By Jon Weisman
It’s Milwaukee 6, Los Angeles 6 entering the ninth inning. The Dodgers came back from down 3-0 and 6-3 to tie the game. Triumph or tragedy awaits. Who’s to say which?
This game has already had plenty of both. It’s been such a weird night, I’m kind of live-blogging the rest of the way as I recap what’s already come.
Eighth-inning RBI heroes Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez.
By Jon Weisman
Jake Arrieta bent, and an inning later, the Cubs broke.
In his first start against the Dodgers since his August 30 no-hitter, Arrieta pitched seven more shutout innings. But he didn’t no-hit them (pop the champagne), and in fact, barely escaped the seventh inning after walking the bases loaded.
Once he was out of the game, the Dodgers struck, with a trio of singles from Chase Utley, Corey Seager and Adrian Gonzalez breaking a scoreless tie in the eighth — as well as ending 26 consecutive scoreless innings against Chicago dating back to last season — and propelling the Dodgers to a rain-delayed 5-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The Dodgers not only answered the Cubs’ one-hitter Monday with one of their own (retiring the final 19 batters), they evened their record on their road trip against last year’s National League pennant finalists to 3-2, with two games to go. In those six games, Gonzalez (2 for 4) is 10 for 19 with two walks.
Howie Kendrick capped an eight-pitch at-bat with an opposite-field sacrifice fly for the Dodgers’ second run, and a three-run homer in the final inning by Corey Seager (3 for 5) — his team-leading ninth of the season — put the game all but out of reach.
While Arrieta came away with a no-decision, and in fact allowed only two more hits in this start against the Dodgers than he did in his last one, the loss nevertheless ended a 23-game Cubs winning streak in games their ace has started, which had tied a Major League record, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
By Jon Weisman
There are four other pitchers looking to prove that the Dodger starting rotation isn’t just Clayton Kershaw.
After last week’s seven-walk interruption, Scott Kazmir is back on the case.
Kazmir struck out 12 batters — his most since 2013 and one shy of his career high — in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over Cincinnati tonight, Los Angeles’ season-high fourth win in a row.
The 32-year-old just missed becoming the second Dodger lefty in the past five days to strike out 13 in six innings, after Alex Wood on May 21. He settled for the dandy dozen whiffs, on 91 pitches.
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Yasiel Puig homers in the fifth inning. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
Kenley Jansen had allowed one run in the first 42 games of the season. Then he allowed two runs with one swing.
In a game that was topsy, turvy and topsy again, Melvin Upton Jr.’s two-run homer off Jansen, after an odd, pop-fly single that second baseman Chase Utley couldn’t corral, gave the Padres a walkoff a 7-6 victory at San Diego over the Dodgers.
It was the first walkoff homer Jansen allowed in his seven-season MLB career.
Upton’s homer negated a two-out, two-run homer by Justin Turner in the eighth inning after Carl Crawford’s pinch-hit single that had rallied the Dodgers to a 6-5 lead.
![Image-1[85]](http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image-185.jpg)
Yasiel Puig’s diving catch in the second helped Scott Kazmir retire the first six batters he faced.
Well, thanks for the lovely meal, Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir hadn’t served past the seventh inning in seven previous starts for the Dodgers, but he was everything but the after-dinner mint tonight, coming out out short of his third career complete game in a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals.
Brian Blanco/Getty Images
By Jon Weisman
After a rough week, the Dodgers tonight hit lefties and righties and starties and relievies — all the -ies.
By Jon Weisman
The worst fears about Scott Kazmir were both realized and replaced tonight.
After allowing four singles (and two runs) to the first five Marlins he faced, Kazmir went on to shut out Miami for the remainder of his six innings.
Throwing 113 pitches, his most since September 11, 2014, Kazmir finished with six strikeouts, retiring 16 of the final 21 batters he faced, including a 4-6-3 double play to end the top of the sixth.
The effects of Kazmir’s left thumb/wrist ailment were seen most when he came to the plate, where he did no more than show bunt, even with no runners on base.
Unfortunately for Kazmir and the Dodgers, he left trailing, 2-0. Left-hander Justin Nicolino stymied the Dodger offense in his 7 1/3-inning season debut, despite striking out only two, shutting out Los Angeles on 99 pitches by allowing only singles by Corey Seager and Justin Turner and walks to Kiké Hernandez and Adrian Gonzalez.
Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
The trouble with Yimi Garcia’s pitching arm remains localized in his bicep, Dave Roberts said this afternoon, but so far there’s been no progress for the 25-year-old righty since he went on the disabled list April 23.
“Not a whole lot of improvement,” Roberts said. “He’s disappointed, because after not picking up a baseball for three or four days, you’d expect that to kind of subside. … I don’t know when he’s going to pick up a baseball.”
Garcia has a career 3.12 ERA (120 ERA+) with 81 strikeouts in 75 innings for Los Angeles.
As for the active members of the Dodger bullpen behind Scott Kazmir tonight, all should be available for action, with the possible exception, I would expect, of Louis Coleman, who threw 10 pitches Monday and 20 Tuesday. J.P. Howell has also worked the past two games, but with only nine pitches combined.
As he indicated Tuesday, Roberts is looking for an improved performance from Kazmir, who pitched six shutout innings in his Dodger debut but has allowed 14 runs in 13 innings since.
“No. 1 is fastball command, and No. 2 is to see how his changeup is, because that’s been his best secondary pitch, and over his last couple of starts, he hasn’t really been able to get the depth and finish hitters with it,” Roberts said. It’s a swing-and-miss pitch, so I think if his change is good, presenting it as a strike and having the depth, then he’ll be in a good place.”
Scott Kazmir and Clayton Kershaw (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Clayton Kershaw has thrown at least seven innings in each of his four starts this season, and the Dodgers would love for him to make it a fifth.
It would be going too far to say they need him to, but … it sure would be nice.
Of the Dodgers’ 20 games this season, starting pitchers have gone at least six innings 11 times — twice in the past seven games.
“I think those guys would be the first to tell you, we’ve got to get length,” Dave Roberts said. “Obviously, we came from (three games in) Denver, but I think to win a lot of games and to go deep in the postseason, we can’t beat up our pen, and so that starts with the starting pitching.
“Last night, I tried to get a little extra length with Ross (Stripling), and unfortunately in the sixth inning they scored a run, but I’ve kind of got to think about the pen usage as well as trying to win that night. There’s that fine balance, certainly.”
Kershaw is making his final start of April tonight. If he completes five innings, he would become the first Dodger starting pitcher to average at least seven innings per start in April since Derek Lowe in 2005. (He’s also on pace to post the highest April strikeout-walk ratio for a Dodger starting pitcher in history: 10.0.)
Next after Kershaw comes Scott Kazmir, who has been bothered somewhat by a sore left thumb and wrist. Kazmir through off flat ground today and is ready to make his scheduled start Wednesday.
“Kaz is a pro,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t want to use it as an excuse, but when you’ve got the wrist-thumb thing, it’s kind of hard for him to get on top of the baseball, so I think he was getting a little outside and under it. So just now even watching him play catch, he was kind of getting the extention he needed and the ball was coming out really well, so I do think it’ll make a big difference.”
Corey Seager is congratulated by third-base coach Chris Woodward. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
The injuries woes that have bedeviled the Dodgers at Coors Field returned Friday during a 7-5 loss to the Rockies.
Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir developed an issue with his left thumb, while reliever Yimi Garcia had to leave in the middle of a difficult inning with right bicep soreness, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
By Jon Weisman
Scott Kazmir certainly likes to make a good first impression. And Dodger starting pitchers this season like to make good impressions twice over.
Echoing the season-opening seven innings of one-hit shutout pitching by Clayton Kershaw on Monday, Kazmir stymied the San Diego Padres in his debut performance as a Dodger with six innings of one-hit shutout ball tonight, handing a 3-0 lead to the Dodger bullpen.
Kazmir all but duplicated his seven innings of one-hit shutout ball in his own 2015 season debut. Though he pitched one fewer inning this evening, he walked none.
The only hit off Kazmir was an infield single by Cory Spangenberg near second base in the first inning. The 32-year-old lefty retired the final 17 batters he faced, finishing his night on 75 pitches.
Kazmir mixed in changeups as slow as 72 mph, but finished his night with 91 mph fastballs to strike out Melvin Upton Jr. and Jon Jay in the sixth.
In two nights, Dodger starting pitchers have thrown 13 shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out 14.
“A lot was made of his spring,” Roberts said of Kazmir, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, “but he knew what it took to get ready for a Major League season. The fastball, the cutter, he threw great changeups tonight. He really executed the scouting report. I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Said Kazmir (via Gurnick): “I just wanted to have a good start to the season, get outs early and get us to the dugout as quick as possible. Location was the key, being able to get ahead. I was happy with my fastball location and worked the other pitches off that.”
Artifacts from Dave Roberts’ first win Monday as Dodger manager. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Having electrified Opening Day with a lights-out 15-0 victory over San Diego, the only thing the Dodgers needed to change in their lineup tonight was the battery.
Scott Kazmir will make his official Dodger debut on the mound, and he’ll be throwing to catcher Austin Barnes.
Weirdly, Clayton Kershaw’s seven shutout innings in the Dodgers’ season-opening rout this year nearly duplicated Kazmir’s first game a year ago. Pitching for Oakland on April 8, 2015, Kazmir also threw seven innings of one-hit shutout ball in a 10-0 victory. While Kershaw walked one and struck out nine, Kazmir walked two and fanned 10.
Kazmir had a 0.99 ERA in four April starts last year, with 30 strikeouts against 25 baserunners in 27 1/3 innings. He allowed one home run the entire month.
Beginning his second season in the organization, Barnes should no longer be a stranger to Dodger fans, but it’s true that he is making only his ninth career start (eighth at catcher). As a starter in 2015, Barnes went 5 for 20 with four walks and a hit-by-pitch for a .400 on-base percentage, striking out only four times in 26 plate appearances.
By Jon Weisman
Scott Kazmir began tonight’s Freeway Series opener against the Angels with his two-seam fastball running between 88 and 90 mph in the first inning.
Then, with two outs and two strikes on C.J. Cron, Kazmir hit 92 with a fastball that Cron fouled into A.J. Ellis’ glove for strike three.
The speed bump wasn’t a coincidence.
Last day @CamelbackRanch. #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/W9qNFzQVDq
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 30, 2016
By Jon Weisman
On the final day of Cactus League play at Camelback Ranch for 2016, here are some Dodger tidbits …
By Cary Osborne
Today marks Scott Kazmir’s first Cactus League outing since March 9, when he allowed six hits, two walks and five earned runs against the Angels.
Kazmir faces the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park.
He pitched in a B game against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch on March 14. A lot was made of Kazmir’s fastball velocity in the B game, reportedly in the mid- to high-80s, so Spring Training game or not, people will be eager to watch this one.
The same could be said about the matchup against the Padres at Camelback Ranch where Mike Bolsinger continues his campaign for the fifth-starter spot.
The right-hander threw four shutout innings against the Brewers on March 14, allowing two hits and walk, striking out two.
Here’s how the three fifth-starter candidates have done so far:
However, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported on Saturday that Beachy was dealing with a sore arm and will rest for a few days while being evaluated. Beachy told Gurnick today that it’s mild tendinitis and he doesn’t believe it’s too serious.
Scott Van Slyke was originally in today’s lineup at first base against the Padres, but was scratched due to a sore right hip flexor. Gurnick reported on Twitter that Van Slyke will rest one or two days.
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