Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Yesterday I abandoned ship on the recap since I had better things to do than watch that mess unfold, and after a piss-poor effort on the game thread as well, it feels like I owe you monsters a solid effort this time.
Anyway, the Dodgers are playing the Reds again in the third game of four contests, and after dropping the first two the Dodgers are looking to prevent a potential sweep at this point. The Dodgers are 67-55 on the year and 29-31 away from home, and rather than worrying about what other teams do, it’d behoove the team to just take care of their own business and get that away record back to .500 before the most important series of the season.
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Dodgers
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Reds
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4:10 PM PST
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Cincinnati
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2B
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Utley |
CF
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Hamilton | |
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SS
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Seager |
SS
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Peraza | |
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3B
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Turner |
LF
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Duvall | |
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1B
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Gonzalez |
3B
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Suarez | |
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C
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Grandal |
3B
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Suarez | |
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RF
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Reddick |
1B
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De Jesus | |
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CF
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Pederson | RF | Holt | |
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LF
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Toles |
C
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Barnhart | |
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P
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Urias (L)
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P
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DeSclafani (R)
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The Dodgers send now 20-year-old Julio Urias to the hill in the latest twist on his season. After starting his first nine appearances, Urias has now gone relief/starter/relief in an odd usage pattern for the most prized prospect on the farm. While one could make the argument that he’s currently the second-best pitcher actually able to start a game (4.41 ERA/3.62 FIP/4.00), it’s hard to tell whether he’s the same guy anymore. After a 47/17 K/BB ratio in 40.1 innings as a starter before being shuffled around, he has a 8/6 K/BB ratio in 10.2 innings since, which is not the best indicator even though he’s been more fortunate on contact and has only given up four earned runs.
Urias currently sits at 96 innings pitched on the year, and I really think they can push him to 120 or so this year. Hopefully they can get him to that number in a consistent role, and hopefully all the movement hasn’t been too much for Urias to handle that it cost him his effectiveness. Needless to say, my interest is piqued as to whether he continues the downward trend against the Reds or if he can steady the boat, but it sure seems like his handling has done him no favors either way.
Urias’ counterpart on the hill for the Reds is Anthony DeSclafani, who can be described as their ace given his performance this year. DeSclafani’s season started in June, but the late start hasn’t prevented him for totalling a 3.10 ERA, 3.76 FIP, and 3.95 DRA. His repertoire consists of a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and is complemented by a slider and curve with a rare change to show. If anything, the Dodgers should’ve won the first two games of the series, and this was the potential trouble area. Then again, with this Dodgers team, who knows?
Everybody knows the Dodgers start the day 0.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West, but regardless of what the Giants do, winning is what’s important. In the NL Wild Card race, the Dodgers lead the Cardinals by 2 games for home-field advantage and the Marlins by 3.5 games to make the playoffs.
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Roster and injury drama has thankfully been light today (so far).
Andrew Toles has been called up and will start in left field, while Chris Taylor was optioned.
Toles up, Taylor down.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) August 21, 2016
Andre Ethier is 75% alive.
Andre Ethier has been taking at-bats against live pitching in Arizona. Dave Roberts estimated he is running at 75-percent.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) August 21, 2016
Dodgers need this win pretty bad.
NO PRESSURE
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