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).