Results tagged ‘ Randy Wolf ’
Dodgers Not Panicking Yet, But Getting There
The Dodgers are at another crucial junction in the NLCS. In Game 2 they were faced with either splitting or falling behind 0-2. Now in Game 4 they are faced with splitting 2-2 or falling behind 1-3. They know what they need to do so it’s just a matter of if they can do it or if the Phillies momentum after a huge 11-0 win will be too much for the Dodgers to stop.
The Dodgers will throw out essentially their #1 and most consistent pitcher this year to face the Phillies true #4 guy. The Dodgers have to feel like they have some sort of advantage. Randy Wolf faltered in the NLDS Game 1 but there’s no big reason to expect similar results in Game 4 today though it is of course always a possibility. Wolf pitched well in Philly this year going 6 innings and allowing just 1 run. Let’s hope that’s the game Wolf brings tonight.
The Dodgers stifled Phillies hitting in Game 2 so they know they can do it in Game 4. It’s a question of Dodgers bats though now and whether they still have what it takes against a pitcher not quite as dominate as Cliff Lee or as seasoned as Pedro Martinez.
Hitters with records against Blanton to keep an eye on in the game:
- James Loney: 7 for 10 (.700 AVG, 1.550 OPS)
- Manny Ramirez: 15 for 26 (.577 AVG, 1.367 OPS)
- Andre Ethier: 6 for 14 (.429 AVG, 1.324 OPS)
- Ronnie Belliard: 3-8 (.375 AVG, 0.944 OPS)
Hitters with records against Wolf to keep and eye on in the game:
- Carlos Ruiz: 4 for 6 (.667 AVG, 2.250 OPS)
- Jimmy Rollins: 3 for 6 (.500 AVG, 1.500 OPS)
- Shane Victorino: 3 for 9 (.333 AVG, 1.178 OPS)
- Pedro Feliz: 5 for 17 (.294 AVG, 1.140 OPS)
The Dodgers can win this one and wrestle some momentum back in the process. I don’t know if they will though. The Phillies are a good team that has outplayed the Dodgers in a lot of ways in the series so far including the most important category: the win loss column. Still, the Dodgers didn’t make it this far this year by folding every time under pressure. Let’s hope the Dodgers come out swinging today and guarantee this series has to finish in LA.
Like Groundhog Day, Dodgers Lose Again, And Again
The Dodgers hadn’t lost more than 4 in a row all year, until tonight. It’s almost unbelievable at this point to say it…but the Dodgers lost again. I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. It just keeps repeating over and over. Dodgers lose. Dodgers lose. Dodgers lose.
I said a few days back that the Dodgers would have to go 0-7 and the Rockies 7-0 to win. Well, the Dodgers are 0-5, and the Rockies are 5-0. The Dodgers are well on their way to a record setting failure to clinch with a magic number of 1.
Manny Ramirez played the biggest role in the failure tonight, I must say. He came up every at bat with runners on base and struck out 4 times. The Dodgers lost by 1 run. Come on, Manny, the team needs you bad, man. And can the Dodgers please stop using Jim Thome? Yes, he could slug one out any at bat now and be a hero, but the stats show he’s most likely going to make an easy out and be done for the night. Why take the risk?
But, there are still a few positives tonight worth noting despite this being just one step closer to epic failure.
One, Randy Wolf was shaky off and on but he pitched 5 decent innings allowing just 2 runs. Randy Wolf has consistently kept the Dodgers in ballgames he’s started. He’s got the no decisions to prove it. He got the loss tonight though unfortunately.
Two, the Dodgers offense woke up a little, though not quite enough to help out poor Randy Wolf. Furcal and Ethier both had good nights with 2 hits a piece. This only compounds Manny’s failure though, but let’s stay positive.
Three, the Phillies and Cardinals both lost. This means if the Dodgers somehow manage to win 1 of the final 2 games then they will not only clinch the NL West but they will clinch the NL best record at the same time. If the Phillies go 2-0 they’ll reach 94 wins. The Dodgers need just to tie the Phillies to win the tie breaker. The Cardinals could only reach 93 wins, just short of a tie.
So you know what you have to do, LA. Win a game. This isn’t funny anymore.
Dodgers Walk Their Way Into The Postseason
It looked like walks would doom the Dodgers in Game 2 against Pittsburgh as they gave up 3 runs after a bunch of walks in the 7th. Instead the Dodgers turned the tables on the Pirates in the 8th and drew a few walks of their own to tie the game and then go ahead. Jim Thome’s biggest hit as a Dodger game tonight as he drove in 2 more runs on a single. Belliard capped it off with a home run in the 9th.
Broxton held that 8-4 lead and the Dodgers won their 93rd game of the season. That means it’s official. The Dodgers are headed to the post season as at least the Wildcard. They are the 1st team in the NL to punch that ticket joining the Yankees who clinched a few days ago. The Dodgers didn’t celebrate much though. They prefer to hold on and celebrate when they clinch the division.
Randy Wolf had another good night going 6.1 innings and allowing just 2 runs. This was his 9th quality start in a row and he has a 2.12 ERA in that stretch. Wolf has one more start to go before the playoffs but I can’t think of any reason he should not be the Game 1 starter in the NLDS. His recent numbers are on par with any single starting pitcher in the playoff chase right now around the league.
The Cardinals clinched their division tonight after the Dodgers won making them the 3rd team in but the 1st to win their division. I hope St. Louis doesn’t drink too much tonight. They still need to beat the Rockies tomorrow.
This loss was a pretty big blow to the Rockies who fall 6 back in the NL West and let the Braves get to just 2.5 games back in the Wildcard after the Braves won their 5th straight. Dodgers magic number is just 2 to clinch the NL West. Because the Rockies lose the tie with the Dodgers over the season series then technically this magic number is just 1 but I don’t think the Dodgers will want to celebrate until they’ve won it outright.
San Francisco lost to the Cubs so they fall even further back in the wildcard, their hope fading fast. They have lost 7 of their last 10 games and have fallen almost off the radar next to a hot Braves team.
The Phillies lost their game so the Cardinals slid just ahead of them in the NL standings. This complicates the playoff picture a little and because of that who the Dodgers will play in the NLDS is anybodies guess at this point.
Dodgers: 3-4 finishing 96-66
- Cardinals: 7-0 (1.000) to reach 97 wins: +7
- Phillies: 8-0 (1.000) to reach 97 wins: +8
- Rockies: Elim (Need 10 wins with 7 left)
If the Dodgers win 3 of the last 7 then the Rockies will be toast. The Cardinals and Phillies could not lose a single game if they wanted home field advantage against the Dodgers.
Dodgers: 0-7 finishing 93-69
- Cardinals: 4-3 (.571) to reach 94 wins: +1
- Phillies: 5-3 (.625) to reach 94 wins: +2
- Rockies: 7-0 (1.000) to reach 94 wins: +7
The Rockies are in a pinch for sure now. They have to go 7-0 and the Dodgers 0-7 for the Rockies to win the division. They can’t win it by tying the Dodgers. It’s just a question now of when and where the Dodgers clinch the NL West for the 2nd year in a row. On second thought, the Cardinals can drink all they want.
Dodgers Run Away With Game 1, Giants Drop Their Game
The Dodgers played a laugher in DC winning comfortably 14-2 while the Giants and Rockies battled their respective opponents out West. The Rockies won a close one while the Giants lost theirs.
Kuroda had another strong outing allowing only 2 unearned runs and would have pitched in the 7th had the Dodgers not batted around in the 6th. This is his 3rd win in a row and he’s gone 6 or more innings in each of those and allowed 2 or fewer runs each time. The scary bump on the head seems to not hurt him in the long run and it’s great to see him back playing strong.
Clayton Kershaw is back. He pitched 2 innings of relief to see how his shoulder is doing. He looked OK but we’ll know more today probably. Hopefully he’ll get 2 more starts in before the end so we can see if he’s ready for the post season. The same goes for Chad Billingsley who starts Game 2 against the Nationals. He’s having rotten luck and a loss of confidence lately but maybe he can get on track in time.
Otherwise, things have really clicked for the Dodgers and I’m starting to feel really, really good about the playoffs. I know they’ll be the underdog against the aces of the Cardinals or the Phillies but at this point you can’t ask for better performances from the Dodgers pitchers.
Over the last 30 games the Dodgers starting pitchers have allowed just 61 earned runs in 180.2 innings. That’s a 3.05 ERA with an average of 6.0 innings per start. Compare that to the Cardinals starters who have allowed 70 earned runs in 188.1 innings. That’s a 3.35 ERA with an average of 6.3 innings per start.
The bullpens don’t even compare right now. The Dodgers bullpen has allowed just 17 earned runs in 95 innings for an ERA of 1.61. Only the Cardinals come close to the Dodgers in bullpen ERA and they have allowed 24 earned runs in 83 innings for an ERA of 2.60.
I know the Dodgers will go into the playoffs the underdog probably despite most likely having the best record in the NL and home field advantage in the NLDS, but let’s not pretend this Dodgers pitching staff isn’t at least up to the challenge.
So, with 11 games left to play the Dodgers magic number is down to 2 against the Giants and 7 against the Rockies. This means the Dodgers could clinch a playoff spot as early as tomorrow while a division title is still a week away. The Giants are fading fast as they are 9-11 on the month while the Dodgers are 13-6 and the Rockies are 14-6.
According to the news media and based on how Torre has acted it doesn’t look like the Dodgers are going to pop champagne until they win the division. At this point the Dodgers just need to split the remaining games 5-6 and the Rockies would have to go 11-0 to win the division. It’s just a matter now of when the Dodgers clinch the NL West and no longer a question of if.
The magic number to clinch the division is 7 with 8 games to go until the Dodgers and Rockies meet in LA to finish the year. It’s going to be tricky for the Dodgers not to clinch the division on this road trip but if the Rockies play hard enough and the Dodgers falter then it could still come down to that last series. Since the Dodgers will have clinched at least the Wildcard by then I’m more than willing to see it come down to that kind of last minute drama. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Dodgers Send Lincecum Packing After 4, Take Series
After a loss in Game 1 of the series it looked only to get harder for the Dodgers. Despite doubts though, the Dodgers toasted the Giants in Game 2 against Penny and then got to Lincecum for 5 runs in 4 innings and coasted to a game win and series victory. This was the first time the Dodgers beat Lincecum and it should give the them a lot of confidence going into the playoffs against tough club aces on the Cardinals or Phillies.
Randy Wolf got his 11th win going 6 innings of 2 run ball and making his case for being the first starter for the Dodgers in the playoffs. He has 6 wins and 2 no-decisions in his last 8 starts for the Dodgers and he has allowed 3 runs or fewer in each game of that stretch.
The Giants are now 9.5 games behind the Dodgers, the magic number for LA down to just 4 with 12 games left. The Rockies won as well. Falling back to 4.5 in the wildcard, San Francisco’s hopes are fading fast even if there are still plenty of games left for them to mount a comeback.
This was the Dodgers 90th win of the year and for the first time this year they sit an impressive 30 games above .500 having won 7 of the last 9 games. They head out on the road to close their season series books against the Nationals, Pirates, and Padres, three lame duck teams long out of the running for any playoff spot.
Speaking of season series, the Dodgers closed the books on the Giants today finishing 11-7. They have won all 4 season series within the division and look to finish with between 44 and 49 wins against the NL West this year out of a total of 72. Pretty good stuff if you ask me.
For fun let’s look at the comparison.
Dodgers: 6-6 finishing 96-66
- Rockies: 12-0 (000) to reach 97 wins: +12
- Marlins: Elim (Need 17 wins with 12 left)
- Braves: Elim (Need 18 wins with 13 left)
- Giants: Elim (Need 17 wins with 13 left)
- Cubs: Elim (Need 22 wins with 15 left)
So if the Dodgers split the next 12 the Rockies have to go 12-0 to win the division. While the Dodgers haven’t been able to build on the 5.0 game lead they have over the Rockies, holding ground is just as good in the end.
Dodgers: 0-12 finishing 90-72
- Rockies: 6-6 (.500) to reach 91 wins: +0
- Giants: 11-2 (.846) to reach 91 wins: +9
- Marlins: 11-1 (.916) to reach 91 wins: +10
- Braves: 12-1 (.923) to reach 91 wins: +11
- Cubs: Elim (Need 16 wins with 15 left)
The Cubs officially can’t pass the Dodgers. The Marlins and Braves are close. The Giants have just a glimmer of hope left.
So away from all speculations, magic number 4 for the Dodgers against the Giants means the Dodgers just have to win 4 out of the next 12 games to clinch a spot even if the Giants go 13-0 over that stretch.
Dodgers Trades Helping Out
Jon Garland went 7 innings against his former team and allowed only 2 runs. He earned first victory as a Dodger starter as LA split the series 2-2. Newly acquired Belliard gave Orlando Hudson a night off and went 2 for 3 and drove in 3 runs in the 4-2 win. The 4th run was on a Manny solo shot. Good stuff.
The Dodgers find themselves back up 5.5 games as they are having no trouble keeping pace with these under .500 teams. This was their 80th win of the season with 27 games left to play. They won just 84 last year and 82 the year before that, so this is certainly an improvement year to year for this young team that grows older and more experienced by the minute.
The Dodgers await San Diego this weekend where they hope to heat the bats up. They have struggled offensively off and on still lately but the Dodgers pitching continues to pick them up most of the time. The Padres will face Kershaw and then Wolf for games 1 and 2 of the series and then the Dodgers will get a look at Kuroda in his first start since his head injury.
When we break down the remaining 27 games for the Dodgers you can see that the even split would be 13-14 finishing 93-69. This is how the rest of baseball stands in that case when you toss the Wildcard race into the mix:
- Rockies: 20-8 (.714) to reach 94 wins: +12
- Giants: 21-7 (.750) to reach 94 wins: +14
- Braves: 24-4 (.857) to reach 94 wins: +20
- Marlins: 24-4 (.857) to reach 94 wins: +20
- Cubs: 27-3 (.900) to reach 94 wins: +24
The Rockies and Giants are the only serious threats to the Dodgers left in the NL and even they are down to a precious number of losses they can sustain before it becomes no longer feasible to overcome LA. After hitting a skid in August the Dodgers rebounded and finished only 2 wins behind the Giants and Rockies on the month. Anything is possible still of course but the Dodgers are playing decent again and are 1 game above .500 over the last 20 games.
Meanwhile the Rockies are in trouble. First they lost Aaron Cook, one of their top starters. Next it was Carlos Gonzalez, a hot bat that helped them heat up in August. Now there’s question marks about their closer Huston Street who has been brilliant this year but could miss some time in this crucial month. The Rockies are 4-6 in the last 10, unable to sustain their hot streak any longer.
The Giants will look to seize on this opportunity and get back a lead in the Wildcard to put pressure on the Dodgers again but they have a tough road ahead of them. Just a little less than half of their remaining games are against teams over .500. The Brewers are close to .500 as well if you want to count that. They just finished a tough series against the Phillies and now they’ll face a pretty good D-backs team that has given the Dodgers trouble in the last 2 series with the D-backs winning 4 of the 7 games.
Dodgers Guarantee At Least A Series Split Against Cubs
It was all Randy Wolf tonight for the Dodgers. He allowed only 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run to score in 7 innings and the Dodgers bullpen finished it up. Wolf also drove in the Dodgers only 2 runs of the night. He picked up his 3rd win in 3 starts and he’s averaging about 1.6 runs scored per outing over that short stretch. Now if only Billingsley or Kershaw could chain together some wins like that.
Meanwhile on the bullpen front Broxton recorded his 27th save of the year, trying to stay on track. It seems like maybe his bad stretch was just a bad stretch and not signs of an injury or something worse.
I don’t want to jinx it but Dodgers fans may not have noticed exactly how good George Sherrill has been for LA. He’s now been in 10 games for the Dodgers going 10.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He hasn’t been perfect and he’s allowed a few inherited base runners to score but in general you have to love what he’s doing for the Dodgers.
So for the first time since beating the Giants on August 11 the Dodgers actually gained ground in the standings. The Giants knocked off the Rockies to start their 4 game series and hopefully they can keep on track and slow down Colorado a lot before the Dodgers head to Denver for a series of their own. The Dodgers edged up to 9-11 on the month trying to balance the books with just 9 more games left in August. The Rockies are an impressive 12-7 and the Giants are 11-8.
The Dodgers have a good chance of actually winning this 4 game series after taking the first 2. Either way they have at least a split now and that’s pretty good given their recent struggles. They’ll try to make it 3 in a row for the first time since they won 5 in a row back on July 22.
Are The Dodgers Doomed In October Without An Ace?
With Cliff Lee going to the Phillies the Dodgers look to be losing out on getting an impact starter to add to the rotation and seem to be focusing on adding arms for the bullpen instead.
Lately several journalists have been saying the Dodgers are basically built to win the division but can’t win in the playoffs without an ace. Sure, the Dodgers lack an ace that goes deep in every game and dominates the other side but do they still have starters that will get the job done in the playoffs?
I wanted to know what the average innings pitched for the starter in a playoff game is when their team wins the game. The pitcher doesn’t have to get the win but their team has to win the game they started. You might be surprised to know what I found out.
In 125 playoff games since 2005 the starting pitcher for the winning team went an average of 6.0 innings per start. In 59 Division Series games since 2005 the average was just 5.6. In the 47 League Championship games it was 6.1. The World Series average after 19 games is 6.3 innings per start.
So what is the average innings per start of the Dodgers 4 main starters this season?
- Billingsley: 6.2 innings AVG, 3.96 ERA after 21 starts
- Wolf: 6.1 innings AVG, 3.43 ERA after 22 starts
- Kuroda: 5.7 innings AVG, 4.57 ERA after 11 starts
- Kershaw: 5.6 innings AVG, 2.96 ERA after 20 starts
The Dodgers may not have that starter that is going to go deep in every game and dominate the opposition like other teams but they do have one of the strongest bullpens in baseball backing up starters that can reach that average 6 inning mark most of the time.
So why all the fuss? Your guess is as good as mine. If the Dodgers can get fresh arms for the bullpen or a solid 5th starter then good for them. If not then don’t think for one moment that this team is guaranteed to crap out in the playoffs without a trade. They have the potential to make the playoffs and go deeper than last year and possibly win it all. It’s just a matter of going out there and getting the job done but don’t let folks tell you they can’t based on what they have right now.
Dodgers Blast Reds, Set Table For A Possible Sweep
Reds 3 – Dodgers 12 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
It looked like it was going to be one of those nights early on. Furcal and Hudson got on base leading off in the 1st and a rare Manny Ramirez triple scored them both with nobody out. The Dodgers next 3 batters failed to pick Manny up though. The Reds cut the early lead in half the next inning but the Dodgers quickly made up for not scoring Manny from 3rd.
The Dodgers made it 9-1 by the 4th inning. By the end of the 5th it was 12-1. Furcal had a big night with a home run and 4 RBI going 3 for 5. Hudson was back and had 1 hit and a run scored. The Dodgers have now outscored the Reds in the series 19-8 with 1 more game to go.
Randy Wolf pitched 7.1 innings allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs and gave the bullpen a little rest as they used Claudio Vargas the rest of the way. The Dodgers have now won 11 in a row against the Reds at Dodger Stadium and they extend their overall winning streak to 4 in a row. Randy Wolf finally won another game decision but it only took 12 runs to secure it.
For the first time since the Dodgers beat the Angels in Game 2 weeks ago the Dodgers won Game 2 of another series, this time setting the table for a possible sweep. The Dodgers once lead the majors in series sweeps but it’s been 15 series since the last sweep so they’ve fallen behind some of the other teams lately.
The Dodgers will have to get past the Reds ace though to get the sweep so they’ll send their own ace, Billingsley, to counter. It will be Manny Ramirez bobble head night but Manny may not play. He left tonight’s game early after being hit by a pitch and is listed day-to-day with no major damage done.
Tonight was the Dodgers 60th win of the season and their 60-34 record puts them 26 games above .500. The Rockies and Giants both lost so the Dodgers gained a game on each and now lead by 9 and 9.5 games. The Giants are now 1 game under .500 on the month and the Rockies are just 3 over compared to the Dodgers who are 6 games over in July and starting to increase their lead for the first time in a long time.
Dodgers Offense Backs Schmidt In Game 1
Reds 5 – Dodgers 7 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Schmidt was a big question mark going into the Reds series but his 5 innings and 3 runs allowed helped the Dodgers coast to a 7-5 victory and gave Schmidt the win.
When Schmidt gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning it looked like things were going to end badly for him. The Dodgers scored 4 in the bottom frame though and Schmidt was right back on track hardly giving up anything for the next 4 innings while the Dodgers brought the score up to 7-3. The bullpen gave up 2 runs late in the game but Broxton got his 23rd save, the toe apparently not bothering him much in his last 2 games.
Manny hit his first Dodger Stadium homer since returning from suspension. He’s been in a little slump in the last 5 games at home with just a couple of hits in that stretch and the 2 run homer being the biggest of them all and the deciding runs in the game.
So now the Dodgers will try to extend their little 3 game winning streak with what seems lately like an impossible feat to win Game 2 of a series. The Dodgers send Wolf to the mound to try and accomplish that.
In the West there’s a new 2nd place team. The Rockies finally tipped above the Giants by a half game. The Giants had been in solid 2nd place since the end of April but find themselves looking at an 8-8 record in July while the Dodgers have gone 10-5 and the Rockies 10-6. The Dodgers lead the Rockies and the Giants now by 8 and 8.5 games.
aducker
Recent Comments