Is it weird to say that the Dodgers got swept by their biggest historic rivals and that it doesn’t bother me that much? It feels weird, but it’s true, I think.
I mean, fill-in starter Mike Bolsinger was outstanding, allowing only one run over 5.2 innings in his Dodgers debut. Alex Guerrero had two more hits, including another homer, in what’s sure to incite another round of “he should be starting!” discussions. The first three Dodger relievers — Chris Hatcher, Yimi Garcia, and J.P. Howell — pitched two scoreless innings. Adrian Gonzalez hit another homer.
And yeah, they lost, because Pedro Baez gave it up in the ninth and Juan Nicasio gave it up in the tenth, and that’s going to overshadow the fact that the non-Guerrero/Gonzalez contingent managed only three hits and two walks off Ryan Vogelsong, of all people. (And five relievers.) You’d imagine that the bullpen has earned some respect, but I’m not going to pretend that was great.
I’m not going to pretend I enjoyed watching the team get swept in San Francisco, either. That was awful. But let’s be honest: The Dodgers are 9-6. Only two teams have more wins in the NL. If you thought they were going to last the entire season without getting swept, that’s on you, not them. It’s unfortunate that it happened against the Giants — weakened though dangerous, it would have been nice to bury them early — but that’s why the Giants are the Giants. Tomorrow there’s Zack Greinke in San Diego against Ian Kennedy. You’d hope they don’t lose four in a row. You’d hope you didn’t forget they’re still the best team in the NL West.