Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Clayton Kershaw was not at his best today by any means, striking out five batters but walking four and giving up five runs in 5.2 innings. But out of the eight hits he surrendered, only two were hit with any type of authority. Case in point was the fourth inning that cost him three runs, which involved one walk and five singles, including one “single” that cost him two more runs that was initially ruled a fielder’s choice by A.J. Ellis because it was so obviously misplayed. The command is what concerns me a bit, but A LOT of the ERA worries can be boiled down to a ~.350 BABIP this year versus ~.270 for his career.
Fortunately, unlike years past, this Dodgers team can outslug other squads. Running out a reserve bottom half of the order, the team still piled up nine runs on nine hits and a whopping 10 walks.
The decisive hits in the game were Adrian Gonzalez‘s bases loaded double to tie the game at five in the top of the fifth, and Justin Turner‘s two-run homer in the top of the eighth that put them in the lead for good.
Please note, yet again, the #Steinerism of thinking that homer was a sac fly.
In any case, the bullpen brigade was on point yet again, with Pedro Baez, Adam Liberatore, and Yimi Garcia absolutely shutting the door for 3.1 innings, surrendering only a single hit and striking out four.
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– Joc Pederson had a likely unsustainable to begin with walk rate of 26.3% while batting eighth, but for whatever reason, many didn’t believe he actually had that skill. Well, after three walks today, he’s now walked 23.9% of the time in the lead-off spot. Down slightly, probably because he has four more dingers while leading off as well.
The Dodgers and Rockies will play a day-night doubleheader June 2 (12:10 p.m. PT/5:40 p.m. PT) at Colorado to make up Saturday’s rainout.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 10, 2015
Finally, these are cool.
