Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After breaking their losing streak with a win in the series finale against the Marlins, the Dodgers were rained out yesterday against the Nationals. Now in the first game of the scheduled double-header, the Dodgers edge close to an actual winning streak in real life by taking today’s contest, 4-1.
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Ross Stripling provided the Dodgers with 96 pitches of dominance over six innings, striking out nine batters while walking none and allowing just four hits. Stripling did surrender a run since three of those hits came in the 3rd frame (all singles), but in the other five innings he didn’t allow a runner past first base.
While the generous strike zone certainly helped, Stripling’s performance was mainly powered by his outstanding curve.
Easily the most shocking part of today was that while the Dodgers still can’t quite get it going offensively, they did push across runs with situational hitting not just once but thrice.
In the 1st, Joc Pederson worked a 10-pitch at-bat that ended with him yanking a triple down the line in right. Later, with one down, Yasmani Grandal scored him with a routine fly out to left. In the 3rd, Logan Forsythe started things with a single, and with one out Joc also singled to put runners on the corners. Cody Bellinger then at least made contact and grounded a ball to second, which scored a run after he beat out the attempt at turning two.
In the 6th, they got things done a bit more offensively, with a Grandal lead-off single eventually being cashed in with a one-out Max Muncy double that was lined into the corner in right.
By some miracle, the Dodgers got another manufactured run in the 8th, as Justin Turner reached on a single, Grandal walked, and Matt Kemp narrowly avoiding a double play led to runners on the corners. That was cashed in by my Perfectly Rectangular Boy on a deep fly ball to the wall in left that (unfortunately) led to Howie Kendrick being carted off with what looked like an Achilles injury.
Of course, a lead has been anything but safe so far in 2018, but JT Chargois and Josh Fields combined for a scoreless 7th and 8th innings. It was a … nice change of pace.
Kenley Jansen then took over in the 9th and had a drama-free 1-2-3 inning. He didn’t record any strike outs, but did get swinging strikes and the contact was weak.
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Bryce Harper wore these for an inning today. Why? I don’t know, but I like it.
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/997907642218508289
Dodgers can’t even stand in the batters box without getting injured.
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The Dodgers improve to 18-26 on the year and are a game away from a winning streak!!! Um … about that. They play the Nationals again in a few hours and the matchup is Rich Hill, who has been one of the worst pitchers in the majors this year, against Max Scherzer, who has been among the best.
Sweet!
