Hey, at ~ 35 mi. from Chavez I got some chips to play here. Ladies/Gents: Mr. Gordon - http://www.dodgersnation.com/dodger...-rbi-triple-against-chicago-cubs/2014/03/14#4 Straw that stir - all things looking good with Dee G. He's killing it now. Great story. Good kid.
The Guggenheim Generation: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/nl-west/los-angeles-dodgers/ Comparative Dodger Salary figs: 2014: $229 mil 2012: $105 mil Anyone want to weigh in on last team to double payroll figure in less than two seasons? (2013: $205 mil)
G's and D's got past 3 hr. mark, this one looks like a solid 3:30 to 4 hr. rumble. The Beckett effect. The Big guy hasn't won in 14 straight now but, actually been pretty solid this year. Off to bed. Till later for this one.
A tidy 3:47 for a pretty decent opener in a big early series. Beckett's 2014 numbers below. He walked three in less than two but got going and looked fairly smooth (I'm told - STILL NO LOCAL TV.....MAGIC....WTF!!). "Beckett left the game having allowed just a run in 6⅔ innings, with four strikeouts. The right-hander has a 2.80 ERA to go with 34 strikeouts and 12 walks, but is winless in six starts thanks in part to the Dodgers scoring just eight total runs with him in the game" Magic soon to be presiding over 'Old Skool' '14 as D's cruise into a nostalgic look at RADIO-ONLY baseball. Scully eases the pain with some odd yet funny takes on sunsets and hot dog vendor's aprons.
Dee puting it down: "Gordon expanded his major league-leading total to 24 steals on the year. Gordon has stolen 11 bases in 11 games in May, a total that would put him just one behind the major league lead for the whole season."
Greinke keeps rolling. 20 straight starts 2 ER's or less = best streak since 1900. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:10916239 The eephus:
That old horse can still throw: WP - Josh Beckett (1-1): 6⅓ IP, 4 hits, 1 unearned run, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts Look out folks: Puig, on his bobblehead night, was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. He is hitting .423 (22-for-52) during his 13-game hitting streak.
From the 66 File: "Puig on a tear Yasiel Puig has reached base safely in 21 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in the majors behind Robinson Cano (27 games). In that span, Puig is hitting .400, with 7 home runs, 26 RBIs and 12 walks. Yasiel Puig – MLB Career 2013 ....... 2014 OBP .391...... .425 K pct 22. ....... 19.1 BB pct 8.3 ....... 10.9 Chase pct 34.3 ....... .25.9 Puig’s improved plate discipline is a major difference between this season and last. He has lowered his chase percentage more than any player in the league, and that percentage has decreased in every month of his career. As a result, his walk percentage has gone up and his strikeout percentage has decreased ." The Bullet: //www.youtube.com/
My next door neighbor just got back from the LA Dodger nohitter in Philly! A lifetime of baseball, dozens of professional games most years, 86 years old now (and still driving to Philly and NY for baseball, opera, and the symphonies). http://m.mlb.com/game#game=gid_2014_05_25_lanmlb_phimlb_1,game_state=Wrapup I think he might he might leave me in his will now, since I knew details of the closest he'd ever come to seeing a no-no before: Tom Seaver's perfect game attempt, broken up with 2 down in the 8th by single that Cubs journeyman (being generous) Jimmy Qualls managed. I hope 1) I'm that healthy at 86 and 2) I've already seen a no-hitter besides the one I was involved in in little league.
Good stuff. Old-timers are fun to sit next to at games. I still bring my little league glove with me. Cracks those guys up but, I'm damn proud of that glove. Have to talk to my brother about a game I (we maybe?) saw back in the 60's. Mets at home v. Dodgers with Koufax. He was so dominant and, the Mets so awful, even if it wasn't a no-no the Mets were so overwhelmed it seemed like the game was over in an hour and 15 without even a hint of a run from Choo-Choo Coleman and the rest of Casey's misfits.
Dodgers v Yankee comparisons show one thing to me - Giants are playing great baseball. Yankee Fans - it's still close. You've only got a 5 game deficit while scoring 34 fewer runs than Toronto. Dodgers scoring only 4 less runs than Giants and fading out of sight at 10 games back in the loss column. Toronto pitching is OK but, has given up 3 more ER than Yankees. Dodger pitching is OK too but, they've given up 25 more runs than Giants. The Dodger bullpen will be the demise of the Dodgers if this continues. They're coughing up big runs in too many close games. The hitting is spotty now - it's Puig & Gonzo and that's about it . The rest of Dodger lineup is fading badly these days. Gonzo can still ball:
The Gonzo watch continues. He's in a 0-19 skid and Dodger Radio (570AM),with Kevin Kennedy (per usual) leading the charge, tossing out questions about whether Adrians not just in a slump but another career drop. Kennedy worked the numbers - .174 vs lefties this year and then flamed on with some Donnie Baseball blathering about H.Matsui's mastery of lefties w.the Yankees....blah, blah etc. Bottom line: the ship's sinking and Gonzo's $21.8 mill. salary, and age: 32, might be getting a closer look by Coletti. Good luck dumping him Ned - you're gonna eat 2/3 of that salary at this point of the season. Makes no sense to go after Gonzo now - everyone's in the dumps over this season and it ain't just Gonzo tanking. The Mattingly Must Go bandwagon gaining speed.
The shift, situational hitting and veteran players: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles...434/gonzalez-one-of-many-victims-of-the-shift "In June, 56 percent of the balls Gonzalez has put in play have been hit on the ground. That contrasts with the 39 percent groundball rate of March and April, when he hit eight of his 12 home runs. It has added up to a protracted slump for Gonzalez, the longest of his career: His batting average has tumbled from .321 to .247 and his OPS has gone from 1.043 to .781." Baseball's a tough game at the elite level - fraction of an inch difference between an All-Star season and the dumps. Donnie Baseball knows, sees it and yet can't hit for these guys. "“They just get out front and his bat rolls over, so to me, it just tells me a guy’s out front a click. I know he’s working on it.” D.Mattingly Balling for the Yanks. One of the best hitters never make it to a Series. I worry that Donnie's the fall guy here for Magic and the Guggenheim oligarchs. Sad, but that's baseball. He's always going to have a job in the Bigs. Class Act.
The streak is over. Tim Federowicz gets first Dodger hit off Aroldis Chapman. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_/id/30442/aroldis-chapman Just a sick outing from Chapman in 9th: 101-102 fastballs and 92 MPH slider. Just close your eyes and take a rip:
The Kershaw Throwing Machine: Last Nites No-No: "2nd Most Dominant Game Ever: His final line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 15 SO, 107 pitches. His final Game Score: 102. Here's the list of Game Scores of 100 or higher in a nine-inning game: Kerry Wood, Cubs, 1998: 105 (1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 20 SO) Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, 2014: 102 Matt Cain, Giants: 2012: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 SO) Nolan Ryan, Rangers, 1991: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 16 SO) Sandy Koufax, Dodgers, 1965: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 SO) Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays, 2010: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 17 SO) Randy Johnson, D-backs, 2004: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 SO) Curt Schilling, D-backs, 2002: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 17 SO) Nolan Ryan, Angels, 1973: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 17 SO) Nolan Ryan, Angels, 1972: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 16 SO) Warren Spahn, Braves, 1960: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 15 SO) Cain, Koufax and Johnson threw perfect games. The Game Score method doesn't subtract points for the error, only for walks, hits and runs allowed. By this measure, you can argue that Kershaw just threw the second-most dominant game in baseball history. You can debate, factor in the opponent, the prevalence of strikeouts in today's game. Still. No hits, no walks, 15 K's, only 107 pitches. Koufax threw 113 pitches in his perfect game. Cain threw 125. Johnson threw 117." -Dave Schoenfeld/ESPN
World Cup hangover, moving and......I come back to first-place Dodgers. Sheeit. Musta made up 15 games on G's. All's well in the Ravine. Tho, truth told, the Doyers doing it on the road waaay better than @ home: 38-25 away, 30-27 home. What??? Hit Dog on it last two months. Grinding and now rocking it: Ladies, Gents - the BIG DIFF himself:
Dodgers get by Braves after a shoddy effort from Wilson & Jansen: 2 IP, 6 hits and 3 runs. Wilson was out of gas - his heater barely touched 91. Bullpen is schizoid at the tail end but, still, 40-26 on the road. Good enough.
"The Dodgers have managed to build this little cushion while navigating their trickiest stretch of schedule, and now things are about to ease considerably. Of the Dodgers’ 13 remaining series, eight are at home and only four are against teams with a winning record. They have 39 games left, six against the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in baseball, and 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres," -Mark Saxon/ESPN Home series edge? Not this season...so far. http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles...opping-just-short-of-calling-race-for-dodgers Solid: Roberto Hernandez "Hernandez (7-8) basically cruised through six innings against the free-swinging Braves, allowing just three hits and pitching around his four walks. A sinkerball specialist, he got a double play among his five groundouts. "
Dodger dog and girls: Brewers 3-2 Dodgers. Kershaw dominant, Brewers with the key hits. Brewers now 4 out of 5 from D's in last week or so. Brew crew rolling - tight, solid team with big bats. Gallardo brought his 'A' game last nite.