May 19, 2017

Alex Wood pitched 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and improved to 5-0, as the Dodgers defeated the Marlins 7-2 on Friday night at the Ravine.  The game also included a bench-clearing incident between both sides in the 9th inning.  Dodgers’ reliever Ross Stripling and bench coach Bob Geren, along with Marlins manager Don Mattingly were all ejected.

The benches cleared when Stripling threw a pitch behind Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s back.  That appeared to be retaliation for an 8th inning incident in which Marlins’ reliever AJ Ramos hit Brett Eibner with a pitch.  Ramos insisted afterward that the pitch just got away from him.

“If they have a problem with it, they can see me before the game, after the game, whenever they want to see me,” Ramos said. “It doesn’t have to be at the game.”

That 8th inning also featured a 2-run homer from Cody Bellinger.  Chris Taylor connected on a solo homer in the 3rd, and Eibner, a 2-run shot in the 4th.

Bellinger’s eighth home run came in just his 23rd major league game, becoming the fastest Dodgers players to reach that mark.

Outfielder Yasiel Puig left the game in the five innings with lower back tightness.

Wood gave up just 6 hits in his 7+ innings of work.  He walked 2 and struck out 4.  It was his 3rd straight start without allowing a run.

The Dodgers and Marlins will do it again on Saturday night at the Ravine.  Julio Urias will be on the mound for LA, while Miami counters with Dan Straily.

May 18, 2017

Yasiel Puig hit a 2-run homer and Hyun-Jin Ryu picked up his 2nd win of the season as the Dodgers defeated the Marlins 7-2 on Tuesday night at the Ravine.  The win came with some bad news for LA, which lost 3rd baseman Justin Turner to a hamstring injury.

Ryu (2-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits.  He struck out 3, walked 1, and departed after throwing 79 pitches.  Kenley Jansen recorded the last four outs of the game for his 8th save of the season.

With the score tied 1-1 in the 2nd, Puig connected on an 0-1 pitch, driving it into the left center field pavilion, with Joc Pederson aboard.  Chase Utley would add an RBI single, making it 4-1 Dodgers.

The Marlins only offense came courtesy of a pair of solo home runs.  Justin Bour hit one in the 2nd and Christian Yelich in the 3rd.

Adrian Gonzales came off the disabled listed and delivered and RBI single in the 3rd inning, scoring Turner.

Edinson Volquez (0-6) took the loss for Miami.  He gave up 5 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work.

Turner was injured in the 7th inning trying to score on a single by Yasmani Grandal.  He was thrown out and came up limping on the play.

The Dodgers would add two more in the 8th inning on a sacrifice fly by Chase Utley, and a bases loaded walk by Chris Taylor, who came into the game for Turner.

Chris Hatcher, Luis Avilan, and Josh Fields pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.  They did not allow a hit.

Game 2 of the series will be on Friday night at the Ravine.  Alex Wood (4-0, 2.27 ERA) goes for the Dodgers, while the Marlins counter with Justin Nicolino (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

May 17, 2017

Clayton Kershaw pitched 7 shutout innings on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park, and the Dodgers avoided getting swept with a 6-1 victory.  The game featured a heated exchange between Yasmani Grandal and Johnny Cueto, resulting in both benches emptying in the 3rd inning.

Kershaw (7-2) allowed just 3 hits while throwing 89 pitches.  It was his 9th career scoreless start against San Francisco,.  The Dodgers snapped a 3-game losing skid, while their ace struck out five and walked none for his seventh win of the season, and third straight.

LA started quickly with a 2-run double from Grandal in the 1st inning.  While the Dodger catcher was standing at 2nd base, he and Cueto exchanged words.

In the 3rd, Chase Utley and Corey Seager started things off with back-to-back singles.  Justin Turner sacrificed to move Utley and Seager into scoring position.  After Cody Bellinger lined out, Grandal came to the plate.  On a 1-0 pitch, Cueto tried to pitch up and in to Grandal, but the ball sailed to the backstop.  Utley scored on the play with Seager moving to 3rd, and it was 3-0 LA.  However, the drama continued just after Grandal flied out to end the inning.

While Grandal was running back to the dugout and Cueto was coming off the mound, both continued their heated exchange.  That prompted both benches to clear, although no physical altercation occurred between either side.  Later, Cueto reveled that he was upset that Grandal was relaying signs to hitters when he was on base after his 1st inning double.

Afterwards, Turner explained that stealing signs happens all the time. “Their guys try to get pitches, the Rockies try to get pitches, every team does it,” he said.

Despite Cueto’s anger, the Dodgers apparently didn’t know what the Giants’ signs were.  “We didn’t actually have the pitches,” Turner said.  “We had no idea what his cadence was.”

LA would add to the lead in the 6th, when Yasiel Puig came through with a 2-run single, scoring Turner and Cody Bellinger.

In the 7th, Bellinger joined the party, driving in Seager with an RBI double.  That made it 6-0, which was plenty of run support for Kershaw.

Kershaw improved to 20-9 in his career against the Giants with a 1.62 ERA.  He is now tied for the MLB lead in wins with 7.

Pedro Baez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.  Despite giving up a solo homer to Eduardo Nunez in the 9th, former Giant Sergio Romo recorded the final 3 outs of the game to secure the victory.

The Dodgers now leave San Francisco trailing the 1st place Rockies by 2.5 games in the NL West.  Up next will be a four-game series with the Miami Marlins beginning Thursday night at Chavez Ravine.  Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-5; 4.99 ERA) goes to the mound for LA, while the Edinson Volquez gets the ball for the Marlins.

May 16, 2017

Brandon Crawford singled in the 6th inning, scoring Brandon Belt, and the Giants defeated the Dodgers 2-1 on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.

Brandon Belt also homered for the 4th time in 6 games, and San Francisco won their 5th straight game.  After a brutal 9-game trip, Giants are now 5-1 on this homestand.

Rich Hill returned from the disabled list to pitch 5 innings, giving up just 1 run on 6 hits.  He struck out 6 and didn’t walk any.  Belt hit his 8th homer of the season off of Hill to lead off the 4th inning.

The Dodgers tied the game at 1-1 in the 6th inning on a home run by Chris Taylor.  Taylor crushed a 2-0 pitch into the centerfield bleachers, his 4th off the season.  It came off of Giants Starter Ty Blach.

Belt lead off the 6th inning with a single against Dodger reliever Luis Avilan.  He advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, then scored on Crawford’s single to right-center, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Blach (1-2) picked up his first win of the season.  He went 7 strong innings, giving up only the home run to Taylor, and allowing five hits.

Derek Law pitched the 9th for his 4th save of the season.  Hunter Strickland allowed a pair of hits, but pitched the seventh inning unscathed for the Giants.

Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager were given the day off by Dave Roberts.  However, Bellinger entered the game in the 6th inning, playing left field.  He lined out in his only at bat.  Seager pinch-hit in the 8th inning, grounding into a double-play.

The Dodgers will try to avoid getting swept on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park.  The boys in blue will look to their ace, Clayton Kershaw (6-2; 2.43 ERA) to stop the bleeding.  The Giants will go with Johnny Cueto (4-2; 4.15 ERA).

May 15, 2017

Brandon McCarthy came off the disabled list on Tuesday for the Dodgers, but he endured a rough start as the Giants defeated LA 8-4 at AT&T Park on Monday night.

McCarthy (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season,  pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up 6 earned runs on 8 hits.  That included a four-run fourth inning, when McCarthy allowed a 2-run infield single by Eduardo Nunez, and lost track of a base runner.

With the score tied 1-1 and runners on second and third, Nunez hit a broken-bat grounder up the middle, which Corey Seager fielded.  Buster Posey scored from third on the play, but Brandon Crawford appeared in trouble when he didn’t stop at third and Seager hurried the ball to McCarthy on the mound.

However with his back to the plate, McCarthy didn’t see Crawford caught between third and home and instead focused on Nunez, who took a wide turn around first and didn’t stop. McCarthy had to wait to throw to second until Seager got back there and Nunez slid in safely, while Crawford easily scored the third run of the inning.  Crawford began the inning with an RBI double as well.

Nunez then stole third when McCarthy failed to keep him close and scored on a sacrifice fly.  The Giants would go on to add two more runs in the 7th inning on a solo blast from Buster Posey, off of Grant Dayton, and then an RBI double from Nunez.

The Dodger offense came very early and very late.  Yasmani Grandal knocked in an RBI double to give LA a 1-0 lead, but the Dodgers wouldn’t score again until the 9th inning, when they were already down 8-1.  Chris Taylor had an RBI double and Franklin Gutierrez added an RBI single, but the rally wasn’t nearly enough.

LA lost for the 5th time in 8 games against the Giants this season.  Matt Cain (3-1) picked up his 2nd win of the season against the Dodgers.  He gave up only 1 run on 5 hits in 6 2/3 innings.  Cain also became the 12th Giants pitcher to reach the 2,000-innings mark with the franchise.

Game 2 of the series will be on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.  Rich Hill (1-1) is set to come off the DL because of a blister to make the start for the Dodgers against Ty Blach (0-2).

May 14, 2017

Pat Valaika hit a pair of home runs and had four RBI, as the Rockies took down the Dodgers 9-6 on Sunday night at Coors Field.  The win resulted in a split of the four-game series between the NL West division rivals.

Antonio Senzatela (6-1) got the win despite allowing four runs in five innings, which was his shortest outing of the season.  The Rockies’ rookie right-hander is tied for MLB lead in wins.  It was also a very emotional day for Sanzatela, pitching on Mother’s Day, as his mother died of breast cancer last July.  He used a pink bat to raise awareness about the disease.

Nolan Arenado also went deep, as the Rockies extended their NL West lead to 1.5 games over the 2nd place Dodgers.

The Dodgers got home runs from Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig.  They also led 4-3 in the 4th before Valaika’s first homer of the game put the Rockies ahead.  It was a 2-run shot that cleared the center field wall off of Julio Urias.

Uris (0-1) only lasted 4 innings, and took the loss  He gave up 6 runs on 7 hits, while making only 68 pitches.

After Arenado’s 2-run homer in the 5th, the Rockies lead 7-4.  The Dodgers attempted to rally in the 8th.  Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger each had RBI singles, pulling LA within 7-6.  However, it was Valaika’s 2nd homer of the game, another 2-run shot, which put the game out of reach.

Greg Holland struck out the side in the 9th inning, earning the Rockies’ closer his 16th save of the season.

The Dodgers will now travel to San Francisco to open a 3-game set with the Giants at AT&T Park on Monday.  4 of the Giants’ 15 wins this season have come against the Dodgers.  Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 3.10 ERA) is on the mound for LA in game 1, while the Giants give the ball to Matt Cain (2-1, 4.54 ERA).

May 13, 2017

Alex Wood threw 6 innings of shutout baseball at Coors Field on Saturday night, as the Dodgers shutdown the Rockies 4-0 and moved closer to 1st place.

Wood (4-0) gave up just 5 hits, struck out 10 batters, and walked 1 while throwing 88 pitches.

“You have enough bad ones here, eventually you’re able to have a good one,” said Wood, who also had a squeeze bunt that scored Austin Barnes to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning.

Earlier in the inning, Barnes delievered an RBI double that scored Kike Hernandez.  

LA got some additional offense from Brett Eibner, who hit his 1st homer of the season in the 5th inning, and Justin Turner, who had an RBI double in the 7th.

Tyler Anderson (2-4) took the loss for Colorado after allowing 3 runs in a little more than 5 innings of work.

Josh Fields, Pedro Baez, and Kenley Jansen combined for 3 scoreless innings of relief after Wood departed.

Skipper Dave Roberts took no chances and made sure Jansen finished the game. “By the book, it was a non-save situation but here in Denver, it’s almost like four runs is a save,” Roberts said. 

The Dodgers will try to take over 1st place with a victory Sunday against Colorado.  Julio Urias (0-0; 1.06 ERA) goes for LA, while the Rockies counter with Antonio Senzatela (5-1: 2.86 ERA).

May 12, 2017

The Dodgers needed a win and Clayton Kershaw came through like he has many times before.  The Dodgers’ ace pitched 7 strong innings, and Cody Bellinger hit his team-leading 7th homer of the season as the Dodgers beat the Rockies 6-2 at Coors Field on Friday night.

Kershaw (6-2) allowed just two runs on seven hits, but managed to pitch his way out of trouble repeatedly.  He was also supported by three double plays turned by the Dodgers’ defense.

When the Dodgers score 4 or more runs, Kershaw is a lifetime 89-0.  He’s also 20-6 in his career versus the Rockies, surpassing the win total of left-hander Randy Johnson.

LA got 5 runs in the 2nd inning, highlighted by a 2-run triple by Chase Utley.  Joc Pederson followed with an RBI double, then Corey Seager delivered a 2-run double.

The Rockies would get a couple of runs back in the 3rd and 4th off of Kershaw.  DJ LeMahiedu hit an RBI single, then Carlos Gonzales added a run-scoring single of his own.

Rockies’ starter Tyler Chatwood (3-5) took the loss, giving up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings.  He left after 85 pitches.

The 5 runs were all the offense that Kershaw would need.  Bellinger’s solo homer in the 8th would add some extra insurance.  The victory pulled the Dodgers within 1.5 games of the 1st place Rockies.

The Dodgers used Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, and Kenley Jansen out of the bullpen to shutdown the Rockies after Kershaw departed after 7.  Baez and Avilan combined to strike out the side in the 8th inning.

The Dodgers and Rockies will play game three of their four game set on Saturday night.  Alex Wood (3-0, 2.73 ERA) will get the start for LA, while Colorado will go with Tyler Anderson (2-3, 6.69 ERA).

May 11, 2017

The Rockies jumped out to a big lead on Thursday night at Coors Field, then held on to beat the Dodgers 10-7.

Colorado jumped out to a 10-0 lead, highlighted by 2-run doubles from Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado.  Both of them had two doubles on the night.

Carlos Gonzales snapped out out his slump with 2 hits and 3 runs batted in as well, as the Dodgers had their 5-game win streak snapped.

The Dodgers tried to rally, scoring 7 straight runs, but it was too little too late.  Jeff Hoffman (1-0) picked up the win, allowing 3 runs over 5 1/3 innings after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-5) came off the DL and had a rough start.  He took the loss, allowing ten runs, five of them earned, and walked six over four innings.  His re-instatement sent Kenta Maeda to the DL with a hamstring injury.

Greg Holland picked up his 15th save of the season for the Rockies.  Holland struck out Yasiel Puig with Cody Bellinger standing on 3rd base to end the game.

“It is Coors Field and anything can happen,” said Cody Bellinger.  “Even though we were down 10-0 we were like listen you know where we’re playing.  So we never gave up and we made it close.”

The Dodgers and Rockies will be back at it on Friday.  Clayton Kershaw (5-2, 2.40 ERA) will try to put LA back in the win column, while the Rockies will go with Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.74 ERA).

May 10, 2017

Cody Bellinger continued his offensive onslaught, and the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Pirates with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night at the Ravine.

Bellinger connected on a 2-run homer in the 1st inning, which was his 6th long ball on the season.  That was part of a 3-run first inning after Chase Utley delivered an RBI single later on in the 1st, which scored Yasmani Grandal.

Kenta Maeda (3-2) got the win after pitching a career-high 8 1/3 innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits.  He struck out 5 and did not walk anybody.  He made 104 pitches.

Utley added to the lead in the 4th inning, knocking in Chris Taylor with an RBI double.  Utley started at 1st base after Bellinger was moved back to left field due to the season-ending knee injury to Andrew Toles.

Chad Kuhl (1-3) took the loss for the Bucs.  He went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits.  He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the 6th inning, and ultimately was buried by the two-out rally the Dodgers put together in the 1st inning.

Yasmani Grandal made it 5-0 in the 8th inning with an RBI double, scoring Corey Seager.  Grandal was 3-3 on the night, with a walk and a run scored.

Grant Dayton came in to record the final two outs of the game for the Dodgers.  He came into the game after Francisco Cervelli broke the shutout with a 2-run homer in the 9th of of Maeda.

With the sweep, the Dodgers have now won 5 straight games and improved their record  20-14.  They lead the NL in run differential.  LA is now 1.5 games back of 1st place Colorado in the NL West.

Speaking of the Rockies, the Dodgers will open a four-game series against Colorado beginning Thursday evening at Coors Field.  Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-4; 4.05 ERA) will get the ball for LA in game 1, while the Rockies go with Tyler Anderson (2-3; 6.69 ERA).