Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Unlike yesterday’s comfortable win, today’s 3-2 victory over the Marlins was much more of a struggle. But a win is a win, and this win increases the Dodgers winning streak to nine games in a row. In their last 33 games, the Dodgers are now 29-4.
It’s a good team.
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Offensively, it wasn’t one of their best games (seven hits, six walks), but nevertheless they managed to get some runs. Justin Turner got the fun started early with a solo shot in the first.
Then in the third, Logan Forsythe walked and Corey Seager singled to put men on the corners with one out, which was cashed in on a sacrifice fly by JT to right and increased the advantage to 2-0. That was extended further in the fourth when Chris Taylor led-off with a triple and was plated on an Austin Barnes single.
Opposing starter Chris O’Grady had this habit of pointing to the sky to indicate fly ball on basically anything hit in the air, which ended up being funny when it’s a triple off the right-field wall and a clean single to center.
Anyway, the Dodgers tried to get more insurance in the sixth when Enrique Hernandez squared one up, but Marcell Ozuna was there in left to bring back a sure homer.
Apart from that, the glaring chances to add insurance the Dodgers missed came late in the game. In the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs and Cody Bellinger at the plate, Seager got picked off second for reasons I can’t explain. The very next inning, the Dodgers wasted another bases loaded chance, this time stranding them with only one out after a strikeout and a fly out.
Ugh.
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On the other side of things, Rich Hill had it working again today, going five innings of one-run ball that could’ve been shutout ball had he not tried to field a comebacker and just let it go through for a double play. Still, he allowed just five hits and walked none while striking out a whopping nine batters, which is why his pitch count was at 94 and he was removed seemingly early.
In his last five starts, Hill has pitched 31 innings, allowing just six runs with six walks against 44 strikeouts. During that span he has reduced his ERA from 5.14 to 3.55. This is what the Dodgers paid for.
Despite that, thanks to the aforementioned missed chances, the Dodgers were clinging to a two-run lead and the bullpen had to get four innings. Josh Fields and Luis Avilan got scoreless sixth and seventh frames, but Brandon Morrow ran into a bit of trouble in the eighth, though not by his own making. Morrow gave up solid contact to Dee Gordon, but it was right at Seager, who bobbled it and allowed him to reach (ruled a hit, somehow). He then got a ground out that advanced Dee a base and notched a strikeout, but that was the end for him as Kenley Jansen was brought on for a four-out save.
Things, uh, didn’t go as planned. Kenley balked Dee to third and then allowed back-to-back singles before getting a strikeout to dodge blowing the lead in the eighth, but the lead was cut to one. Still, Kenley is Kenley and in the ninth he struck out two and got a ground out (nice play, JT) to end it.
Cool.
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Rich Hill, man.
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/886660838999773184
Yasiel Puig off days are always a mess.
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/886651508787302400
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64 wins and 29 losses is a good record for a good team, and that is the record of the Dodgers right now. They are also 25-18 away from Dodger Stadium, which isn’t as impressive, but it’s getting more impressive. Oh yeah, the Diamondbacks lost to the Braves again, which means they are now 10.5 games back in the NL West. Best record in baseball.
The Dodgers have a day off tomorrow as they travel to Chicago for a series against the White Sox. That game will start at 2:10 PM HST/5:10 PM PST/8:10 PM EST, and hopefully by then the White Sox will have traded away their entire roster for prospects. Clayton Kershaw (2.18 ERA/3.02 FIP/2.53 DRA) will finally take the hill as he had his start delayed for rest purposes, and he’ll face Miguel Gonzalez (5.15 ERA/5.15 FIP/6.48 DRA) who … uh, has not been great.
