Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
With a spot starter going up against a $130 million man, today’s game was the worst chance the Dodgers had to beat the Giants, clocking in at about 49%. Unfortunately that doesn’t make this loss feel any better.
Just like the first two games of this series, it was a pitchers’ duel to start.
Johnny Cueto mowed the Dodgers down through five, but he wasn’t quite as invincible as the numbers reflected. The Dodgers threatened in the first and fourth innings, putting men in scoring position, and they hit the ball hard but the balls were simply finding gloves.
Thankfully, the Dodgers had me.
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/857436163526623233
Moments after I said that, Corey Seager told me to go fuck myself, basically.
A monster dong, the longest one this year.
Joey Gallo and Carlos Gomez had the MLB lead for longest HR this year (462 ft), according to Statcast. It appears Seager has joined them.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) April 27, 2017
Justin Turner quickly followed with a single of his own, and after what seems like Adrian Gonzalez‘s daily routine of popping up, Yasmani Grandal doubled sharply to right. After walking Yasiel Puig, Chase Utley broke out of 1-for-31 slump to start the season with a single to left to plate another run.
Andrew Toles then hit the ball hard to the shortstop in what seemed like a perfect double-play ball, but Joe Panik had to come a long way from where he was positioned and Toles beat it out with his speed to plate the third run of the inning.
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While all of that was going on, Alex Wood was making sure the other side of things was as boring as possible. Wood only walked one batter through five no-hit innings before surrendering a single to lead-off the sixth. Wood then retired the next three hitters, giving him six innings in which he struck out five and faced only 20 hitters. Wood was in complete control all game and was as good as I’ve ever seen him in terms of command and stuff.
Hate to be the one who has to tell him he’s out of the rotation after this.
Unfortunately, I guess because his arm strength still isn’t quite there, he was removed after just 77 pitches. That proved … questionable, as Sergio Romo came in with a gas can. After getting a line out to start the inning, Romo gave up a single and then made it a tight game again by surrendering Christian Arroyo‘s first MLB homer. Romo now has a 10.57 ERA and 5.55 FIP, both of which are … bad.
Luis Avilan entered in relief for one lefty and he got him comfortably, though I still think he’s capable of more than being a LOOGY. Pedro Baez then entered to get out of the seventh and struck out the only batter he faced. Baez continued into the eighth, and after getting the first batter, Michael Morse homered to left to tie it up.
I miss Grant Dayton.
— Daniel Brim (@DanielBrim) April 27, 2017
Baez eventually got out of the inning with a tie, but the damage was done, and the bullpen had their collapse again.
Since the offense went completely quiet following the sixth inning outburst, Ross Stripling was tasked with multiple innings in a tie game. Stripling got a scoreless ninth, but collapsed when tasked with getting the bottom of the order in the tenth, giving up a single, issuing a walk, and then was given a bases loaded and nobody out situation on a bunt play that tried to get the runner on third with but A-Gon failed like he has all year.
To Hunter Pence, the Dodgers had a bizarre sequence. After getting ahead 0-2, the Dodgers threw nothing but high fastballs despite the reality that a fly ball would win it.
You’ll be surprised to know that Pence hit a fly ball and the Giants won on a walk-off sacrifice fly.
Should we try to get him to bury his plus curve in the dirt one time? No, apparently.
Pathetic showing from the pen.
Sergio Romo is the mop-up guy at best at this point.
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The Dodgers are now 10-12 overall and 4-8 away from Dodger Stadium, both of which suck.
The Dodgers complete the four-game series against the Giants early tomorrow as they go for the split at 9:45 AM HST/12:45 PM PST/3:45 PM EST. The pitching matchup will be a pair of lefties in Julio Urias (2017 Debut) against Matt Moore (5.87 ERA/5.31 FIP/12.76 DRA), who has been terrible this year which puts the Dodgers offense on shutout alert.
