Results tagged ‘ New York ’
Dodgers Starting Pitching Making Up For Tepid Offense And Questionable Bullpen
The Dodgers starters have allowed only 1 earned run in the last 37 innings. It feels like the they have only scored 1 run in the last 37 innings. LA has now won 4 of the last 5 games though, after dropping 6 in a row.
The Dodgers bullpen is still in question. With Belisario still on the restricted list and Sherrill being an enigma this season, it’s been up to Broxton and Kuo to carry the squad. Kenley Jansen has arrived and is making a big splash now though and could be the answer the team has been looking for. It would be nice to see LA trade for a reliever as well to try and get some more quality in there.
The Dodgers 3-1 series win over the Mets sets the stage for a showdown between the Padres and the Dodgers starting on Tuesday. The Dodgers have won 4 of 5 this season against San Diego. If the Dodgers can avoid a sweep they’ll be OK. If they can win or sweep they’ll be headed in the right direction. Considering how good the Dodgers have been against the West this season it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Dodgers end up just 3 games out before they head to San Francisco for the weekend.
All in all the Dodgers still have 13 games left against the Padres. How they do in those games alone will be key to whether the Dodgers make the playoffs or whether they just fade into the offseason disappointed.
Yankees Muscle Their Way Past Tired Broxton, Take Series
The Dodgers will lose a lot of close games and they’ll lose a lot of games that aren’t close but that’s baseball and it doesn’t hurt all that much. Losing a big lead in a huge game like tonight is absolutely heart breaking though.
Going into the 9th ahead 6-2 the Broxton got the first out but wouldn’t record the 2nd until the game was tied. He was clearly tired from a long outing last night and he didn’t have the control or velocity he needed to get the job done.
In the 10th with the better parts of the Dodgers bullpen long gone it was up to Troncoso and Sherrill to keep the Dodgers in the game. A two run home run was the result of the Yankees efforts. Just like that all of the Dodgers hard work and great hitting today was erased. Just like that the Yankees had capped the series with a 6 run come from behind victory.
I am thankful for two things right now. First, there is no off day tomorrow. This time tomorrow none of us will be thinking about tonight’s loss all that much and we’ll all be focused on the game in progress.
The second thing is that Interleague is over and these tough teams have all gone home. The Dodgers travel up the coast to face the Giants in San Francisco and even if it doesn’t go well at least we know the Dodgers are back inside the division and the league and June is almost over.
Prediction: Dodgers @ Mets – Advantage Mets
The Dodgers are having a disastrous season on the road so far. The Pirates, Marlins, Reds, and Nationals have all taken 2 out of 3 to put the Dodgers record away from LA at 4-8. This is clearly not where the Dodgers wanted to be considering they’re facing teams that they typically are very successful against.
What the Dodgers saw in the Nationals series was a huge improvement in pitching but a massive drop-off in hitting. They were averaging 6.53 runs scored per game before hand and during the series they scored a total of 5 runs in the 3 games, 4 of which were in the 2nd game alone. On the other hand they were averaging 6.33 runs allowed per game and during they series they allowed just 9 runs total which is a big improvement.
The Mets have a significant advantage over the Dodgers right now in pitching. This is particularly noticeable while comparing the Dodgers 5.64 bullpen ERA to the Mets’ impressive 2.77. The Dodgers starting rotation has an ERA of 4.91 compared to the Mets’ 3.59.
Though the Dodgers have done poorly over the last few games they still have an advantage on runs scored overall this season. The Dodgers are averaging 5.72 runs per game right now while the Mets are averaging 3.95. For the Mets that is just slightly above their 3.17 team ERA which explains their 10-9 record on the season much like the Dodgers 8-10 for the very same reason. It’s just hard to chain together wins when you keep allowing as many runs as you score.
Prediction
I think the Mets will easily win 2 out of 3 or even sweep the Dodgers which is something I hardly ever predict in one of these posts. But the truth is the Dodgers tend to have either good pitching or good hitting lately but not a combination of the two. The injuries are piling up, the defense is still a weak spot, and there is pretty much nothing consistent about the way they are playing.
But on a positive note this Dodgers team isn’t going to just lay own and take a beating. LA can win the series but they’ll need to rewrite the story of the way they’ve played so far on the road this year. The Dodgers best chance in this series will be a strong start by Kuroda tonight. If they can’t right the ship early on though I won’t have much confidence in this Dodgers team to be successful in New York.
Also rain could mess up the series a little. It’s been very wet today in this area and the weather shows it could rain lightly the rest of the night. I guess we’ll just have to see.
Yankees Win, Season Ends
Congratuations to the Yankees and their fans. They had a very, very good team this year that played strong in a tough division and they won it all. The lame-duck session ends for the rest of the loser teams and we can all start the healing process waiting for Spring to start.
It seems like only bad news for the Dodgers lately: The McCourts divorce battle, Padilla has been shot in the leg, etc.
But, there will be plenty more good things in the days to come I’m sure. The 1st of March is about 115 days away. Funny how the break seems so much shorter when your team plays deep into October instead of crapping out in September. If only they’d played until November. Oh well. Wait ’til next year.
Dodgers and Angels Freeway Series Suffers A Setback
While the Dodgers win over Philly in Game 2 to even the NLCS at a game a piece gave Dodgers fans everywhere hope, the Angels tour bus to the World Series has hit a serious bump in the road. The Angels head back to Anaheim today down 2 games to none against a very good Yankees team.
I have to admit though I was never that excited about a freeway series. I’m a life long Dodger fan but maybe it’s the fact that I’ve never lived in LA and I’ve barely even passed through the city. I want the Dodgers to win when they play the Angels because I understand the rivalry but I still can’t get excited about the prospect of the Dodgers and Angels meeting in a World Series.
On the other hand I’ve lived in San Francisco as a Dodger fan. The Dodgers dominated the Giants in that time span and this was one of the greatest times of my life as a fan. Despite that, being around Giants fans still made me even more bitter about the rivalry.
With obvious exceptions in cases where a Giants win helps the Dodgers, I want the Giants to suffer every game even when the Dodgers aren’t playing. I want to see them miserable and disappointed every year. I want to see half filled stadiums full of quieted disappointed fans while the empty seats are for fans too ashamed to go to the game. The idea of a Dodgers and Giants NLCS with the Dodgers finishing on top? That’s heaven to me and something I’d pay a lot of money to see. Maybe next year?
Overall though I guess the biggest part of my lack of excitement for a Dodgers and Angels freeway series is just that the Dodgers are so far from winning the NLCS. If they win today somehow it might start to look good but they still face an uphill battle and the Phillies probably won’t go easy if at all. We can give our opinion about who we would rather see the Dodgers face in the World Series if the Dodgers play great baseball and manage to be popping champagne as National League Champions.
Dodgers Damage Resistance
The Dodgers have played consistently well all season. They’ve won almost 2 out of every 3 games played up to now. The fact that the Dodgers have so many players with 50+ RBI has gained a few headlines this week and I thought it would be interesting to look into this fact more and compare it to the rest of the teams in baseball.
The fact is the Dodgers have 5 players with 50+ RBI now that Orlando Hudson has joined those ranks. It’s not just 50+ RBI that matters here though. It’s the percentage of total RBI that each player is contributing. The Dodgers have spread out about 65% of their RBI in the top 5 players on their team.
Several teams are in the same shape as the Dodgers such as the Phillies and the Yankees. In fact many of the strongest teams in baseball not only have that potent collection of hitters but they depend on way more than one or two hitters to get the job done from night to night. The Dodgers for instance have played incredibly consistent ball all season despite slumps, injuries, and suspensions.
The Cardinals are an exception though. They are a good team this year and a potential playoff candidate but if you were to take out Pujols or Ludwick then there goes 22% and 15% of the Cardinals run production. Pujols with 91 RBI has almost 50% more RBI than Ludwick who has 63. Ludwick in turn has about 50% more than Molina who has 34 RBI, 3rd most on the team. The Cardinals certainly get the job done but the team has to be constantly fearful of a breakdown that could dash their playoff hopes.
It’s interesting to contrast the Dodgers and the Cardinals as the Dodgers head over to St. Louis to start a 4 game series this week.
Here is more data on the RBI spread counting just players that have 20+ RBI on a team.
Dodgers Rough Up Mets, Win One For Wolf
Dodgers 11 – Mets 2 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Trying to make it seem as if Game 2 didn’t happen, the Dodgers bounced back from a frustrating loss to rout of the Mets in Game 3 and win the series. The Dodgers went 8-for-23 with RISP and got 17 hits and 11 runs and stranded only 13 men of around 28 total on base. That’s a pretty drastic turnaround for LA, but I think that’s the kind of Mets baseball fans can expect until their veterans make it back from the DL. They may still have plenty of time to make a run at the playoffs in the 2nd half since they aren’t that far out of 1st.
Randy Wolf struggled a bit early but pitched through a couple of jams allowing only 2 runs and pitching into the 7th inning and earning his elusive 4th win of the year after about a dozen no-decisions from good outings. Matt Kemp was red hot in the series reaching base multiple times in each game and being a very hard out to record.
So the Dodgers finished off the Mets 6-1 on the season series. I used to be a bigger fan of the Mets than I am now because of Mike Piazza and several other former Dodgers that made it to New York. These days I root for the Phillies over the Mets but I think that’s because I’m living in Phillies country.
The Dodgers extended their record to 54-31, 23 games over .500 again, 7 and 8 games in the lead over San Francisco and Colorado. The Giants and Rockies both won again last night.
Next up the Dodgers play the Brewers before the All-star break. They can’t fall out of first place even if they lose the next 3 straight so for the first time in a while the Dodgers have a strong 1st place standing at the break.
Dodgers Leave A Dozen, Lose 1 Run Game
Dodgers 4 – Mets 5 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
It’s become all too common lately to see the Dodgers strand a bunch and lose a close game. The Dodgers struck first and last but an unearned run on a Dodgers error ended up being the difference in the game.
The bullpen was good again though so there’s that at least. Practically all the hits and runs came against starter Kuroda who has been knocked around by the Mets in the past as well. The Mets starter Perez didn’t have his best stuff and the Dodgers did a good job working the count and getting him out in the 5th but they couldn’t catch up to the 1-5 deficit Kuroda left them in.
Several Dodgers struggled all night including Hudson, Manny, and Ethier. That killed the offense each time one of these guys came up. Manny finally hit a home run in the 9th leading off and it looked like the Dodgers were going to rally. It’s frustrating watching the Dodgers get 9 hits, 9 walks, leave 12 men on base, but go 2-11 with RISP lose by 1 run with the tie run on 2nd in the 9th because of a double play. Oh well, I guess.
The Dodgers send out Wolf to face the Mets’ Hernandez. Wolf should be the favorite to win the rubber match but if the Dodgers can’t cash in run opportunities then it gets hard to win. The Dodgers have lost the last 5 middle games but they’ve been pretty good in rubber match situations, winning 5 of the last 7 series because of that.
Dodgers Extend Mets Scoreless Streak 9 More Innings
Dodgers 8 – Mets 0 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
When the Dodgers came to town the Mets had already been blanked the game before and hadn’t scored a run in the last 13 innings. The Dodgers were happy to help the Mets extend that 9 more with a good 6 innings from Kershaw and then 3 more scoreless innings from the bullpen.
The Dodgers worked the pitch counts well in the first few innings getting lots of men on base and in scoring position. Manny Ramirez drove in 3 before getting tossed for arguing about what appeared to be the 2nd bogus out call of his night. Pelfrey exited early as well, going just 3 innings having given up 5 runs, 2 coming after being pulled in the 4th in a jam. The Mets bullpen gave up 3 more as the game went on.
So as is the trend lately the Dodgers won game 1 of the series and look to somehow break the streak in game 2. It will be Hiroki Kuroda vs. Oliver Perez and the Dodgers will look to keep the Mets scoreless innings coming.
So the Dodgers extended their winning streak against the Mets to 4 straight on the season. This game clinched a season series victory and made their NL East record 11-5. The Dodgers already beat the Phillies 4-3 in their season series. The Dodgers have won 2 in a row and are back to 23 games over .500 at 53-30.
Dodgers @Mets – Advantage Dodgers
The Dodgers have already swept the Mets in Los Angeles this year but this time the Dodgers are in the Big Apple for their first glimpse of Citi Field. Neither of these two teams have been playing outstanding ball lately but the Dodgers are getting the job done while the Mets have gone 2-8 over the last ten. It’s not looking good for New York.
The Dodgers and Mets are scoring about the same number of runs per game lately, around 4 with the Dodgers doing slightly better. Pitching is the major difference in this series though. The difference between LA and NY pitching is almost 2 whole runs. Two runs can really swing a game when you’ve got a team like the Dodgers who love to play in 1 run situations.
Dodgers And Mets By The Numbers – Last 25 Days
AVG Runs Scored: 4.10 Dodgers, 3.70 Mets
AVG Runs Allowed: 3.95 Dodgers, 5.26 Mets
Starters ERA: 3.70 Dodgers, 5.23 Mets
Bullpen ERA: 3.20 Dodgers, 5.53 Mets
Team ERA: 3.43 Dodgers, 5.14 Mets
Game 1 – Clayton Kershaw, LHP (5-5, 3.49) vs. Mike Pelfrey, RHP (6-3, 4.26)
Kershaw hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs in his last 9 starts and 3 of his last 4 have been shutout performances. He hasn’t pitched as well away from Dodger Stadium this year so that could be a problem for him. Kershaw’s problem is the same as lots of young pitchers. He throws too many pitches and exits early.
Pelfrey had a good start his last time out after a couple of borderline outings. He doesn’t go deep into the game either so the bullpen matchups could come to bite the Mets since the Dodgers, despite two shaky games in a row, have a strong bullpen while the Mets bullpen has been anything but.
Game 2 – Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (3-4, 3.91) vs. Oliver Perez, LHP (1-2, 9.97)
Kuroda hasn’t dominated too much this season but he’s getting the job done overall. He’s pitched pretty well his last few times out and the Dodgers will look to Kuroda to stop the pattern of losing the middle game of the series.
Perez has been trouble for the Mets. He doesn’t go deep into the game, he gives up a ton of runs and he’s got a 9.97 ERA. This may be the Dodgers best chance to achieve their elusive middle game victory.
Game 3 – Randy Wolf, LHP (3-3, 3.49) vs. Livan Hernandez, RHP (5-4, 4.56)
Randy Wolf has been pretty consistent for the Dodgers all year. He consistently leaves the game in the hands of the bullpen for a no decision. Keeping the team in the game is plenty fine with Wolf but he still deserves a win or two. His 3-3 record is very deceiving as per his performances this year.
Hernandez goes deep into games but he hasn’t won a game in a while. His last outing was a 3 inning disaster with 10 hits and 7 runs given up. The Dodgers will hope to see that kind of performance again so they can try and feast on the Mets bullpen.
Prediction
The Dodgers will miss both of the Mets best starting pitchers and the Mets will face off against the Dodgers 2,3,4 guys. Given the difference in the bullpens I’d say the Dodgers should have the advantage in most games if they can tighten their defense back up and if their bullpen has better luck in New York than it did in San Diego. I think the Dodgers can easily win the series and given their luck against them already this year and the way the Mets have struggled lately look for the Dodgers to try and get their elusive 7th series sweep of the season. If the Dodgers bullpen falters again though it may not be a walk in the park at all. I predict the Dodgers win at least 2 out of 3.
I haven’t posted graphs in a while so here you go.
Graphs Of the Matchup
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