternoon victory postgame notebook

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On June 22, 2014

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

Some notes following the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory at San Diego today:

  • Los Angeles remained four games behind the Giants in the National League West and atop the NL wild-card standings, three games ahead of Atlanta. The Dodgers would face St. Louis in the wild-card game if the season ended today.
  • The Dodgers are tied with Toronto and the Angels for the fifth-best record in the Majors. The Angels host the Rangers tonight.
  • Kenley Jansen pitched for the third consecutive game, the first time he has done that since saving three games from August 31-September 2.
  • Jansen, who underwent a mechanics tune-up this weekend, perfect inning today ended a streak of five consecutive outings without one.
  • Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning but walked Everth Cabrera, OPSing .561 this season. Wilson has a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings since May 16, allowing 12 hits but walking seven while striking out 14. Both his inherited runners have scored in that time.
  • J.P. Howell, who retired all four batters he faced today, has a 1.61 ERA and has stranded 20 of 22 inherited runners this year.
  • Hyun-Jin Ryu has matched Zack Greinke with a 9-3 record, putting the pair on pace for 19-6 seasons. Ryu lowered his season ERA to 3.05 and his career ERA to 3.02.
  • Ryu, who allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out two, pitched exactly six innings for the fifth straight game. Only Randy Wolf, from April 3-25, 2007, has done that in Dodger history.
  • Dee Gordon, who drove in the Dodgers’ second run today, now leads Dodger regulars with a .355 batting average with runners in scoring position.
  • Hanley Ramirez went 2 for 4 and is 17 for 50 (.340) in his past 15 games with three doubles, two homers and nine walks (.433 OBP/.520 slugging).
  • Scott Van Slyke singled and walked twice, raising his OBP to .430, tops among non-Carlos Triunfel Dodgers.
  • The Dodgers are 10-4 in their past 14 games, matching the 1977 Los Angeles Rams.

Kershaw does it! A no-hitter for the ace!

By

On June 18, 2014

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

So that’s what it’s like to stare into the sun.

Clayton Kershaw lassoed the brilliant light of 191 previous Major League starts and unleashed it on a Colorado Rockies team that had no shield, no defense. And baseball fans around the world could only gaze in wonder.

Striking out a career-high 15 batters, Kershaw pitched his first career no-hitter — and of course, the second by a Dodger in less than a month — wiping out the Colorado Rockies, 8-0.

Kershaw had taken one previous no-hitter into the eighth inning, on May 17, 2009, before Cody Ross broke it up with a double.

Tonight’s was a perfect game before Hanley Ramirez’s throwing error to lead off the seventh inning. Undaunted, Kershaw retired the final nine Rockies, needing only one outstanding defensive play, a deep throw from back of third base by Miguel Rojas.

Let’s tweet about @ScottVanSlick

By

On June 9, 2014

In Postgame

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Dodgers 6, Reds 2

– Jon Weisman

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Attendance

1991-2013
Dodgers at home: 1,028-812 (.558695)
When Jon attended: 338-267 (.558677)*
When Jon didn’t: 695-554 (.556)
* includes road games attended

2013
Dodgers at home: 51-35 (.593)
When Jon attended: 5-2 (.714)
When Jon didn’t: 46-33 (.582)

Note: I got so busy working for the Dodgers that in 2014, I stopped keeping track, much to my regret. 

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